Brésil: Flamengo sacré en championnat, après son titre en Copa Libertadores

Flamengo a remporté mercredi le championnat du Brésil après sa victoire face à Ceará (1-0) au stade Maracana de Rio de Janeiro, grâce à un but de l’ailier Samuel Lino, quatre jours après avoir remporté la Copa Libertadores, la Ligue des champions d’Amérique latine. L’équipe carioca compte 78 points, cinq de plus que Palmeiras, son adversaire en finale de la Libertadores, avec une journée encore à disputer. C’est le huitième titre national pour Flamengo (1980, 1982, 1983, 1992, 2009, 2019, 2020 et 2025), le club le plus populaire du Brésil. Il égale ainsi le nombre de sacres de Santos et n’est devancé que par Palmeiras, qui compte 12 titres.Seuls le Santos de Pelé en 1962 et 1963, Flamengo en 2019 et Botafogo en 2024 ont réussi le doublé national et continental au cours d’une même saison. Flamengo était aussi devenu le premier club brésilien à remporter quatre titres dans la plus prestigieuse compétition de clubs sud-américaine. “Dans quelques années, (les joueurs) réaliseront ce qu’ils ont accompli. Ils sont éternels”, a célébré l’entraîneur Filipe Luís, se disant “très fier” en conférence de presse.Dans un stade Maracana comble, les supporters du “Fla” ont déployé une immense banderole portant l’inscription “Rei de Copas” (“Roi des Coupes”) pour célébrer ce nouveau titre. Lino, 25 ans et arrivé cette saison au Flamengo en provenance de l’Atlético de Madrid pour une somme record de 31,6 millions d’euros, a inscrit le but de la victoire à la 38e minute, sur une passe en profondeur du Colombien Jorge Carrascal. “Cela montre à quel point je suis résilient, je me bats tout le temps, je lutte, non seulement pendant ce match, mais dans ma carrière, dans mon quotidien”, a déclaré Lino, ajoutant: “marquer le but du titre me rend heureux.”L’entraîneur de Palmeiras, le Portugais Abel Ferreira, a tenu à féliciter le nouveau champion. “Excellent groupe et excellent entraîneur”, a-t-il déclaré après la victoire contre l’Atletico Mineiro (3-0) qui n’aura servi à rien.La saison n’est pas terminée pour Flamengo, qui doit affronter mercredi en Coupe Intercontinentale le club mexicain de Cruz Azul, sacré champion de la Concacaf. Le vainqueur de ce match sera opposé aux Egyptiens de Pyramids FC, champion d’Afrique des clubs, pour une place en finale contre le Paris SG, champion d’Europe en titre, le 17 décembre à Doha.

Coin toss curse puts India in a million-to-one heads or tailspin

India are all in a spin after losing a scarcely believable 20 coin tosses in a row in one-day internationals — at odds of more than a million-to-one.Stand-in captain KL Rahul admitted he was flummoxed at the run of bad luck that goes all the way back to the 2023 World Cup final in Ahmedabad, when Rohit Sharma was in charge.”I’ve been practising, but clearly it’s not working,” said Rahul after losing the flip again in the second one-day international against South Africa in Raipur on Wednesday.The odds against losing 20 consecutive coin tosses are 1,048,576 to one, a statistical anomaly that Rahul wants to end in the third and final South Africa ODI on Saturday in Visakhapatnam.”Honestly, that’s the most pressure I’ve had because we haven’t won a toss in a long time,” Rahul said after seeing opposite number Temba Bavuma call correctly, yet again.Three Indian captains — Rohit, regular ODI skipper Shubman Gill and Rahul — have all tried and failed to win a toss since the last correct call against New Zealand on November 15, 2023, at the World Cup semi-final in Mumbai.”Rahul said that he’d been practising, but how do you know what the opposition captain is going to call?” batting great Sunil Gavaskar told broadcaster JioStar.”Because you know, for the first game, it was Aiden Markram who was captain. “So Markram might be a person who likes opting for ‘heads’, and Temba Bavuma might be a captain who likes to opt for ‘tails’.”Former South Africa pace bowler Dale Steyn said Faf du Plessis once asked Bavuma to toss for him after a lengthy losing sequence.”It’s the first time I have ever seen a captain ask one of the other players to come and do a toss,” said Steyn.”Temba also lost that toss.”

