World number three Rafael Nadal has pulled out of this month’s Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympic Games.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion, who won the Wimbledon titles in 2008 and 2010, says he needs to “recuperate after a long clay-court season”.
“It’s never an easy decision but after listening to my body and discussing it with my team I understand that it is the right decision,” said the Spaniard.
“The goal is to prolong my career and continue to do what makes me happy.”
The 35-year-old added: “That is to compete at the highest level and keep fighting for those professional and personal goals at the maximum level of competition.”
If defending champion Djokovic wins the title at the All England Club, it will move him level with the record shared by Nadal and Switzerland’s Roger Federer of 20 men’s major singles titles.
Nadal said the shorter turnaround between the French Open and Wimbledon – which starts at the All England Club on 28 June – was a key factor in his decision.
This year, there are only two weeks between the French Open finishing on the clay and Wimbledon starting on the grass. Usually, there are three weeks between the two majors.
The French Open was pushed back a week by Roland Garros organisers in order to start the tournament with fewer of the country’s coronavirus restrictions in place – including allowing fans in to watch.
“The fact that there has only been two weeks between Roland Garros and Wimbledon didn’t make it easier on my body to recuperate after the always demanding clay-court season,” Nadal said in a Twitter post announcing the news.
“They have been two months of great effort and the decision I take is focused looking at the mid and long term.”
Nadal struggled with a back injury earlier this year, playing only the Australian Open – where he lost in the quarter-finals – before the clay-court season started in mid-April.
On his favourite surface the Mallorcan left-hander won the titles in Barcelona and Rome before losing to Djokovic at Roland Garros.
“Sport prevention of any kind of excess in my body is a very important factor at this stage of my career in order to try to keep fighting for the highest level of competition and titles,” Nadal added.
The decision also means he will miss the delayed Olympics, which start in Tokyo on 23 July. Nadal has won two Olympic gold medals – in the singles at Beijing 2008 and the doubles at Rio 2016.
“The Olympic Games always meant a lot and they were always a priority as a sportsperson, I found the spirit that every sportsperson in the world wants to live,” Nadal said.
“I personally had the chance to live three of them and had the honour to be the flag bearer for my country.”
António Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations (UN), has asked Amina Mohammed to serve as deputy secretary-general for a second term.
On Friday, Guterres was re-appointed as the secretary-general of the UN for a second term by the general assembly.
His second term starts on January 1, 2022, and will run for a period of five years.
Guterres succeeded Ban Ki-moon in January 2017 as the ninth secretary-general.
Speaking with journalists after taking the oath of office for a second term, Guterres said he had extended an offer to Mohammed to continue in office.
“After being elected, I have the pleasure to invite the deputy secretary-general to remain in my second mandate and I hope she will accept,” he said.
Mohammed, who was standing behind Guterres at the press briefing, responded with the comment “absolute honour”.
Before her appointment in 2017, she was Nigeria’s minister of environment under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
She had also served as the special adviser to Ban Ki-moon on post-2015 development planning, which focused on the 2030 agenda for sustainable development goals.
ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY MUHAMMADU BUHARI PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA DURING HIS OFFICIAL VISIT TO PERSONNEL OF THE ARMED FORCES AND OTHER SECURITY AGENCIES IN OPERATION HADIN KAI, 17 JUNE 2021
I am delighted to be with you this afternoon, to address you on this special occasion of my official visit to Borno State. I want to seize this opportunity to put it on record that our nation will forever be indebted to you, for your patriotic commitment to the defence of our fatherland against insurgency and criminality.
2. I therefore commend you and remember all the personnel who have paid the supreme sacrifice in ensuring that Nigeria remains an indivisible and secure entity.
3. As I send my heartfelt condolences to the families of our fallen heroes and pray for the souls of the departed, I want to assure you that this administration will spare no effort or resources to ensure that the widows and children of our fallen heroes who paid the supreme price in defence of our beloved country, are well cared for.
