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Suicide Attack On Damascus Church Kills At Least 22 Faithful During Service
A shooting and suicide bombing at a Damascus church during a packed service on Sunday killed at least 22 people, authorities said, blaming a member of the Islamic State group for the unprecedented attack.
The international community condemned the attack, the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December.
It was also the first inside a church in Syria since the country’s civil war erupted in 2011, according to a monitor.
Security remains one of the greatest challenges for Syria’s new authorities, with the international community repeatedly urging them to protect minorities.
AFP correspondents saw first responders transporting people from the Orthodox church as security forces cordoned off the area.
The church itself was strewn with wood from fittings and pews, with fallen icons and pools of blood on the floor.
“A suicide attacker affiliated with the Daesh (IS) terrorist group entered the Saint Elias church in the Dwelaa area… opened fire then blew himself up with an explosive belt,” an interior ministry statement said.
State news agency SANA, citing the ministry of health, reported a death toll of 22, with 63 injured.
Lawrence Maamari who was inside the church when the attack happened told AFP a man had entered and begun shooting. People “tried to stop him before he blew himself up”, he added.
Ziad Helou, 40, who was at a shop nearby, said he heard gunfire then an explosion, and saw glass flying.
“We saw fire in the church and the remains of wooden benches thrown all the way to the entrance,” he said.
‘Heinous crime’
The blast sparked panic and fear in the church, which had been full of worshippers, including children and the elderly, eyewitnesses said. Families were still searching desperately for missing loved ones.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was the first suicide attack inside a church in Syria since war erupted in 2011. Other churches had been damaged or seen attacks in their vicinity during the conflict, but none had been so directly targeted.
The Orthodox patriarchate in Damascus called on “the authorities to bear full responsibility for what has happened and is happening concerning the violation of the sanctity of churches, and to ensure the protection of all citizens”.
Syria’s Christian community has shrunk from around one million before the war to under 300,000 due to waves of displacement and emigration.
The United Nations special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen expressed “outrage at this heinous crime”, calling for a full investigation.
US special envoy Tom Barrack said Washington supported Syria “as it fights against those who are seeking to create instability and fear in their country and the broader region”.
Turkey, which is close to the new authorities, expressed confidence that Syrians would stay united in “their fight against terrorist organisations that seek to sow chaos in the country”.
France’s foreign ministry restated its commitment to “a transition in Syria that allows Syrians, whatever their religion, to live in peace and security in a free, united, pluralistic, prosperous, stable and sovereign” country.
Egypt’s Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam’s prestigious seat of learning, called it a “blatant assault on the right to life” and worship.
Investigation
Syria’s foreign ministry described the attack as “a desperate attempt to undermine national coexistence and to destabilise the country”.
Assad had portrayed himself as a protector of minorities, who during Syria’s nearly 14-year civil war were targeted by numerous attacks — many of them claimed by jihadist groups including IS.
Since the new authorities took power, the international community has urged the government to protect minorities and ensure their participation in Syria’s transition, particularly after sectarian violence in recent months.
Interior Minister Anas Khattab said that specialised teams had begun investigating.
“These terrorist acts will not stop the efforts of the Syrian state in achieving civil peace,” Khattab said according to a statement.
In an interview earlier this month, Khattab said that IS had shifted “to studied attacks on strategic targets” and had attempted “to carry out attacks against the Christian and Shiite community” that the authorities had thwarted.
Last month, IS claimed its first attack on Syria’s new government forces. Authorities said they had arrested members of an IS cell near Damascus, accusing them of preparing attacks.
IS seized large swathes of Syrian and Iraqi territory in the early years of the civil war, declaring a cross-border “caliphate” in 2014 before being territorially defeated in 2019.
International News
Maguire: Tuchel Told Me By Video Call I Was Out And I Said I Was Very Disappointed
On “The Rest is Football” podcast, Manchester United center-back Maguire discussed how Tuchel informed him via video call that he had not been selected for the World Cup squad.
Maguire revealed: “He (Tuchel) video-called everyone. It was quite an awkward call. I first received a message asking if he could talk to me around 4 PM. It was quite a unique approach, and certainly difficult, because he could see everyone’s reactions.
“I said directly that I was really very disappointed. I felt I had done well enough to deserve to be in the squad, and I felt I could have helped the team, playing a role on and off the pitch. He said he couldn’t give me any excuses, but he chose the four players who had helped him through a difficult period last autumn.
“It was hard to accept. After being called up by him for the first time in the March training camp, I did think I would be in the squad. I performed well in both games and then returned to Manchester United, finishing the season with a very strong performance.”
Tuchel ultimately chose to take Stones, Guehi, Konsa, Quansah, and Dan Burn to the World Cup.
No Plans to Retire from England Duty
Furthermore, even with Tuchel’s contract extending to Euro 2028, Maguire is unwilling to close the door on playing for England.
He added: “I don’t think I’ll retire from England duty. I still feel I can shine. Sooner or later there will be a time and a point where I no longer deserve to be selected for England, but even then, I most likely won’t proactively step out and announce my retirement. If I can play for England one more time, it will all be worth it.”
