Texas Weekly Online

Texas-trans-white
Menu
Menu

Author: shailender

Messi, Inter Miami crush New York Red Bulls in MLS

Messi, Inter Miami crush New York Red Bulls in MLS

Lionel Messi scores his first goal in five matches as Miami end their three-game losing streak across all competitions. Lionel Messi was on target as Inter Miami bounced back from their CONCACAF Champions Cup exit, beating the New York Red Bulls 4-1 at Chase Stadium in Florida. Miami had lost their last three games, including a 5-1 aggregate defeat to the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Champions Cup semifinals, but they got a much-needed morale boost with a comfortable Major League Soccer (MLS) home victory on Saturday. Fafa Picault opened the scoring in the ninth minute, powerfully striking the ball into the back of the net after Luis Suarez had flicked on a cross from Marcelo Weigandt. Fullback Weigandt doubled the advantage for Miami in the 30th minute when his diving header was parried by Carlos Coronel, and the Argentinian followed in to scoop the ball home. The goal was initially flagged for offside, but after a VAR review, the referee ruled it should stand. Suarez made it 3-0 nine minutes later, firing home at the second attempt after his initial shot had been blocked, but the Red Bulls pulled a goal back before the break. Advertisement An Omar Valencia corner deep to the back post was looped over Oscar Ustari and into the far corner to give the visitors some hope for the second half. Miami stayed on top, however, and Messi extended their advantage in the 67th minute, playing a one-two with Telasco Segovia and holding off Noah Eile before beating Coronel with a left-foot finish. The goal ended a run of four matches without Messi being on the scoresheet, and the win moved Miami up to fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Elsewhere, former Saint-Etienne midfielder Dylan Chambost opened his account in MLS with the first goal in the Columbus Crew’s 4-2 win over Charlotte. The Crew lead the East on 24 points, two ahead of the Philadelphia Union, who continued their excellent season with a 2-1 win at Montreal with Danish striker Mikael Uhre grabbing an 84th-minute winner. DC United beat the Colorado Rapids 2-1 with goals from Christian Benteke and a volley from Japanese midfielder Hosei Kijima. Lionel Messi (#10), right, scores Inter Miami’s fourth goal during the MLS match against New York Red Bulls at Chase Stadium on May 3, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US [Megan Briggs/Getty Images via AFP] Adblock test (Why?)

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces attack airport in Port Sudan

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces attack airport in Port Sudan

NewsFeed Videos show the moment Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out a drone attack on an airbase near Port Sudan airport, according to the Sudanese army. Port Sudan has been perceived as the safest place in the war-torn country. Published On 4 May 20254 May 2025 Adblock test (Why?)

Are the Houthis’ opponents in Yemen seeking US support?

Are the Houthis’ opponents in Yemen seeking US support?

Anti-Houthi factions in Yemen could be vying for US support to attack the movement’s territory, analysts and experts told Al Jazeera, following intensified air strikes on Houthi targets by the United States. The war in Yemen has largely been frozen for the last three years. Still, groups aligned with the Yemeni government have started signalling that they could launch operations against areas controlled by the pro-Iranian Houthis, including the crucial port of Hodeidah. A similar campaign on Hodeidah, a critical entry point for food and goods on the Red Sea coast, seemed imminent in 2018, only to be aborted after intervention from the United Nations and the international community, who feared a humanitarian disaster in Yemen. But experts and analysts expressed doubt that an attack by anti-Houthi groups on their domestic rival would be successful, despite some likening it to the offensive that unseated another Iran ally, former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in late 2024. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree addresses a rally in solidarity with Palestinians and the Gaza Strip and in condemnation of Israel and the US, in the capital Sanaa on May 2, 2025 [Mohammed Huwais/AFP] “Pro-ROYG [Republic of Yemen Government] voices have been asserting that ground operations against the Houthis – in Hodeidah and potentially elsewhere – are imminent,” Hannah Porter, an independent Yemen analyst, told Al Jazeera. Advertisement “My impression so far is that these comments are just meant to garner external support from the US or Saudi [Arabia] for a takeover of Hodeidah.” Vying for US support The Houthis, or Ansar Allah as they are officially known, marched into and took over the Yemeni capital Sanaa in 2014. Soon after, a Saudi Arabian-led coalition intervened on behalf of Yemen’s internationally recognised government to fight the Houthis. Anti-Houthi forces achieved some success in the early years of the war, but the failed Hodeidah campaign seemed to slow their momentum, and the Houthis have largely been on top militarily since then. Saudi Arabia announced in March 2022 that it would stop hostilities in Yemen, and a UN-brokered truce stopped much of the fighting the following month. By then, the Houthis still controlled Sanaa and much of northwest Yemen, while various anti-Houthi groups held the key port city of Aden and much of southern and eastern Yemen. The Yemeni government has undergone major changes in the past few years, with President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi suddenly stepping down in 2022 and handing over power to an eight-member Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), which has, so far, proven ineffective. PLC Prime Minister Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak resigned on Sunday, claiming to have been blocked from fulfilling his duties, as reports circulated of conflicts between him and President Rashad al-Alimi and accusations of mission creep. The PLC includes members who have previously fought against the Yemeni government. They include Aydarous al-Zubaidi, the head of the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC), and Tareq Saleh, nephew of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, a one-time ally of the Houthis. Advertisement But Houthi attacks on what they claim are Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea, as well as attacks on Israel itself, have led to a bombing campaign against Yemen, and some anti-Houthi forces now see an opening. “We’ve been seeing various anti-Houthi factions lobbying for US support since the start of the Gaza crisis,” Nick Brumfield, a Yemen expert, told Al Jazeera. “Both the Yemeni government and the Southern Transitional Council have competitively sought to present themselves as the solution to the US’s need for a partner on the ground against the Houthis in Yemen.”  Plan versus reality The Yemeni government has long emphasised that its ultimate goal is the defeat of the Houthis and an end to the group’s “coup” against the Yemeni state. In early April, President al-Alimi spoke of the importance of national unity “to topple the coup”, adding that the “decisive hour” of the “battle for liberation” was drawing near. Al-Alimi has not given any indication of when that battle against the Houthis would be, but forces under the umbrella of the Yemeni government may see the intensification of US air strikes under President Donald Trump’s administration. The US claims the strikes targeted Houthi leaders and have significantly degraded Houthi capabilities. Houthi authorities say that at least 123 Yemenis have been killed in the strikes since they intensified in mid-March, many of them civilians. Reporting from The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and Bloomberg has claimed that discussions for an anti-Houthi ground operation, backed by the US, are under way. Advertisement The WSJ specifically mentioned that the United Arab Emirates had raised the plan with the US, but the UAE has denied any involvement, with Assistant Minister for Political Affairs Lana Nusseibeh calling them “wild unsubstantiated stories” on April 17. The UAE officially withdrew its military forces from Yemen in 2019. Houthi supporters chant slogans during a weekly, anti-US and anti-Israel rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, April 18, 2025 [Osamah Abdulrahman/AP] Tareq Saleh has been mentioned in news reports as a likely figure leading any anti-Houthi campaign on the Red Sea coast. But, experts say, there has thus far been no noticeable mobilisation on the ground by anti-Houthi Yemeni armed groups. “The PLC has been speaking about liberating Sanaa and such,” Raiman Al-Hamdani, a Yemen researcher with ARK, an international development company, told Al Jazeera. “As far as I know, there has been little mobilisation towards this end. Whether they can is a very different story, especially with Saudi Arabia and the UAE no longer wanting to engage in war with the Houthis.” After years of fighting, the Saudis and Houthis entered into ceasefire discussions in 2022, leaving anti-Houthi groups – including the Yemeni government – uncertain over their future and the Houthis further entrenched in power. Al Jazeera reached out to the Yemeni government for comment on this story but received no response before publication. Comfortable in the status quo An advance on Sanaa, high up in the Yemeni mountains and closer to the Houthi heartland in Yemen’s far north, would be

