UEFA blocks Munich's "political" bid to light up soccer stadium with LGBTQ+ rainbow for Germany-Hungary match
CBSN
Berlin — The city of Munich wanted to light up its sports stadium in rainbow colors on Wednesday as Germany's national team took on Hungary in the European soccer championship. It would be a show of support for LGBTQ+ people — and a clear jab at Hungary, which recently passed a law banning the "promotion" of homosexuality to minors.
The U.S., many European nations, and a range of human rights groups have roundly condemned the controversial law. The U.S. State Department said it includes restrictions that "have no place in democratic society." But the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) rejected the request by the Munich City Council. In a statement, UEFA noted that it was "a politically and religiously neutral organization," and "given the political context of this particular request — a message aimed at a decision by the Hungarian national parliament — UEFA must reject this request."Zhytomyr, Ukraine — Exactly 1,000 days after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine, Russia's defense ministry accused Ukrainian forces on Tuesday of firing six U.S.-made and -supplied ATACMS missiles at the Russian region of Bryansk. If confirmed, it could be the first time Ukrainian troops had taken advantage of President Biden easing restrictions over the weekend on Ukraine's use of the U.S.-made missiles to strike targets deeper inside Russian territory.
President Biden's decision to allow Ukraine to fire U.S.-made and supplied missiles deeper into Russia — a major policy shift announced over the weekend after months of intense lobbying by Kyiv — has drawn a furious response from Moscow. While there was no immediate reaction directly from the man who launched the nearly three-year war on his neighboring nation, lawmakers aligned with President Vladimir Putin in Russia said Monday that the move was unacceptable and warned it could lead to a third world war.
Tel Aviv — After more than a year of bombing and homelessness, Gazans are looking to a new administration in Washington for help. President-elect Donald Trump's election victory has raised hopes and fears among the five million residents of the Palestinian territories — the warn-torn Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.