4. Furthermore, we will continue to ensure that our wounded comrades get the best medical attention towards their full recovery.
5. While acknowledging your collective efforts at decimating and degrading the terrorists and reaffirming the inviolable sovereignty of our nation, I also wish to extol your steadfastness and untiring efforts in the face of the difficulties you experience in the Theatres of Operation.
6. Your collective efforts have resulted in the relative peace being enjoyed in the region today. Under my watch, the Armed Forces of Nigeria have been provided a firm strategy and clear sense of direction to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.
7. We should not allow our adversaries the opportunity or breathing space to challenge or undermine our national interests and core values. The defence and security agencies should rest assured of the Federal Government’s unalloyed commitment to winning the battle against terror and criminality.
8. I am particularly happy to note the increasing understanding and cooperation within the military, as well as the inter-agency cooperation in the fight against the terrorists and other criminal elements in the North East.
9. The outcome of this synergy is evidenced by the successes recorded in the ongoing Operation TURA TAKAIBANGO which has so far degraded the insurgents’ capabilities in the Timbuktu Triangle, Sambisa Forest and the Lake Chad Region. I am therefore pleased to acknowledge that the military and other security agencies including civilian stakeholders are adhering to the true spirit of Operation HADIN KAI which implies “jointness, synergy and cooperation.”
10. By pooling together, the collective resources and comparative advantages of the Armed Forces and other security agencies, we hope the enemy will now feel the ferocity of our firepower and the weight of our resolve.
11. Side by side with the efforts of the Armed Forces and security agencies, this Administration is developing a strategy for post-war reconstruction and peace-building. Concerted efforts are being made to fast-track re-construction and development programmes in the affected communities in the North East.
12. I am hopeful that this will lead to the speedy resettlement of displaced persons, as well as the restoration of bubbling community life as the people return to their homes.
13. Alongside investment in development and reconstruction, we will sustain our investment in the Armed Forces in a manner that balances the “carrot and stick”.
14. Several interventions by this government have led to the procurement and delivery of large consignments of critical combat enablers, including high calibre weapons and ammunition.
15. Many have been injected into the Theatre and soon other equipment that have just arrived the country would also be deployed to the Theatre of operations. Much more equipment will be procured for the Armed Forces to cater for both the short and long-term requirements.
16. I would like, at this point to also commend the hierarchy of our Armed Forces for their strategic foresight in ensuring that some of our critical military equipment are fabricated locally.
17. The repairs and maintenance of some of these vital weapons are now being carried out in the country thereby saving the nation a lot of foreign exchange and also creating jobs for our teeming population.
18. As personnel of our Armed Forces and security agencies, you must understand that these items of equipment must be put to good use against the terrorists and other criminal elements. There is no room for complacency, and no need to be less than 100 per cent alert at all times.
19. As your Commander-in-Chief, I want to assure you that this government will continue to work towards the provision of timely funding and procurement of equipment for the Armed Forces and other security agencies. This is intended to boost the prosecution of the ongoing war to a logical conclusion and also to serve our collective interests and well-being.
20. In addition, your welfare is of utmost importance and concern to this government. I am glad that the gradual rotation of the troops in the field has commenced, as I directed. I am sure that this will minimize and possibly eliminate battle fatigue, as well as enhance troops’ morale.
21. I now wish to thank you for your unalloyed loyalty and selfless sacrifices towards the defence of our country. Your courage and gallantry will continue to inspire others, as they echo into the future.
22. While I commend your resilience, let me remind you that there is still a lot of work to be done, to completely restore peace to the North East, stem the activities of armed bandits in the North West and North Central, as well as deal with other security challenges across the country.
23. You must therefore remain steadfast and see this war to a conclusive end. In doing so, you must rely on interagency cooperation, strengthen your cohesion with the troops of neighboring Republics of Cameroon, Chad and Niger in our collective fight against the terrorists, under the auspices of the Multinational Joint Task Force. This will consolidate our efforts and facilitate the speedy return of peace and stability to the region.
