Saturday 31 May 2025 {HMC} Billions of dollars have been spent. Some of the world’s greatest players have come and gone. Yet the Champions League trophy has remained agonisingly out of reach for Paris Saint-Germain.

That could be about to change.

The Qatari-owned team is one game away from European club football’s most prestigious prize, with Inter Milan standing in the way in Saturday’s final in Munich.

“The motivation for me is to win the Champions League title for the first time for PSG,” coach Luis Enrique said on Friday. “That is the gift I want to give the people, the club, the city.”

Inter Milan have ‘utmost’ respect for PSG
PSG is the favourite, with a thrilling young team that has produced stunning performances to get past Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal. It feels like its time has finally come.

But Inter is a wily opponent that is in its second final in three seasons and cut down a rampant Barcelona in an epic semifinal — winning 7-6 on aggregate.

“Our opponent, we hold the utmost respect for,” Inter captain Lautaro Martinez said. “But with the weapons we’ve got, we want to hit them where it hurts.”

The warning signs are there for PSG.

PSG’s run to the final has justified a shift in direction from the bling culture of superstar signings to focus more on young French talent.

Owned by Qatar Sports Investments since 2011, PSG signed some of the biggest names in football, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi without ever getting its hands on the trophy it craves most of all.

Messi, Neymar and Mbappe have all gone, and without those iconic figures, PSG looks a more complete team.

“It’s about being a team, not a group of individuals,” PSG captain Marquinhos said. “I’m in love with this team. It’s a delight to be part of the squad.”

Expensive PSG face savvy Inter Milan

PSG’s transformation has still come at some cost.

Players like Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia were signed for an estimated $240m combined in a squad assembled at spectacular expense.

Meanwhile, Inter has been savvy in the market — signing older players and picking up free agents to put together a team that has reached two Champions League finals in three years — losing to Man City in 2023 — and won an Italian title in that time.

PSG’s only previous final was in 2020, a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich.

It was a semifinalist in 2021 and 2024. Elimination in the round of 16 in 2022 and 2023 preceded the decision by President Nasser Al-Khelaifi to change his transfer strategy.

This year is only the second time since 2011 that three-time champion Inter has advanced beyond the round of 16.

World Cup winner ‘missing’ a Champions League medal

Inter last won the Champions League in 2010 under Jose Mourinho.

Dembele has been one of the outstanding players in Europe this season with 30 goals in all competitions for PSG, including a run of 24 in 18 games from December to March.

Kvaratskhelia was signed from Napoli in January and sparked a turnaround in PSG’s fortunes in the Champions League when it looked in danger of being eliminated at the league stage.

The Georgian forward was long considered one of the brightest talents in Europe before making the move and has added another dimension to an already thrilling PSG attack.

Midfielders Vitinha and Joao Neves are the engine, hungrily hunting down the ball when out of possession and springing attacks with the speed of their passing.

World Cup winner Lautaro Martinez is Inter’s standout player and became the club’s all-time leading scorer in the Champions League this season.

“I’ve won big trophies, but I’m missing the Champions League. I’m happy to be in another final. We want to have the perfect game and bring the trophy back to Milan,” the Argentinian forward said.

Inter enter second final in three years as PSG eye date with destiny

Defender Denzel Dumfries played a huge role in beating Barcelona with two goals in the first leg at the Nou Camp and goalkeeper Yann Sommer pulled off a string of saves to keep Inter in the tie in the second leg.

A Champions League winner with Barcelona in 2015, Luis Enrique has won 12 major trophies in spells with the Catalan club and PSG.

If his club, the French champions, triumph on Saturday, he would become the seventh coach to win the Champions League or European Cup with two different teams. The list includes Carlo Ancelotti, Pep Guardiola and Mourinho.

Victory would come 10 years after his previous title.

“I have peace of mind. I’ve got 10 years more experience since the last time,” Luis Enrique said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to play in a final and make history.”

Inter’s Simone Inzaghi is hoping to win his first Champions League title at the second time of asking after the defeat to City two years ago.

Then, as now, Inter was the underdog, and came close to upsetting Guardiola’s all-conquering City.

“Matches don’t come down to wage bills or turnover, it’s the players on the pitch,” Inzaghi said. “We were huge underdogs two years ago and went toe to toe.

“I dreamt of playing the Champions League final. I didn’t do it as a player, but thanks to this group of players, I’ve been in two finals as a head coach.”

