Above Tbilisi’s Old Town stands the Mother of Georgia statue, like a less imposing Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. “Kartlis Deda,” as she is known to Georgians, holds a wine cup in her left hand and a sword in her right. She offers a choice to new arrivals. Come as a friend, you are our guest. Come as an enemy, you are not welcome.

Tbilisi, an ancient Silk Road city, is no stranger to foreigners turning up on its streets. But the arrival of more than 100,000 Russians in the country since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year has left Georgians uncertain whether to welcome them as friends or shun them as foes.

The government’s recent attempt to force through what critics see as a Kremlin-style “foreign agent” law, and the huge protests which prevented this, have not helped émigrés to settle in or locals to feel at ease alongside the new arrivals. Many in Georgia fear what they see as the creeping Russification of their country – a story they know all too well.

Georgia, a former Soviet republic, has long been caught between Russia and the West. Despite gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, a potential European future is still struggling to be born. Georgia’s stance towards Russia is decidedly mixed. The two countries have had no formal diplomatic relations since Russia invaded Georgia in 2008 – but Russians living and working here enjoy lax visa requirements, making it an easy choice for those who fled last year.

Ivan recalls an incident in a bar some months back. Recognizing his “Slavic appearance,” he said, a young Georgian woman approached him and, unprovoked, said “Russian warship, go f*** yourself” – echoing the words of a Ukrainian soldier defending a Black Sea island against the Russian navy in the early days of the war.

“I try to react with understanding, because I understand the reasons why this is happening,” said Ivan. But such incidents can take their toll. “I do feel a sort of frustration.”

George Mchedlishvili, an associate professor of foreign policy at Tbilisi’s European University, explained the skittishness of some Georgians. “For some, the Russian language is a trigger for them. It’s the language Russian soldiers spoke.”

Recent Russian aggression remains fresh in the memory here. Russia invaded the separatist regions of Abkhazia in 1992, and South Ossetia in 2008, when it fought a five-day war with Georgia. To this day, Russia occupies 20% of Georgia’s internationally recognized territory. Georgians have seen Russians pour into their country many times in the past – not always, as last year, with suitcases and pets, but with guns and tanks.

Ivan arrived in Georgia with a suitcase – but he could have found himself arriving in Ukraine with a gun. Having served in the Russian army some years ago, he became a “valuable asset,” he says, after President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization in September.

The next day, officers visited his registered address – his mother’s house in his hometown. “Initially she didn’t want to open the door, but they were persistent. They just kept coming every hour,” he said. Ivan had moved to St. Petersburg for work long before, but when he heard the news of these visits, he knew he had to leave Russia. He took a train south the following day and then a taxi to the Georgian border.

“I was lucky to pass the border,” Ivan said. He had been arrested in March last year for protesting against Russia’s war on Ukraine and spent several days in prison before being released, he said. Although he did not face criminal charges, he feared his details might have been stored and that he would be blocked from leaving the country. But he crossed the frontier without any trouble.

‘Guilty until proven innocent’

Despite having made himself an “enemy” of his own state, Ivan says he still feels like the “enemy” in Tbilisi. Some Georgians have been more forgiving towards Russians who fled their country immediately after the war began. They are seen as being genuinely opposed to the conflict, while those who fled conscription are seen as only opposed to fighting in it.

Unaware of his previous imprisonment, some Georgians see Ivan as one of the less politically aware Russians, he said. The trick, he says, is to prove your “innocence” as quickly as possible, by showing you are opposed to the actions of the Russian government – perhaps by wearing a Ukrainian flag.

But some encounter more exacting standards. “There are some bars that make you sign when you enter,” said Daria Polkina, 27, a freelance graphic designer from Moscow. “If they suspect that you’re Russian, they make you sign a paper that says ‘I am against Putin and whatever he is doing.’” Russians who do not sign are refused entry, she said.

Polkina has signed before but said such prerequisites hardly make for an amicable evening, adding there have been “bad encounters.” “Mostly, when I meet Georgians, when they ask me where I’m from, I say I’m from Russia – and then follow up with ‘I’m sorry,’” she said. “It makes me feel ashamed, guilty.”

Even bars in the Georgian capital without these restrictions make their feelings known. Many bear signs ranging from the direct (“F*** Putin”) to the historical (“Russia is an occupier”) to those setting out the terms of engagement (“We don’t speak Russian”). Most Georgians speak or at least understand Russian but have been increasingly unwilling to do so. “I speak Russian, but I don’t speak Russian,” said a barman in Tbilisi’s Sololaki district.

The result is that many Russians have started keeping to themselves – opening their own bars and cafés. “I’m trying to find places here in Tbilisi that have an accommodating and friendly atmosphere,” said Polkina. “A place where there’s mostly a ‘no politics’ rule.”

