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Worldnews

Barcelona Vs Inter UEFA Champions League: Start Time, Team News, Lineups

Barcelona hosts Italian giants Inter Milan in the opening leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal. Who: Barcelona vs Inter Milan
What: UEFA Champions League semifinal, first leg
Where: Olympic Stadium, Barcelona
When: Wednesday at 9pm (19:00 GMT) Follow Al Jazeera Sport’s live text and photo commentary stream. With eight UEFA Champions League titles between them, Barcelona and Inter Milan begin their battle for the right to enter another final when they square off in the opening leg of their semifinal showdown on Wednesday night. Barcelona, who have only lost a single match in 2025, will host Inter at the Olympic Stadium, with the two-leg series then moving to Northern Italy next Tuesday, May 6 for the return fixture at the famous San Siro venue. Here is all to know before the semifinal opener between two of Europe’s football superclubs: The teams last played on October 12, 2022, in a Group C fixture at the Nou Camp in Barcelona. The teams drew 3-3 with Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele – who, incidentally, scored the game-winning goal for PSG against Arsenal in the other Champions League semifinal on Tuesday – putting the Catalans ahead in the first half, before a frantic five-goal second stanza ensued, culminating with Robert Lewandowski scoring the equaliser in stoppage time to split the points. Barcelona defeated last year’s UEFA Champions League runner-up Borussia Dortmund 5-3 on aggregate in their two-leg quarterfinal. Inter Milan booked their place in the last four of the tournament with a thrilling 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich at the San Siro on April 16, the Nerazzurri winning the closely fought series 4-3 on aggregate. Manager Hans Flick will be without star striker Lewandowski, who is still recovering from a leg injury. In his absence, Ferran Torres is expected to lead the line again for Barca, just as he did in the Copa del Rey final win over Real Madrid last Saturday. Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny will hold his place in the starting XI, despite the availability of first-choice keeper Mar-Andre ter Steg, who is still working his way back to peak fitness after a long recovery from knee surgery. Inter will be without key defender Benjamin Pavard, who was injured in their 1-0 loss to Roma on Sunday. Pavard was instrumental to Inter’s success against Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals, scoring what ultimately turned out to be the game-winner for the Nerazzurri in the second leg at San Siro. Offsetting the huge loss of Pavard is the return of striker Marcus Thuram, who had missed the last three games with injury. The French international is strongly tipped to start against Barcelona. Barcelona possible starting XI: Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Martin; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Torres Inter Milan possible starting XI: Sommer; De Vrij, Acerbi, Augusto; Darmian, Frattesi, Calhanoglu, Barella, Dimarco; Martinez, Thuram The teams have played on 12 prior occasions: Barcelona most recently won in 2015, while Inter Milan last tasted victory in 2010. The winner of this semifinal heads to Germany on May 31 for the Champions League final. European football’s largest annual showpiece will be played at the 75,000-capacity Allianz Arena in Munich. Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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Futbol

Goalkeeper Andre Onana was at fault for two goals as a last-gasp Lyon equaliser put Manchester United's Europa League quarter-final tie in the balance at the halfway stage. United went behind after 25 minutes when under-pressure Onana failed to get a strong enough hand to Thiago Almada's wide free-kick. In the final seconds of the first half Leny Yoro equalised with his first goal for United by reacting quickly to Manuel Ugarte's volley and diverting the ball into the bottom corner. The visitors thought they had won late on when substitute Joshua Zirkzee headed home Bruno Fernandes' looping cross in the 88th minute. But, with the last play before the final whistle, Onana spilled Georges Mikautadze's shot and Rayan Cherki tapped in on the rebound. United host Lyon in the second leg at Old Trafford next Thursday (20:00 BST). Have your say on Man Utd's performance Attention was always going to be on Onana who was labelled "one of the worst keepers" in Manchester United history by Lyon substitute Nemanja Matic on Wednesday. Ex-United midfielder Matic had been responding to comments by Onana who said his side are "way better" than their French opponents. Onana was booed every time he touched the ball inside Groupama Stadium, even if he had little to do before Lyon's opener. With Lyon's first goal the 29-year-old reacted late to Almada's cross, having to wait to see if a Lyon player would divert the ball, and was caught out when the free-kick kept its line. The ball bounced just before the Cameroonian and then skidded through his hands before hitting the net. For the second Onana was unable to gather a shot which, although was hit with power, was straight at him, and Lyon's Cherki was gifted a late leveller. It means since the start of last season Onana has made eight errors leading to goals in all competitions, the most of any keeper playing for a Premier League club. With the Red Devils 13th in the Premier League table, their only realistic hope of qualifying for European football next season is through the Champions League spot afforded to the Europa League winner. For large periods they looked well-organised, motivated and were probably the better team in Lyon. But, as has often been the case this season, United were hampered by poor finishing. In the first half Rasmus Hojlund skewed a Patrick Dorgu cutback well wide, while Bruno Fernandes had a shot deflected over and Casemiro struck an overhead kick straight at the goalkeeper. In the second period, an Alejandro Garnacho strike from a Dorgu cross was tipped over and Casemiro headed a corner just wide. United forwards Hojlund and Garnacho both appeared to lack confidence. Hojlund has now scored just one goal in his past 25 United appearances in all competitions, while Garnacho has one from his past 28. Ruben Amorim will hope both will be able to turn their form around in time for the second leg. The Portuguese manager was able to bring on Kobbie Mainoo as a late substitute. The English midfielder had been out with a muscle injury since February.

