Category: Sports

In advance of World Malaria Day, the World Health Organization recommends the expanded use of the first malaria vaccine, calling it a potential game changer in the fight against malaria.

Malaria is a preventable, treatable disease. Yet, every year, malaria sickens more than 200 million people and kills more than 600,000. Most of these deaths, nearly half a million, are among young children in Africa. That means every 60 seconds a child dies of malaria.

Despite this bleak news, the outlook for malaria control is promising, thanks to the development of the world’s first malaria vaccine. The World Health Organization calls the achievement a historic breakthrough for science.

A pilot program was started in 2019 in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi. Since then, the World Health Organization reports more than a million children in the three countries have received the malaria vaccine.

Mary Hamel is Head of WHOs Malaria Vaccine Implementation Program. She said the two-year pilot program has shown the vaccine is safe, feasible to deliver and reduces deadly severe malaria.

“We saw a 30% drop in children being brought to the hospitals with deadly, severe malaria. And we also saw almost a 10% reduction in all caused child mortality. If the vaccine is widely deployed, it is estimated that it could save an additional 40 to 80,000 child lives each year,” she said.

WHO reports Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance will provide more than $155 million to support expanded introduction of the malaria vaccine for Gavi-eligible countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

The vaccine against malaria was under development before the COVID-19 vaccine was produced. Hamel said WHO has learned a lot of lessons from that effort, which could be used in the development of future malaria vaccines.

“We know there have been new platforms that came forward since the COVID vaccine, including the mRNA platform and now the developers of one of the mRNA vaccines is looking forward to developing a malaria vaccine using that same platform,” she said.

Last July, BioNTech, manufacturer of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, announced it wants to build on that success by developing a malaria vaccine using mRNA technology. The pharmaceutical company says it aims to start clinical trials by the end of this year.

Source: Voice of America

Milan, Defending champion Inter Milan gave a signal of intent as it crushed Roma 3-1 to move on top of Serie A on a miserable return to San Siro for former coach José Mourinho.

Denzel Dumfries, Marcelo Brozovic and Lautaro Martínez scored for Inter and Henrikh Mkhitaryan netted a late consolation, AP reports.

Inter moved a point above AC Milan, which faces a tricky trip to Lazio on Sunday.

It was the third straight match in which Inter scored three, having done so at Spezia last weekend in the league and on Tuesday in the Italian Cup semifinal against Milan.

“I was very worried about this match because we’d given so much in the derby and we were up against another great team today,” Inter coach Simone Inzaghi said. “We needed a first-rate performance and the lads were magnificent. This is a crucial win.”

Roma’s first loss in 12 league matches left it five points behind fourth-placed Juventus.

It was Mourinho’s first Serie A match at Inter as an opposing coach since he left the club in 2010 after steering it to the treble of the Italian league, Cup and Champions League. Inter beat Roma 3-0 in the Italian capital in December.

The Nerrazzurri also beat Mourinho’s side 2-0 in the Italian Cup quarterfinals in February.

“I love Inter and Inter love me, but I want to win every game,” Mourinho said. “Now that we do not have to play against either Inter or Milan or Juve or Napoli again this season, then I can say that obviously I would be happy if Inter win the Scudetto.

“But before the game I want to win and I forget where I have been before. I love Inter but I love Roma and I love my job now. We get paid to win.”

Inter scored first when Dumfries ran onto a delightful through-ball from Hakan Çalhanoglu and slotted it between the legs of the onrushing Roma goalkeeper Rui Patrício.

They doubled the lead five minutes from halftime with a splendid goal from Brozovic, who cut inside and beat Chris Smalling before curling into the top right corner.

The match was all but over seven minutes after the break when Martínez was left unmarked to head in a corner from close range.

Despite the scoreline, Mourinho was still able to give a small smile and a wave when the Inter fans sang his name in the 72nd minute.

Roma pulled one back when Eldor Shomurodov cut the ball back for a fierce Mkhitaryan strike into the top right corner.

RECOVERY

Luis Muriel scored one and set up two others as Atalanta bounced back from three straight defeats to win at relegation-threatened Venezia 3-1.

Mario Pašalic netted the opener on the stroke of halftime and Duván Zapata doubled Atalanta’s lead three minutes after the interval. Muriel got on the scoresheet in the 63rd.

Domen Crnigoj scored for Venezia late on. The home side also hit the woodwork and had a goal ruled out for offside.

Sampdoria moved eight points above the drop zone after a late goal saw it salvage a 1-1 draw at Hellas Verona. Torino beat Spezia 2-1.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

New York, Jayson Tatum scored 39 points, Jaylen Brown had 23 and the Boston Celtics took a 3-0 lead over the Brooklyn Nets with a 109-103 victory Saturday night.