Apathy: A luxury Georgians can’t afford

But many Georgians are frustrated when Russians come to Tbilisi and try to live a life free from politics – a luxury few Georgians can afford.

Mchedlishvili said that, while there are few “staunch, flag-waving, chest-thumping supporters of Putin” in Georgia, there are many Russians who are “like a clean sheet. They have next to no knowledge about international relations – and sometimes, one can see, they have no interest. That is what some Georgians find irritating.”

These more apathetic émigrés, Mchedlishvili said, “would have wanted everything (in Russia) to stay the same – until they lost their comfort zone. Until they realized there was no Starbucks. Then they go to the place where all these niceties are available.”

Salomé Dzvelaia, 31, a local translator, said that while Russians have been content to stay in their “comfort zones” in Tbilisi, life for locals has grown increasingly uncomfortable. The average Russian is more than twice as wealthy as the average Georgian; the influx of migrant and foreign exchange flows into Georgia have been so great that a recent IMF report found that Georgia’s economy grew by 10% in 2022. But the boom has caused unrest: Rent spiked by 75% in Tbilisi last year, pricing many locals out of the center.

“Georgian people – they can’t afford $800 a month,” Dzvelaia said. When she decided to rent out her apartment last year, “I got so many calls in two minutes. About 20 calls from Russian people. They said, ‘We’ll pay double. Please, we need this apartment.’” But she refused these offers, instead renting at the original price to a Georgian woman who had recently been evicted from her apartment, after a Russian family offered to pay way over the market rate.

Dzvelaia said it upsets her to see Russians having a “good life” in Georgia. She acknowledged that her words may sound xenophobic but explained that her resentment stems from Russia’s expansionist actions that have shaped her life since before she was born. While some Russians attempt to live free from politics in Georgia, Dzvelaia says she “can’t escape from politics.”

Dzvelaia’s family are from the now-occupied region of Abkhazia. When Russia launched its invasion in 1992, they first came for people of stature, in an attempt to terrorize the rest of the population, she said. When her grandmother, a famous writer, went to buy bread one morning, her grandfather, who owned a factory, got a knock at the door. “Are you Khuta Jgamadze?” a group of Russian troops asked him. When he confirmed he was, he was shot eight times. Dzvelaia’s family buried him in the garden.

According to Georgian Orthodox tradition, Dzvelaia’s grandmother pledged to remain close to the grave for a 40-day mourning period. But the invading Russian forces advanced closer in this period and thousands of people began to evacuate. Dzvelaia’s mother, who was heavily pregnant with her at the time, decided she could not wait any longer. She fled with her husband before the 40 days were up, while the grandmother stayed.

“They killed her on September 27 – the day I was born,” said Dzvelaia. Her mother gave birth to her in the woods lining the paths through Georgia’s mountainous Svaneti region, lodged high up in the Caucasus. Her family were among the 250,000 Georgians displaced by the invasion, in what the United Nations has recognized as a campaign of ethnic cleansing. They have lived in Tbilisi since.

To help Russian émigrés better understand this history, Mchedlishvili runs classes on Georgia-Russian relations for new arrivals, “so when they see signs like ‘Russians go home,’ they understand the reasons for that.” He wants them to understand that “some people cannot exclude politics,” so invites Dzvelaia to tell her story to the class.

“When I’ve explained the story before, I’ve never cried,” she said. “But there, when I was standing in front of Russians, I cried. I was shaking.” Members of the class did, too. They came to hug her, one by one. Mchedlishvili said he hopes work like this can “contribute to a potential thaw” in relations between the two groups. “Whether it will persist remains to be seen, but this is an individual responsibility of the citizens – both Georgians and Russians.”

Georgia on a precipice

Since the war began, it is hard to find a street in Tbilisi that has not been painted with a Ukrainian flag. But different shades of blue and yellow are also visible: those of the European Union flag.

“I need everyone to understand that Georgia is a European country,” said Dzvelaia. “We all really want to join the European Union for a better future, because if we don’t… I think the situation will get worse.”

The view is widely shared among Georgians: 83% of the population approve joining the EU, according to a 2022 survey by the National Democratic Institute. Even those with less skin in the game feel the pull. “If I was Georgian, I would also want to be a part of the European Union,” Polkina said. “The old generation is all about how things used to be. The young generation are about how things could be. They’re like, ‘we want to be part of the European Union – Russians, don’t f*** this up for us.’”

But one of the few places this view is not held in Tbilisi is the most consequential. Many accuse Georgia’s parliament, led by the ruling Georgian Dream party, of showing little interest in greater alignment with Europe. In July, the EU gave Georgia a list of 12 demands to meet, if the country is to earn candidate status.