Foot: “Les Marseillaises” et leur projet au défi du Paris SG

Remontée cette saison en Première Ligue, l’équipe féminine de l’OM, rebaptisée “Les Marseillaises” et désormais entraînée par l’ancienne sélectionneuse des Bleues Corinne Diacre, recevra vendredi le Paris SG, un duel qui permettra d’évaluer l’avancement du projet olympien.En mai dernier, les joueuses de l’OM ont été sacrées championnes de D2 et ont réparé une anomalie en ramenant Marseille parmi l’élite pour la première fois depuis 2020.Dirigée depuis un peu plus d’un an par Stefano Petruzzo, qui a été directeur de la stratégie de Liverpool de 2013 à 2019, la section féminine se structure depuis et s’appelle “Les Marseillaises” depuis septembre.”C’est un changement de nom mais surtout un ajout. On sera toujours l’OM, mais on voulait donner une identité propre pour la section féminine, pour ne pas toujours être seulement l’OM féminin”, avait alors expliqué le dirigeant italo-argentin.Trois mois plus tard, et à l’heure d’affronter le PSG, l’un des deux géants du football féminin français avec OL Lyonnes, Petruzzo assure que le projet marseillais “va dans la bonne direction”.- Des attentes élevées -“On sait exactement ce que nous devons faire pour arriver à gagner des matches et à rivaliser avec les plus grosses équipes d’Europe. Ça ne se fera pas en un jour, mais on a le projet pour y arriver”, a-t-il dit à l’AFP.”On doit continuer à travailler comme on le fait, avec des spécialistes dans le staff, à la formation, avec une cellule de recrutement qui commence à travailler de mieux en mieux. C’est tout un projet qui se structure et je n’ai aucun doute sur le fait qu’on sera compétitifs. Il faut juste du temps. Chaque saison, chaque mois en fait, on ajoute quelque chose”, a-t-il poursuivi.Sur le terrain, l’apprentissage du plus haut niveau se fait au rythme attendu, avec une 9e place (sur 12) après huit matches, deux victoires, deux nuls et quatre défaites, mais une seule lors des cinq dernières journées.”Je pense qu’après la montée, on était assez attendues. Beaucoup de gens ont des attentes très élevées nous concernant et il y a forcément un peu de pression qui vient avec ça. Mais c’est une bonne pression”, a raconté à l’AFP la gardienne italo-canadienne Margot Shore, arrivée cet été.Le début de saison a aussi été compliqué par le départ du coach Frédéric Gonçalves, impliqué dans une bagarre lors d’un match de préparation. Il a été remplacé par Corinne Diacre, sans poste depuis son éviction de l’équipe de France avant le Mondial-2023.- “Clasico!” -“Le travail de Corinne et du staff commence à se voir dans la solidité de l’équipe. Evidemment, c’est une saison de transition, mais ce qui compte c’est la progression vers nos objectifs globaux”, juge Petruzzo.”On doit créer notre identité, trouver nos automatismes, parce qu’on a connu beaucoup de changements cette année. Donc, ça passe d’abord par le maintien et ensuite, construire tout doucement quelque chose de très important, pour voir l’OM figurer en haut du championnat”, a de son côté expliqué à l’AFP la défenseuse Roxane Couasnon, qui découvre la première division.Lors de sa conférence de presse de présentation, Corinne Diacre avait aussi assuré que l’objectif “à très court terme” était “le maintien”. “Si on arrive à atteindre cet objectif assez rapidement dans la saison, on essaiera d’aller embêter un petit peu ces équipes de tête tout en restant humbles”, avait-elle ajouté.Parmi ces équipes de haut de tableau, il y a donc le PSG, que les Marseillaises retrouveront vendredi à Martigues, à une trentaine de kilomètres de la cité phocéenne et où l’équipe “se trouve très bien”, selon Stefano Petruzzo. Il confirme néanmoins que “l’objectif reste de jouer quelques matches par saison au Vélodrome”.”Le PSG, c’est beau parce que c’est l’équipe rivale. C’est un match qu’on veut vraiment jouer”, sourit Margot Shore, qui a été bien briefée. “Dès que j’ai signé, on m’a dit: +écoute, tu dois savoir quelque chose: Clasico!+”

