SANA’A (YEMEN) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Houthi militia forces have reached the city of Dhobab, located directly on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait opposite Perim Island, according to two Yemeni government sources cited by Al Arabiya. Another government source reported that the militiamen have also deployed to the strategic island of Mayyun, situated in the middle of the strait.

Amid intensifying Houthi attacks, the militia launched five ballistic missiles at areas south and west of Taiz province, sparking panic among the population and forcing dozens of families to flee.

According to local residents, the missiles were launched from Mount Oman, east of Taiz, targeting Bab el-Mandeb, Hijat al-Abd, and Ras al-Aara. Al Hadath sources also reported two airstrikes on sites near Mokha Airport and two others on the city’s port, where fires subsequently broke out.

Meanwhile, violations against civilians are worsening in the Waziyah, Mawza, and Hays (Hodeidah) areas, where a massive wave of displacement is underway. Arrest campaigns and home raids have driven over 150 families to abandon their homes and head for the Bani Omar area south of Taiz, which is under government control. Also in Hodeidah, Houthi forces have raided the offices of several humanitarian organizations.

Following renewed Houthi attacks around Mokha, government forces have repositioned and reinforced their deployment along the west coast, sending reinforcements from the city of Mokha to the Dhobab area in Taiz province. The Yemeni National Defense Council declared last night that any “temporary” battlefield advance by the Houthis would not entitle them to impose a *fait accompli* by force, emphasizing the State’s and the armed forces’ ability to regain the initiative and continue the “deterrence operation” on all fronts.

– Photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

MADRID (SPAIN) (ITALPRESS) – José Mourinho spoke on the eve of the match against Rayo Vallecano, defending Real Madrid’s current form and expressing great confidence in the squad.

“We are happy, united, and working well. We need to be very focused because we are facing a team coming off a win,” explained the Portuguese manager, who then defended Vinicius against criticism: “There is a saying that people only throw stones at trees that bear fruit. What has Vinicius done here? How many Champions League titles has he won? How many goals has he scored? The Vinicius who single-handedly decided the match against Benfica last year will return. He isn’t there yet, but he is working harder than ever.”

Mourinho also echoed Mbappé’s sentiments: “He is right: a player who scores 40 goals a season is not a problem for the team.” The Portuguese manager highlighted Real’s quality: “Against Inter, they could have scored four goals against us, but we could have scored eight. Why isn’t that mentioned? We will do everything possible to make the fans happy.”

Regarding the 2030 World Cup, Mourinho unhesitatingly named his ideal venue for the final: “Where it should be is one thing, but where I would like it to be is another. I would like it to be in Lisbon. But if you can play in a legendary, historic stadium—where the greatest players in history have played and at the home of the most important club in football history—then I think it should be here,” he said, pointing to the Santiago Bernabéu.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS) – The possibility of James Rodriguez joining Avellino has been definitively closed. The Colombian attacking midfielder will not be joining the club again, despite the club having continued to pursue the possibility of reaching an agreement in recent weeks. However, hopes of seeing the 1991-born player in a green-and-white jersey have faded with the official announcement from Colombia. Atlético Nacional announced they had reached an agreement with Rodriguez, who has thus chosen to return to his home country. After a long summer as a free agent, the player has identified the Colombian club as the ideal solution to further his career and return to playing in front of his home crowd.

For Avellino, this marks the end of a deal that had raised expectations and, until the final hours, still left some hope open. However, the outcome was different: James Rodriguez will return to Atlético Nacional, and the club’s ambitious attempt has ended without the expected signing.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ISTANBUL (TURKEY) (ITALPRESS) – “Ismail Kartal is staying put. The club environment needs to support our coach. As long as I am here, Ismail Kartal will be the Fenerbahçe coach.“ Aziz Yildirim, the Turkish club’s president, was categorical in flatly rejecting the resignation of coach Kartal—an announcement made yesterday evening during the press conference following the home draw against Roma in the Champions League.