But critics say this is mere posturing; the government has been tugging in the opposite direction, drifting further into the Kremlin’s orbit. Some affiliates of the ruling party made their fortunes during the breakup of the Soviet Union and retain a muted fealty to Russia. But their sympathies have become less and less discreet.

In March, the government passed a controversial law which would have required companies which received a certain proportion of their funding from abroad to register as “foreign agents.” The Kremlin has passed such laws in the past, which have been used as a pretext to suppress independent media and civil society.

However, after several nights of intense protests in March, which saw Georgians defiantly wave the EU flag while being knocked back by water cannons, the government announced it would scrap the bill it had just passed. Having slid towards autocracy for many years, Georgia appeared to have heaved itself back from the brink.

But it remains close to it, many fear. And, at a time when most Georgians are crying out to become more European, its government is keeping the country tied to its Soviet past. Earlier in May, Russia announced it is restoring direct flights to Tbilisi and will allow visa-free travel for Georgian citizens. Videos posted on social media show Georgian demonstrators standing outside Tbilisi Airport on Friday, holding placards reading “you are not welcome.” Police also detained several people protesting the resumption of direct flights.

Polkina said she cannot imagine when it will be safe to go back to Russia. But increasingly, she worries that Georgia is starting to look all too familiar. “I fear that Georgia is a little bit too similar to Russia. I’m afraid it could go either way: It could get better and move forward to the European Union. Or it could get worse and become like Belarus. I really hope that won’t happen.”

The palm trees that line the roads in this desert city near the Dead Sea have been famous for millennia: “The plain of the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees,” as written in Deuteronomy in the Old Testament.

The Palestinian city’s beauty, archaeological sites, and history – with claims as one of oldest cities in the world, and the lowest below sea level – have long made it a staple on the international tourist circuit. It’s also home to weekend villas for many wealthy Palestinians.

Until earlier this year, Jericho was considered one of the quietest parts of the Israel-occupied West Bank where residents were more likely to encounter a tourist than an Israeli soldier.

Now parts of the city, especially the Aqbat Jaber refugee camp, are seeing decor more common in restive areas of the West Bank like Jenin or Nablus: Posters commemorating the “martyrdom” of locals killed by – as the Israeli military is described here – “occupation forces.” Bullet holes dot some of the homes. Nine people have been killed so far this year.

Aqabat Jaber refugee camp houses thousands of Palestinians who have lived there since fleeing or being evicted from their homes in 1948 during Israel’s founding. Israeli security forces say that there has been an increase in “terrorist activity” in the camp since the beginning of this year and that they are acting off “precise intelligence” to prevent future attacks.

One American-Israeli, 27-year old Elan Ganeles, was killed in a shooting attack just outside Jericho in February. Weeks earlier, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said militants tried to open fire at a nearby Israeli restaurant but their gun malfunctioned in the process.

To people like 10-year-old Rinad Hamdan, that’s a tough explanation to swallow.

Her brother, 22-year-old Mahmoud Hamdan, was killed on March 1 during an Israeli incursion to arrest those who had killed Ganeles. Sitting in her family’s living room as tears fall from her eyes, the younger Hamdan speaks beyond her years as her mother strokes her face. Giant banners with photos of Mahmoud line the outside of their house, and inside framed photos are everywhere.

“I don’t know what to do when I hear gunshots,” Rinad says. “I just leave it to God. I’m now used to it because the soldiers always come to the camp.”

As the head of the refugee camp’s community committee, Jamal Awadat is on the front line – not only of this violence but also the long-term deprivation of basic services caused by a months-long strike by Palestinian workers of United Nations programs, compounding the issues brought on by the Israeli military actions.

“The killing that you are practicing will not bring you any security in any way,” Awadat says. “The killing will create rebels. When you kill someone that has four brothers, one of them will want revenge.”

Awadat does not doubt that the young people around him are upset and restive. But that does not, he says, make them the terrorist threat that Israel claims they are.

“Those are youth that saw what is happening in the country – in Jenin, Nablus and in Palestine in general – so they decided to be rebellious,” Awadat says, referring to other cities that have seen a dramatic increase in new militant movements and deadly Israeli military raids.

The militant group Hamas claimed five of the nine killed in this refugee camp this year as their fighters. There is currently no indication that the other four, including two teenagers, were members of a militant group.

“Has this caused more people to be attracted to terrorism? We are acting with precise intelligence, our security interest is that those who do not engage in terrorism continue their lives in a routinely manner,” the official says.

Soldiers ‘invading the camp’

Jibril Al-Aarda was asleep at home, his mother recounts, when gunshots rang out in the street. The 17-year-old heard that his cousin had been injured, ran outside to see what happened and was shot in the head, she says.

