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Lionel Messi And Inter Miami Are In Saudi Arabia To Continue Their Around-The-World Preseason Tour

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Lionel Messi

Fort Lauderdale, Florida – Inter Miami played six preseason games last season. Most were held behind closed doors with few people present, all in Florida. The biggest headlines probably came when several supporters prematurely blew off fireworks and were expelled from the exhibition season opening.

This season has been very different.

This is life in Lionel Messi’s world.

The soccer legend and Inter Miami are on a two-game tour of Saudi Arabia this week, with the first match against Al-Hilal on Monday and the second against Al Nassr on Thursday. Messi may share the pitch with longtime rival and fellow great Cristiano Ronaldo, assuming the Portugal star has recovered enough from a calf injury to play.

The club has already played two exhibitions this year, one in El Salvador and one at Dallas’ Cotton Bowl, with matches in Hong Kong and Japan scheduled when the Saudi trip is completed. It’s an all-around-the-world, big-crowd, big-money, bright-spotlight set of preseason games for Inter Miami, which quickly became a global brand after Messi announced his signing with the Major League Soccer side last summer.

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Lionel Messi And Inter Miami Are In Saudi Arabia To Continue Their Around-The-World Preseason Tour

“It’s incredible,” said Inter Miami defender DeAndre Yedlin, captain before Messi arrived. “Obviously, it’s not just one individual, but I believe the majority of the attention is on Leo. So that just shows how much influence he has had on the game. People want to know what he’s doing. People want to know what he’s involved in and what’s going on. It’s fantastic for the league. It’s excellent for us.”

Said Messi is the reason Inter Miami is in Saudi Arabia. There is no larger brand in the game than the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and captain of reigning World Cup champion Argentina, Lionel Messi, who turned down a chance to play in Saudi Arabia to join MLS and Inter Miami, is a Saudi ambassador to promote tourism.

He was once suspended by one of his former clubs, Paris Saint-Germain, following an unauthorised journey to the nation. Inter Miami not only appreciates the value of having Messi but also embraces this massive preseason stretch ahead of the MLS season, which begins on February 21.

“Having the possibility of seeing Messi up close in this circumstance is really very valuable,” Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino remarked in Spanish last week before the club left on its 13 1/2-hour charter flight to Riyadh. “You have to see how many times these people are going to have this possibility.”

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Lionel Messi And Inter Miami Are In Saudi Arabia To Continue Their Around-The-World Preseason Tour

The financial benefit of Inter Miami and Messi playing in Saudi Arabia has not been disclosed. It’s logical to believe it’s a large sum, enough to help the MLS club offset at least some of Messi’s salary — he’s on a two-and-a-half-year contract for around $150 million — as well as what the team spent to bring in players like Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Luis Suarez to play alongside him.

The Saudis have made it apparent that they are willing to spend a lot of money to get what they want; some have used the phrase “sportswashing” to describe how the kingdom has spent billions of dollars to fund LIV Golf and lure Formula One, boxing, horse racing, BMX racing, and professional wrestling. Much of this is met with strong criticism. Messi’s popularity has remained strong due to his relationship with Saudi Arabia. Such is his power.

“What I love about Saudi,” Messi says in a commercial campaign promoting the kingdom, “is that I always discover things I never expected.”

The journey itself demonstrates how different everything has become for Inter Miami. Last season, the team met Florida International University with no supporters allowed in one of its preseason games; this season, it faces Ronaldo, with the soccer world watching for a meaningless outcome. The team had fewer than 1 million Instagram followers when it started; now it has 16 million, many of whom are undoubtedly Messi’s half-billion Instagram followers.

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Lionel Messi And Inter Miami Are In Saudi Arabia To Continue Their Around-The-World Preseason Tour

A voyage around the world to experience a completely different world is logical.

“It’s a little different, and I think the upside is that we get to see some different teams and types of competition,” Inter Miami goalie Drake Callender said Sunday. “We see it as a challenge to evolve as a squad by exposing ourselves to different teams and competitions. So, while it’s still new to us, everyone has a positive attitude towards it.

SOURCE – (AP)

Kiara Grace is a staff writer at VORNews, a reputable online publication. Her writing focuses on technology trends, particularly in the realm of consumer electronics and software. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for breaking down complex topics, Kiara delivers insightful analyses that resonate with tech enthusiasts and casual readers alike. Her articles strike a balance between in-depth coverage and accessibility, making them a go-to resource for anyone seeking to stay informed about the latest innovations shaping our digital world.