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Worldnews

Harvard Reports Find Students Face Anti-Muslim And Anti-Jewish Bias

Harvard president says students report being pushed ‘to the periphery of campus life’ over their identities and beliefs. Two reports by Harvard University task forces found that students and staff have faced anti-Muslim bias as well as anti-Israeli or anti-Semitic bias. The release of the reports on Tuesday follows the establishment last year of separate task forces on combating “Anti-Muslim, Anti-Arab, and Anti-Palestinian Bias” as well as “Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias” amid campus protests over Israel’s war on Gaza. It also comes as Harvard is embroiled in a legal fight with US President Donald Trump over his administration’s decision to freeze more than $2bn in funding for the university, a move Trump claims was taken in response to rampant anti-Semitism on campus. In a statement announcing the findings, Harvard President Alan Garber said that “Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and pro-Palestinian community members reported feeling judged, misrepresented, and silenced” and that Jewish, Israeli and Zionist community members reported hiding “overt markers of their identities to avoid confrontation”. “Especially disturbing is the reported willingness of some students to treat each other with disdain rather than sympathy, eager to criticise and ostracize, particularly when afforded the anonymity and distance that social media provides,” Garber said. “Some students reported being pushed by their peers to the periphery of campus life because of who they are or what they believe, eroding our shared sense of community in the process.” The task force on combating anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian bias found a similar climate of hostility, describing a “deep-seated sense of fear” among students and a state of “uncertainty, abandonment, threat, and isolation” on campus. “Muslim women who wear hijab and pro-Palestinian students wearing keffiyehs spoke about facing verbal harassment, being called ‘terrorists,’ and even being spat upon,” the task force said. “The issue of doxxing was particularly highlighted as a significant concern that affects not only physical safety and mental well-being, but also future career prospects,” it added, referring to the practice of disclosing a person’s personal or identifying information online. Nearly half of Muslim students and staff surveyed reported feeling physically unsafe on campus, while 92 percent said they believed they would face professional or academic penalties for expressing political views. “As Muslim students we have been living in constant fear,” the taskforce quoted an unnamed student as saying. “There have been trucks driving around campus for months, displaying the faces of Muslim students… my peers who have lost their jobs simply for being in the leadership of Muslim faith organisations have been left out to dry once they had their offers revoked… If there were antisemitic trucks driving around campus and planes flying over with antisemitic slogans, I cannot help but believe Harvard would have done more to stop it.” The task force on combating anti-Semitism and anti-Israeli bias said in its report that bias had been “fomented, practiced, and tolerated” at Harvard and within academia more widely. In an online survey, 26 percent of Jewish students reported feeling physically unsafe, while 39 percent said they did not feel at home at the university, the task force said. Nearly 60 percent of Jewish students reported experiencing “discrimination, stereotyping, or negative bias” due to their opinions, with only 25 percent believing there was no “academic or professional penalty” for expressing their views, the task force said. Among examples of bias in the report, the task force quoted an unnamed Palestinian citizen of Israel studying there as saying that Israelis “get used to social discrimination” from their first day on campus. “People refusing to speak to you. Not even pretending to be nice. Some people pretend to be nice and end conversation in [a] polite manner when they find out [I am] Israeli and then don’t talk to [me] again,” the report quoted the student as saying. Both task forces issued a series of recommendations for combating bias on campus, including expanding access to legal services equipped to combat doxxing and prioritising the admission of students who support open inquiry. Garber said the university would redouble its efforts to ensure it is a place where “ideas are welcomed, entertained, and contested in the spirit of seeking truth” and “mutual respect is the norm”. Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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Worldnews

Milestone: Russia, North Korea Begin First Road Bridge Construction

Moscow says the project will boost trade and highlight the two countries’ strong alliance. Russia and North Korea have begun construction of their first-ever road bridge on the Tumen River, which forms the natural border between the allied countries, describing it as a symbol of their deepening partnership. Announcing the project on Wednesday, Russia’s Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said it would reduce transport costs, facilitate trade and promote tourism. “This is truly a milestone for Russian-Korean relations,” Mishustin said during a video meeting with Pak Thae-song, chairman of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly. “The significance goes far beyond just an engineering task … it symbolises our common desire to strengthen friendly, good-neighbourly relations and increase interregional cooperation,” he added. There is already a rusting, Soviet-era rail bridge across the Tumen River. “Another road will allow entrepreneurs to significantly increase the volume of transport [goods] and reduce transport costs – and, of course, open up good prospects for tourism,” said Mishustin. Russia’s Kommersant newspaper said the bridge will be ready by mid-2026. Russian state TV aired footage from the site, showing North Koreans dressed in suits, standing in line during a ceremony marking the start of construction. “It will become an eternal historical memorial structure symbolising the unbreakable Korean-Russian friendly relations,” North Korea’s Pak Thae-song said, according to a Russian translation. The governor of Russia’s Primorye region, Oleg Kozhemyako, who attended the ceremony, said he hoped it would boost contact between the countries. “There are many sportspeople and children going there,” he said, without elaborating.   North Korea and Russia, two of the most sanctioned countries in the world, have leaned into their alliance during Russia’s war in Ukraine. Pyongyang has repeatedly voiced strong support for Russia’s invasion and even sent thousands of its own troops to fight alongside the Russians. About 600 North Korean soldiers have died in the war, South Korean lawmakers said Wednesday, citing intelligence officials. North Korea is also accused by Kyiv of supplying Russia with heavy weapons it has used in battle, including a missile that killed a dozen people in Kyiv last week. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin signed a strategic partnership with Pyongyang last year that committed both countries to providing immediate military assistance to each other using “all means” necessary if either faces “aggression”. Putin has since hailed the North Korean troops fighting Ukraine, with the Kremlin even considering them parading on Red Square during World War II commemorations on May 9. Follow Al Jazeera English:...