“How should I be feeling after losing one of my children? Something in the house is missing,” Jibril’s mother, known as Um Jibril, says as she tears up talking about the last time she saw him. “I miss him in every corner, in everything I do there is something missing, may God bless his soul.”

Um Jibril says her younger son has already been imprisoned once by Israeli authorities and that her older son is being held in prison on what’s called “administrative detention” – a controversial Israeli military procedure that allows authorities to hold detainees on security grounds, often for years. Photos and posters of both sons dominate the immaculately clean living room.

“We were never used to soldiers in the camp, they are now invading the camp every two or three days and terrorizing people.”

She denies having any knowledge of militants in the camp.

“This allegation is not true, our children are just kids. When you come to someone with a weapon and want to shoot at him his normal reaction will be throwing a stone – that will not harm the army,” Um Jibril says.

Economic impact

While Sedir acknowledges there may be wanted militants in the camp, he urges the Israelis to rethink their strategy.

“The city is very quiet, and people don’t really understand why this is happening. Maybe there was a wanted person, but the reality is not the way they try to exaggerate it,” he says. “This killing every day and injuries and arrests escalates the situation and increases the number of resistance fighters; if Israel thinks that those collective punishment measures will reduce the number of resistance fighters, they are mistaken.”

Sedir says he fears that Jericho, known as the “city of the moon,” will lose its reputation as a calm oasis in the desert.

“Of course, I’m afraid, if the blockades continue during the next Eid holiday at the end of June, there will be an exodus of investors from Jericho and a large number of resistance fighters will be born which will transfer the city to a different rank.”

Two Italian secret service agents and a retired member of Israel’s security forces were among the four victims from Sunday’s fatal boat accident on Lake Maggiore, northern Italy.

The Italian victims were named as Tiziana Barnobi, 53, and Claudio Alonzi, 62, a delegate of Italy’s secret service confirmed, while a spokesperson for Israel’s foreign ministry identified the Israeli victim as Shimoni Erez, 60.

The boat captain, whose Russian partner Anna Bozhkova, 50, also died in the incident, is under investigation for culpable manslaughter, according to the Italian prosecutor.

Some of the party managed to swim to the shore, according Sky Tg24, adding that, although five were taken to the hospital, none of the survivors sustained any serious injuries.

Divers and a helicopter were also used as part of the search and rescue operation, according to the local fire service.

The Israeli victim and another Israeli national were not expected to be on the boat, the local prosecutor said, after the two had missed a flight on Sunday, Israeli media reported.

A delegate of the Italian secret service issued a public condolence “sharing closeness and pain for the tragic event to the families of the victims.”

Lake Maggiore is a popular destination for tourists and is shared by Italy and Switzerland.

Passengers had been reportedly celebrating a birthday party when the boat, traveling between the Italian towns of Lisanza and Dormelletto, capsized, according to Sky Tg24.

A beluga whale widely speculated to be an alleged Russian “spy” has entered Swedish waters, according to OneWhale, an organization set up to protect the animal’s health and welfare.

The whale, nicknamed Hvaldimir, garnered international fame in 2019 after being spotted wearing a specially made harness with mounts for a camera, leading experts to believe that the animal may have been trained by the Russian military.

“After four years of swimming south down the coast of Norway, Hvaldimir – known worldwide as the ‘Russian spy’ beluga whale – is now in Swedish waters,” OneWhale said in a statement on Monday.

Hvaldimir was recently spotted in Norway’s capital Oslo, prompting concerns for the whale’s safety given the heavy boat traffic in the area.

“But the famous beluga skirted around the dangerous waters of Oslo for Sweden,” OneWhale’s statement said.

“We are impressed by Sweden’s show of care for Hvaldimir. They immediately contacted us upon his arrival, and even closed a bridge to protect him.”

President of OneWhale, Rich German, had further praise for Sweden’s reaction to the whale’s arrival.

“Hvaldimir’s situation remains an extremely vulnerable one as Sweden is a highly populated country, but we are very grateful Swedish authorities have quickly taken action to care for the whale,” he said.

Earlier this month, the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries said Hvaldimir had “been traveling along the Norwegian coast” since 2019 with a few stops along the way.

The whale “tends to stay at farms where it has been able to catch fish, grazing on surplus feed,” the directorate added.

Hvaldimir is known to follow boats and play with those on board.

The whale’s arrival in the “densely populated area” around Oslo meant that “the risk that the whale may be injured due to human contact has become significantly greater,” said the directorate at the time.

And the harness clips read “Equipment St. Petersburg,” contributing to a theory that the whale came from Murmansk, Russia, and was trained by the Russian navy.

