Latest news with #Yohannes
Daily News Egypt
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily News Egypt
Rival Tigrayan Factions Clash in South Tigray, Sparking Fears of Renewed Conflict
Fresh armed clashes have erupted in Ethiopia's Tigray region between rival Tigrayan factions, raising concerns of renewed intra-regional violence at a time when northern Ethiopia remains fragile. According to local sources, the Tigray Defense Force (TDF), aligned with the Debretsion-led faction of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), has reportedly engaged militarily with another emerging armed group known as the 'Tigray Peace Force' (TPF). The incident reportedly occurred in the Alasa locality of Wajra, a zone in southern Tigray near the border with Ethiopia's Afar region. Local media outlet Ethio Focus reported that TDF forces used mortar and DShK heavy machine guns in the attack, though no confirmed casualties have yet been reported. The TPF, which only formally adopted its name earlier this week, is believed to have entered Tigray from neighboring Afar, where it had been organizing a resistance movement against what it considers the alliance of Debretsion's TPLF faction and the Eritrean government. Observers say the TPF has positioned itself as a rival force challenging the influence of TDF and its reported political-military alignment with Eritrea. Sources close to the situation suggest that the TDF deployment of nearly 50 trucks of troops to the area was led by General Yohannes, also known as 'John Medid,' a powerful TDF commander and close ally of Debretsion Gebremichael. General Yohannes is said to have acted to reinforce the faction's control over South Tigray, an area that has strategic and symbolic significance. Meanwhile, Brigadier General Gebreegziabher Beyene, reportedly aligned with the Tigray Peace Force, is said to have advised restraint, and no retaliatory strikes were confirmed as of Thursday afternoon. The lack of immediate escalation, however, has not prevented widespread concern. Several Tigrayan opposition groups have condemned the confrontation, warning that the region — which has already suffered years of war, displacement, and humanitarian crisis — cannot afford another round of internal bloodshed. 'Tigray must not be plunged into another war,' one regional political figure told Borkena, calling for 'immediate mediation between the factions.' The tensions are further complicated by accusations of foreign interference. The TDF is widely seen by critics as a proxy for Eritrean interests, particularly since the reported formation of a new political-military alliance known as Tsemdo, uniting Debretsion's TPLF faction and the Eritrean government. Reports indicate that this faction has received advanced weaponry, including drones, possibly with support from unnamed external actors — although these claims remain unverified. On the other hand, the Tigray Peace Force is viewed by some observers as having tacit backing from Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's federal government, which has warned against 'unauthorized foreign alliances' and repeatedly accused Eritrea of fueling instability in the north. Eritrea, for its part, denies involvement. The emergence of competing armed factions, each potentially backed by rival governments, has alarmed analysts and rights groups. If not contained, the confrontation could trigger a new front of civil conflict in an already volatile region. As of Thursday evening, calls are mounting for regional leaders and international mediators to intervene before the situation escalates into another full-blown crisis.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
USWNT star Lily Yohannes expected to leave Ajax for OL Lyonnes
USWNT star Lily Yohannes is anticipated to leave Ajax Amsterdam to join French side Olympique Lyonnais. On Tuesday, sources told ESPN that the 18-year-old is finalizing the terms of the deal and is expected to sign in the coming days. ESPN reported that the eight-time European champions have agreed to a transfer with the Dutch powerhouse worth €450k (approximately $529,685.96). ESPN's Emily Keogh previously reported that English side Chelsea was also on the table and interested in signing the young American star. Advertisement Ajax will receive a percentage in a future transfer, as Yohannes' contract with them does not expire until June 2026. The Springfield, Virginia native appeared in 50 fixtures and scored 11 goals for De Godendochters. She joined the club at the age of 15 and became the youngest player to record a start in the UEFA Women's Champions League at 16 in a 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain. Yohannes' international career began when she chose to play for the United States in 2024. Despite being born Stateside, she moved to the Netherlands with her family when she was 10 and signed her first professional contract with Ajax five years later. Advertisement Since joining the USWNT, Yohannes appeared in eight matches for the Stars and Stripes and recorded a goal. Yohannes joins a Lyonnes team that won the French Première Ligue this past season with a dominant 22-2-0 (W-D-L) record. Ajax finished third in the Eredivisie with a 17-2-3 record.