Eurovision members debate call to boycott Israel

Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest will be debated at a two-day meeting of member broadcasters in Geneva starting Thursday, following calls to exclude the country over its Gaza war tactics.Countries including Iceland, Ireland, Spain and the Netherlands, have threatened in recent months to pull out of the 2026 contest if Israel takes part.Others, including Belgium, Finland and Sweden, have also indicated they were considering a boycott over the situation in Gaza.In justifying its decision, Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS highlighted a “serious violation of press freedom” by Israel in Gaza.It accused Israel of “proven interference… during the last edition of the Song Contest” — in which it came second — by lobbying the public overseas to vote for it.The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the glitzy competition, had planned to convene member broadcasters in November for a vote on the issue.But a few days after the October 10 announcement of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, the EBU postponed a decision until its ordinary general assembly on December 4 and 5.Then last month, in an apparent bid to avoid a contentious vote, the EBU announced that it had changed its voting rules to address members’ concerns and to strengthen “trust and transparency”.During this week’s meeting, broadcasters will therefore be asked to consider whether the new measures are sufficient or whether they still wish to see a vote on Israel’s participation.- Boycott calls -ORF, the public broadcaster in Austria, which will host the 2026 contest, has expressed hope that a consensus can be reached so that it can host “as many participants as possible”.But other broadcasters have suggested the new EBU measures are insufficient.Iceland’s RUV said last week it would call for Israel to be expelled before determining its own participation in the 2026 edition. Spain’s public broadcaster reaffirmed its intention to boycott the competition if Israel is allowed to take part.”Israel has politically used the contest, has tried to influence the outcome, and has not been sanctioned for this conduct,” said RTVE president Jose Pablo Lopez. Slovenia’s public broadcaster is also set to snub the contest, judging from a budget passed last week that included no funds for participation.But if at the EBU General Assembly “there is a vote on whether Israel should or should not participate at the Eurovision contest, and, if the result is that they do not participate, then we would propose… to participate”, said RTV Slovenija chief Natasa Gorscak.The EBU rule changes came after the past two contests saw the Israeli acts receive little backing from professional juries but a surge of support from the public vote.That catapulted Eden Golan from the depths of the jury rankings to fifth place in Malmo, Sweden in 2024, and Yuval Raphael to second place in Basel, Switzerland, this year. If Israel is excluded, it would not be the first time a broadcaster is barred.Russia was excluded following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, while Belarus had been excluded a year earlier after the contested re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko.burs-apo/nl/rh

Guinea offers new migration route for weary, young west AfricansThu, 04 Dec 2025 06:27:08 GMT

With a determined look on her weathered face, Safiatou Bah has made up her mind: she will leave her young children behind and migrate to Europe on a new and perilous ocean route from Guinea.Thousands of young Guineans have attempted to migrate via the Atlantic in recent years, a flow so severe that authorities in …

Guinea offers new migration route for weary, young west AfricansThu, 04 Dec 2025 06:27:08 GMT Read More »

Egypt’s Sinai mountain megaproject threatens the people of St CatherineThu, 04 Dec 2025 05:58:43 GMT

Atop one of Egypt’s Sinai mountains, near where the three Abrahamic faiths say God spoke with Moses, another unmistakable sound rings out: the incessant drilling of construction work. In the remote, rugged terrain of southern Sinai, Egypt has undertaken a vast megaproject aimed at drawing mass tourism to the once serene mountain town of Saint Catherine.Heritage …

Egypt’s Sinai mountain megaproject threatens the people of St CatherineThu, 04 Dec 2025 05:58:43 GMT Read More »

Egypt’s Sinai mountain megaproject threatens the people of St Catherine

Atop one of Egypt’s Sinai mountains, near where the three Abrahamic faiths say God spoke with Moses, another unmistakable sound rings out: the incessant drilling of construction work. In the remote, rugged terrain of southern Sinai, Egypt has undertaken a vast megaproject aimed at drawing mass tourism to the once serene mountain town of Saint Catherine.Heritage experts and locals say the state’s bulldozers have already damaged the nature reserve and UNESCO world heritage site, home to the world’s oldest functioning Christian monastery and Bedouin who fear for their ancestral land.”The Saint Catherine we knew is gone. The next generation will only know these buildings,” said a veteran hiking guide from the Jabaliya tribe, as a five-star hotel loomed overhead and the beeps of a reversing bulldozer drowned out the songbirds.Like others AFP interviewed about the nearly $300-million “Great Transfiguration” or “Revelation of Saint Catherine” project, he requested anonymity for fear of retaliation.”We should call this what it is, which is the disfigurement and destruction” of the site, John Grainger, the former manager of the European Union’s Saint Catherine protectorate project, told AFP.From above, bright lights and concrete overpower the town’s red-brick homes and orchards, in the form of hotels including a sprawling Steigenberger resort, a conference centre and hundreds of housing units.In July, World Heritage Watch urged UNESCO to list the area as a World Heritage site in danger.Last month, UNESCO elected Egypt’s former tourism and antiquities minister Khaled El-Enany as its chief. During his tenure, Egypt launched the Saint Catherine project and demolished swathes of Cairo’s historic City of the Dead cemetery, which is also a UNESCO site as well as an active burial place.- Mutiny at the monastery -Just beyond the site of the new project on biblical Mount Sinai, or Jebel Moussa, two dozen monks in black vestments tend a small cluster of ancient shrines.In May, an Egypt court ruled the Saint Catherine monastery sits on state-owned land and that the Greek Orthodox monks are merely “entitled to use” it, sparking a diplomatic row with Greece and uproar from Orthodox patriarchates. Egypt has defended the ruling, which critics say leaves the monastery dependent on authorities’ goodwill for its survival. In September, Saint Catherine’s archbishop resigned, reportedly after an unprecedented mutiny.Each morning, the monks still open their gates to visitors, mostly sunrise hikers accompanied by local Jabaliya guides.The Jabaliya, whose name derives from the Arabic word for “mountain”, have lived here for 1,500 years, and are said to descend from the Roman soldiers who came to guard the monastery. Each year, they guide hundreds of thousands of worshippers and adventurers, drawn to the sacred sites and the austere but magnificent landscapes. They have for decades called for better services and infrastructure to lift their community out of poverty.Long marginalised, they now fear that rapid development has come at their expense — even disturbing the dead.- ‘No room for us’ -In 2022, bulldozers levelled the town’s centuries-old cemetery, forcing people to exhume hundreds of bodies.”They just came in one day without saying anything and destroyed our cemetery,” said the hiking guide.The gravesite is now a car park.The South Sinai governor’s office did not respond to AFP’s questions about the cemetery and the local impact of the project.Government officials tout its economic benefits and say decisions were taken in consultation with the community, but locals told AFP their concerns had been ignored. “No one knows what will happen tomorrow. Maybe they’ll tell us to get out, that there’s no room for us anymore,” the guide added.Many still hope tourism will bring prosperity, even as they navigate life around bulldozers and struggle to keep up with soaring prices.”Did you hear they tore down half my house?” a 70-year-old casually told a friend. Across the country, many who have had their homes demolished in recent years for tourism or infrastructure projects, including overpasses and real-estate developments in Cairo, say state compensation does not meet their needs.After uproar from conservationists over Saint Catherine, UNESCO requested in 2023 that Egypt “halt the implementation of any further development projects”, conduct an impact evaluation and develop a conservation plan.Construction continued unabated and the government said in January the project was 90 percent complete.Gesturing across the monastery’s grapevines and cypresses towards a nearly finished five-star hotel, a local official laughed. “These hotels are huge, the costs astronomical. Are they even going to be full? That’s the real problem, but we can’t say anything,” he said.

