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Six stories moving soon on dpa: 👉 ­­­­­­­Moldova's moment: Millions in Moldova will vote in a referendum on EU membership, alongside Sunday's presidential election. A "yes" victory would firmly enshrine its EU aspirations in the constitution, while a win for the "no" camp would likely pull the ex-Soviet state a bit closer to Moscow. Hovering in the background are fears about Moscow's strategic aims for Moldova's Russia-led breakaway region of Transnistria - a frozen conflict threatening to warm up. 👉 ­­­­­­­­Treading carefully in Turkey: ­Migration will be high on the agenda when German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul on Saturday. Germany is trying to tighten its border policy and speed up deportations. Turkey is a main transit country for migrants travelling to the EU, so getting Erdoğan's buy-in is key. This trip could also highlight the sharp differences between the two countries' approaches to the conflict in the Middle East. 👉 Putin's diplomatic flex: President Vladimir Putin will host the 16th summit of the BRICS economic bloc in the Russian city of Kazan from Tuesday to Thursday. It is his highest-profile diplomatic event of the year and the first BRICS meeting with new members Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia. Putin is eager to show that he is not isolated on the international stage despite a barrage of Western sanctions, not to mention an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Ukraine. 🏎 F1 moves into deciding stages: ­Triple world champion Max Verstappen takes a 52-point lead over Lando Norris into Sunday's US Grand Prix. The Austin race will start a triple header which also includes Mexico and Brazil and could prove decisive for the rest of the season. Red Bull's Verstappen has not won in eight races, while McLaren's Norris has steadily cut the gap from 84 points after the British GP to the current 52. ­⚽ Champions League: ­Matchday three in the men's Champions League sees leaders Borussia Dortmund at Real Madrid in a rematch of last season's final. Dortmund have maximum points while Madrid are coming off a surprise 1-0 defeat at Lille. The week will also see a major duel between Barcelona and Bayern Munich, which pits Barca coach Hansi Flick against the club he led to the 2020 title. Among the seven teams with maximum points are also surprise side Brest and German champions Bayer Leverkusen who are to face each other in France. Photo:  Fabian Sommer Want more stories? Register for our weekly newsletter: http://dpaq.de/bPfGB

Russia to keep its stance aimed at democratizing sports, says Putin "We will pursue more democracy in the sports movement, strive to remove artificial barriers and restrictions, and expand the range of national and international sporting events," the Russian president said MOSCOW, September 2/ The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is flagrantly flouting the Olympic ideals, but Russia will keep on walking the path of democratizing sports and removing far-fetched restrictions, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with Mongolia’s Onoodor daily. "The current leaders of the International Olympic Committee, acting at the behest of the collective West - primarily the United States - are flagrantly flouting the Olympic ideals they should be defending. Instead of promoting the rights of athletes, the integrity and universality of the Olympic movement, they are clinging to their social position, power and personal prosperity," Putin stated. "We will pursue more democracy in the sports movement, strive to remove artificial barriers and restrictions, and expand the range of national and international sporting events," the Russian president added. #business #finance #financialservices

Vladimir Putin will score 'propaganda victory' if Russian permitted to compete at Olympics Allowing Russian and Belarusian competitors to take part in the Paris Olympics under a neutral flag would hand Vladimir Putin a win in the propaganda game, British Members of Parliament were warned. "Any involvement of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games under a neutral flag is a backwards step and propaganda victory for Putin," Alex Sobel cautioned. In his plea to fellow MPs to reject the proposal, Mr Sobel who serves as co-chair of the Ukraine All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) also highlighted that "more than 400 Ukrainian athletes are believed to have been killed on the battlefield since the full-scale invasion". This rallying cry to MPs comes on the heels of a reported volte-face by the government on its previous stance of outright banning Russian athletes from competing, even under a neutral banner. Stuart Andrew, the UK Sports Minister, has drafted a letter to Thomas Bach, the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), signalling the UK's readiness to back the entry of Russian and Belarusian sportspeople as 'neutrals' in the upcoming summer Games. "Reports suggesting that the UK Government has advocated for the inclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes under a neutral banner deeply trouble us," Mr Sobel expressed further dismay in his letter. He asserts that this allowance would jeopardise the games' integrity and send an incorrect signal amidst the ongoing aggression towards Ukraine. Continuing, Sobel insisted on the need to exert pressure and uphold principles of justice and solidarity, even within sport. Alex Rennie, Co-Director of the UK Friends of Ukraine organisation, said: "A weakening of position from the UK Government, one of the strongest allies of Ukraine, could lead to international federations softening the position on Russian and Belarusian athletes competing in France this summer." APPG committee chairman Bob Seely didn't hold back on his own assessment: "This just a way around the ban and I think it's pretty contemptible." "The idea that sports is irrelevant to warfare is nonsense, it is actually important to Russia. The evidence suggests it's something Putin really cares about." https://lnkd.in/e7_szC9D #BoycottRussia #2024olympics #Paris2024