The Hindu
17-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Ethiopian Airlines bets on Hyderabad's medical tourism with launch of direct flights connecting Addis Ababa
Tapping into Hyderabad's growing reputation as a medical tourism hub, Ethiopian Airlines has launched a new direct air route connecting the city with Addis Ababa, with plans to channel inbound patients from across Africa to hospitals in Telangana. Thrice-weekly service The thrice-weekly service, which began on June 16 from Addis Ababa and on June 17 from Hyderabad, is part of Africa's largest airline's expanding India network. The carrier will operate flight ET 682 from Addis Ababa to Hyderabad on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, with return flight ET 683 departing from Hyderabad on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Teklehaimanot G Yohannes, managing director of International Services at Ethiopian Airlines Group, told The Hindu that medical travel is emerging as a key growth area for the airline in India. Relations with major hospitals in India 'Medical tourism is indeed a growing opportunity. We already have established relationships with major hospitals in India, including a few in Hyderabad. Additionally, we operate a division called Ethiopian Holidays, which also promotes medical travel. We are in the process of developing a dedicated medical tourism package, which will soon be launched. Once finalised and approved by our headquarters, this initiative is expected to further boost inbound travel to Hyderabad for medical treatment,' he said. The airline's move comes at a time when Hyderabad's public and private hospitals are increasingly attracting patients from African countries for specialised treatment in cardiology, oncology, nephrology and organ transplants. Mr. Yohannes noted that the airline's relationship with Hyderabad began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it started operating cargo charters carrying critical medical supplies. 'That effort evolved into regular cargo operations. Today, we continue to transport pharma and IT-related shipments from Hyderabad. While pharma is not always about high volume, it demands precision and cold-chain reliability. To that end, we have state-of-the-art cold storage facilities in Addis Ababa and our own temperature-controlled pharma containers, ensuring integrity from origin to destination.' Responding to recent concerns over aviation safety following the Air India flight 171 crash involving a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad, Mr. Yohannes said, 'We operate 29 of the same aircraft type. That said, aviation remains one of the safest and fastest modes of transportation. We have not encountered any major issues with our fleet. The incident in India is unfortunate, but we continue to maintain rigorous safety and maintenance standards. Passenger safety is our top priority.'
Washington Post
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Soccer took her from D.C. across the Atlantic. Now she's on the rise for the USWNT.
This spring, 17-year-old Lily Yohannes and her father, Daniel, were at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport when they heard the call to board their flight to the United States. Lily had grown accustomed to these transatlantic trips: Since her family left Northern Virginia in 2017 to live in the Netherlands, she had flown often with her parents and two older brothers to visit relatives in the D.C. area and Dallas. For the past year, though, most of her stateside voyages have been not for family purposes but for her blossoming soccer career. A pro with a famous Dutch club since she was 15 and the subject of a tug-of-war for her international services, Yohannes is the youngest and most unconventional prospect on the top-ranked U.S. women's national team. As they stepped onto that flight to San Francisco in late March, Yohannes turned one way to find her business-class seat, paid for by the U.S. Soccer Federation. Traveling on his own dime, her father headed back to coach. 'Okay, bye. I'm back with the peasants! Don't forget about me,' Daniel, laughing, recalled telling his daughter. Yohannes has, indeed, worked her way into elite status. In June, eight days before her 17th birthday, she scored in her U.S. debut against South Korea. Early this year, she made her first start for Coach Emma Hayes, who has begun integrating young players into the talent pool as part of the buildup to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. Hayes cautions that Yohannes is '17 years of age, and we have to proceed with an appreciation that she hasn't fully matured yet.' Nonetheless, Yohannes is on the right track. She starts in central midfield for Ajax, the Amsterdam club renowned for its men's program and a relative newcomer to the women's game. In November 2023, at 16½, she became the youngest starter in group-stage history of the UEFA women's Champions League, the ultimate testing ground for European teams. Big clubs in Europe have kept a close eye on Yohannes's progress and, with her Ajax contract expiring after the 2025-26 season, she has become a prized transfer target. 