Maguire will use the off-season to fully recover and prepare for Manchester United’s return to the Champions League in the 2026-27 season. While his England teammates face the immense pressure of a major international tournament, the experienced defender will strive to maintain his excellent club form. If he is to earn a recall to the England squad later this year, proving his endurance in the Premier League remains crucial.
Bukayo Saka said that Arsenal’s critics were “not laughing at us anymore” as the club celebrated their first Premier League title in more than two decades.
Gunners players and staff gathered at the club’s London Colney training ground on Tuesday to watch closest challengers Manchester City draw 1-1 away to Bournemouth—a result which gave Arsenal an unassailable four-point lead at the top of the table with just Sunday’s final round of matches remaining.
As the Arsenal squad relished the club’s first Premier League title since 2004, there were also joyous scenes at the north London side’s Emirates Stadium, where thousands of supporters gathered to mark the occasion by lighting fireworks and flares.
Arsenal, runners-up in the league for the previous three seasons, had faced accusations of “bottling” their title bid, with several observers questioning their temperament and ability to handle pressure following a 2-1 defeat at City on April 19.
But while City subsequently drew at Everton and then at Bournemouth, Arsenal won their next four league games without conceding a goal.
Arteta, who rejoined Arsenal as manager in December 2019 with the club in dire straits, installed a blacked-out Premier League trophy at Colney which would light up only when the Gunners won the title
“Light that up,” Saka said in footage posted by defender Jurrien Timber on his Instagram account.
“Let me tell you something. Twenty-two years, 22 years. there was laughing, there was joking, they’re not laughing anymore,” the England international added. “Look, it is going to be shining, it is going to be shining bright.”
In an Instagram post, this time on Saka’s channel, Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly was seen holding a champagne bottle.
“They called us bottlers,” said Lewis-Skelly who, like Saka, came through the club’s Hale End Academy youth system. “And now we’re holding the bottle.”
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger featured in a celebratory post put out by his old side.
The Frenchman, who won three Premier League titles with the Gunners, including the 2004 ‘Invincibles’, said: “You did it. Champions go on when others stop. This is your time. Now, go on and enjoy every moment.”
City manager Pep Guardiola, who had Arteta as his assistant for two of the Manchester club’s league titles, paid tribute to his fellow Spaniard.
“On behalf of everyone at Manchester City, we congratulate Mikel and all the staff, players and fans on winning the Premier League,” Guardiola told Sky Sports. “They deserve it, for so much hard work and effort.”
Arsenal will be presented with the Premier League trophy after their final match of the domestic season at Crystal Palace on Sunday.
The Gunners could yet end the campaign with an impressive double when they go in search of their first Champions League title against Paris Saint-Germain in a Budapest final on May 30.
AFP
A women right group, ‘The Women Advocates’ (TWA) has petitioned the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu over male domination of elective and appointive positions in Oshodi/Isolo Federal Constituency II ahead of the forthcoming primaries of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Lagos State.
In a petition addressed to the wife of the president, the group sought the intervention of the First Lady over what it described as total neglect of the women folks in aspiring for the House of Representatives seat from the constituency.
The group in the petition which was jointly signed by its coordinator, Adejoke Olaogun and Secretary Helen Nwachukwu respectively noted with dismay that since the advent of the second republic in 1999, no female politician has been given the opportunity to represent the constituency at the House of Representatives.
The group listed six male politicians who have represented the constituency to include Gbolahan Okuneye, Jaiyeola Ajatta, Hakeem Muniru, Tony Nwulu, Ganiu Johnson and now currently Okey Joe Onuakalusi.
The Women Advocates said the total domination of elective and appointive positions by male politicians in the constituency negates the gender equality and all-inclusive principle of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who recently supported constitutional amendment initiated by the National Assembly for increased women’s participation in governance by advocating for at least 35% affirmative action in elective and appointive positions.
The initiative of the National Assembly also gained the affirmation of the ruling party, All Progressive Congress APC (APC) which officially pushed for reduced political hostility, greater inclusion in leadership and also introduced initiatives like ‘774 Explore’ for grassroot mobilization, aiming to boost female representation ahead of the 2027 elections.
“For this obvious gender imbalance, we are constrained to seek your intervention in addressing this anomaly. Being gender-friendly and a strong advocate of women’s inclusion in governance, we are convinced your timely intervention would restore hope of leadership opportunities for the women folks who are expectedly to mobilize extensively for the re-election bid of the president in 2027,” the petition read in part.
It continued: “To this end, we earnestly solicit consideration of female aspirants as APC candidates in a fair and equitable manner ahead of the forthcoming party primaries across the 25 LGAs and 37 LCDAs in Lagos particularly in Oshodi/Isolo Federal Constituency II where we lost the last House of Representatives election to the Labour Party (LP).”
The group specifically appealed for support for Angela Yinka Akintunde as a candidate for the House of Representatives seat in Oshodi-Isolo Federal Constituency II, describing her candidacy as a step toward bridging the gender gap in elective offices.
Women Advocates further urged party leaders and stakeholders to embrace inclusivity and fairness in the forthcoming primaries, emphasizing that equitable representation would enhance political development and social progress in the state
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