This is somewhat different from my usual ‘pro-clean energy’ comments…because of the Euro 2024 Final yesterday where Spain won 2-1 against England. The following article focuses on the development of football (soccer) in Hungary and how their Prime Minister Orban (a good pal of Putin and Trump…) is given credit for his country’s renaissance. However, the article suggests the end result is achieved by questionable means. But….here’s the thing…in #Ireland, a similar level of stadium, facilities, infrastructure and player development improvements have been achieved by the not-for-profit and ‘volunteer based’ #GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association). What makes this ‘amateur’ organisation’s accomplishment so significant is that Ireland’s 5-Million is half the population of Hungary. The #GAA has more teams playing our National Games (#GaelicFootball and #Hurling) and provides more top quality pitches, clubhouses, etc., than the combined #IrishRugby and #FAI (Football Association of Iteland) facilities. Unlike #soccer and rugby players, GAA players are amateurs who train and play at a professional level…as seen in the hybrid competition between the #GAA and #AussieRules. https://lnkd.in/gYt7_83E “….the GAA has invested (in current purchasing power) the equivalent of €2.6 billion in its nationwide infrastructure at national and local level in the past 50 years. The result is that the vast majority of GAA clubs, even in the most rural areas of Ireland, have developed and enjoy ownership of their own grounds and associated facilities. https://lnkd.in/ghN7qvCT Then there’s the Orban approach to improving football in Hungary…which incidentally Ireland defeated 2-1 in a ‘friendly’ match before the Euro 2024 😉 “Orban's government introduced the Tao programme - a scheme that enabled corporations to write off donations to clubs in certain sports as a tax deduction. The effects since its introduction in 2011 have been marked. "A complete infrastructural overhaul was carried out in the last decade," said Henrik Hegedus, who is head of data at Hungary's most popular football club Ferencvaros, having previously worked at the Hungarian Football Association for seven years. "More than 20 stadiums have been built, well over 1,000 pitches built or renovated. Hungary play with sold-out stadiums at home, 60,000 attend even friendly games." https://lnkd.in/g7CjZQn3

"A football team⚽ is, above all, an idea", according to César Luis Menotti; a successful and influential Argentinian player, coach and philosopher, who passed away last month. The photogenic, "cool", chain-smoking opponent of his nation's military junta (nicknamed El Flaco, "Slim") also once proclaimed: "There's a right-wing football and a left-wing football. Right-wing football wants to suggest that life is struggle. It demands sacrifices. We have to become of steel and win by any method... obey and function, that's what those with power want from the players. That's how they create retards, useful idiots that go with the system."* With that political slant on The Beautiful Game deeply engrained in Menotti's mental armoury, then, what might he have made of today's news story on this small "band of brothers", in 'some corner of a foreign field / That is for ever England'** - in their fervid dreams, at least (see the BBC News story, at link shared below)? It feels an especially topical subject, on a day when the English economy may grind to an almost total standstill from c. 4pm (Scotland's ground to a halt about a week ago!). But I come at this topic largely from the angle of #EffectiveCommunication. What does chanting intend to #Persuade us of, exactly? I'm particularly interested in the views of friends and acquaintances here on LinkedIn. Rather than any self-appointed, so-called experts - or those with particular, football-related agendas. Disclosure: I may be said to "have a dog in this fight". But it's not a bulldog, in a union jack waistcoat. I was lucky enough to watch England play in Nuremberg, during the 2006 FIFA World Cup. That location, of course, added historical and political "juice" to the occasion. Then, my friends and I skirted the edges of the usual mass assembly of England "fans" (already well refreshed by c. 10am, in warm Bavarian city-centre sunshine). Bare-chested and enjoying taunting the locals, whilst trying to pick fights with the attentive, heavily-armed police. We went in search of a quiet bar in a shady Nuremberg nook. Luckily, these were welcoming and readily available to anyone who cared to look, rather than sunburn themselves in a sodden, communal, violent frenzy. But I digress. If a football team truly is an idea, above all, then what do the massed ranks of their supporters - and THEIR #Communication - represent? Is it: Humorous irony? Power? Politically-charged aggression? Plain "unsavoury and unnecessary"? As ever, different audiences will likely perceive and receive different #KeyMessages from the same piece of #Communication. I point out, for the record, that German authorities were quick to clarify: 'singing the song is not a criminal offence'.🎵 *Jonathan Wilson's 'Inverting The Pyramid: The History of Soccer Tactics'. Wilson goes on to clarify that, in fact: '[Menotti's] sides were always rather more systemised than he cared to admit'. **from 'The Soldier', by Rupert Brooke (1915)

