Source: The Athletic
Security & Justice
Southern Lebanon Endures Massive Damage: 40,000 Homes Leveled Across 37 Towns
Israeli forces have systematically destroyed entire neighborhoods in southern Lebanon, leveling more than 37 towns and wiping out over 40,000 residential units, according to Lebanon's National News Agency.
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Gaps in Coastal Radar Enabled Israeli Raid in Batroun, Army Commander Says
Lebanon’s army chief, General Joseph Aoun, detailed to Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati how Israeli forces likely exploited gaps in the country's coastal radar system during the recent raid carried out in Batroun. The briefing comes as Lebanese officials seek answers on how Israel’s elite Shayetet 13 unit carried out the landing undetected.
Monday, November 4, 2024
Opinion
The Emptying of Baalbek Is a Moment to Take Stock
“Large numbers of people continue to flee their homes every day, as Israel’s military operations in Lebanon have been going on unabated.” These disturbing words could be from almost any news report about Israel’s invasion of its northern neighbour over the past month. However, they can be found in a report by the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre issued on July 27, 2006.
Saturday, November 2, 2024
A Future Without Hezbollah
At the end of September, when Israel’s campaign to destroy Hezbollah was reaching its height, I met one of the group’s supporters in a seaside café in western Beirut. He was a middle-aged man with a thin white beard and the spent look of someone who had not slept for days. He was an academic of sorts, not a fighter, but his ties to Hezbollah were deep and long-standing.
Thursday, October 31, 2024
Sports
Tottenham Forward Son Heung-min Crowned Asia’s International Player of the Year
Tottenham forward Son Heung-min was crowned as Asia’s International Player of the Year for the fourth time by the Asian Football Confederation at its annual awards ceremony Tuesday.
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Real Madrid Launch Investigation into Racist Insults After El Clasico Defeat
Real Madrid has launched an investigation into racist insults directed at players during Saturday’s 4-0 home loss to Barcelona in LaLiga, it said on Sunday.
Monday, October 28, 2024
Tuesday 9 August 2022 12:55:01
Gerard Pique Set to Agree Pay Cut to Help Barcelona in Player Registration Race
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique is set to agree a pay cut to further help the financially-troubled club as they race to register their summer signings.
The Athletic reported earlier this week — as part of a special report into the La Liga club’s strife — that Barcelona had opened talks with senior players over proposed salary reductions.
The Catalan side have not yet been able to register new recruits including Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde due to salary limits imposed on them by La Liga.
But Pique is ready to help them reduce costs by taking a second pay cut after previously reducing his wages last summer.
It is understood his new deal will continue to run until 2024 but on reduced salary terms.
Barcelona have already activated a third ‘economic lever’ of the summer after selling 25 per cent of their commercial arm for €100million (£83.7m).
That development followed the club selling a total of 25 per cent of their La Liga TV rights over the next 25 years to US firm Sixth Street.
But doubts have remained within La Liga over Barcelona’s ability to register Raphinha, Lewandowski and Kounde, as well as Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen.
It is understood Barcelona have been formally told by league chiefs they will have to activate a fourth ‘lever’ — which could potentially mean selling up to 49 per cent of Barcelona studios — but player pay cuts stand to help them further reduce costs.
Sergio Busquets has also been asked to consider reducing his salary but, like other players, has the right to decline a drop.
On the pitch, Barcelona's summer is on track despite chaos behind the scenes
Last summer, Pique took a salary cut to allow then-new signings Memphis Depay and Eric Garcia to be registered in a similar manner.
Later in that transfer window, Busquets and Jordi Alba also took cuts so that Barcelona could register Sergio Aguero.
Samuel Umtiti, meanwhile, agreed to a significant reduction in January in a move that helped Barcelona register Ferran Torres.
Last August, president Joan Laporta gave a press conference in which he revealed a club debt of €1.35billion (£1.13bn, $1.38bn).
Laporta has said that Barcelona need to register their new players by August 13 — the day of their La Liga opener against Rayo Vallecano.