North Korea offers to attend Winter Olympics in talks with Seoul

South Korea Unification Minister Cho Myung-Gyun, second right, shakes hands with North Korean chief delegate Ri Son-Gwon, second left, during their meeting on January 9 at the border truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas. (AFP)
Updated 09 January 2018
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North Korea offers to attend Winter Olympics in talks with Seoul

SEOUL: North Korea offered to send athletes and a high-level delegation to the forthcoming Winter Olympics in the South on Tuesday as the rivals held their first official talks in more than two years after months of tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program.
Seoul urged that reunions of families divided by the 1950-53 Korean War — one of the most emotive legacies of the conflict — be held at the same time as the Games.
The talks were held in Panmunjom, the truce village in the Demilitarized Zone that splits the peninsula, with the North’s group walking over the Military Demarcation Line to the Peace House venue on the southern side — just yards from where a defector ran across in a hail of bullets two months ago.
Looking businesslike, the South’s Unification minister Cho Myoung-Gyon and the North’s chief delegate Ri Son-Gwon shook hands at the entrance to the building, and again across the table.
In accordance with standard practice in the North, Ri wore a badge on his left lapel bearing an image of the country’s founding father Kim Il-Sung and his son and successor Kim Jong-Il. Cho also wore a lapel badge, depicting the South Korean flag.
As well as its athletes, the North proposed sending a high-level delegation, supporters, art performers and a taekwondo demonstration team to the Games, the South’s vice unification minster Chun Hae-Sung told journalists.
Seoul suggested the two sides march together at the opening ceremony, he added, and called for the resumption of family reunions, as well as Red Cross talks and military discussions to prevent “accidental clashes.”
“Let’s present the people with a precious new year’s gift,” said the North’s Ri. “There is a saying that a journey taken by two lasts longer than the one traveled alone.”
The atmosphere was friendlier than at past meetings, and Cho told him that Seoul believed “guests from the North are going to join many others from all around the world” at the Olympics.
“The people have a strong desire to see the North and South move toward peace and reconciliation,” he added.
It was a radically different tone from the rhetoric of recent months, which have seen the North’s leader Kim Jong-Un and US President Donald Trump trade personal insults and threats of war, while Pyongyang has launched missiles capable of reaching the US mainland and carried out its sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date.
Seoul has been keen to proclaim the Games in Pyeongchang, just 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of the DMZ, a “peace Olympics” but it needs Pyongyang to attend to make the description meaningful.
Kim indicated in his New Year’s speech that the North could take part in the Games and Seoul responded with an offer of high-level dialogue. Last week the hotline between the neighbors was restored after being suspended for almost two years.
Issues still to be settled include the question of joint entrances to the opening and closing ceremonies, the size of the delegation and their accommodation — widely expected to be paid for by Seoul — as well as any linked discussions.
The North so far has only two winter sports athletes qualified for the Games, but hundreds of young, female North Korean cheerleaders have created a buzz at three previous international sporting events in the South.
The group may stay on a cruise ship in Sokcho, about an hour’s drive from the Olympic venue, which would enable their movements to be closely monitored and controlled.
A high-level delegation accompanying the team could include Kim’s younger sister Yo-Jong, who is a senior member of the ruling Workers’ Party, according to South Korean reports.
Both sides expressed desires to address issues beyond the Olympics. But Pyongyang has snubbed previous attempts by Seoul to set up further family reunions, saying it will not do so unless several of its citizens are returned by the South.
It was not clear whether the North had sought to discuss a permanent end to large-scale annual military drills between Seoul and Washington.
The North’s Rodong Sinmun newspaper made no mention of the talks Tuesday but said that US policies aimed at sanctions and pressure against the North had failed and Pyongyang had become “an international nuclear power.”
The US and South Korea agreed last week to delay the Foal Eagle and Key Resolve exercises until after the Games, apparently to help ease nerves.
Trump said at the weekend he hoped the rare talks between the two Koreas would go “beyond the Olympics” and that Washington could join the process at a later stage.
But US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said that there was “no turnaround” in the US stance, reiterating that the North must stop nuclear tests for talks with Washington.