'You can tell Lily has been a pro for a few years in terms of her maturity and the way she carries herself,' said U.S. right back Emily Fox, a fellow Virginian. 'I could go on and on about her assets.' Yohannes has taken a twisting road from her DMV roots. Her hometown is Springfield, Virginia. She attended D.C. United games at Audi Field and played for youth clubs in Fairfax and Loudoun counties. Several dozen relatives on her father's side live in the D.C. area. Her parents still own the home in the region; they're throwing her an 18th birthday party there this summer. For close to eight years, though, the Yohanneses have lived in the Dutch village of Muiderberg, 14 miles southeast of Amsterdam. Citing their desire to expand their children's cultural and soccer horizons, Daniel and Semhar Yohannes listed their Virginia home on Airbnb and headed abroad. One day, Lily was a student at Hunt Valley Elementary School, the next she was off to Europe. 'It was cool,' she said with a shrug. 'I was a 10-year-old, just going with the flow, moving with my family. We had been to Europe before, so it was just sort of like, 'Oh, we're going to Europe.' It was an exciting moment.' Daniel Yohannes's work in IT risk management provided flexibility. The children were quick to adjust. 'We are of a diverse background,' he said, referencing their Eritrean ancestry. 'We pushed culture and have a different worldview: Let's make that move to a place where there is no language barrier and where there is a good football education.' He added: 'You get the culture side, the football side — let's give it a try for a couple years. That's how it started.' Family ties to the Horn of Africa and to soccer run deep. Lily's maternal grandfather, Bokretsion Gebrehiwot, played for the Ethiopian national team and scored a famous goal against Ivory Coast at the 1968 Africa Cup of Nations. Gebrehiwot immigrated to the United States and helped launch the Eritrean Sports Festival, which rotates among cities and celebrates a diaspora numbering an estimated 50,000. At the 2000 event in Houston, Daniel and Semhar met. They married and settled in the D.C. area. Moving abroad, 'I missed things at first, but I got used to it,' Lily said. 'The most important thing for us — for me and my brothers — was football. Once we joined clubs and started playing and making friends in school, things became sort of normal and you just sort of adapted.' The soccer culture in one of the sport's hotbeds was different, too. 'All the kids, going outside, playing on the little [soccer] courts, football sort of was the center of a lot of people's lives in the Netherlands,' she said. 'I just thought that was super cool, always playing and having fun with it.' At 10, Lily began her Dutch soccer immersion playing on an under-14 team. However, she was not facing the depth of competition she would have received in the United States, where the girls' and women's game have thrived for decades. So her parents moved her to clubs that allowed her to play against boys of her age. At 11, she caught the attention of the Royal Dutch Football Association and received invitations to regional camps, a pathway to the national program. Although she was not Dutch and couldn't play for the junior national teams, the Dutch federation was laying the groundwork in case she someday became eligible. Lily thrived at a local youth club before joining Ajax's academy, which, for more than a century, has developed hundreds of world-class men's players. It was also building up its women's program. For Lily, the move seemed right. 'The Ajax mentality, you can really tell the DNA of how they play: attacking football, possession based, technically and tactically strong, just being dominant on the ball,' she said. Though far from home, she had not gone undetected by the U.S. staff, which invited her to youth camps in 2021 and 2022. In April 2023, two months shy of her 16th birthday, she signed a pro contract with Ajax. Though she is younger than her brothers, Lily was first to sign. Aethan, 21, enrolled in D.C. United's academy, played two seasons at Wake Forest University, represented U.S. youth national teams and is now with the under-21 squad at Den Bosch, a Dutch second-division club. Jayden, 19, is also with a second-tier Dutch side, playing for Telstar's U-21s. Lily's first pro season featured 32 appearances across all competitions, including 28 starts and five goals. Ajax won the Dutch cup, finished second in the league and advanced to the Champions League quarterfinals before losing to Chelsea, which, at the time, was coached by Hayes. In the middle of the 2023-24 campaign, Lily was invited to the Dutch under-19 national team. Still ineligible to play in official matches, she participated in workouts and continued integrating into the program. Six months later, though, she accepted an invitation to Hayes's first camp in charge of the U.S. squad. Twelve minutes into her debut, she scored against South Korea. Because it was a friendly, she remained eligible for the Dutch team. With her profile rising, Lily soon needed to decide her international future. Dutch citizenship was on the horizon, but her roots were American. She and her parents spoke often with both federations. 