Inzaghi cannot match Enrique’s trophy count but has impressed at Inter where he won Serie A last year, and alongside two Italian Cups, it was his third overall. Only a week ago, Inter surrendered the Serie A title by one point.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies

Saturday 31, May ,2025 {HMC} United States President Donald Trump has bid goodbye to Elon Musk at a White House event marking the billionaire’s departure from his role in government.

Speaking from the Oval Office on Friday, Trump showered Musk with praise for his work as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an initiative to reduce federal bureaucracy and spending.

“ I just want to say that Elon has worked tirelessly helping lead the most sweeping and consequential government reform programme in generations,” Trump said.

He credited Musk with delivering “a colossal change in the old ways of doing business in Washington” and called Musk’s service “without comparison in modern history”.

Still, the president also assured reporters that DOGE would continue its work even after Musk is gone.

“With Elon’s guidance, [DOGE is] helping to detect fraud, slash waste and modernise broken and outdated systems,” Trump said.

The joint appearance comes as the two men seek to downplay reports of a growing rift, particularly after Musk criticised Trump’s signature budget bill on CBS News. It also coincides with the publication of a New York Times report alleging that Musk has struggled with increasing drug use and personal turmoil behind the scenes.

Musk declined to comment on the Times report during his Oval Office appearance. He also avoided remarking on speculation that his departure was connected to tumbling sales at his car company, Tesla.

Instead, he pointed out that, as a special government employee, he cannot work in the Trump administration for a period exceeding 130 days without facing stricter disclosure and ethics requirements.

He also focused on promoting his work with DOGE and criticising those on the political left who would impede Trump’s agenda.

“This is not the end of DOGE, but really at the beginning,” Musk said, clad in a black T-shirt emblazoned with the phrase “The Dogefather”, written in the style of the gangster film The Godfather. “The DOGE team will only grow stronger over time.”

Trump, meanwhile, emphasised that his relationship with the billionaire – a prominent backer of his 2024 re-election campaign – would continue.

“Elon’s really not leaving. He’s going to be back and forth, I think,” Trump said.

Unclear accounting
Despite White House claims about its efficacy, the extent of DOGE’s cost-savings has remained foggy.

As of Friday, the panel claimed it had achieved an estimated $175bn in savings, made up of “asset sales, contract/lease cancellations and renegotiations, fraud and improper payment deletion, grant cancellations, interest savings, programmatic changes, regulatory savings, and workforce reductions”.

But DOGE’s transparency and methodology have been repeatedly questioned. The only accounting made available to the public adds up to less than half of the claimed figure.

An analysis published on Friday by the news agency Reuters also suggests the actual sum is much lower. Using US Treasury summaries, Reuters found that only $19bn in federal spending had been cut, though it noted that some savings may require more time to be reflected in the Treasury Department’s data.

Regardless, all of those figures fall far short of the goal of $2 trillion saved that Musk initially set out to achieve.

When asked about the discrepancy on Friday, Musk maintained that $1 trillion in savings remained a long-term goal.

“I’m confident that over time, we’ll see a trillion dollars of savings, a reduction – a trillion dollars of waste and fraud reduction,” he said.

But critics have questioned if DOGE will continue with the same verve following Musk’s departure.

Musk and DOGE have long been lightning rods for public criticism, as they implemented sweeping changes to the federal government. Since Trump started his second term as president in January, organisations like the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have seen their funding cut and their staffing slashed.

As a result, employees, contractors, labour groups and state officials have sued to block DOGE’s efforts, with varying levels of success.

Behind the scenes, there have also been reports that Musk clashed with members of Trump’s cabinet, who may seek relief from cuts to their departments after Musk’s exit.

Musk’s foray into government has caused blowback for his companies as well, with protests at Tesla dealerships spreading across the country. Profits plunged 71 percent at Tesla in the first three months of the year, with shareholders calling for Musk to return to work.

When asked by a reporter if Musk’s time in government was “worth it”, he was circumspect. He explained that he felt DOGE had become seen as a “boogeyman”, blamed for any effort to overhaul the federal government.

But he reaffirmed his commitment to being a “friend and adviser to the president” and said the experience was worthwhile.

“I think it was. I think [it] was an important thing,” he added. “I think it was a necessary thing, and I think it will have a good effect in the future.”

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies

Saturday 31, May ,2025 {HMC} Kenyan President William Ruto met with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi Irro in Nairobi on Thursday, May 28, in a high-level meeting that has stirred fresh diplomatic conversations in the Horn of Africa.