Fluminense beat Al Hilal 2-1 to reach Club World Cup semis

Updated 56 min 26 sec ago
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Fluminense beat Al Hilal 2-1 to reach Club World Cup semis

ORLANDO: Substitute Hercules struck a 70th-minute winner as Brazil’s Fluminense defeated Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal 2-1 on Friday to reach the semifinals of the Club World Cup.
A fine left-foot finish from Matheus Martinelli had put the Rio club ahead in the 40th minute but Al Hilal’s Brazilian forward Marcos Leonardo levelled six minutes into the second half before Hercules stole the show to the delight of the vast majority of the 43,091 crowd.
Fluminense could yet face an all-Brazilian semifinal if their rivals from Sao Paulo, Palmeiras, are able to overcome Premier League outfit Chelsea in Friday’s other quarter-final.
Al Hilal had pulled off the biggest upset of the tournament, beating Manchester City 4-3, to reach the last eight and Simone Inzaghi’s side fought hard until the end to keep their adventure alive.
They bow out of the tournament having been unbeaten through the group stage, including holding Real Madrid to a draw, and having truly made their mark on the world stage.
There was a moment’s silence before the kick-off in memory of Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota and his younger brother Andre Silva, who died in the early hours of Thursday after their car veered off a motorway in Spain and burst into flames.
Al Hilal’s line-up featured two of Jota’s Portugal team-mates in Ruben Neves and Joao Cancelo.
The first half was a tight and tactical affair with few chances until Martinelli opened the scoring when he picked the ball up from Gabriel Fuentes inside the box and span out to give himself space for a left-foot shot that rocketed past Yassine Bounou.
Al Hilal went close to a quick response when Kalidou Koulibaly’s header forced Fluminense’s 44-year-old goalkeeper Fabio into a fine save.
The Saudi side were awarded a penalty when Samuel Xavier was ruled to have brought down Marcos Leonardo in the box but Dutch referee Danny Makkelie was eventually sent to the monitor where he overturned his own decision after seeing there had been no contact between the two players.
After going in at the break trailing by a goal, Al Hilal came out strongly for the second half and drew level when Koulibaly headed a Neves corner down to Marcos Leonardo who poked home.
Al Hilal’s Brazilian full back Renan Lodi had a let off when his poor backpass fell straight at the feet of German Cano but the Fluminense striker’s attempt to round Bounou was denied by the smart work of the Moroccan keeper.
But the outcome was settled with 20 minutes remaining when half-time sub Hercules saw a shot from distance blocked but from the loose ball Samuel headed the ball back to the forward who raced into the box and fired past Bounou to make it 2-1.
Al Hilal produced a flurry of corners and some intense pressure in the final minutes as they desperately sought a way to keep their dream alive but the Brazilians were good value for their victory.
“We didn’t have many chances but we made the most of them, the entire group worked and were committed,” said Fluminense coach Renato Gaucho.
“Our fans here in the USA and those in Brazil, they can be proud and I ask them to wear a jersey, in the mall, street, beach, wherever, wear that shirt — they should all be proud to wear that jersey,” he said.
The Fluminense coach was full of praise for the performance of his 40-year-old central defender Thiago Silva who ensured the Brazilians were able to withstand the second half pressure from Al Hilal.
“Thiago Silva is huge for us, I worked with him 15 years ago, he is a coach on the pitch, very helpful and conveys calm and experience to the others. He is our captain and a leader and in hard matches like these against big clubs, its important to have people like him. He is key and fundamental,” he said.
Al Hilal coach Inzaghi said his side had been unfortunate to end on the losing side.
“It has been a good World Cup for us but clearly we leave with a little bit of a bitter taste in our mouth because after what happened in that second half, we deserved much more,” he said.
“It was a tight match, decided by episodes, as happens in football. Fluminense are very well organized team that are having an excellent tournament,” he added.