Appeals court backs VOA overhaul Kari Lake says will ‘modernize’ agency: ‘Huge victory for President Trump’

Appeals court backs VOA overhaul Kari Lake says will ‘modernize’ agency: ‘Huge victory for President Trump’

In a significant legal victory for the Trump administration, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has granted a stay on a lower court’s order that had mandated the reinstatement of over 1,000 Voice of America (VOA) employees and the resumption of full broadcasting operations. “This is a huge victory for President Trump and his Article II powers granted in the United States Constitution. It’s also a victory for US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and VOA,” Kari Lake, a USAGM senior advisor to the Trump administration, told Fox News Digital following the court’s decision Saturday. The decision allows the administration to proceed with its efforts to restructure USAGM and its affiliated broadcasters. “We are eager to accomplish President Trump’s America First agenda which has always been to modernize and make our government efficient while cutting waste, fraud, and abuse,” Lake explained to Fox News Digital.  VOICE OF AMERICA RESTORED BY JUDGE AFTER TRUMP DISMANTLED TAXPAYER-FUNDED OUTLET IN MARCH “Now that we have a favorable ruling in the appeals court, we look forward to accomplishing the plan we’ve always had; to bring VOA into the 21st century.” The appeals court’s 2-1 ruling Saturday emphasized the judiciary’s deference to executive authority in matters concerning federal employment and contractual decisions. The court noted that the district court likely lacked jurisdiction to interfere with the administration’s personnel actions and funding decisions, particularly regarding grant agreements with non-federal entities like Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks. VOICE OF AMERICA EMPLOYEES FILE LAWSUIT AGAINST THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AFTER PRESIDENT DISMANTLED AGENCY This follows Trump’s March 14 executive order (EO), which aimed to dismantle USAGM operations.  “Voice of America has been out of step with America for years. It serves as the Voice for Radical America and has pushed divisive propaganda for years now,” a senior White House official told Fox News Digital at the time.  The order led to the administrative leave of approximately 1,300 VOA employees and the termination of numerous contracts, effectively pausing the broadcaster’s activities for the first time in its 83-year history. “Unfortunately, the frivolous litigation actually stalled the ability to streamline archaic practices and redundant programs at VOA,” Lake told Fox News Digital. “The use of lawfare hurt the agency and its employees more than it helped.” Fox News contributor, legal analyst and constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley also shared news of the ruling on X, posting, “The D.C. Circuit just issued a major ruling in favor of the Trump Administration that lifted a stay on the Administration’s decision to terminate contracts and positions at Voice of America.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Saturday’s decision came as VOA employees reportedly had access restored to their computers on Friday after federal Judge Royce Lamberth’s April 22 ruling in favor of the plaintiff’s request for a preliminary injunction against Trump’s EO, which the administration promptly appealed. The court’s ruling can be read here. Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.