Slovenia’s Ceferin elected UEFA president, takes on ‘great responsibility’

The heads of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, and Conmebol, Alejandro Domínguez, signed on Thursday, together with the presidents of Paraguay, Santiago Peña, and Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pou, the first act of the 2030 World Cup, which will mark the celebration of the centenary of this competition.

France has asked its foreign allies to send several thousand members of their security forces to help guard the Paris Olympics, officials said Thursday, underlining the strains caused by the sporting extravaganza which begins in July.

ing Abdullah II of Jordan defends his country's actions in shooting down Iranian missiles on Saturday, saying that Jordan's security comes above all else. Also, MPs in the UK back a new bill to ban smoking in the country, but Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces rebellion from within the Conservative Party. Finally, Paris Saint-Germain mount a comeback to beat Barcelona and qualify for the Champions League semi-final, with one Spanish newspaper blaming the result on "suspect refereeing".

Barcelona riot police kept Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona fans apart to prevent potential clashes ahead of the second match in the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday.

Solomon Islanders began voting on Wednesday in a crucial election that will decide China's foothold in the Pacific region. Polling booths opened at 7 a.m. local time on Wednesday (2000 GMT on Tuesday), with almost 420,000 registered voters to elect 50 members of the national parliament. There are more than 1,000 polling stations scattered across the Solomons archipelago, 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) off Australia's coast.

India's mammoth elections are now under way, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi widely expected to win a third term. Since coming to power in 2014, Modi has expanded subsidy programmes for the poor and women. These programmes include measures like equipping homes with butane gas by offering free cylinders or distributing free food rations. Some 60 percent of the population benefits from Modi’s food distribution scheme, which he has pledged to renew for another five years. Another success story is the nationwide rollout of digital payment services. Meanwhile, critics say the prime minister is eroding democracy by targeting opposition parties and controlling the media.