“A Beautiful Gift“: Swiss women pioneers celebrate the game’s transformation

Updated 04 July 2025
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“A Beautiful Gift“: Swiss women pioneers celebrate the game’s transformation

  • The mascot of the tournament, a Saint Bernard puppy, bears her name, Maddli, in recognition of her role in advancing women’s football in Switzerland
  • There are now 40,000 registered women players and 134 female referees in Switzerland, according to the Swiss FA

SION, Switzerland: On the terrace of a restaurant in the Swiss city of Sion sits a group of pioneers of women’s football in Switzerland who have seen the beautiful game change beyond recognition.

For ⁠72-year-old Madeleine Boll, seeing the city in the French-speaking part of Switzerland hosting three games in the Women’s European Championship, which is being staged across the country, is a proud moment.

The mascot of the tournament, a Saint Bernard puppy, bears her name, Maddli, in recognition of her role in advancing women’s football in Switzerland.

At 12 years old in 1965, Boll became the first woman in Switzerland to obtain a license to play football, with FC Sion’s boys’ youth team. But just months later it was taken away from her after the club said it had made an error.

“I was the happiest little girl. But the day they took away my license, I was the unhappiest because I didn’t understand why I was forbidden to play,” Boll told Reuters.

However, it marked the first in a series of landmark moments that enabled women’s inclusion in Swiss football.

By 1970 the first Swiss Women’s Football League was created, with Boll’s father, Jean Boll, its president. Madeleine later played for FC Sion, one of the earliest women’s football clubs in Switzerland.

“It’s a beautiful gift because it’s here that the beginnings of Swiss women’s football took root,” she said.

KEY MOMENT
A lot has changed since Boll and her generation played. There are now 40,000 registered women players and 134 female referees in Switzerland, according to the Swiss FA.

“It was different. We didn’t have jerseys, we didn’t have means to travel ... We had to make people understand that we are capable of playing,” said 72-year-old Rosemarie Siggen, from Sion who started playing football toward the end of the 1960s.

For Siggen and Boll, who were joined by four other footballing pioneers in the women’s game in Sion, this year’s tournament is a key moment to make strides in supporting women’s football.

“The Euros will be a catalyst,” Boll told Reuters, pointing to it as an opportunity for greater investment in the women’s game.

The Swiss hosts are hoping the legacy of the tournament — being played across eight cities over the next month — will bolster female football in the country as Euro 2022 did for champions England. It is aiming to double the number of female players by 2027, according to the Swiss FA.

“It’s a bit difficult for these young girls. They need help. I think there should be stronger support, a real investment ... we want to see them progress because they can bring many beautiful things,” said Siggen.

Boll hopes that the Switzerland side, who lost their first match of the tournament 2-1 to Norway, can continue to make strides with more financial support.

“If we want to have a good Swiss team ... it will be important that girls become professional because it is difficult ... to achieve results while having a job or being a student,” Boll said.

UEFA, the governing body for European soccer, announced a record 600,000 tickets have been sold for the tournament. Basel will host the final on July 27 at St. Jakob-Park, the largest football stadium in Switzerland.


Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah ‘truly lost for words’ after Diogo Jota death

Updated 04 July 2025
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Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah ‘truly lost for words’ after Diogo Jota death

  • ‘Teammates come and go but not like this,’ Salah wrote on X
  • Jota and brother Andre Silva died when Lamborghini they were in veered off a road and burst into flames

BEIRUT: Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah paid tribute to his teammate Diogo Jota on Friday, after the Portuguese international died in a car crash on Thursday in northern Spain.
“I am truly lost for words. Until yesterday, I never thought there would be something that would frighten me of going back to Liverpool after the break,” Salah said on social media platform X.
Jota perished alongside his brother, Andre Silva, when the Lamborghini they were in veered off a road and burst into flames, Spanish police said Thursday.
Having been teammates since Jota joined the Premier League champions in 2020, Salah wrote on X: “Teammates come and go but not like this. It’s going to be extremely difficult to accept that Diogo won’t be there when we go back.