Hepatitis B vaccine for newborns faces scrutiny in US

Experts appointed by the Trump administration’s vaccine-skeptic Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr are expected to review newborn hepatitis B vaccines on Thursday, considering whether to delay the shots despite opposition from many doctors.The newly anointed Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) members are slated to meet for two days in Atlanta, Georgia, to follow-up on a September meeting that resulted in new recommendations for Covid-19 and measles vaccinations.Under Kennedy, ACIP has initiated a broad review of the safety of several vaccines, some of which have been in use for decades.The shift led by the nation’s health chief — who has long voiced anti-vaccine rhetoric despite his lack of medical credentials — is causing alarm in the American medical and scientific community. Experts have warned about dropping immunization rates and the return of deadly contagious diseases like the measles, which caused several deaths in 2025.”Any changes this ACIP makes will certainly not be based in facts or evidence, but rather ideology,” said Sean O’Leary, an infectious disease and pediatric specialist who has been critical of the lack of qualifications among the committee’s new members. – First 24 hours -Since 1991, US health officials have recommended the administration of the hepatitis B vaccine for newborn infants, as the viral liver disease exposes infected individuals to a high risk of death from cirrhosis or liver cancer.”Ninety percent of babies infected with hepatitis B will go on to have chronic liver disease. Of those, a quarter will die from their hepatitis B infection. These are entirely preventable deaths,” O’Leary said.But anti-vax groups and President Donald Trump alike have pushed back on the practice, with Trump insisting in September that children should not be vaccinated against hepatitis B until the age of 12, rather than soon after birth, saying: “Hepatitis B is sexually transmitted. There’s no reason to give a baby that’s almost just born hepatitis B.”Medical experts condemned Trump’s assertions, saying newborns can be infected by their mother during pregnancy or childbirth, and delaying vaccines would lead to lower vaccination rates overall because of inconsistent access to medical care in the United States.An analysis published by a team of researchers from the University of Minnesota this week looked at more than 400 studies, concluding there was no benefit to delaying the hepatitis B vaccine, but there are “critical risks of changing current US recommendations.”- Loss of trust -The repercussions of the ACIP’s vaccine recommendations are broad because the federal guidelines often dictate whether vaccines are paid for by health insurance in the United States, where childbirth can be a major expense and the price of a single vaccine can be hundreds of dollars.But the committee’s influence is waning amid withering criticism from the American scientific and medical community, with Democratic-led states announcing they will no longer follow its recommendations.”States are forming their own advisory committees because they don’t trust anything that’s going on under the auspices of Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who is an avowed anti-vaccine activist and science denialist,” pediatrician Paul Offit told AFP. “Everybody that watches the ACIP meetings just holds their breath, waiting to see what dangerous thing they advance next.”