According to a statement from the Office of the Somaliland Presidency, the two leaders held comprehensive talks on a range of bilateral and regional issues, including peace and stability, education, institutional development, and economic cooperation.

The leaders reportedly emphasized mutual interests in enhancing trade, investment, and air connectivity while also discussing counterterrorism, youth empowerment, and vocational training. Academic exchanges and capacity-building programs for public institutions were also highlighted.

“The meeting reaffirmed the strong and longstanding relationship between Somaliland and Kenya — a partnership anchored in mutual respect, shared values, and a common vision for peace, stability, and prosperity across the region,” the statement by Somaliland President’s spokesperson Hussein Aden Igeh (Deyr) said.

The diplomatic encounter came just a day before Somaliland officially opened its mission office in Nairobi on May 29 — a move that has prompted concern in Mogadishu. Despite the ceremony, Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated its recognition of Somalia’s sovereignty, stating the event was not officially sanctioned and that Somaliland’s diplomatic status remains unrecognized.

Kenya now finds itself navigating a delicate diplomatic balancing act, seeking to preserve strategic ties with Somaliland while maintaining its formal commitments to Somalia’s territorial integrity.

Saturday 31, May ,2025 {HMC} The Somali government, in coordination with international partners, reportedly conducted an airstrike targeting Al-Shabaab militants in the Basra area on Friday night, a location strategically positioned between the towns of Balcad and Afgooye in the Middle and Lower Shabelle regions.

According to local residents, the strike struck an area frequented by senior Al-Shabaab operatives, with multiple explosions heard overnight. Preliminary reports suggest that an Al-Shabaab base on the outskirts of Basra was the main target.

Although the exact number of casualties remains unknown, sources indicate that the attack may have resulted in significant losses for the group. However, as of Saturday, the Somali government has not issued an official statement confirming the operation or identifying those responsible for carrying it out.

The airstrike follows a pattern of intensified aerial campaigns in Somalia, particularly by the United States, which has stepped up its efforts this year to dismantle militant strongholds linked to Al-Shabaab and ISIS.

Basra’s strategic location between major towns and its historical use as a militant stronghold make it a key area in the ongoing military campaign to degrade Al-Shabaab’s operational capabilities. This latest strike is seen as part of broader efforts to disrupt the group’s command structures and limit its mobility across southern and central Somalia.

Saturday 31, May ,2025 {HMC} The new president of Somaliland says his state, which broke away from Somalia in 1991, is on the brink of securing international recognition – a development that would inflame tensions in the already tumultuous Horn of Africa.

In an interview in the presidential palace in the capital, Hargeisa, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi tells the Guardian it is “likely” that Somaliland will finally win acceptance of its right to self-determination, which has eluded the territory since it declared independence from Somalia 34 years ago.

“Recognition is on the horizon,” says the 69-year-old.

Such a move would infuriate Somalia, which would view it as an attack on its sovereignty, unsettle regional powers in the strategic peninsula and fan broader concern that it sets a precedent for secessionist movements across the African continent.
Despite its relative stability and regular democratic elections, Somaliland, a territory of about five million people, has yet to be recognised as independent by a single nation.

“It’s a matter of time. Not if, but when and who will lead the recognition of Somaliland,” says Abdullahi.

That goal, say Somaliland sources, has never been closer amid signs that the US president, Donald Trump, could be the first leader to recognise the self-declared republic in return for building a military base near the port of Berbera, a strategic location on the Gulf of Aden.

“We are a partner in security … a partner in counter-terrorism … a partner in safe marine routes for world trade” President Abdullahi.

Abdullahi revealed that US military officials, including the Horn of Africa’s most senior officer, have recently visited Hargeisa. Another Washington delegation is expected to “evaluate the asset [Berbera]”.

A key US military base, Camp Lemonnier, is located in neighbouring Djibouti but concern is growing over Chinese influence there as Beijing continues to strengthen its ties with Africa.

Project 2025, the alleged blueprint for the second Trump presidency, proposes the recognition of Somaliland as a “hedge against the US’s deteriorating position in Djibouti”.

In April, US aircraft carriers off the coast of Somaliland played a part in US bombing raids on Yemen, responding to Houthi rebels’ disruption of Red Sea shipping lanes.

The US has yet to announce any formal arrangement with Somaliland, but Abdullahi said they were embedded in attempts to safeguard global maritime trade.