24.Once again I salute your courage and wish you the best, as you continue to make Nigeria proud.
God bless you all and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffered an embarrassing defeat in a election on the outskirts of London on Friday, when his governing Conservative Party lost a previously safe parliamentary seat to the Liberal Democrats.
The Conservatives had comfortably held Chesham and Amersham constituency in southern England since its creation in 1974, capturing more than 50% of the vote on every occasion.
At the last poll in 2019, Conservative Cheryl Gillan, who died this year, won by a majority of 16,223 votes.
Since a divisive referendum in 2016, Brexit has helped reshape Britain’s political landscape, with people switching party loyalties in a way not seen for generations. Support for the Conservatives has surged in northern England.
On Wednesday, Sarah Green, the candidate for the Liberal Democrats won a majority of 8,028 votes over the Conservative candidate. The main opposition Labour Party came fourth, with 1.6% of the vote, its worst showing in decades.
Johnson said it was a “disappointing result”, suggesting there were “particular circumstances” in the area and “it was a bit bizarre” to suggest his party were on the back foot.
But Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said it was a sign of things to come, with his party ousting the Conservatives from traditional strongholds in England’s affluent south.
The result may cause some nervousness in the Conservative Party, which has targeted traditional Labour-supporting voters in northern England but, according to some of its lawmakers, has increasingly ignored its strongholds in the south.
The United Nations General Assembly on Friday called for a stop to the flow of arms to Myanmar and urged the military to respect November election results and release political detainees, including leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The General Assembly adopted a resolution with the support of 119 countries some four months after the military overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in a coup.
Belarus requested the text be put to a vote and was the only country to oppose it, while 36 abstained, including China and Russia. The remaining 37 General Assembly members did not vote.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had earlier on Friday pushed the General Assembly to act, stating that one cannot live in a world where military coups become a norm.
The military cited the government’s refusal to address what it said was fraud in a November election as the reason for the coup even though International observers have said the ballot was fair.
An initial draft UN resolution included stronger language calling for an arms embargo on Myanmar. According to a proposal seen by Reuters last month, nine Southeast Asian countries wanted that language removed.
General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding but carry political weight. Unlike the 15-member Security Council, no country has veto power in the General Assembly.
The junta’s forces have killed more than 860 people since the February 1 coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. The junta claims the number is much lower.
The UN resolution calls on the Myanmar military to “immediately stop all violence against peaceful protesters” and end restrictions on the internet and social media.
Alieu Kosiah has been found guilty of war crimes in a Swiss court, becoming the first Liberian to be convicted over the country’s civil war.
Kosiah, 46, was a former rebel commander, who fled to Switzerland before being arrested there in 2014. He was sentenced to 20 years for crimes including murder and rape.
Around 250,000 people were killed in Liberia’s two conflicts between 1989 and 2003, and many thousands more fled.
Switzerland recognises the principle of universal justice, meaning suspects accused of high-profile crimes elsewhere can be tried in its courts.
The trial was the first under a 2011 Swiss law that allows prosecution for war crimes committed anywhere in the world. It also marked the first time war crimes charges have been heard by a Swiss civilian court.
The 20-year sentence includes the six years he has already served in detention.
He was detained after a civil rights group, Civitas Maxima, presented the Swiss attorney general with evidence of his involvement in war crimes, including the deliberate killing of civilians, sexual violence, abuse of corpses and acts of cannibalism.
The court in the southern Swiss city of Bellinzona found him guilty of 21 out of the 25 charges that he originally faced. These included:
The crimes took place while he was fighting with Alhaji Kromah’s United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy rebel group against Charles Taylor’s troops in the remote Lofa County in the 1990s.
Liberia endured two bouts of brutal fighting from 1989 to 1997, after which Taylor became president, and 1999 to 2003.
The Chadian opposition has once again condemned the decisions by the Chadian government to have a committee that is now in charge of appointing the members of the next National Transitional Council.
