International News
UN Security Council Sanctions Six DRC Armed Group Leaders
The UN Security Council has sanctioned six senior members of armed groups operating in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where clashes with government forces have intensified in recent weeks
East African Regional Force (EACRF) Deputy Force Commander Brigadier General Emmanuel Kaputa (R) and M23 spokesman Willy Ngoma (L) shake hands in Kibumba in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on December 23, 2022. DR Congo’s M23 rebels
Among the six added to the sanctions list on Tuesday is Willy Ngoma, a spokesman for the M23 rebels who are known for videos in which he poses with Congolese or Burundian soldiers captured during the fighting.
The sanctions consist of an asset freeze, including in the DRC, and a travel ban.
Ngoma is the fifth senior M23 member to be placed under Security Council sanctions.
The Tutsi-majority rebel group has been accused by the UN and international human rights organizations of having committed numerous massacres, among other atrocities in eastern DRC.
After several months of relative calm in the region, intense fighting resumed last month around the city of Goma, the capital of DRC’s North Kivu province.
The DRC, the United Nations and Western countries say Rwanda is supporting the rebels in a bid to control vast mineral resources, an allegation Kigali denies.
Also added to the list is Michel Rukunda, alias “Makanika,” who leads the Tutsi-majority Twirwaneho armed group that a UN group of experts says is aligned with M23.
A deserter from the Congolese army, Rukunda is accused of participating in the “recruiting or using children in armed conflict in the DRC in violation of applicable international law,” according to the UN sanctions announcement.
Rwandan Apollinaire Hakizimana, a member of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a predominantly Hutu group created by former leaders of the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda, has also been placed on the sanctions list.
The FDLR is responsible for numerous serious crimes against civilians in Congo.
Two leaders of the ADF (Allied Democratic Forces), a Tanzanian and a Ugandan, were also sanctioned.
Their group, associated with the Islamic State group, has been responsible for the deaths of several thousand civilians in eastern DRC and Uganda over the past ten years.
William Yakutumba, commander of a coalition of armed groups generically known as “maimai”, has also been added to the list of crimes committed by his militiamen against civilians.
Christoph Vogel, a researcher at Ghent University and former UN armed groups expert, told AFP that the sanctions will likely “have little impact in a context like Congo, where most war criminals travel little and have no bank accounts abroad.”
According to Mundo Deportivo, the Premier League is the top league in terms of player contributions to the 2026 World Cup, sending 162 players to the 48-team tournament.
With the World Cup squad lists finalized, and despite last-minute withdrawals due to injury, such as Belardi from Argentina and Kahr from Germany, it can be concluded that the Premier League is once again leading the world’s major leagues. England’s top flight has solidified its position as the largest source of players for the 48 World Cup teams.
As of June 7th, out of the 1244 confirmed selected players, 13% play in the Premier League, totaling 162 individuals, with 5 clubs contributing at least 10 players each.
Manchester City leads the clubs contributing national team players to the World Cup with 19 players. Following closely among English teams are Arsenal with 16, Manchester United with 12, Crystal Palace with 12, and Liverpool with 11. The English top flight has once again proven its representation in football, and this advantage is now reflected on the World Cup stage.
Although there is a gap with the Premier League, the Bundesliga is still the second-highest contributor of players to the upcoming World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Specifically, 100 participating players currently play in the Bundesliga, with Bayern Munich being the largest contributor from the Bundesliga, with 17 players selected. Borussia Dortmund contributed 11 players. In recent years, the Bundesliga’s global influence has continuously increased, with Hoffenheim having 9 World Cup players and Eintracht Frankfurt having 8.
Without Barcelona, La Liga’s presence would be much smaller. Including Gündoğan, Barcelona will have 16 players participating in the World Cup, making it one of the clubs contributing the most players to this World Cup. La Liga has a total of 81 players selected, only half that of the Premier League. After Barcelona, Atlético Madrid is the Spanish club with the most players contributed, with 12, surpassing Real Madrid’s 10, as Real Madrid also suffers from the impact of a poor season performance.
Ligue 1 has a total of 78 players participating in the World Cup, with Paris Saint-Germain accounting for a large proportion. Among these 78 players, nearly 20% come from this newly crowned European champion, specifically 15 players. Following Paris Saint-Germain among Ligue 1 clubs are Lille and Nice, both with 8 players selected.
Italy once had the best league in the world, and now Serie A contributes 66 players to this most important football event, which is also related to the Italian team missing the World Cup for the third consecutive time. AC Milan, which finished fifth in Serie A, is the Italian club with the most World Cup players, with 10.
Another data point that demonstrates the strength of English football is that the EFL Championship, England’s second-tier league after the Premier League, has 36 players participating in the World Cup, which is more than the total of other major European second-tier leagues, such as the 2. Bundesliga with 6, Ligue 2 with 6, Serie B with 5, and Segunda División with 5. In fact, the Championship is among the top ten leagues contributing the most World Cup players, even higher than the Brazilian and Dutch leagues.
June 5th, Transfermarkt updated. The new market values of Barcelona players. Three players increased and nine decreased, with Raphinha dropping by 10 million to 70 million euros.
Increase (Euros)
Joan-Garcia increased by 5 million to 45 million
Eric-Garcia increased by 5 million to 40 million
Gerard-Martin increased by 10 million to 35 million
Decrease (Euros)
Raphinha decreased by 10 million to 70 million
Kounde decreased by 5 million to 60 million
Balde decreased by 5 million to 50 million
De Jong decreased by 10 million to 35 million
Casado decreased by 2 million to 18 million
Christensen decreased by 1 million to 8 million
Cancelo decreased by 1 million to 8 million
Lewandowski decreased by 1 million to 7 million
Szczesny decreased by 100,000 to 800,000
Unchanged (Euros)
Yamal 200 million
Pedri 150 million
Fermin 100 million
Cubarsi 80 million
Olmo 60 million
Ferran Torres 50 million
Rashford 40 million
Gavi 30 million
Bernal 30 million
Araujo 20 million
Bardghji 15 million
Bitcoin dropped below $60,000 on Friday, its lowest level since October 2024, just before Donald Trump’s election which propelled it to a record high.
The currency fell by about 6 percent around 1615 GMT, to $59.7709, before paring its losses slightly.
The election of Trump, a staunch advocate of cryptocurrencies, to the White House in November 2024 for a second term sparked a wave of enthusiasm in the sector, sending the price of bitcoin soaring to nearly $110,000.
AFP
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