Again making things difficult on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving with their suffocating defense, the Celtics put themselves in position to sweep their way into the second round with a victory Monday night in Brooklyn, AP reports.

A loud “Let’s Go Celtics! Let’s Go Celtics!” chant broke out in the final minutes from the many fans in green who had seats in Barclays Center.

There wasn’t much for the home fans to cheer about as the Nets face a team that just won’t let them get anything going.

Durant took only 11 shots, finishing with 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Irving was 6 for 17 and also had 16 points for the Nets, who have to decide if they will give Ben Simmons his debut Monday in an elimination game.

Boston led most of the way before the Nets cut it to three with just over a minute remaining in the third quarter. But Marcus Smart scored on a follow shot, made a jumper in transition before Brown got a steal and dunk to make it 81-72 going to the fourth.

Brown kept the Nets at bay from there, repeatedly finding a 1-on-1 matchup and driving to the basket. He set up Tatum for a 3-pointer in the corner after the Nets had gotten back within four, then made a jumper before Tatum converted a three-point play that made it 96-84 with 6:25 to play.

The Celtics got center Robert Williams back after missing nearly a month with torn cartilage in his left knee, making their defense even stronger.

Bruce Brown was the Nets player who could really solve it, scoring a career playoff-high 26 points.

Durant was only 13 for 41 (31.7%) in the two games in Boston with 12 turnovers, and the Nets’ only real hope was if he could regain his form back home.

He made a 3-ponter on his first shot attempt after going 0 for 10 in the second half in Game 2, but he could never consistently find room to shoot while committing five more turnovers.

The Celtics limited Durant to just two shots and led 30-25 after one quarter, then got seven straight points by reserve guard Payton Pritchard to open the second and push the lead to 37-25. Boston was still ahead by eight with under 1 1/2 minutes left in the half, but the Nets scored seven straight and it was 53-50 at the break.

TIP-INS

Celtics: Smart scored 14 points. … Williams had two points and two rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench in his first game since March 27 after missing final seven games of the regular season.

Nets: Patty Mills was honored before the start for being voted the winner of the NBA’s Sportsmanship Award on Friday. … Blake Griffin played for the first time in the series, scoring eight points. … Director Spike Lee, a longtime Knicks fan, was at the game wearing a Brooklyn Dodgers jersey and hat.

SIMMONS STATUS

Coach Steve Nash said Simmons scrimmaged 3-on-3 Saturday morning and had no setbacks. He said it’s possible Simmons plays in Game 4 but cautioned that given his long layoff, with his herniated disk at the end of it, that there was more to consider than if Simmons felt good after his workouts.

“There’s a lot of bigger picture, bigger context to how he’s feeling, how able he would be to adapt to the environment,” Nash said. “It’s a little different than playing a game that’s stashed away in the middle of the regular season, so I think that there’s a few factors at play here to evaluate when he’s ready to play.”

Source: Bahrain News Agency

Riyadh,: Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Nayef Al Hajraf has stressed the significance of international organizations’ participation in backing developmental and humanitarian efforts in Yemen.

Al Hajraf made the statement during a meeting with Vice-President of the World Bank for Middle East and North Africa Ferid Belhaj, Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reports.

The GCC chief spoke highly of the World Bank’s involvement in ongoing GCC-patronized inter-Yemeni consultations held in Riyadh on March 29 – April 7, the GCC Secretariat General said in a statement.

Al Hajraf said the World Bank has a role in shoring up security and stability and restoring peace in Yemen, underlining the significance of inter-Yemen negotiations to bolster humanitarian and social aid to Yemen.

The GCC comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

Seoul, For much of the last decade, famous players such as James Rodriguez, Odion Ighalo and Santo Cazorla would have been expected to be playing in the Asian Champions League for cashed-up Chinese clubs. But ahead of Thursday’s kickoff, most of the big names are to be found in the western half of the continent.

After just one championship win from West Asian teams from 2005 to 2018, Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia has won two out of the last three continental titles and is the favorite once more especially as clubs from China, who spent big in the previous decade, are struggling financially, AP reports.

“Al-Hilal is a great club with a history of winning trophies and is the Asian champion,” Ighalo, who arrived in Saudi Arabia in 2021 from Manchester United, said earlier this week. “There are great players here and this is a team that always wants to win at home and abroad.”

The Nigerian international plays alongside Moussa Marega and Matheus Pereira, signed last year from FC Porto in Portugal and West Bromwich Albion of the English Premier League respectively, as well as several Saudi Arabian internationals.