The navy has “been known to train belugas to conduct military operations before,” Wiig said, “like guarding naval bases, helping divers, finding lost equipment.”

Chicago White Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks returned to baseball on Monday night after a battle with cancer.

At the top of the eighth inning of the White Sox’s eventual 6-4 loss to the Los Angeles Angels, Hendriks made an emotional return after undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

The announcement over the loudspeakers that Hendriks was warming up in the bullpen was met with rapturous applause and when he eventually jogged onto the Guaranteed Rate Field, the crowd in attendance was on its feet welcoming the 34-year-old back.

“Yeah, it was great being back out there,” said Hendriks during his postgame press conference. “Getting back, putting cleats on, running out, doing all that. I felt good, I felt strong, I felt comfortable out there.

“Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t able to get the two-strike pitch where I wanted to. It was get ahead, generally, and then struggle to put them away. There were some positives from a purely baseball aspect, but there were definitely some things to work on. Get back, be available and be ready to go tomorrow.”

Hendriks was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in December before announcing it publicly in January.

He had been able to play toss and throw some bullpens in Arizona while undergoing chemotherapy and appeared in six rehabilitation appearances for the White Sox’s Minor League Baseball affiliate team, the Charlotte Knights.

Finally, on Monday, the White Sox activated Hendriks from his injury rehabilitation assignment allowing him to return to Major League Baseball action.

“Again, this is bigger than baseball, right?” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “This is about life and the diagnosis and the comeback and how he did it. And how good he was prior to [it] and how good he’s going to be afterward.

“This is just bigger than the game itself. What he’s done and how he’s done it has been remarkable. It’s an inspiration to everybody on this club, it’s an inspiration to everybody who follows the game and knows about Liam.”

As he took to the field against the Angels, fans, players and officials took to their feet to welcome him back and Hendriks was afforded some time at the mound to soak it all in.

He threw 27 pitches, giving up runs to Zach Neto and Mike Trout. He eventually got Shohei Ohtani to ground out to end the inning.

“All I kept saying to him the whole time was just: ‘Do you see how loved you are?’” Hendriks’ wife, Kristi, said during her Monday media session. “‘You are loved by fans, your teammates, the community, the city of Chicago, the cities you played for previously. They are all supporting you.’”

Head coach of the Raptors from 2018 to 2023, the 55-year-old Nurse is regarded as one of the most talented minds in the NBA and was highly sought after following his exit from the Toronto team.

Former Sixers head coach Doc Rivers was relieved of his duties following a disappointing second-round exit against the Boston Celtics.

During the Raptors’ 2019 run to the ring, Nurse masterminded a seven-game series win against his new employers and received a lot of praise for how his team thwarted Joel Embiid’s threat.

After Kawhi Leonard’s Game 7 buzzer beater to sink the Sixers, the Raptors went on to beat the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals and then the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

The following year Nurse continued his good work with the Raptors and won NBA Coach of the Year after leading Toronto to a 53-19 record without former star, Leonard.

Nurse’s journey to the NBA has not followed the traditional route of a modern-day head coach in the league.

The 55-year-old’s desire to become a success in the industry took him to Europe, with his biggest impact coming in the United Kingdom.

Nurse spent many years coaching in the British Basketball League and won two BBL championships, as well as winning coach of the year twice.

Once he had nurtured his coaching skills, Nurse returned to the US and impressed during stints at the D-League (now known as the G League) franchises, Iowa Energy and Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

The Raptors then picked up the Iowa native, where he served as an assistant from 2013-2018 before landing the head coach gig.

The main talking point surrounding the Sixers’ new appointment is Nurse’s history with Sixers star and current MVP Embiid.

In the 2022 playoffs, the pair had a heated conversation during a game with Embiid saying, “I told him, respectfully, I told him to stop b***hing about calls.”

Nurse responded, telling reporters: “I got a lot of respect for him. He’s certainly playing great here. There’s nothing there but us trying to compete against him and him trying to compete against us.”

Then following a 2022 regular season game, Embiid said of Nurse’s Raptors, “They just want to shut down the other star players.”

With Nurse and Embiid now united for one franchise, the league could be in for a tough challenge stopping them.

After helping Paris Saint-Germain win its 11th Ligue 1 title at the weekend, Lionel Messi has some thinking to do.

With his contract at the Parisian club coming to an end in June and his relationship with the club seemingly at a breaking point, there is much speculation around where the Argentine will be playing his football next season.

Less than six months ago he was awarded the Golden Ball at the World Cup – the prize given to the best player in the tournament – and has scored 16 goals and provided 16 assists in this season’s league campaign.

What went wrong at PSG?

