Category World News

In a high-speed Champions League semifinal first leg encounter, Barcelona and Inter Milan came away with a convincing 3-3 draw.

Marcus Thuram and Denzel Dumfries both had excellent strikes on Wednesday, but Barca couldn’t be stopped by Lamine Yamal, who had a sublime solo effort to bring the Italian team back into the game.

A Yann Sommer own goal put the tie at the halfway point before Ferran Torres levelled for the five-time champions, who had already beaten Inter by a blazing lead.

Thuram’s injury to his thigh set Inter on a verge of recovery, and he did just that with the fastest-ever Champions League semifinal goal in 30 seconds.

Jules Kounde, the Copa del Rey winner of the title, hacked a poor clearance to the edge of the box to make a profit for Barcelona.

Inigo Martinez slipped just in time as Dutch wideman Dumfries attempted to finish with a pass-the-middle-heel movie, which was flawless.

A nervous 50, 000-strong Olympic stadium crowd cheered on as Barcelona seized control and moved on.

Yamal, who was making his 100th appearance for Barcelona, requested a penalty after being shoved by Alessandro Bastoni, set up Torres, who fired wide.

The Spaniard volleyed just inches off target in place of Barca’s sluggish top goalscorer Robert Lewandowski.

Inter, whose triple hopes fell apart after three straight domestic defeats, came away with a second and a fine finish.

Dumfries reached the dropping ball first with a stunning acrobatic effort after Francesco Acerbi nodded on a corner.

Barcelona’s recent defensive struggles may have been minor, but Hansi Flick’s young side are unaffected by the string of European roadblocks that have occurred since they last won the competition in 2015.

The least-talented wizard was Yamal, who put Barcelona back in the game just three minutes later with a fantastic individual goal that made him the youngest semi-final scorer ever.

The Spaniard rejected comparisons to legendary Barca player Lionel Messi on the eve of the game, but his goal was straight out of the Argentinian’s script.

Before they could stop him, Yamal stroked an inch-perfect shot into off the left post after catching him off the right post and floated inside from the right flank.

Yamal nearly repeated the same mistake just a few seconds later. He evaded the pitch again this time, pausing for Federico Dimarco to lunge past him.

The youngster fired a shot that Sommer tipped onto the crossbar from a tight angle.

Yamal, who was high on confidence, gave Torres and Dani Olmo more chances that went begging before Barca equaled.

After 38 breathless minutes, Raphinha scored from close range after Pedri hooked a ball into the area and fired it into the goal.

Barca, who had previously replaced Gerard Martin with Ronald Araujo at half-time, were hit by Kounde’s limp before half-time.

After enduring a rough night up against the relentless Yamal, Dimarco hammered over in the opening half before Simone Inzaghi hooked him.

Early in the second half, Inter sucker-punched Barca, scoring from a corner with Dumfries’ header bouncing in off Olmo.

Yamal stepped over a corner on the edge of the box to give Raphinha the lead in less than two minutes to equalize.

The Brazilian’s rasping strike hit the crossbar before coming in off the unfortunate diving Sommer’s head.

After entering behind Barcelona’s high line, Pau Cubarsi made a crucial recovery tackle to stop Thuram, and Mkhitaryan had a goal that was ruled out due to a very tight offside.

Late in the second strike, Yamal slammed the crossbar, but neither team could get off the hook.

The winner of the Munich final will face Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal on May 31 in the second leg, which will take place in Milan on Tuesday.

The US and the world take stock and perhaps a break as US President Donald Trump approaches the 100th day of his second term.

Since nearly a century ago, the 100-day mark has served as a political benchmark.

Is it therefore significant? What is its purpose?

Imran Khan, the presenter

Guests:

Niall Stanage, a political analyst and columnist for The Hill newspaper, writes about the White House.

Republican National Committee and Chairman of the Democratic National Committee Patrick Mara

According to Marco Rubio, the secretary of state of the United States, President Donald Trump’s administration may disagree with a judge’s request to release information about efforts to return an El Salvadorian man who had been deported without permission.

The top diplomat was asked if he had requested Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s return from El Salvador at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

Rubio responded, “I’ll never tell you that,” adding. And who else would I never tell, exactly? A judge”.

He continued, noting that the court’s order does not bind him. Because the executive branch and the president of the United States are in charge of our foreign policy, not some judge.

The statements emphasized the Trump administration’s defiance of judicial controls over its authority.

US District Judge Paula Xinis had mandated that government attorneys provide updates on the steps the Trump administration had taken to bring Abrego Garcia back to the US. She made a promise to ask administration officials to provide sworn testimony regarding those efforts on April 15.

However, Xinis halted the directive at the administration’s request for a while last week.

She has set new deadlines in May for administration officials to testify ostentatiously about the retrieval of Abrego Garcia because the pause ends at 5 p.m. on Wednesday (21:00 GMT).

Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident, has been imprisoned in El Salvador since March 15 when he was one of the immigrants who had been taken into the maximum-security facility known as the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT).

Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who was in Abrego Garcia’s custody, claims that he has since been moved to another facility.

A judge’s 2019 deportation order for him was violated because he would face persecution from local gangs, so the deportation was unlawful.

Abrego Garcia and his family claim that he fled El Salvador when he was 16 years old when gangs pursued him for recruitment. Without any documentation, he arrived in the US.

The US government initially acknowledged that Abrego Garcia’s deportation was the result of an “administrative error” in light of the protection order’s 2019 status.

The Trump White House has since reaffirmed its claim that Abrego Garcia belongs to the MS-13 gang and will never be able to reside in the US in the wake of the public outcry the case has sparked.

Nothing can ever change the fact that Abrego Garcia will never be a Maryland father. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated earlier this month that he would never ever reside in the United States of America.

Although Abrego Garcia has not been charged with any crimes, MS-13 experts have questioned whether his tattoos support gang affiliation.

Additionally, the administration has made references to alleged gang activity against Abrego Garcia in New York, a state he has never resided in, in which an anonymous informant has previously claimed. Garcia’s attorneys contend that these claims are false.

Judge Xinis initially told the US government to “facilitate and effectuate the return of” Abrego Garcia no later than April 7th.

The US Supreme Court ruled in an appeal, but it did not specify the minimum requirements for complying with its order. However, the Trump administration was required to “facilitate” rather than “effectuate” the return.

Additionally, the high court agreed with Xinis’ claim that Abrego Garcia had been denied access to justice while he was deported.

Trump’s supporters have, however, stated on numerous occasions that their appeal had been supported by the Supreme Court. Additionally, they assert that President Nayib Bukele, the country’s leader, has the authority to appoint Abrego Garcia, a prospect that he had previously rejected.

How do I bring him back to the United States? At a sit-down earlier this month in the Oval Office, Bucele said.

Should I enter the country illegally? I’ll not do it, of course. The query is absurd. How does one enter the United States through smuggling? He cannot be returned to the United States, but I can’t.

Trump has, however, sent contradictory statements regarding the position of his government and whether he is actually able to demand Abrego Garcia’s release.

The US president was questioned about whether he could unilaterally resign Abrego Garcia in an interview with ABC News on Tuesday. Trump responded, “I could.”

Trump continued, “And I would do that if he were the gentleman you say he is.” He is not, though.

However, the president objected when asked on Wednesday during the cabinet meeting whether Abreu would request that Bukele release Abreu Garcia.

He said, “I really don’t know, but I am aware of how great a friend our country has been.”

Residents of Islamabad are hopeful that a devastating conflict can be avoided because of the live fire exchanges that have taken place across Pakistan and India’s disputed border.