'This is a lifetime decision,' Daniel Yohannes said. 'We didn't want her to rush it; let her take her time. She could've gone in either direction. It took her a while to make that call.' That call came in November, less than a month before the U.S. was scheduled to play a friendly in the Netherlands. 'When you have a big decision to make, it's always thinking about the pros and cons,' she said, 'and about what really speaks to your heart.' Dutch Coach Andries Jonker did not take it well. 'I read that she dreams of playing in an American shirt her whole life,' he said at a news conference before that international window. 'She could have said that right away. It would have saved [the Dutch federation] a lot of work. … I don't want a player who would rather play in another shirt.' Daniel Yohannes said Jonker's comments were 'a bit disappointing.' He said others at the Dutch federation were 'super professional, genuinely wonderful people.' When the teams met in Amsterdam, Yohannes entered in the 66th minute. Many fans booed her. Since then, she has started two SheBelieves Cup matches and appeared as a sub and a starter in friendlies against Brazil in early April. 'It's a step-by-step process,' Hayes said. Hayes has tasked the roster's veteran core with mentoring prospects, such as Yohannes and 19-year-old midfielder Claire Hutton. 'Sometimes we get so overexcited about the less experienced players, but the more experienced ones that do it again and again and again and again are going to be the key factor in ensuring … players like Lily or Claire feel they can be supported in the right way, so the expectation isn't too ridiculous,' Hayes said. Yohannes has embraced the guidance. 'Looking up to the [U.S.] teams since I was a little kid and now being here with Emma and my teammates, it's just been great,' she said. 'I'm learning from them in every camp, and I hope for many more experiences in this incredible environment.'
New York Times
04-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
After rapid rise through USWNT ranks, 17-year-old Lily Yohannes is focused on steady growth
If Lily Yohannes succumbed to the eight-hour jetlag between her home in the Netherlands and Southern California when she sat down late Tuesday afternoon for an interview on The Athletic's Full Time podcast, it was scarcely apparent. The 17-year-old U.S. women's national team midfielder selected her words just as carefully from her Los Angeles hotel as she did from the Ajax training facility the first time she spoke with The Athletic in Amsterdam just over a year ago. Advertisement Many things have changed since then, namely, Yohannes' decision to represent the United States at the international level, and not the Netherlands. But her composed consideration is by design, a mechanism to keep her feet planted firmly in the present. 'I think just trying to stay as present as I can,' she said when asked how she manages the pace of her career. 'I've been grateful to have experienced so many great moments in such a short career so far. I think just having a great support system around me with my family, coaches, teammates, and them all just helping me to stay grounded, stay on track.' In Los Angeles, head coach Emma Hayes has made clear that the U.S. women's national team is in very early World Cup-building mode, with a year until the team's first qualifiers of the 2027 cycle. She is relinquishing a focus on chemistry to properly assess players. However, demands for excellence have always been part and parcel of this team, and Yohannes has already felt the impact of Hayes' approach. 'I've already grown and learned so much from her in a year or so,' she said. 'You can really feel how much she is invested in every player, every player's development in this environment, and I think she just pushes the standard and has expectations of what she wants from us and how she wants us to play, and I think just trying to be intentional (with) every detail.' Even as women's soccer continues to mature, there remains a fixation on its youth, particularly in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), which boasts a hyper-competitive table of teams eager to bolster their rosters with fresh talent but lacks the culture and structure of Europe's youth academy development system. That, combined with the lucrative opportunities of the American sports and entertainment market, intensifies the impulse to catapult teenage soccer phenoms into stardom. Considering Yohannes' unflappable style of play at the age of 17, it is less surprising that she has remained committed to steadiness as her professional world expands. 