Messi arrived in the French capital to much fanfare. He was to be the missing piece in the puzzle; the man to drive the team to its first ever Champions League trophy.

While Messi struggled with injury during his first season in Paris, he still managed to show flashes of his brilliance.

He helped the team win yet another Ligue 1 title, but PSG ultimately failed in the Champions League, being beaten by eventual champion Real Madrid in the round of 16.

His second season started much better and his link up play with the likes of Neymar Jr. and Kylian Mbappé was the envy of teams around the world.

But after his mesmerizing performances in winning the World Cup for Argentina in December 2022, he returned to yet more struggles on a domestic level.

In March, PSG was dumped out of the Champions League yet again in the round of 16 – this time by Bayern Munich.

It sparked a bitter end of the season and Messi was one of a number of star players to receive a hostile reaction from fans later that month.

Messi was then suspended for two weeks after leaving France to attend promotional events in Saudi Arabia; the unauthorized trip meant that he missed a training session.

Despite another title victory, a move to a new club looks more than likely.

The big question, though, is where?

Barcelona return?

The Catalan club is where Messi turned from school boy to sporting legend.

At 17 years old, he made his first of 778 appearances for the Blaugrana, becoming the youngest player to represent the club in an official game at the time.

He went on to break the club’s goalscoring record and won 35 trophies during his time at the Camp Nou – including 10 La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues.

His emotional departure was fueled by the club’s dire financial state in 2021 and Messi was in tears as he said goodbye in his final press conference.

Under new coach and club legend Xavi, Barcelona has just won its first La Liga title in four years this year, with the club starting to look more competitive.

“For me, there’s no doubt that if Messi comes back, he will help us on a football level,” Xavi told Barcelona-based newspaper SPORT in a recent interview.

“I let the president [Joan Laporta] know this. I have no doubts, no doubt at all that he will help because he is still a decisive footballer, because he still has hunger, because he’s a winner, because he’s a leader and because, also, he’s a different, different player,” added Xavi, who told SPORT that he still talks to Messi.

“We don’t have a Barça on a talent level like 2010, for example. And what would Messi bring? He’d bring talent. Final pass, set pieces, goals … in the final third, he’s a player on a different level.

“As such, and because of the way I want to play, the way the staff wants to play too, for me there’s no doubt that he would help us a lot, but it all depends on him. In the end, the one who calls the shots at this time is Leo. There’s no doubt.”

“To end his playing days in his football home is quite romantic,” she said.

“The Barcelona temptation would be much more to do, perhaps, with his family. His kids were born there.

“The lifestyles of footballers’ children are often like kids of diplomats, where they spend a lot of their young lives traveling around the world and then, maybe in their late teens, they have a say and want to be somewhere where they’re happy and comfortable and have a good life. Saudi Arabia might be weird in that respect.

“I think that side – family life, daily life, diet, friends, language – then Barcelona would win. No question.”

Barcelona has made no attempt to hide its feelings toward Messi, but it would require a lot of work behind the scenes to make the signing a reality.

But huge deals with audio streaming service Spotify and global investment firm Sixth Street, among others, have helped the club claw its way back from the total financial disarray it found itself in following the Covid-19 pandemic.

In September 2022, Barcelona said it had recorded a profit of $98 million for the 2021/22 financial year and predicted profits of $298 million for this current season.

The club also announced the renegotiation of the $1.6 billion financial plan to repay the debt taken on to finance the renovation of its dilapidated Camp Nou stadium, meaning Barcelona will now pay off the debt five years earlier than originally planned.

Its ability to once again potentially pay big fees and big contracts to players, coupled with Messi’s impending departure, has fans dreaming of a potential return.

Saudi switch

Saudi Arabia looks determined to attract the world’s biggest players as it attempts to build its reputation and improve the quality of the Saudi Pro League.

It’s fast becoming the biggest rival to the likes of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the US as a place for some of the world’s most beloved stars to finish their careers.

Earlier this year, Messi’s long-term rival Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Saudi club Al Nassr for an eye-watering sum of money, perhaps paving the way for other superstars to follow suit.

A mind-boggling financial package could no doubt be offered to Messi who already has a good working relationship with the country – having previously fronted multiple tourism campaigns.

“I think money is always a factor in human decision making,” Mora y Araujo said, amid reports Saudi club Al Hilal was targeting Messi’s signature.

“I think a lot of people are saying Messi doesn’t need any more money, but I suspect that any offers that are going to compete with the Saudi offer will have to bear in mind the kind of hefty price tag attached.

“But Messi doesn’t seem particularly money driven. He seems someone that enjoys football still very much and for whom the pleasure of the game is an important factor.

