THE 5 HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

1.Argentina wins its third World Cup, and Leo Messi is enshrined in the Olympus of soccer.

Last Sunday Argentina was proclaimed world champion. After a fateful final against France, the "scaloneta" won in a penalty shootout, thus lifting Argentina its third world title.

The final was epic and hard-fought, with an overwhelming first half, Argentina took the lead; first with a penalty caused by Di María and executed by Leo Messi, and later with a second goal scored by "el fideo" after a spectacular counterattack.

In the second half, Argentina continued to dominate the game, but little by little the physicality of the French was imposed, and out of nowhere, with a penalty and a great goal by Mbappé, managed to tie the game in just two minutes, when the game was facing its final stretch: we were going to extra time.

In extra time, the Spanish Americans went ahead again with another goal by Messi, but France tied the match with another penalty, also provoked and executed by Mbappé. In the last minute of the match, the Argentine goalkeeper "Dibu" Martinez, saved with a great save the shot of  Kolo Muani who would have sealed France's comeback.

Finally, in the penalty shootout, "Dibu" was once again the hero, saving two shots by France, which, together with the absolute efficiency of the Argentines, sealed the shootout with a 4-2 score in favor of Argentina.

Thus, the South American country managed to win its third World Cup trophy, which comes at a time of social and political upheaval for the country, and which has made it unite once again around a soccer ball. This third title is also accompanied by the consecration of Lionel Messi, considered by many as the best player in history, in the Olympus of Argentine soccer; at the same time, Messi was also crowned MVP of the World Cup, and is a leading candidate to win his eighth golden ball.

The Argentinean triumph was celebrated in different parts of the world, with displays of joy from countries as far away geographically as India or Bangladesh, as well as the celebrations of twin cities, such as Maradona's Napoli, or Messi's Barcelona, which filled its triumphal arch. Finally, it is worth mentioning that the Argentinean fans' reception of their heroes has been a national earthquake, to such an extent that the Argentinean government decreed Tuesday a "national holiday" so that citizens could celebrate the triumph with them.

Iran sentences soccer player Amir Nasr-Azadani to death while imprisoning Taraneh Alidoosti, one of the country's most famous actresses.

A few weeks ago we commented on the uprisings taking place in Iran, and the effects they were having. But it seems that, as the waters are calming down, the Iranian regime's reactions are changing direction.

Last week, the reestablishment of the so-called "morality police" was already announced, and now it seems that the regime wants to take exemplary measures against celebrities or public personalities who supported the revolts.

Among these figures is soccer player Amir Nasr-Azadani, currently a member of a second-tier team, the Gol Reyhan AlborzHe had played for several years in different teams of national relevance, playing in the two most important categories of Iranian soccer. After his arrest, several organizations such as FIFPRO, or prominent figures in the world of soccer, such as Radamel Falcao, called for his immediate release.

Amir was sentenced to death after participating in and publicly supporting the uprisings. Charged under the crime of "Moharebeh" (hatred of God), he joins the list of 26 people convicted of the same crime, including 11 sentenced to death. More specifically, Amir is accused of participating in the murder of an Iranian colonel, a fact to which, according to the authorities, the footballer himself has confessed.

Another of the "celebrities" arrested is Taraneh Alidoosti, a well-known Iranian actress, who in recent days published some writings against her country's regime, as well as texts of solidarity with the first people executed after the uprisings.  Under the pretext of "spreading false information to generate disturbances" she was arrested on Monday, pending a trial. In response, several film personalities have shown their repulsion towards this act.

In conclusion, with the revolts now stabilized, it seems that the Iranian regime is not willing to give an inch of its power, and seems to have started a series of arrests and actions to intimidate any future discussion or movement of disenchantment against the regime. We will have to watch out for international reactions, or the reactions of the country's own population, which could fuel the protests once again.

3. The EU agrees on a ceiling for the price of gas imports: 180 euros. Renewables continue to gain momentum

After several months of negotiations in which the different interests of the member states have been weighed up, it seems that the EU has reached an agreement that will be applied as of next February.

In addition, this agreement implies the joint purchase by all the states of the union, as well as the orientation towards the deployment of renewables, as we pointed out last week.

Despite the agreement, we cannot forget how the states most reluctant to apply this cap, such as Germany or the Netherlands, are still not "completely convinced" (as the Dutchman Rob Jetten commented) about this proposal, as they do not know if it is the most appropriate mechanism to secure gas supply while ensuring the management of high prices. 

The key point for the agreement to have been reached was the acceleration of the implementation of renewables, according to German Minister Robert Habeck. Thus, Spain's Vice President for Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, was pleased with the agreement, assuring that "with the pact, we also achieved joint approval for joint gas purchases and accelerated deployment of renewables, which was pending ratification pending the agreement".

4. Ukraine: Putin and Lukashenko bring positions closer together

On Monday, the presidents of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, and Russia, Vladimir Putin, met in Minsk. Kiev's reaction was one of concern and mistrust, because they fear that the country north of their borders, and at the same time the main ally of the Russians, could be implicated in the conflict. The Kremlin, for its part, stressed that the meeting had been cordial and that Kiev's warnings were unfounded fabrications.

Officially, the meeting was about economic and energy issues (remember the Russian giant's favorable treatment of Belarus with respect to its oil and gas sub-ministry agreements).

But military matters were also discussed. Russia is interested in a strong Belarus, capable of defending itself and securing a strong ally to the west. Thus, it was agreed to train Belarusian pilots, as well as to send state-of-the-art anti-aircraft missiles. But the highlight of the agreement is the creation of a single defense space between the two countries, as well as the conduct of joint military exercises on the Belarusian borders, in which 9,000 Russian soldiers will participate.

Although Lukashenko has reiterated on several occasions that Belarus is not interested in intervening in the Ukrainian conflict, some recent statements by the president suggested that "the conflict was dragging on". These statements could be understood in different ways, but they have undoubtedly alerted Kiev, aware of the continuous rapprochement of its neighbor with Russia, as well as of the role it played in the land invasion of a few months ago, when Moscow used Belarus as a platform to bring thousands of Russian soldiers into Ukrainian territory.

5. Climate emergency: UN urges action to halt species extinction by 2030

Yesterday, a total of 194 countries signed a historic pact with the aim of protecting 30% of the planet's oceanic lands and waters by 2030. This pact also includes multiple mentions and proposals to protect biodiversity in these spaces, due to the impact of human activities, either by processes of exploitation of fishing areas or by polluting waste dumped into the sea.

Among the objectives set, the reduction of the use of highly polluting chemical products and pesticides, as well as the reduction of the production and consumption footprint, stand out.

With respect to the main measure, it should be recalled that currently only 7% of the ocean surface is protected, implying an increase of 23% with this new agreement.  

With respect to financing, an agreement was reached to in extremisafter some delegations from Asian, African and South American countries almost left the table when their demands were not met. Finally, the budget demanded will be 200 billion dollars a year, raised from public and private, national and international funds, as well as an increase in resources destined for the least developed nations.

Some activists and ministers of ecological transition have been happy with the agreements, but have pointed out that the most important (and difficult) thing is to comply with them. Along these lines, Marco Lembartini, director of WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), stated that "History will judge if promises are not kept".

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