'I've gotten some advice of, 'Don't get too high on the highs and too low on the lows' and just trying to stay steady through it all,' she said. 'For me, I have so many more goals that I want to achieve and obviously I celebrate the great achievements, but also just know that there's more that (I) want and more goals that (I) want to accomplish.' Advertisement Yohannes has already crossed some considerable goals off her list. She signed her first professional contract with Ajax when she was 15. A Champions League run with the club followed shortly thereafter, and Yohannes became the youngest player to start in a group stage match in the continental tournament. That year, Ajax reached the quarterfinals but was knocked out by Chelsea — who Hayes was coaching. Yohannes received her first invitation to the U.S. national team camp later that month as the team prepared for the SheBelieves Cup, an opportunity that did not tie her to the team but provided an up-close glimpse of the national team environment while she continued to consider her commitment. Yohannes earned her first cap on June 4 in a U.S. friendly against South Korea, a debut in which she scored a goal 10 seconds after stepping onto the pitch as a 72nd-minute substitute for midfielder Korbin Albert. Yohannes announced her commitment to play for the U.S. five months later on Nov. 11 and featured for the national team later that month and in early December in fixtures against England and the Netherlands. Now, with the team's Olympic gold medal run in the rearview mirror and its far-sighted visions set on the 2027 World Cup in Brazil, Yohannes said she can get back to another, quieter yet no less crucial goal: growth. 'In the short term, (it's) staying present and continuing to work and grow with club and at the international level,' she said. 'With the national team, just trying to take every experience that I can and learning and growing in this environment. It's always an honor to come into camp and I just want to perform and help this team as best I can, and do the same at club.' At the moment, Ajax is in a tight title race in the Eredivisie between Twente, currently at the top of the table, and PSV, who are ahead of Ajax but level with Twente on points. Just one point separates Ajax, who won the league title last year, from the other contenders. Conversations around opportunities in Europe are gaining traction in the U.S. women's soccer landscape, especially after defender Naomi Girma's $1.1 million move to Chelsea, something Yohannes acknowledged as a sign of growth. 'I've been in the Netherlands since I was 10, and that's sort of just normal for me. I think playing in the academy system with the boys and then at Ajax has helped me to develop, and I would say everybody's path is different,' she said. 'It's just per your own personal choices, and I think it's great to have so many great leagues all over the globe.' Advertisement She added that beginning her career in Europe meant focusing on the technical and tactical aspects of the game and that playing against other European teams and being exposed to a variety of playing styles has only benefited her. 'Ajax is a very possession-oriented team playing attacking football and having a sort of DNA has helped me to develop and grow qualities in my game,' she said. 'I think within Europe as a whole, it's super diverse which is amazing, having Champions League and all those diverse teams and clubs come together and compete against each other.' Yohannes isn't the only player in the U.S. camp who had options as to which country she could represent, nor is she the only player who pursued opportunities in Europe at a young age. Although Catarina Macario's path was markedly different from Yohannes' — the Brazilian-American forward completed three seasons at Stanford before setting off for Europe, first with Olympique Lyonnais and now Chelsea — the two have formed a bond after just two camps together. 'Cat's super cool. I think we have a great bond on and off the pitch,' Yohannes said. 'I think she sort of took me under her wing when I first came into camp. Last camp was our first time playing together, so I know that's something we were both looking forward to. Cat's just such an amazing player with so much quality, so I've really enjoyed playing with her and off the field (we're) having a good time.' If given the chance again to partner in the U.S. attack against Brazil — first at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday and again at San Jose's PayPal Park on Tuesday, April 8 — Yohannes and Macario's combined creativity on the ball could prove enough to withstand the South American team's attempt at revenge after falling to the U.S. 1-0 in the Paris Olympics gold medal match last summer.