“When he isn’t enjoying it, he tends to quit or say he’s going to quit or look forlorn. And when he is enjoying it, he shines and makes everybody love football.”

Crediting an unnamed source, AFP reported earlier this year that Messi playing in Saudi Arabia next season was a “done deal.”

Mora y Araujo said a move to Saudi is probably the most likely, given it will allow Messi to focus on playing more for Argentina which seems to be his biggest motivating factor – even after winning the World Cup.

However, Messi might be put off by Ronaldo’s apparent struggles both on and off the pitch since his move to Saudi Arabia.

The Portuguese star has cut a frustrated figure at times this season and there are reports he’s already looking for a move away.

“Saudi Arabia’s bad image or bad press is a bigger deal in Europe than it is in the global South, I think,” said Mora y Araujo, referring to the Middle East country’s human rights record.

“Not to say that it isn’t commented upon or mentioned in the press … I don’t think his legacy would be tarnished just through playing in Saudi.

“I mean, obviously, if he goes on to do something really controversial, but he seems to be somebody who keeps quite a low profile politically speaking, and just gives his image to things.”

MLS, Premier League, Argentina?

The list of potential suitors doesn’t stop with Barça or clubs from Saudi Arabia.

There is the well trodden path of superstar players moving to the MLS and reports have linked Messi with a potential move to David Beckham’s Inter Miami.

Beckham is a well known fan of Messi and, in 2019, teased, “You never know what can happen in football,” when asked about signing the Argentine one day.

There have been more serious links since, with UK newspaper The Times reporting in 2022 that a deal between the two parties was close.

There is also the option to return home to his beloved Argentina, which would no doubt welcome him with open arms.

Messi started his youth career at Newell’s Old Boys before being quickly snapped up by Barcelona, but Mora y Araujo said there is no expectation in Argentina that Messi would ever return home.

“I can’t see him playing at Newell’s Old Boys. I don’t think that the emotional tie between him and that club was forged enough. He left when he was very young,” she said.

“To have him back there would be lovely, but I’m not sure anyone minds particularly. I think the big pressure from Argentina was that he delivered for Argentina [at the World Cup] and he’s done that now.

“It would be amazing if he went back to play in Argentina, but it would just be so absurd because he really is from another league, as it were.”

Given its financial power, there has also been some speculation of a possible stint in the English Premier League with Manchester City.

The Premier League champion could offer a competitive package and reuniting with former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola – who managed Messi during his peak years at the club – might be tempting.

However, despite all of his mercurial brilliance, a move to the Premier League at this time in his career may be a step too far and, as Mora y Araujo said, Messi has nothing to prove to anyone.

“I think the World Cup victory is like a beautiful fairytale ending for international football,” she said.

“I don’t think he needs to win anything else and he has nothing to prove, so it’s more a question of how he wants to spend his day job, what he wants to do every day.”

As it stands, Messi has many options and speculation will continue to swirl until a decision is made.

Wherever he decides to go, the eyes of the world are surely set to follow.

Kami Rita Sherpa had stood at the top of the world just days earlier, exultant at having summited Mount Everest for a record 28th time.

The Nepali climber was given a hero’s welcome on his return to Kathmandu, but all that joy appeared to have deserted him as he surveyed life’s highs and lows from an armchair in the small, neat living room of his rented apartment, while his wife poured tea.

“There is no future in Nepal,” the 53-year-old father of two told Reuters over the weekend.

“Why stay here?” he asked, speaking in his native Nepali and a smattering of broken English. “We need a future for ourselves… for our children.”

Wearing a baseball cap bearing the legend “Everest Man”, and his face blackened by wind and snow burns, Kami Rita is clearly proud of his achievements. But he is also grateful that money he made as a guide with mountain expeditions helped him move to Nepal’s capital so that his children could have the education he never received.

His son, 24, is studying tourism and his daughter, 22, is doing an Information Technology course.

“This would not have been possible had I continued to stay at Thame and not taken to climbing,” said Kami Rita, who left school in his mountain village when he was around 12 years old.

Awards and Guinness World Record certificates fill the showcase behind him, and posters of Kami Rita on Mount Everest adorn the walls, but he talked of immigrating to the United States to find new opportunities for his family.

Kami Rita was born in the same Himalayan village as Tenzing Norgay, the sherpa who together with New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary made the first summit of Mount Everest 70 years ago.

The village of Thame is in Solukhumbu, a district that has become a Mecca for mountaineers since that first successful ascent on May 29, 1953.

Located on the border with China’s Tibet, Solukhumbu’s crowning glory is Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak at 8,849 metres (29,032 feet), but it also hosts Lhotse (8,516 metres), Malaku (8,481 metres), Cho Oyu (8,201 metres), Gyachung Kang (7,952 metres) and Nuptse (7,855 metres) – all names that any top mountaineer would want on his CV.