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Kate Middleton, The Princess of Wales Gives Update on New Project

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Kate Middleton gives first update on new project
Kate Middleton gives first update on her new project: Getty Images

Kate Middleton updated her first project since her cancer diagnosis. The Princess of Wales, 42, announced her treatment in an emotional speech in March. After London abdominal surgery, the Express says she has taken time off public duty.

Kate stated in her address that pre-operative testing after surgery revealed her non-cancerous condition. For Mental Health Week, the Prince and Princess of Wales posted a short film trailer on their social media accounts.

The film emphasizes Britain’s farmers’ mental health issues and is her first project update since diagnosis.

Kate Middleton tweeted: “We’ve teamed up with Sam Stables from We Are Farming Minds and Farmer Will for a special film for #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek.

“Spending a day together on Sam’s farm in Hereford they chatted about mental health in the farming community, finding support and the Duchy of Cornwall’s Mental Health Strategy.”

Although Kate doesn’t appear in the YouTube video, she and Prince William produced it. Before Kate’s illness, GB News reported that the project was underway. One fan thanked Kate and William for raising mental health awareness in the video comments.

Says: “Can’t even begin to say how much I love the awareness HRH The Prince and Princess of Wales brings to the issues surrounding mental health.”

Another said: “I love that you’re focusing on rural mental health! Well done.”

 William said Kate “doing well” - Getty Images

Prince William said Kate “doing well” – Getty Images

Prince William ” Kate Middleton is doing well”

When asked about his wife Kate Middleton during a royal engagement on Friday, Prince William replied she is “doing well.”

The Prince of Wales went to St. Mary’s Community Hospital on the Isles of Scilly in southwest England. Tracy Smith, an administrator at the hospital, offered the king a tour of the facilities. “May I ask how Princess Kate is doing?” she responded. To which William replied that Kate is “doing well.” When questioned about his children (George, Charlotte, and Louis), William remarked, “The children are very jealous that I am here…” Perhaps we can come later in the year.”

The rare news comes after the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton revealed in a video message that she had been diagnosed with cancer following a scheduled abdominal operation. Kate stated in a video posted by Kensington Palace on March 22 that the news was a “huge shock.” She started “preventative chemotherapy” in late February, according to a Kensington Palace official.

“I am well and getting stronger every day,” Kate stated in the video message.

During the royal visit on Friday, hospital matron Lynda McHale presented Prince William with a card for his wife and father, King Charles III, who revealed his own diagnosis of an unidentified type of cancer in February and officially resumed public duties in late April.

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Paul McCartney Song Starts Paralympics On 100-Day Countdown To Opening Ceremony In Paris

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AP News - VOR News Image

GENEVA – On Monday, the Paralympic Games begin their 100-day journey to the opening ceremony in Paris in August, with Paul McCartney assisting.

The former Beatles’ “We All Stand Together” — the theme song from an award-winning animated short he created and produced 40 years ago — will be featured in a promotional film for the International Paralympic Committee

“Sir Paul really understands what we stand for as a movement, and he was extremely generous to us,” IPC president Andrew Parsons told The Associated Press. “He was not difficult to convince, it was something that came very naturally.”

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AP – VOR News Image

Paul McCartney Song Starts Paralympics On 100-Day Countdown To Opening Ceremony In Paris

On August 28, 100 days from Monday, the Summer Paralympics opening ceremony will occur along a stretch of the Champs-Élysées and Place de la Concorde. Over the next 11 days, the 4,400 athletes will compete in places such as the Eiffel Tower and Versailles Palace in front of up to 2.7 million spectators.

“We probably have the most famous avenue in the world,” Parsons stated in a recent interview. “That is very exciting. The city is really supporting Paralympic athletes and athletes with impairments.”

“With our games, we talk a lot about inclusion, and this is a fantastic representation of that. That extremely inviting attitude is a great way to start our games.

A watershed moment for the Paralympic movement occurred in London in 2012 when the host country rose to the occasion with record ticket sales and a completely new approach to broadcasting by Britain’s Channel 4.

“Still the benchmark games of our movement,” added Parsons, whose native country of Brazil staged the 2016 edition in Rio de Janeiro.

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AP – VOR new Image

Paul McCartney Song Starts Paralympics On 100-Day Countdown To Opening Ceremony In Paris

Channel 4 produced the “We’re the Superhumans” musical film to promote the Rio Paralympics. The film was a landmark in terms of its high production values and inspirational imagery.