The chances of Al-Hilal, as well as fellow Saudi Pro League clubs Al-Shabab, Al-Taawoun and Al-Faisaly, are improved as all five groups in the western half are being hosted this month in Saudi Arabia in order to reduce travel in the ongoing pandemic.

Colombia’s Rodriguez joined Al-Rayyan of Qatar from English top tier club Everton in September, and despite the team struggling in the league, the former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich star has scored four and assisted seven so far in 12 games.

Qatar’s challenge is expected to come from Al-Sadd, continental champion in 2011, and led by ex-Arsenal forward Santi Cazorla as well as Al-Duhail, which appointed former Argentine international Hernan Crespo as coach in March.

“The club completed all the procedures to sign the new head coach Hernan Crespo who will start preparing the team to take part in the AFC Champions League,” the club said in a statement.

Iran’s chances of winning the tournament for the first time have been impacted as the country’s two biggest clubs Persepolis and Esteghlal were expelled in January for failing to meet the necessary criteria to participate in the tournament.

The eastern zone of the Champions League — the tournament is divided into two geographic zones until the final — kicks off on April 15. Thailand will host three of the East Asia groups, while Vietnam and Malaysia will host one each.

Chinese teams are struggling financially as well as with scheduling commitments which has led to Changchun Yatai withdrawing and Guangzhou FC, Shanghai Port and Shandong sending weakened teams.

That leaves South Korea and Japan as the best hopes from the east, with four representatives each. Ulsan Hyundai Horangi and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, which have won two titles each, expect to feature with Vissel Kobe, Kawasaki Frontale and Yokohama F. Marinos spearheading Japan’s challenge.

Sydney FC and Melbourne City have the tough task of improving on Australia’s poor record in the competition that has seen only one team progressing past the group stage since 2016.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

Washington, Iga Swiatek moved up one spot to the top of the WTA rankings on Monday, becoming the first tennis player from Poland to be No. 1 in the sport, reports AP.

The 20-year-old Swiatek — pronounced shvee-ON-tek — takes over from Ash Barty, who announced last month she would retire at the age of 25 after more than two years at No. 1.

Swiatek won the 2020 French Open and and is currently on a 17-match winning streak that includes the title at the hard-court Miami Open, where she defeated Naomi Osaka 6-4, 6-9 in the final on Saturday.

That followed Swiatek’s triumph at Indian Wells, California, last month, making her only the fourth woman to complete what’s known as the “Sunshine Double”.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

Madrid, Barcelona’s general assembly ratified the agreement with Spotify on Sunday, with the club calling it the greatest sponsorship deal in its history and saying the brand will be linked to the Camp Nou Stadium for at least 12 seasons.

The agreement, initially announced in March, was approved by 89% of votes in Sunday’s general assembly, reports AP.

“Due to a confidentiality clause, applicable in all of Spotify’s global agreements, we cannot give exact figures but what we can say is that it is the best jersey and stadium agreement in financial terms that FC Barcelona has received,” president Joan Laporta said.

Spanish media said the partnership with the audio streaming company will give the club more than 400 million euros ($440 million) during its multi-year deal.

The club said Spotify will be associated with the Camp Nou during the four seasons in which it will undergo renovation work as well as the following eight seasons. The stadium will be renamed Spotify Camp Nou.

Spotify will also appear on the front of both the men’s and women’s team shirts for four seasons beginning in 2022-23, and will sponsor the training shirts for three seasons, also beginning in 2022-23.

The club said its members will have discounts and other benefits with Spotify, and that the streaming company will launch its application in Catalan.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

Doha, Global soccer heavyweights were pitted head-to-head and intriguing political storylines drawn as the schedule for the 2022 World Cup was completed at a glitzy ceremony in the Qatari capital.

Four times champions Germany were drawn in Group E with 2010 winners Spain, while the United States were pitted against Iran, a country with whom they have had long-running political disputes, along with England, and potentially Ukraine, in Group B, Reuters reports.

Holders France will meet Denmark and Tunisia in Group D while the tournament will kick off on Nov. 21 with hosts Qatar playing Ecuador.

The toughest group looks to be Group G which put five-times World Cup winners Brazil against Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon in highly competitive match-ups which had purists rubbing their hands in anticipation.

Brazil coach Tite certainly knows the size of the task ahead. “If you see recent results from our opponents… We will have to work to be able to cope well,” he said.

“I watched the Swiss (qualifying) game against Italy, a world-class, high-level game. We will need to be at our highest level.”

