penalty

BUDAPEST, Hungary — Winning the Champions League was so nice, Paris Saint-Germain had to do it twice.

PSG became back-to-back European champion by beating Arsenal 4-3 on penalties in a dramatic final in Budapest that ended 1-1 after extra time on Saturday.

“It’s incredible,” captain Marquinhos said. “From the very first day of this season, the coach said it’s hard to win, and winning twice is even more difficult. So we all had to get back to work. That was the mentality.”

Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes fired the last of his team’s penalties over the bar to hand PSG the shootout win.

The French giant is only the second team to retain the trophy in the modern era after all-time king of Europe Real Madrid.

Luis Enrique became a three-time winner as a coach and has molded a team that is simply too good even for the best the continent has to offer. That includes an Arsenal team that won the Premier League last week and topped the first stage of the Champions League with a perfect winning record, finishing 10 points and 10 places ahead of PSG.

That mattered little in Puskas Arena as PSG reaffirmed its status as the dominant force in European soccer.

“It’s even more special because we knew before the match how difficult it would be,” Luis Enrique said. “I think it’s deserved over the course of the whole season, even if the final was very closely contested.”

After demolishing Inter Milan 5-0 in last year’s final, PSG endured a tougher foe as Arsenal sat deep and relied on the best defense in the competition.

PSG dominated possession but created little after going behind to a Kai Havertz goal in the sixth minute. It took an Ousmane Dembélé penalty in the 65th to level the score and take the final to extra time for the first time in 10 years.

PSG coach in elite company

By going back to back, Luis Enrique achieved what his good friend Pep Guardiola could not after winning Champions Leagues at Barcelona and Manchester City. Luis Enrique joined Carlo Ancelotti, Bob Paisley, Zinedine Zidane and Guardiola in an elite group of coaches with at least three European Cups.

The next target will be to emulate Madrid’s three in a row under Zidane from 2016-18. And with a starting lineup in Budapest with an average age of less than 24, Luis Enrique has built a team that has the potential to dominate for years.

“It’s crazy, it’s crazy. We’re going to enjoy it first, and after we’re going to work and work again because we want more. We are really hungry. We are a young team, and we know we are really ambitious. So next season we have to go again,” Désiré Doué told broadcaster TNT Sports.

Having waited 22 years to get its hands back on the Premier League trophy, Arsenal’s wait in Europe goes on.

This was its 226th game in the European Cup or Champions League without lifting the trophy. No other team has played so many without being champion.

“First of all you have to go through that pain, digest it and then turn it into fuel and improve and reach a different level because it will demand a different level with the quality that is around Europe,” manager Mikel Arteta said.

“I want to congratulate PSG because they are, in my opinion, the best team in the world. What they are able to do with the ball, individual actions, I haven’t seen it (before).”

Robson writes for the Associated Press.

NEW ORLEANS — At least four states have adopted laws this year making it a crime to disrupt worship services, a reaction to a high-profile protest inside a Minnesota church that prompted outrage from faith leaders.

The Republican lawmakers sponsoring most of the legislation say those gathering at sacred sanctuaries deserve protection beyond what existing trespassing laws provide. They also say these new laws will prevent escalating clashes between congregants and protestors as many churches, mosques and synagogues remain on edge over recent mass shootings and acts of violence targeting religious groups.

“People should go to church to be able to sit in peace, worship as they please, without having to worry about people coming in and harassing them,” said Idaho Sen. Mark Harris, a Republican who co-sponsored legislation criminalizing protests inside places of worship. “I think the thing that happened in Minnesota was kind of a shock to some of us, that churches would be used as a place to berate people.”

Critics in both parties have warned that the laws infringe on free speech rights.

Here’s a look at the situation.

The laws make it a crime to interfere with worship

Bills have been signed into law in Republican-dominated Idaho, Louisiana and Oklahoma. In Kansas, a bill is becoming law without the signature of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.

Similar bills have been introduced for this year’s legislative sessions in at least seven other states and in Congress. Nassau County, New York, passed a similar measure this year. In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed a law making it a federal crime to intentionally injure or interfere with or intimidate someone entering a place of worship or a reproductive health facility.

The details in the bills differ, but they all make it a crime to interfere with religious assemblies.

Laws against trespassing already apply to disruptions on the grounds of churches or other private property. But legislators say the new laws would boost penalties and bar other protest activity like holding signs near places of worship.

