Despite $1B price tag, #FIFA World Cup can be a ‘positive for everyone’: economist

Almost 20 million people in Sudan still face acute hunger, monitors say

#US casts Israel-Lebanon talks on Thursday as 'positive and productive'

"Cette rencontre a permis au diplomate onusien d’exprimer sa gratitude et de réaffirmer l’importance de la collaboration entre les #Nations #Unies et les autorités congolaises(...).M. Lemarquis a rappelé que cette coopération, active depuis de nombreuses années, couvre des domaines essentiels tels que la lutte contre l’impunité, la promotion des droits humains, la réforme judiciaire et l’amélioration du système pénitentiaire. Il a souligné que le renforcement de l’État de droit demeure une priorité incontournable pour le développement du pays, saluant notamment l’engagement du Ministre Ngefa dans la lutte contre la corruption, un enjeu majeur pour la RDC",a-t-on lu.

Les discussions ont également porté sur le secteur pénitentiaire, avec une attention particulière aux conditions de vie dans les établissements de l’Est du pays. Les deux personnalités ont insisté sur la nécessité de poursuivre les efforts afin d’améliorer la situation.

Avant son départ, M. Lemarquis a réaffirmé la volonté des Nations Unies de continuer à soutenir les dossiers prioritaires du secteur de la justice. Il a rappelé que la réforme judiciaire constitue un chantier central de la bonne gouvernance et du développement durable, indispensable pour que la #RDC progresse sur la voie du développement.

Sabres return to Luukkonen in goal after back-to-back blowout losses to Habs. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen re-took his spot in the starter’s net at morning skate Tuesday ahead of Game 4 at the Bell Centre, replacing Alex Lyon with the Sabres trailing the Canadiens 2-1 in the best-of-seven matchup.

“I’m excited. This part of the year is all about winning,” Luukkonen said. “I’m just excited to go back there and help the team win.”

Luukkonen, set for his first appearance since April 21, added his approach is to “stick to what you know works.”

“Be comfortable with your game, trust in your own game, trust in your own stuff,” he said. “There’s no need to change anything at this point in the year, so just find your confidence and be confident with your own game.”

Luukkonen began the playoffs as Buffalo’s No. 1 after closing the regular season with a 12-2-1 record. The 27-year-old Finn was pulled for Lyon in the third period of a Game 2 loss to the Boston Bruins in the first round.

Lyon, a 33-year-old journeyman, posted a .955 save percentage and 1.14 goals-against average the rest of the series as the Sabres downed the Bruins in six games, but he has given up nine goals on 63 shots in his past two starts, largely due to sloppy defending.

The two netminders have split the crease all year long, each making 34 starts in the regular season as Buffalo snapped a 14-year playoff drought by topping the Atlantic Division with 109 points.

Luukkonen finished with a .910 save percentage and 2.52 GAA, while Lyon posted numbers of .907 and 2.77. Colton Ellis also started 14 games in a three-goalie system.

“It’s what we are, it’s what we have been the whole year,” coach Lindy Ruff said. “All three guys have been really important to our success to this point.”

In other Sabres lineup moves, defenceman Luke Schenn appeared to be entering the lineup for Logan Stanley and forward Konsta Helenius was set to replace Sam Carrick for his NHL playoff debut, not that Ruff would confirm the changes.

“How do you know he’s playing?” he said in response to a question about Schenn, who’d met with reporters minutes earlier.

Schenn, meanwhile, said he was “looking forward to jumping in” to the fast and physical series.

No changes were expected from the Canadiens after consecutive convincing wins. Montreal had multiple opportunities to take a commanding lead in the first round against the Lightning, but never managed to move ahead by two games.

“We’re expecting their best game of the series so far. We’re expecting that,” coach Martin St. Louis said of the Sabres. “You have to be alert, and we have lots of things that we can be better at.”

The #US has upped the ante by sanctioning former Congolese President Joseph Kabila, now based in #Goma and in cahoots with the Rwandan-supported #M23 rebel movement.

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0480

Iran’s supreme leader says Americans have no place in the Persian Gulf

Gun used to kill 8 children was stolen from truck, Louisiana man tells #investigators.

A man who previously had the assault-style gun used to kill eight children in Louisiana told investigators he believes Shamar Elkins stole it from his truck in the weeks before the rampage in a Shreveport neighbourhood, according to court documents released Tuesday.

Charles Ford told investigators he suspected Elkins, who was the father of seven of the children killed, because he was one of the few people to ride with him, according to a criminal complaint filed in Louisiana federal court. Ford allegedly said it was around March 9 when he noticed the gun was missing.

Ford said he confronted Elkins about the missing weapon. But when Elikns became “offensive,” Ford “let it go,” according to a court affidavit filed Tuesday.