“My thoughts are with his wife, his children, and of course his parents who suddenly lost their children. Those close to Diogo and his brother Andre need all the support they can get. They will never be forgotten.”
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said he was “heartbroken” to learn about Jota’s death.
Klopp, who is Red Bull’s head of global soccer, had persuaded the Liverpool board to pay $62 million for Jota after he impressed at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
“This is a moment where I struggle! There must be a bigger purpose! But I can’t see it! I’m heartbroken to hear about the passing of Diogo and his brother Andre. Diogo was not only a fantastic player, but also a great friend, a loving and caring husband and father!” Klopp posted on Instagram.
The Spanish Guardia Civil said 28-year-old Jota and 25-year-old Silva were found dead near the northwestern city of Zamora. Jota’s death comes just weeks after he married his long-time partner, Rute Cardoso, while on vacation from a long season where he helped Liverpool win the Premier League title.
Upon getting married, Cardoso wrote in a social media post, “Yes to forever.” He leaves behind three children, the youngest born last year.


Russian foreign minister praises Al-Hilal’s ‘well-deserved’ win over Man City

Updated 04 July 2025
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Russian foreign minister praises Al-Hilal’s ‘well-deserved’ win over Man City

  • Sergey Lavrov hails victory in meeting with Saudi FM Prince Faisal bin Farhan
  • SPL team will play Fluminense in quarterfinal of Club World Cup on Friday

BEIRUT: Russia’s foreign minister on Friday congratulated Saudi Arabia and Al-Hilal following the team’s defeat of Manchester City in their FIFA Club World Cup round of 16 match earlier in the week.

“It was a remarkable and dramatic match and well-deserved victory,” Sergey Lavrov said during a meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Moscow.

“I would like to conclude with congratulations to your football team Al-Hilal on a 4-3 win against Manchester City at the Club World Cup,” he said.

The meeting was part of the prince’s official visit aimed at strengthening relations between the two countries.

Lavrov’s comments caused a buzz on social media. One Russian user said on X: “Saudi Al-Hilal shines even in the corridors of power in Moscow!”

Several major news outlets also reported on Lavrov’s comments.

Sports editor Essa Aljokm wrote on X: “Al-Hilal on the political table … A team that translated the support of the leadership and the state, may God protect them, into the giant Saudi sports project. This time, it’s Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister.”

Al-Hilal made history on Monday night when they beat the English Premier League giants in Orlando. The Saudi Pro League team will now play Fluminense in the quarterfinal of the Club World Cup on Friday.

The Brazilian side beat Inter Milan 2-0 earlier on Monday.


Wimbledon pays tribute to Jota after Liverpool star’s death

Updated 04 July 2025
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Wimbledon pays tribute to Jota after Liverpool star’s death

  • Cabral was allowed to put the ribbon on his shirt sleeve for the second-round tie
  • “I know what he’s been through, what he conquered through his career and through his life,” he said

LONDON: Wimbledon paid tribute to Diogo Jota after the Liverpool star’s death as Portugal’s Francisco Cabral wore a black ribbon during his doubles match on Friday.

Cabral was allowed to put the ribbon on his shirt sleeve for the second-round tie after the All England Club relaxed its strict all-white dress code to allow tributes to the Portugal forward.

Jota, 28, and his brother Andre Silva died in a car crash in northern Spain while traveling to catch a ferry to England ahead of the start of pre-season training.

The accident came just days after Jota’s wedding to Rute Cardoso, with whom he had three children.

Cabral said he was driving to Wimbledon when he heard the news and praised Jota as “an idol, such an icon, such a good person.”

“I know what he’s been through, what he conquered through his career and through his life. So he’s just very inspiring for me,” he said after losing with Austrian partner Lucas Miedler against Czech duo Petr Nouza and Patrik Rikl.

“I just wish all the best for his family. I know they have good people around them so I hope they can get through it.”

British doubles player Neal Skupski, a passionate Liverpool fan, had also brought a black armband for his match on Thursday but opted not to wear it.

He suggested he may wear one later in the tournament, saying: “Maybe in the next couple of days.”