DEEP HISTORY

For others, the group pairing the U.S. with Iran and former colonial masters England was a fascinating one.

“The history of England and the United States it runs deep right?” U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter said. “We can’t get away from that, that is something that is in us as a nation.

“Having said that there is the other side is that the PL (Premier League) is the biggest league in the world and the players are the most visible in the world and it is always a great game when we play England.”

He did not want to be drawn on the political nuance of the Iran contest, saying: “I think it is about soccer at the end of the day and the best sign of friendship that you can make is competing hard on the field in a fair way and that is what the World Cup is all about and what makes it special.

“We have a ton of respect for Iran and how they qualified and we are looking forward to competing against them.”

The U.S. versus England clash will see Berhalter pit his wits against Gareth Southgate, a coach he greatly admires.

“We go way back,” Berhalter said. “He’s a guy I look up to. He’s always been there for me and given me advice. When I first took the job, I looked to him as a mentor.”

The fourth team in Group B will be the winner of the European playoff – Wales, Scotland or war-torn Ukraine – which is set to be played in June.

TITLE DEFENCE

France’s title defence features a clash with Euro 2020 semi-finalists Denmark, who Didier Deschamps’ side will play twice in the Nations League before the global tournament.

The 2018 champions, with one of the game’s most exciting players in Kylian Mbappe, also face Tunisia and the winners of the playoff series between the United Arab Emirates, Australia and Peru.

“It could have been easier or harder,” said Deschamps, “We know Denmark well and we’ll get to know each other even better with our matches in the Nations League in June and September,” he added.

Group H features a repeat of the controversial 2010 quarter-final between Uruguay and Ghana.

Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez handled the ball on the line in the dying seconds denying Ghana a goal while both teams were tied at 1-1.

Striker Gyan Asamoah blasted the resulting penalty against the bar and over, sending the match to a penalty shootout which Uruguay won 4-2 ending Ghana’s hopes of becoming the first African team to reach the World Cup semi-finals.

Portugal, with Cristiano Ronaldo in his fifth World Cup, and South Korea have also been placed in Group H.

CANADA RETURN

Canada’s return to the finals, for the first time since their solitary appearance 36 years ago, sees them up against one of the bookmakers’ favourites Belgium along with Croatia, the beaten finalists from 2018, and Morocco.

Like Ronaldo, Argentine Lionel Messi is attempting to win his first World Cup in his fifth finals and his side have a potentially tricky task with Mexico, Poland and Saudi Arabia in Group C.

The draw came after a 45 minute musical and video show as FIFA president Gianni Infantino promised the event would “simply be the best tournament ever”.

The decision in 2010 to hand the hosting rights to Qatar was heavily criticised and there has been intense scrutiny of the human rights situation in the country.

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thaniwelcomed the guests who included national team coaches, World Cup-winning players and football officials all waiting to discover the group stage match-ups during a ceremony presented by British actor Idris Elba and broadcaster Reshmin Chowdhury.

The tournament will run from Nov. 21 to Dec 18. It will be the first time the tournament has been hosted in the Middle East.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

Doha, Lionel Messi possibly facing Robert Lewandowski, Spain definitely playing Germany, and Luis Suárez handed a rematch against old foe Ghana.

The draw on Friday for the World Cup group stage set up some intriguing prospects, with host Qatar playing Ecuador on the Nov. 21 opening day but not in the first game, AP reports.

England will play the United States, and both must face Iran and potentially Ukraine which resumes in the playoffs in June. Ukraine was unable to field a team last week.

A total of 37 teams were involved on Friday because three entries in the 32-team lineup are not yet known. Like Ukraine’s playoff bracket, two intercontinental playoffs delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic finish in June.

The top two teams in the standings of each group advance to the round of 16 in the knockout bracket paths which are set through to the final on Dec. 18 — National Day in Qatar.

GROUP A — Qatar, Netherlands, Senegal, Ecuador

Qatar will make its World Cup debut against Ecuador on Nov. 21. A game between teams currently ranked Nos. 51 and 46, respectively, will have much more significance as the first World Cup finals game for a Middle East host.

Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal sees the historic moment a little differently.

Van Gaal’s team will open the World Cup in a 1 p.m. (1000 GMT) kickoff against Senegal — a three-time runner-up facing the new African champion. The Dutch do not face Qatar until the last Group A games on Nov. 29.

GROUP B — England, United States, Iran, Wales or Scotland or Ukraine

A very political group, and even more so if Ukraine completes the lineup.

The U.S. and Iran previously met at the 1998 World Cup, where the Iranians won 2-1. England will open against Iran in a first ever World Cup game between them.