The affidavit is in support of federal charges that accuse Ford of being a felon in possession of a firearm and making a false statement to federal agents. He originally denied having the gun when first approached by investigators after the shooting Sunday, according court records.

“Elkins’ death means that our community will never see him face justice,” U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller said in a statement. “Our hope, as we continue to investigate and prosecute this case alongside our law enforcement partners, is that holding the person whose gun Elkins used to perpetrate the crime accountable will give some small bit of solace to our Shreveport community.”

Ford does not currently have an appointed legal representative and is expected to receive a federal public defender, according to federal court records.

An attorney who previously represented Ford could not immediately be reached for comment. Efforts to reach family members of Ford could not be immediately contacted at other phone numbers associated with him.

Elkins died after fleeing and a police pursuit. It was not clear whether he was killed by officers who fired or from a self-inflicted gunshot, according to police.

Elkins’ wife and another woman were also shot and wounded in the rampage, which unfolded across two houses before dawn.

Officials said the children who died -- three boys and five girls -- ranged in age from 3 to 11 years old.

Elkins plead guilty in 2019 to a felony of illegal use of weapons, according to court documents. As a result, a Caddo Parish district judge sentenced Elkins to 18 months of supervised probation, and Elkins turned his handgun into police as a condition of probation, court filings show.

Under Louisiana law, a person convicted of certain violent felonies -- including illegal use of weapons -- are banned from having a gun for at least 10 years after completing their sentence and probation.

Officials have not addressed whether Elkins was legally prohibited from having a weapon.

The tragedy in Louisiana is one of the nation’s deadliest mass shootings in recent years.

“Families should be able to feel safe at home, but this tragedy shows how gun violence can shatter lives in an instant,” said Lindsay Nichols, policy director for Giffords Law Center, which is an organization that aims to curb gun violence.

For years, advocates for stronger gun control have sought to tighten Louisiana’s loose firearm regulations. Democrats routinely propose red flag laws, but Republicans in the reliably red state block the measures.

Sara Cline And Jack Brook, The Associated Press

Asian #Football Confederation says Iran is still set to play at the #WorldCup, In a social media post last week in reaction to comments from U.S. President Donald Trump, Iran’s national soccer team said “no one can exclude” it from playing in the global tournament.

On Monday, Asian Football Confederation general secretary Windsor John said the sport’s continental governing body has heard nothing to suggest Iran won’t contest the World Cup.

“They are our member. We want them to play,” he told a news conference in Kuala Lumpur, where the AFC is based. “As far as we know, Iran is playing.

“It’s a very emotional moment, everybody is saying a lot of things. At the end of the day, it’s the (Iran soccer) federation who should decide if they’re playing and, as for today, the federation … has told us that they’re going to the World Cup.”

Trump had posted on social media that the Iranian team was welcome at the World Cup despite the ongoing war with Iran but that “I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety.”

Iran is set to play all three of its World Cup group games in the U.S., which is co-hosting the tournament with Mexico and Canada.

The regional war has put doubt on Iran’s ability to fulfill its World Cup entry, and sports minister Ahmad Donyamali told state TV last week that the current circumstances meant it was not possible to play.

But the Iran team’s riposte on Instagram confirmed it still wants to participate, and pointed out that the tournament is run by FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, not Trump or the U.S.

Iran is scheduled to play in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 16 and Belgium on June 21, before finishing group play in Seattle against Egypt on June 27.

Iran is a power in Asian soccer, ranked No. 20 in the world by FIFA and has qualified for its fourth straight World Cup edition.

Before the World Cup, Iranian soccer officials are due to attend FIFA’s annual congress on April 30 in Vancouver. The Iranian federation was unable to attend meetings in Atlanta last week to help teams prepare for the 48-nation tournament.

#ISS implementation partners need to survive the transition to commercial #LEO destinations .

The International Space Station has been a hub for human space exploration and research for over two decades, but its operational life is nearing its end, projected around 2030. As focus shifts to commercial platforms developed by companies like Axiom Space, Blue Origin, Sierra Space, Vast, Voyager and others, the ISS implementation partner community — the experts who have supported ISS operations for decades — faces both challenges and opportunities. Ensuring their survival during this transition is vital for sustaining space exploration momentum, preserving expertise and driving innovation in the commercial space era.

The ISS implementation partner community, of which I’m a member, comprises diverse entities — small and medium-sized companies, engineers, and scientists — who design experiments, build and operate hardware, manage logistics and analyze data in the ISS’s unique microgravity environment. Their specialized skills have fueled breakthroughs in fields like medicine, materials science and Earth observation, making them a cornerstone of the ISS’s success. It’s critical that this resource is preserved and not lost in the shuffle as commercial space stations replace the ISS.