The penalties could be harsher than for trespassing. In some states, people could face up to a year in prison and fines as high as $10,000 for first offenses. The laws also give the states a way to prosecute cases if local authorities decline to do so.

A protest in Minnesota touched off the call for action

Thirty-nine people, including two journalists, were charged in February for roles in a protest during a St. Paul, Minnesota, church service. The protesters had learned that one of the church pastors was also an official at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement who had been overseeing an intensive Minnesota operation.

The U.S. Department of Justice charged the protesters with conspiracy against religious freedom and interfering with the right of religious freedom. The protesters and journalists have pleaded not guilty and the cases are pending in federal court.

Louisiana Rep. Gabe Firment, a Republican, said he was inspired to introduce legislation that allows protestors to be forcibly removed from churches and other places of worship after seeing videos showing the fearful expressions of children at the Minnesota church.

“The first thought that came to my mind was those poor kids,” Firment said. “You certainly have a right to protest, but just like you don’t have the right to come into someone’s home and act like that, you don’t have the right to come into private church property to do that.”

Oklahoma Sen. Todd Gollihare, a Republican, wrote his bill after anti-abortion protestors disrupted his church service last year. His law bars blocking highways within one mile of a service or approaching someone to hand them a flyer within 100 feet of a place of worship.

His Republican colleague, Sen. Kendal Sacchieri, described the law as extreme and said she was afraid of the precedent it would set.

Court challenges could await the laws

The Nassau County ordinance is already facing a court challenge from the New York Civil Liberties Union, which says there’s no history of residents facing intimidation, harassment or violence outside places of worship — and that the statute denies people their constitutionally protected rights of expression in public places.

Kevin Goldberg, vice president at Freedom Forum, which advocates for First Amendment rights, said that if the laws are challenged in courts, governments would have to show there’s a need for them. “You can’t be guessing, you can’t be speculating,” he said. “There has to be some evidence that there’s an actual threat going on — that there’s been a problem there, that you can reasonably forecast there will be a problem.”

In Louisiana, Democrats raised concerns about mandatory jail time for disrupting services and warned that the laws were too arbitrary, suggesting that they could be applied against a congregant for singing out of turn as a pastor delivers a homily.

“If the spirit just hits me and I start singing during the middle of his homily, and it disrupts his homily in a way where he’s got to say ‘Hey, take a seat’, I mean that would materially disrupt his service and now I’m going to jail for 30 days,” Rep. Edmond Jordan said during a March hearing in the Louisiana Legislature.

The law’s proponents said police officers and judges would have discretion about how to apply the law.

Brook and Mulvihill write for the Associated Press. Mulvihill reported from Haddonfield, N.J.

P&O Cruises passengers are urged to check the rules for their destination before packing certain medications

P&O Cruises passengers heading to specific destinations worldwide are being advised to pay special attention to the medications they bring. The cruise operator is a favoured option for countless Britons, carrying between 500,000 and 600,000 travellers annually.

P&O Cruises operates a fleet of seven vessels. This collection features both family-oriented choices and adult-only ships, spanning from massive floating resorts to more intimate, traditional boats. All the ships go to numerous nations, including Norway, the Caribbean, and the Canary Islands.

For those with bookings to Japan or voyages exploring the Arabian Gulf, it’s essential to verify what medications are permitted. These nations enforce stringent regulations, and particular medicines are prohibited for personal import and non-prescription use.

This includes codeine, which is frequently found in paracetamol tablets. On the P&O Cruises website, the operator outlines all the crucial information passengers require, reports the Liverpool Echo.

It states: “Please be aware that some prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, complementary therapies and other medicines that are purchased in the UK may be illegal in the United Arab Emirates and are therefore banned in the country. Japan also has rules regarding such medication. Penalties can be severe if banned substances are found when entering these countries.”

It states: “Codeine, for example, is banned and no products containing codeine, which may include paracetamol, may be imported or sold in the United Arab Emirates. An import Certificate from the Japanese or UAE Authorities would be required in order to take such products into the countries, and this does not guarantee the products will be permitted.”

According to the NHS, codeine is a potent opioid painkiller and is often combined with paracetamol to treat moderate pain that standard paracetamol alone cannot alleviate. This combination is typically known as co-codamol.