“Many broadcasters come to us in their preparations in different parts of the world and they normally ask, ‘What is Channel 4 doing?'” Parsons stated. In that vein, the IPC trailer, inspired by McCartney’s “Rupert and the Frog Song” film, follows suit.

The Paris Paralympics will record 164 broadcasters worldwide, with 549 events across 22 sports.

Beyond the field of play, the Paralympics strive to change society, particularly in the host nation—and have previously achieved this.

In France and Paris, Parsons admitted that “there is still a lot of work to be done when it comes to people’s mindsets and perceptions of people with disabilities.”

“It has progressed since they received the games in 2017, but there is still a long way to go. “And it does not end with the closing ceremony.”

Two weeks after the Paralympics end on September 8, the United Nations conducts a global gathering that Parsons hopes will spark change.

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AP – VOR News Image

Paul McCartney Song Starts Paralympics On 100-Day Countdown To Opening Ceremony In Paris

The UN will assess progress toward its 17 sustainable development objectives during the Summit of the Future, which will occur on September 22 and 23.

“We do believe our movement has, in terms of persons of disability, been a little bit left behind, if you compare to other human rights movements such as gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity,” Parsons stated. “They have become increasingly prominent in the major debates at the highest level.

“We believe that these (Paris) games will be able to really remind global leaders that there is 1.2 billion persons with disabilities out there that need to be included in those conversations.”

SOURCE – (AP)

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Diddy Won’t Be Prosecuted Over Cassie Ventura Hotel Video

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Diddy Won’t Be Prosecuted Over Cassie Ventura Hotel Video
Sean “Diddy” Combs won’t be prosecuted over a 2016 video: Image Fox News

According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Sean “Diddy” Combs will not face charges in connection with a 2016 video that appears to show him abusing then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a hotel.

“We find the images extremely disturbing and difficult to watch,” the office of Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón posted on Instagram Friday (May 17). “If the conduct depicted occurred in 2016, unfortunately we would be unable to charge as the conduct would have occurred beyond the timeline where a crime of assault can be prosecuted.”

Combs appears to push Ventura to the ground near an elevator bank, kick her multiple times while she is on the ground, and pull her down a hallway in the footage, which CNN received on March 5, 2016.

According to the statement, law enforcement has not presented the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office with “a case related to the attack depicted in the video against Mr. Combs, but we encourage anyone who has been a victim or witness to a crime to report it to law enforcement or reach out to our office for support from our Bureau of Victims Services.”

The video’s contents resemble an assault complaint Ventura made in a now-settled lawsuit against Diddy in November, in which she also claimed one incidence of rape and another of Combs forcing her to have sex with male sex workers while he masturbated.

“The gut-wrenching video has only confirmed Mr. Combs’ disturbing and predatory behavior,” said Ventura’s attorney, Douglas Wigdor, in a statement to Billboard. “Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.”

Ventura and Combs had an on-and-off romance for 11 years until splitting in 2018. In the lawsuit, she claimed she met Combs in 2005, when she was 19 and he was 37. After signing with his Bad Boy Records company, Ventura alleged that Combs “lured” her into a sexual relationship in which he “asserted complete control” over her life.

Combs has faced four further sexual misconduct complaints after Ventura filed hers late last year. The entrepreneur resigned as chairman of his digital media business Revolt in November, and he reportedly sold his interest in the company in March. Also in March, federal officials raided Combs’ houses in Los Angeles and Miami “in connection” with a federal sex trafficking probe, CNN reported.

Combs has flatly denied all allegations of sexual assault leveled against him. “Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged,” he declared in a statement shared on social media on December 6. “I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”

Diddy

Sean “Diddy” Combs

Sean “Diddy” Combs is a multi-talented mogul who has made his mark in music, fashion, and business. Born in Harlem, he began his career as a talent director at Uptown Records. Combs later created his own label, Bad Boy Records, which launched the careers of musicians such as The Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige.

His debut album, “No Way Out,” achieved multi-platinum success, cementing his reputation as a rapper and producer. Diddy expanded his business interests, launching the apparel line Sean John and investing in beverage businesses such as Ciroc and DeLeon. With an estimated net worth of $900 million, he is one of hip-hop’s wealthiest individuals.

Combs is a presence in Hollywood, appearing in films and television series while also influencing music and society. His commercial savvy, paired with his musical talents, have elevated him to the status of rap icon.

Source: Billboard

 

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