The body, which is supposed to replace the Chadian National Assembly for the next 16 months.
Succès Masra, who is the president of the opposition party The Transformers, has accused the military of swindling power.
He said the three people at the head of the country are people who were either members or allies of the former ruling party and who are the same people who have led Chad into the current situation.
He added there was is no doubt that the seizure of power by the National Transitional Council and Mahamat Idriss Déby following the death of Idriss Déby Itno is nothing other than a coup d’état.
Succès Masra is now calling for a majority of the 93 members of the next National Transitional Council to come from civil society, or else civil disobedience operations will resume across the country.
General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, 37, was named Chad’s president in late April.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday gave the thumbs up to the Nigerian economy that it judged as gradually recovering from the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the IMF dropped the bad news about employment falling below pre-pandemic levels, while inflation remained high owing to galloping food prices.
Team lead of the IMF mission to Nigeria Ms Jesmin Rahman, who led staff virtual meetings with Nigerian authorities, dropped these submissions in a statement on Friday in Washington D. C.
The meeting, which was held from June 1 to 8, was to discuss recent economic, financial developments and outlook of the country.
Rahman commended the Federal Government’ measures to contain the transmission of COVID-19 in Nigeria, including the ongoing vaccination programme under the COVAX initiative.
She also supported the Federal Government’s efforts to acquire additional doses from countries with surplus stocks.
According to Rahman, following sharp output contractions in the second and third quarters, Gross Domestic Product growth turned positive in Q4 2020 and growth reached 0.5 percent (year-on-year) in Q1 2021.
This, she said, was supported by agriculture and services sectors.
She added that although imports were rebounding faster than exports, foreign investor appetite remained subdued resulting in continued foreign exchange shortage.
The team lead said the incipient recovery in economic activity was projected to take root and broaden among sectors, with GDP growth expected to reach 2.5 percent in 2021.
A former Japanese Justice Minister, Katsuyuku Kawai, was on Friday, sentenced to a three-year jail term for vote-buying in an attempt to get his wife elected to a national office.
He was fined 1.3 million yen or $11,800 in addition to the jail term.
Kawai, aged 58, was found guilty of charges that he distributed 29 million yen or $260,000 to about 100 people in 2019, to help secure an Upper House seat for his wife Anri.
Katsuyuki, a close confidant of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, had reversed his earlier claims of innocence and broadly conceded the allegations against him.
Anri, who won her seat in the July 2019 election, has already been found guilty over her role in the scheme and received a suspended sentence of 16 months earlier this year.
Katsuyuki’s sentence is not suspended, meaning he faces jail time. But the Yomiuri Shimbun daily reported that he appealed.
He was named Justice Minister by Abe in 2019 but left the office after only a few weeks as the scandal emerged.
The headquarters of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party reportedly provided 150 million yen to Anri’s election campaign, an unusually large sum to boost campaign efforts. Former Japan Justice Minister, Katsuyuki Kawai Jailed For Vote-Buying.
Hong Kong police charged two executives from the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper on Friday using a powerful new security law, a day after the company’s newsroom was raided over articles it had published.
According to the Police, a 47-year-old and a 59-year-old were charged with collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security.
Apple Daily said the two charged executives were chief editor Ryan Law and CEO Cheung Kim-hung.Some 500 officers descended on the paper’s newsroom on Thursday, bundling computers and notepads into evidence bags.
Authorities said the operation was sparked by articles that allegedly appealed for sanctions against China.
It was the first time articles published in Hong Kong have sparked arrests under the new law that cracks down on dissent in the international business and media hub.
Police said the remaining three were still in custody and being questioned. The two charged executives would appear in court on Saturday morning.
Over 100 people have been arrested under the new security law which China imposed on Hong Kong nearly a year ago to stamp out dissent in the wake of huge pro-democracy protests.
More than 60 have been charged and the vast majority have been denied bail.
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