Codeine is categorised as a narcotic. You’re prohibited from bringing it into Japan for personal use without obtaining strict prior authorisation. Codeine is also designated as a controlled substance in the UAE.

If you’re taking medication and have any uncertainty, contact the appropriate embassy before your arrival:

• United Arab Emirates London Embassy Medical Department: 020 7486 6281
• Japanese Embassy: 0207 465 6500
• You may also check for further information at www.fco.gov.uk.

P&O Cruises also advises that anyone travelling with medications and/or syringes should carry a prescription. It clarifies: “All medications should be kept in their labelled dispensing bottles or packages. If the medications are ‘controlled’ or injectable drugs, it is also advisable to carry a doctor’s letter.

“For the United Arab Emirates, it is essential to carry a prescription for any medication, as well as a medical report if you are travelling with syringes or other medical equipment. We strongly advise you to seek advice if any of the above affects you.”

Rights groups warn that the bill makes the death penalty easier to impose and strips fair trial protections.

Israeli legislators have approved a bill to establish a special tribunal with the power to impose the death penalty on Palestinians accused of involvement in the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023.

The bill passed 93-0 in Israel’s 120-seat parliament, the Knesset, late on Monday.

The remaining 27 legislators were absent or abstained from voting.

Israeli and Palestinian rights groups warn that the bill will make the death penalty too easy to impose while also doing away with procedures safeguarding the right to a fair trial.

Muna Haddad, a lawyer with Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, told Al Jazeera that the bill intentionally lowers the legal protections to a fair trial to secure the mass conviction of Palestinians.

“The bill explicitly permits mass trials that deviate from standard rules of evidence, including broad judicial discretion to admit evidence obtained under coercive conditions that may amount to torture or ill-treatment,” Haddad said.

“This constitutes a severe violation of fair trial guarantees that falls well short of international law requirements.”

In a departure from standard Israeli judicial practice, which typically prohibits courtroom cameras, the bill mandates the filming and public broadcasting of key moments in the trials on a dedicated website.

This includes opening hearings, verdicts and sentencing.

Haddad warned that this provision effectively “transforms proceedings into show trials at the expense of the accused’s rights”.

“The provisions governing public hearings… violate the presumption of innocence, the right to a fair trial, and the right to dignity,” Haddad explained. “The framework effectively treats indictment as a finding of guilt, before any judicial examination has begun.”

Israel has been holding an estimated 200-300 Palestinians, including those captured in the country during the October 7 attacks, who have not yet been charged.

The Hamas-led assault on Israeli communities along Israel’s southern fence with Gaza killed at least 1,139 people, mostly civilians, according to an Al Jazeera tally based on official Israeli statistics. About 240 others were seized as captives.

Israel’s subsequent genocidal war on Gaza has killed at least 72,628 Palestinians, including at least 846 since a United States-brokered “ceasefire” came into effect last October.

The war, which United Nations experts say could amount to genocide, has left the Palestinian territory in ruins.

Several Israeli rights groups – including Hamoked, Adalah and the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel – said on Monday that while “justice for the victims of October 7 is a legitimate and urgent imperative”, any accountability for the crimes “must be pursued through a process which includes rather than abandons the principles of justice”.

The bill is separate from a law passed in March that approved the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis, a measure harshly condemned by the international community and rights groups as discriminatory and inhumane.

That law applies to future cases and is not retroactive, so it could not apply to the October 2023 suspects.

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said the new law “serves as a cover for the war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza”.

The International Criminal Court is probing Israel’s conduct of the Gaza war and has issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant, as well as ‌three ‌Hamas leaders who have all since been killed by Israel.

Israel is also fighting a genocide case at the International Court of Justice.

It rejects the allegations.

Bayern Munich players, coaching staff and fans at the Allianz Arena were in disbelief after they were denied a penalty for a handball by Joao Neves in their Champions League semi-final second leg against Paris St-Germain.

Trailing the holders 1-0 on the night and 6-4 on aggregate, the German side’s players surrounded referee Joao Pedro Silva Pinheiro at the half-hour mark when Vitinha rifled a clearance against his own team-mate Neves’ arm inside the box.

But Pinheiro waved away the Bayern protests with the video assistant referee (VAR) also not intervening, leaving social media wondering why a spot-kick was not given.