“We are a partner in security. We are a partner in counter-terrorism. We are a partner in safe marine routes for world trade,” says Abdullahi, who was sworn in as president five months ago. In that time, he says, the US ambassador to Somalia has visited him three times.

The Trump administration is split over its approach to Somalia, which still considers Somaliland part of its territory.

Recent gains by al- Shabaab Islamist militants have raised questions in the Trump administration over the worth of US counter-terrorism operations in Somalia. The withdrawal of US personnel and the closure of the US embassy in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, has been mooted..

Sources indicate that elements of the Trump team want to drop the US’s longstanding “one Somalia” policy. Ditching support for Somalia’s weak central government would pave the way to officially recognise Somaliland.

“The US and maybe other international partners will [soon] have to recalculate their policies regarding Somalia,” says Abdullahi.

The former defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, a prominent advocate for recognition of the ex-British protectorate, believes a recalculation is very much under way.

Williamson, speaking to the Guardian earlier this month, said US officials had assured him that recognition for Somaliland would happen.

“I was talking to a few people this week and the thing I was getting from them is that it [recognition] is getting there. They’ve already started shifting away from the one Somalia policy.”

Williamson, like Abdullahi, believes recognition will happen by 2028 at the latest. He adds: “Before President Trump’s term ends, the US will have recognised Somaliland. My hope is that within a year we will have the first country within the United Nations to have recognised Somaliland.”

Bashe Omar, former representative of Somaliland to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), says US officials he met recently in Abu Dhabi were “frustrated” at the one-Somalia policy.

“What we are hearing, behind the scenes, is encouraging us. The US is moving in the right direction.”

Also waiting in the wings is the UAE, one of Trump’s closer allies, which has invested more than $442m to modernise Berbera’s port and a highway linking it to Ethiopia, a landlocked country that desperately wants maritime access.

Ethiopia’s desire for access to the sea remains a key geopolitical theme of the region, prompting a bitter diplomatic dispute last year after the signing of a deal with Somaliland to build a port.

The deal was reportedly made on the condition that Addis Ababa would recognise Somaliland.

The development enraged Somalia, prompting fears of a wider regional conflict with Egypt backing Somalia largely over its anger with Ethiopia for building a dam on the Nile.

Officially, the US state department continues to assert that it “recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Somalia. A statement added that it was “not in discussions” with Somaliland to recognise it as a state.

Another factor remains, however farfetched it might seem, that could yet prove significant: the proposed resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza to the African breakaway state.

“Palestinians have been moving here for a long time, since 2004, 2005. Somaliland welcomes all refugees
Aidrous Osman Hussain,” Somaliland refugee department.

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, recently suggested that operations in Gaza would not end until the forced displacement of all its Palestinians had taken place.

Trump has talked of the US relocating Gaza’s population to allow the strip to be remodelled into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.

Aidrous Osman Hussain, deputy director of Somaliland’s refugee department, says Palestinians have considered Somaliland a destination since the second intifada.

“Palestinians have been moving here for a long time, since 2004, 2005. Somaliland welcomes all refugees.”

Currently there are 12 Palestinian families, but officials say they are happy for the numbers to grow.

“The people of Somaliland, the community of Hargeisa, wants to help refugees,” says Hussain.

Almost 23,000 refugees of different nationalities have moved to Somaliland with 2,875 arriving last year. More than 300 Sudanese families have arrived there since its brutal civil war began and Somaliland’s population of Syrians, who left during the civil war, numbers about 2,000 people.

One Syrian family, who fled fierce fighting Damascus in 2023, describes Hargeisa as perfect for Muslims; Syrian restaurants, supermarkets and dentists are dotted throughout the capital.

As he verified his family’s paperwork at the refugee processing facility in the Sha’ab area of Hargeisa, Hassan says: “Somalilanders are Muslim; here it is safe for us and our family.”

Hassan, who did not want to share his surname, adds: “The most important thing that mattered to me was security. Here, it’s a very open community and we integrate well.”

Yet to help further, Somaliland needs international recognition to access more help from the wider community.

Hussain adds: “If Somaliland gets recognition, we can help share the burden; we can help more people.

Abdullahi, flanked by nodding advisers, says the US is yet to officially float the prospect of resettling people from Gaza.

“We are a hospitable people. They, the Palestinians, are our brothers. If they decide to come on their own, we don’t mind.

“But there is no discussion on that issue with the Palestinians or with any other country.”

Source The Guardian