#Sweden101 Question 2: Why is Sweden’s national emblem three crowns? There are various myths around this and no one can confirm why. One explanation is that they represent the three crowned gods of the Uppsala, the seat of a holy place, before the introduction of Christianity. Another explanation is that the three crowns represent the three different areas of the Uppland region in Sweden, who many years ago had the right to participate in the election of the king. Nowadays, the emblem is often used by the Monarchy, the Riksdag (parliament), the Swedish government and Swedish missions abroad. It’s also the nickname of our men’s national ice hockey team! Sweden 101 is a series launched by the Consulate General of Sweden in Hong Kong to tackle questions the general public has towards Sweden. If you have any questions about Sweden to ask, DM us so that we can feature your question in our series! Photo credit: Melker Dahlstrand/imagebank.sweden.se #Sweden101 #SwedeninHongKong #swedishconsulatehk 

On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron addressed a Sports & Sustainable Development Summit #Sport4SD with more than 50 world leaders ahead of the #Paris2024 #Olympic games. While discussing the need to develop more infrastructure for large-scale sporting events in Africa, Latin America, and Asia Pacific, Macron cited Rwanda’s dictator, Paul Kagame, as an example of someone who has “extraordinarily” accomplished such a feat. Macron alluded to his experience attending the finals of the NBA’s #theBAL league in Kigali alongside Kagame. A new ESPN investigation published today details “How the NBA got into business with [Rwanda]’s dictator.” Since the French president's remarks, Rwanda’s pro-regime media apparatus has started trumpeting Macron’s praise of Kagame as fuel for official propaganda and the sycophantic cult of the dictator’s personality. Macron’s praise of #Rwanda’s dictator comes a week after his government welcomed the deployment of security forces from Qatar’s dictatorship in Paris to support the French police in providing security for the Olympics. Before Macron spoke at the #Sport4SD, IOC President Thomas Bach extolled the positive universal values of sports and the Olympics. In the audience, however, were leaders of authoritarian regimes trampling on those same values. While HRF supports the noble ideals of sports for sustainable development #Sport4SD, it is alarmed by the political exploitation of sports and the Olympics by dictatorships such as Rwanda or Qatar to soften their image and normalize their authoritarianism in pop culture. https://buff.ly/3Sp75uY

Euro 2024 is about more than just sport. Unlike the Copa America tournament's big talking points of who will coach the American and Mexican teams going into World Cup 2026 after they were "grouped", the Euros are taking place against a complex backdrop of social and political challenges that touch both small p and big P Politics. On the pitch, we see the small p politics of team dynamics, player selections, and tactical decisions. These choices reflect broader societal trends, particularly in the diversity of national squads (Can't say that for Gli Azzurri). Many of the tournament's emerging stars come from immigrant backgrounds or hold dual nationalities, mirroring Europe's changing demographics. Off the pitch, big P Politics loom large. The rise of far-right movements across the continent, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and debates over immigration and national identity all cast long shadows over the event. Some fan behaviour echoes these tensions, with chants occasionally referencing historical conflicts or expressing nationalist sentiments. Most recently, Merih Demiral's nationalist salute after Turkiye's victory over Austria has garnered attention. Yet football also offers glimpses of unity. We've seen players speak out against discrimination (i.e. Kylian Mbappé) and fans from different backgrounds come together in celebration. These moments highlight the sport's potential to bridge divides and foster understanding, as it always has. Politicians inevitably attempt to capitalize on their national teams' performances. A win can be spun to reflect national character or leadership, while a loss might be used to criticize opponents. This interaction between football and Politics demonstrates how how intimately sport is intertwined with the threads of national identity. As the tournament progresses, it's worth considering how football might force positive change. Can the sport's popularity be leveraged to address social issues? What responsibilities do players and organizations have in this realm? Euro 2024 reminds us that football doesn't exist in a vacuum. It's a mirror reflecting our societies – their strengths and challenges. As we enjoy the spectacle, we also witness a complex dance between sport, culture, and the big P Politics that extends far beyond the final whistle. https://on.ft.com/3xMHWDw #PoliticsofInclusion

🌍⚽ With the FIFA World Cup 2026 just two years away, here are the speculated economic benefits for the region: 🏟️ Anticipation of hosting seven matches at BC Place, estimating over two billion international viewers. 📈 Expectations of increased tourism and private sector investment, leading to long-term benefits. 💼 Despite optimism, economists like Moshe Lander caution about the actual economic impact, citing historical data. 💰 The estimated cost to taxpayers has doubled since 2022, raising questions about the net benefits. While projections are optimistic, the final financial implications of hosting the World Cup matches remain uncertain. #FIFAWorldCup2026 #EconomicImpact #Vancouver #BCPlace #Tourism #Investment #SurreyBoardofTrade #Taxpayers https://lnkd.in/gkbqYz74