“None of us knew about it,” Yildirim added while speaking to the press. “It has become a habit within the Fenerbahçe community: no one defends the club’s values. Fenerbahçe has come under fire simply because we qualified for the Champions League. We are all under stress. I don’t use social media, so I’m calm. But others do use it and are influenced by it. Just tonight [yesterday], a bottle was thrown at Coach Ismail’s head. Naturally, he is upset; that is the reason. Our team played well. We secured a point, and by our calculations, we can advance past the group stage.”

Kartal will therefore remain at the helm of ‘Fener’: “I spoke to him; he mentioned the bottle incident and the pressure he is under. He says, ‘I’m taking medication.’ Well, I take thirty pills myself…” he concluded.

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

RABAT (MOROCCO) (ITALPRESS) – Morocco is defending the strength of its relations with Spain. In a statement reported by the Moroccan news agency MAP, Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that Rabat has chosen to build a relationship with Madrid based on good neighbourly relations, political understanding, economic partnership and security cooperation.

The ministry recalled that this process took a major step forward with the joint declaration of 7 April 2022, following a meeting between King Mohammed VI and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Since then, Rabat said, relations have been based on mutual respect and trust, continuous dialogue and the pursuit of a mutually beneficial partnership.

According to the Moroccan ministry, this approach has enabled the two countries to strengthen common interests and address differences through dialogue. Rabat highlighted in particular the results achieved in the economic and security fields, with MAP reporting that Spain is Morocco’s main economic partner, while Rabat is Madrid’s second-largest trading partner outside the EU.

The ministry also pointed to positive results in cooperation against terrorism and organised crime. On migration, Rabat described cooperation between the two countries as “coordinated and effective” and, according to MAP, called for a thorough investigation into the events of July in order to clarify the circumstances, establish whether there was any interference and prevent similar incidents from happening again.

The ministry then raised a number of questions: “Why continue to make accusations against Morocco when no evidence, fact or report demonstrates any involvement by the Moroccan authorities?”

Rabat also asked why irregular migrants are not being returned, despite Morocco’s commitment to readmission, and why unaccompanied minors remain separated from their families despite Morocco’s request for their repatriation.

“The Kingdom of Morocco refuses to be used as a pre-election political pawn and will not accept being made a scapegoat in a political settling of accounts,” MAP quoted the ministry as saying.

Geographical proximity, the ministry concluded in the statement reported by MAP, can become a resource for the future only through “courage and foresight”, while “strategic blindness” risks fuelling mistrust and tensions.

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS)

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta will not support the introduction of taxation at European level in negotiations on the EU’s next long-term budget. Prime Minister Robert Abela reiterated this position to European Council President António Costa, who is visiting Malta as part of his “Tour des Capitales”, aimed at engaging with European leaders on the 2028-2034 budget.

“Malta cannot support the introduction of taxation at a European level,” Abela said, while assuring that “we will engage constructively to identify fair and proportionate financing options, but any solution must respect the balance on which the Union is founded”.

Costa stressed that the new budget must respond to a geopolitical environment profoundly different from that of 2020, allocating resources to defence, competitiveness, security and strategic resilience, while maintaining support for agriculture and regional policies.

On the revenue side, the European Council president reiterated the need for new EU own resources to reduce pressure on national budgets. “We need new European revenues to reduce the pressure on national budgets,” he said, describing the issue as “a key element of an overall agreement”.

Costa said the end of 2026 should be the deadline for reaching an agreement on the financial framework, with legislation prepared in 2027 and implementation beginning in 2028. “Reaching an agreement by the end of the year is essential.”

The European Council president also stressed the importance of engaging with all member states in order to reach a common position. “This will help the European Council achieve unity.”

The Maltese prime minister called for the next budget to take into account the specific circumstances of island states, which face higher costs linked to maritime, energy, inflationary and digital factors. “It is not acceptable that Malta’s citizens and businesses should face higher costs or reduced choice simply because they live and operate in an island Member State.”