England and the U.S. meet in their second game. They drew 1-1 in the 2010 group from which both advanced.

England’s final game could be a British derby against either of its neighbors, Wales or Scotland, or Ukraine — those three teams are in a playoff bracket in June.

“Ukraine is (a team) everyone’s pulling for in a way because of everything they are going through,” U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter said.

If Scotland does qualify, it is due to play England on Nov. 29. That’s one day before the 150th anniversary of soccer’s first international match, in 1872, between the two countries in Glasgow.

Group B teams also start on Nov. 21. That gives those teams fewer days to prepare for the World Cup but builds in more rest days if they go deep into the tournament.

GROUP C — Argentina, Mexico, Poland, Saudi Arabia

Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski — the holders of the Ballon d’Or and FIFA Best player in the world awards, respectively — are on track to meet when Argentina plays Poland on Nov. 30 in the last round of group games.

Argentina finally won a Copa América with Messi last year and opens against Saudi Arabia, which impressed in qualifying under coach Hervé Renard.

Poland starts against Mexico, which resumes what seems to be a national obsession to get beyond the round of 16.

GROUP D — France, Denmark, Tunisia, Peru or Australia or United Arab Emirates

Defending champion France and Denmark will know each other so well by November. They were in the same group four years ago and will meet twice more in June and September, in UEFA’s Nations League.

France has the superstar forwards Kylian Mbappé and Karim Benzema, though Denmark has a sense of destiny with playmaker Christian Eriksen. He returned to the team last week just nine months after suffering cardiac arrest on the field at the European Championship.

“What a player. I can say he is back and maybe he’s even better,” said coach Kasper Hjulmand, who led his team to the Euro 2020 semifinals

In 2018, they also faced Peru and Australia in their group and a three-team reunion depends on the outcome of an intercontinental playoff bracket in June.

GROUP E — Spain, Germany, Japan, Costa Rica or New Zealand

The 2010 champion Spain will face 2014 winner Germany in a Nov. 27 rematch of the semifinal the Spanish won in their title campaign.

“Easy group, easy group, eh?” Spain coach Luis Enrique quipped. “A great group, great rivals and I think we have to try to enjoy that.”

Costa Rica was a quarterfinalist in 2014, going deeper than Spain, but must first get past New Zealand in a playoff in June.

GROUP F — Belgium, Croatia, Morocco, Canada

Belgium was a semifinalist four years ago and Croatia was the beaten finalist. Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic knows his team cannot be a surprise this time.

“Four years ago nobody believed in us, nobody trusted my team,” Dalic said. “Now we deserve respect. We deserve everything.”

Canada is an intriguing and difficult option from the lowest-ranked teams after topping its qualifying group ahead of Mexico and the U.S.

It has two potential stars in defender Alphonso Davies and forward Jonathan David, and a history-making coach, John Herdman, who previously led Canada’s women’s team to a World Cup.

Morocco gets a group with two tough Europeans in back-to-back tournaments. Last time, it was Spain and Portugal.

Morocco coach Vahid Halilhodžic has made World Cup history in leading a fourth different nation through qualifying.

GROUP G — Brazil, Switzerland, Serbia, Cameroon

Brazil, Switzerland and Serbia are quickly reunited after all were in the same group in 2018. Brazil will open against Serbia, which it beat 2-0 four years ago.

The Switzerland-Serbia game was among the most controversial in 2018. Both Swiss scorers in a 2-1 win, Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri, made provocative double-headed eagle hand gestures to honor their Albanian family roots.

“I don’t care about politics,” Serbia coach Dragan Stojkovic said after the draw.

Now aged 30, Neymar is set to lead Brazil’s attack into a third World Cup in search of a title his country last won in 2002.

Brazil vs. Serbia late on Nov. 24 makes them the last teams to start play — more time for the squad to prepare but a more congested 25-day program if it is to win a record sixth title.

GROUP H — Portugal, Uruguay, South Korea, Ghana

Cristiano Ronaldo is on track to open his fifth straight World Cup finals at age 37 by facing Ghana.

Coach Fernando Santos acknowledged “this will be a very tiring tournament,” but preferred a late start in the congested schedule to help prepare his team.

The group reunites Luis Suarez and Uruguay with Ghana for the first time since their infamous quarterfinals game at the 2010 World Cup. Suarez was sent off for punching away an almost certain winning goal for Ghana deep in extra time. The penalty was missed and Uruguay went on to win the shootout.

Earlier in the 2010 knockout rounds, Suarez scored twice when Uruguay also eliminated South Korea 2-1.

Source: Bahrain News Agency