According to BBC Sport’s football issues correspondent Dale Johnson, it was because of a little-known exemption within the handball law.

According to the laws of the game, it is not a handball if “hit on the hand/arm by the ball which has been played by a team-mate (unless the ball goes directly into the opponents’ goal or the player scores immediately afterwards, in which case a direct free-kick is awarded to the other team)”.

“It covers when the ball is unexpectedly hit at you by a team-mate, even if your arm is away from your body – the law says you should not give away a penalty,” said Johnson.

“When Vitinha blasts the ball clear, could Joao Neves think the ball would be hit straight at him?

“Of course, this could be overridden by deliberate handball, but in the context of this situation, a penalty would not be expected to be awarded.”

Wood’s spot-kick, smashed high beyond Emi Martinez, was his 200th career goal and gives Forest something to defend at Villa Park next week.

The New Zealand international only returned this month, having been sidelined since October with his knee issue.

He missed the entirety of Sean Dyche’s reign, having surgery in December, but started the quarter-final first-leg draw in Porto three weeks ago.

Lucas Digne’s baffling decision to raise his arms and handle the ball as Omari Hutchinson tried to keep it in play gave Wood his chance with 19 minutes left.

There was an audible cheer when Wood stepped up to take the penalty – Morgan Gibbs-White having missed from the spot against Strum Graz and Braga this season.

There was a sense of expectation, which is only fair as Wood has not missed a penalty in 10 years – since failing to score against Hull for Leeds in April 2016.

He has now scored 28 successive spot-kicks.

“That’s what I have to do and that’s what I try to do. It’s the job, the responsibility that my team gives me,” he told TNT.

“It’s cup competitions. They come down to small margins at times. Both teams played very well. But it’s small moments that can potentially change games. Thankfully it went in our favour tonight and hopefully again next week.

“It’s one leg of the tie. It’s nice to have the advantage but going to Villa Park will be a tough game. They’re good at their place. But we’ve done the job here at home and now hopefully we’ll build into next week.”

He scored in last Friday’s 5-0 Premier League win at Sunderland – his first goal since a penalty against Midtjylland in October – and has six goals in 19 games for club and country this season.

Wood, 34, has explained he will have to manage his knee injury for the rest of his life – but after watching so much of Forest’s battle against the Premier League drop from the sidelines, he is just glad to be back in action and scoring.

“That’s all I wanted to do,” he said. “I wanted to get back fit and firing to help my team as best as I can at the end of the season. I knew we had a lot to play for when I was fighting to get fit and it’s showing. It’s some big competitions to be a part of.

“We’re in the crunch end of the season. We need to perform on both parts and we’ll be looking to do that for sure.”

R&A chief executive Mark Darbon says that players guilty of on-course misconduct could receive a two shot penalty at the Open in July.

This follows a reprimand for Sergio Garcia at last month’s Masters where the Spaniard damaged a tee box with his club after an angry reaction to an errant tee shot on the second hole of his final round.

Scotland’s Bob MacIntyre was also warned by Augusta officials after microphones caught him swearing and gesturing angrily during a ruinous first-round 80 at the year’s opening major.

Both incidents brought player behaviour into sharp focus in a season where the four major tournaments, the Masters, US PGA, US Open and Open, have agreed to implement a new code of conduct.

The leading professional tours are expected to follow suit, but unlike the majors, their policies have yet to be formalised.

There has always been scope for a player to be disqualified for a serious breach, as Garcia was for furiously damaging a green in a DP World Tour event in Saudi Arabia in 2019.

But now there is scope for referees to impose shot penalties for players who seriously breach the etiquette of the game. It means that, for the first time, a fit of temper could affect a leaderboard at one of golf’s big four tournaments.

“I think first and foremost, you want passion,” Darbon told BBC Sport.

“You want passion from players, you want passion from spectators, but there’s a fine line, and one of the amazing things about this sport are the values and integrity that underpin it.

“So we will watch that line very closely. We, like many of the other major events, are looking to implement a new code of conduct policy that will be in place this summer here at Royal Birkdale.

“And it will give us another measure by which to help influence and control that behaviour.”

Asked how this might impact competitors at the 154th Open, Darbon said: “It will depend on the circumstance and a determination of what their actions may lead to, but you could well see a two-shot penalty, for example, being deployed.

“We will clarify all of those details in the buildup to the championship.”