Abela also insisted on the need to preserve cohesion policy, which he described as an essential tool for reducing disparities between European regions. “Europe will not become stronger by weakening the instruments that help Member States reduce disparities, strengthen their capabilities and expand opportunities,” he said.

Malta’s position comes at a time when the country’s corporate tax regime is under scrutiny. The system combines a headline tax rate of 35% with a refund mechanism that can reduce the effective tax rate on trading profits to around 5%. Around 8,000 active companies benefit from the mechanism.

In 2022, companies that would have been liable to pay around €1.5 billion in taxes paid €216.6 million after refunds. The tax system has made Malta an attractive destination for international businesses, while also drawing criticism over its role in facilitating tax planning by multinational companies.

Malta has accepted the OECD’s 15% global minimum tax for large multinational companies, but has secured a delay in its implementation until 2029.

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

CAIRO (EGYPT) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Egypt has condemned “repeated Israeli incursions into Syrian territory”, describing them as “a serious violation of the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic”, as well as of its unity and territorial integrity and of international law.

According to a statement issued today by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Cairo reiterated “its unequivocal rejection of all Israeli violations and incursions into Syrian territory”, warning that the continuation of such actions risks fueling tensions and undermining the security and stability of the region.

Egypt also renewed its full solidarity with Syria and its support for the country’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, stressing the need for Israel to withdraw from the occupied Syrian territories and to comply with the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.

– Photo Ipa Agency –

(ITALPRESS)

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Mauricio Pochettino, the current head coach of the United States national team, has revisited the Premier League title won by Chelsea in the 2016-17 season. He argues that, in light of financial violations that have come to light in recent months, the title should be retroactively awarded to Tottenham, who finished second under his management. Chelsea was recently sanctioned for irregularities dating back to the Roman Abramovich era, with violations involving transfer market dealings concluded between 2009 and 2022. “We should have won a Premier League; it should have been awarded to us,” Pochettino told The Guardian. “If that rule violation by Chelsea is true, then we deserved to be champions that year, without a doubt. They were punished—did they admit it? So that’s it. The title should go to the team that finished second.” The Argentine, who also managed Chelsea during the 2023-24 season, does not question the sporting achievements of Antonio Conte’s team but emphasizes the need for rules to apply equally to everyone: “I’m not saying Chelsea didn’t play well, or that Conte wasn’t a great manager. I’m not saying that. I don’t want the message to be misinterpreted. But if you broke the rules, then that’s it—you have to give the credit to another team. Perhaps, under the same rules, we could have signed players who would have made the team better or scored more goals.”

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

PARIS (FRANCE) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – In line with major European federations—including Italy’s—France has also adopted UEFA’s stance and withdrawn its support for Gianni Infantino. Following a meeting of its executive committee, the French Football Federation (FFF) officially announced that it will no longer back the incumbent FIFA president’s re-election bid at the upcoming assembly in Rabat on March 18.

Philippe Diallo, the head of the Federation, had made no secret of his views regarding the “FFE” project—the entity Infantino sought to create to manage commercial rights for competitions (including the World Cup) with private investor participation. “Initially, Gianni Infantino’s bid for re-election was well-received, and in late June—like more than 200 other federations—I pledged my support. However, by July, the conditions for our support were no longer being met. We believe the trust placed in Gianni Infantino has been betrayed. Our position is clear.”

– photo IPA Agency –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALY) (ITALPRESS) – Alessandro Romano has made himself available to Roberto Mancini. FIFA’s dedicated platform for changes of international sporting nationality now shows that the Cagliari midfielder has opted to represent Italy, choosing the Italian Football Federation over the Swiss federation.

Born in 2006 and developed in Roma’s youth academy before joining Cagliari this summer – scoring on his league debut against Parma – Romano was born in Winterthur, Switzerland, and had until now represented Switzerland at youth level, progressing through the ranks up to the Under-21 team.

– Photo Ipa Agency –

(ITALPRESS)

Source: medNews