Sherpas, an ethnic group living in the Everest region, have always been the backbone of mountain expeditions. They fix ropes, ladders, carry loads and also cook, making anything between $2,500 and $16,500 or more, depending on experience, during a single expedition.

But young sherpas, according to Kami Rita, are turning away from that life.

“The new generation of sherpas is not taking to climbing. They want to go abroad in search of a better career,” he said. “In 10-15 years there will be fewer sherpas to guide climbers. Their number is already low now.”

Many renowned sherpa guides have left Nepal in search of better opportunities in the West, mainly in the United States. Indeed, the famous Tenzing Norgay also immigrated, but only as far as neighbouring India, where he worked for a climbing school.

Mountain climbing and trekking attract thousands of foreigners to Nepal every year, contributing more than 4% to the $40 billion economy. The country earned $5.8 million in permit fees – $5 million from Mount Everest alone – during this year’s March-May climbing season.

Hiking tour company officials reckon more than 500,000 people are employed in tourism, but many remain economically vulnerable in this impoverished nation of 30 million people.

“The government does little for the welfare of the sherpas,” Kami Rita said, urging authorities to launch welfare schemes like a provident fund, retirement benefit and education facilities for their children.

Expeditions hiring sherpas must take out life insurance for them, but the pay out is just 1.5 million Nepali rupees (about $11,300). Three sherpas died last month crossing the treacherous Khumbu Icefall on Everest.

“This should be increased to 5 million rupees (about $38,000),” said Kami Rita, gently rubbing a bruise on his cheek.

($1= 131.83 Nepali rupees)

Cruise ship Carnival Sunshine was rocked by a storm over the weekend, frightening passengers and delaying the ship’s return to port in Charleston, South Carolina, and the departure of its next voyage.

First-time cruise passenger William B. Blackburn was on deck 6 of Carnival Sunshine during rough weather that started late Friday.

Blackburn was on the cruise with his wife and other family members.

“We stayed in our cabin, and prayed we’d be OK,” Blackburn said, and they took note of where the life jackets were stored.

“[We] discussed the fact that it would be very unlikely to survive in the water even with life jackets and doubted that life boats could even be launched in those conditions,” he said.

Carnival Cruise Line addressed the weather disruption in a statement:

“Carnival Sunshine’s return to Charleston was impacted by the weather and rough seas on Saturday,” Carnival said, ”The weather’s prolonged impact on the Charleston area delayed the ship’s arrival on Sunday and as a result, the next voyage’s embarkation was also delayed.”

The cruise line said the ship is now sailing on its next voyage.

Blackburn shot video of the storm around 11 p.m. Friday and said conditions got worse after that. He considered shooting more video but was afraid to open the door again.

“It felt like the ship ran into a wall, all of our stuff went flying off the counters, baggage fell over and slid around,” he said.

“The wind was howling, all I could see outside was a solid wall of water spray and rain mixed. The balcony divider door for the cabin next to us had broken its latches and was slamming back and forth something awful. The ceiling and walls were creaking, and the ship was making horrible noises, and sometimes violently vibrating like the engines were struggling against the surging waves.”

Video posted online from Twitter handle @crewcenter shows water and objects flowing down interior hallways.

Carnival Sunshine has capacity for 3,002 guests and 1,040 onboard crew. The ship has 14 levels.

A mysterious patch of fluorescent green water that appeared in Venice’s famed Grand Canal Sunday was caused by a chemical commonly used in underwater construction to help identify leaks, environmental authorities say.

The chemical – fluorescein – is non-toxic. It remains unclear how the substance ended up in the canal, but the Regional Agency for the Environment in Venice (ARPAV) said given the volume released it was unlikely to be an accident.

The verdant blob was first noticed by residents near the Rialto Bridge on Sunday morning local time and grew slowly through the day.

Images showed gondolas, water taxis and water bus boats skimming through the emerald substance.

Further test results are expected later this week, which could help identify the exact quantity of the substance in the water.

Luca Zaia, the president of the region of Venice, warned that environmental activists may carry out copycat acts.

Further test results are expected later this week, which could help identify the exact quantity of the substance in the water.

The curious coloring came as the city celebrated the Vogalonga boat event, created to combat wave motion and to restore Venetian traditions and help spread attention for the environment and nature as well as the architecture Biennale, which opened last weekend.

This is not the first time Venice’s Grand Canal has changed color.

In 1968 Argentine artist Nicolás García Uriburu dyed the waters of the canal green with a fluorescent dye called Fluorescein, during the annual Venice Biennale. The move was designed to bring attention to ecological issues and the relationship between nature and civilization.