Europe
Suez Canal Authority says stranded ship partially refloated
The stranded container ship that blocked the Suez Canal for nearly a week was almost fully re-floated on Monday and has restarted its engines, a shipping source with knowledge of the matter said, raising hopes the busy waterway will soon be reopened. The 400-metre (430-yard) long Ever Given has been straightened in the canal and will undergo initial inspections before being moved, two sources said. Video posted on social media appeared to show the ship’s stern had swung around, opening space in the canal. Other footage, which could not be immediately verified by Reuters, included cheering and ships’ horns sounding in celebration. Ship-tracking service VesselFinder has changed the ship’s status to under way on its website. The Ever Given became jammed diagonally across a southern section of...
AFCON: Aston Villa congratulate Bertrand Traore, Burkina Faso on qualification
Premier League side Aston Villa have congratulated Bertrand Traore and Burkina Faso after qualifying for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations. Despite playing a 0-0 draw against Uganda on Wednesday evening at St. Mary’s Stadium-Kitende, Entebbe, Kamou Malo’s men booked a place in Cameroon with a game to spare. That will be the 13th time the West African country would reach the finals since their maiden appearance at Ghana 1978 – where they finished in eight position. The Villa Park giants have taken to social media to celebrate their winger and his country on their recent success. “Congratulations to Bertrand Traore and Burkina Faso, who qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations 2021 with a goalless draw against Uganda on Wednesday!” a tweet from the club read. Burkina Faso – who currently lead Gr...
Naomi Osaka uncomfortable with tight schedule
Naomi Osaka dislikes long and busy stretches away from the comforts of home and so will plan the European portion of her schedule accordingly in the hope of improving her title hopes at the French Open and Wimbledon. Osaka, competing this week at the Miami Open near where she grew up, said that while she chases success relentlessly she is still trying to shape her playing schedule to give herself the best chance of success. “I’m not really sure what a normal schedule is but I’ve never thought of myself to be the type of player that would play week in and week out,” said Osaka. “I personally get homesick quite often and it makes me kind of sad sometimes.” Japan’s four-time Grand Slam champion collected her second U.S. Open title last September and followed that up with a second triumph at t...
Super Eagles invitee wants to prove there are quality NPFL players
Abia warriors defender Adekunle Adeleke has revealed his aim in the Nigeria national team squad is to prove there are quality players in the Nigeria Professional Football League. The defender is one of the three home-based players invited for the Super Eagles’ 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers this month. The three-time African champions will take on the Republic of Benin on March 27 before slugging it out against Lesotho three days later in Lagos. Adeleke has set himself a target of representing the home-based players well in the national team in order to open doors of opportunities for them. “Definitely we are going to give a good account of ourselves and try to do our best to show that there are good and quality players in the league,” Adeleke told Brila FM. The defender is optimist...
MTN donates 300,000 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines to Nigeria
The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 said it received 300,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines from MTN Nigeria. Speaking at the National briefing, the Chairman of the PTF and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha said: “Yesterday, Sunday, March 21, 2021, the PTF received 300,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines from MTN Nigeria. “This is acknowledged with thanks as we encourage other partners to contribute towards the fight against COVID-19.” Recall that the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, had said that the first part of the 1.4 million doses promised to be donated to Nigeria would be delivered by end of February, while the remaining balance would be delivered by end of March, 2021. Mustapha also said: “The disclosure that Nigerian...
Lucas Moura: Tottenham squad united behind Jose Mourinho
Lucas Moura has insisted that the whole Tottenham squad are united behind under-fire boss Jose Mourinho amid the club’s turbulent 2020-21 campaign. Mourinho’s position in the Spurs dugout has been called into question in the wake of a nightmare week which saw the team follow up a north London derby defeat to Arsenal by exiting the Europa League in shocking fashion at the hands of Dinamo Zagreb. Spurs were thrashed 3-0 in the second leg of that last-16 tie in Croatia, but responded by beating Aston Villa 2-0 in the Premier League on Sunday, with Moura issuing a rallying cry in his post-match interview. “It’s been a very bad week for us, the feeling was very bad,” the Spurs winger told the Evening Standard : “Last night, we showed our nature, we showed attitude. “The good thing about footbal...
Champions League: Jurgen Klopp backed by Rafa Benitez to repeat Liverpool’s ‘Miracle of Istanbul’
Jurgen Klopp has been backed by Rafa Benitez to repeat his feat from 2004-05 and win the Champions League despite a disappointing Premier League campaign. Liverpool, who sit five points outside the top four with nine games to play, face Real Madrid in the quarter-finals and could play Chelsea, their semi-final opponents in 2005, in the following round. With the final set to be played at Istanbul’s Ataturk Stadium, the venue for Benitez’s side’s miracle comeback against AC Milan, there is plenty of talk of destiny for Liverpool. Asked if Liverpool could go all the way again in Europe, Benitez told the Daily Mail: “For sure. Liverpool has the potential and the manager, it’s not a problem. “People talk about Istanbul like we were lucky. But we were not lucky to win the Champions League becaus...
AstraZeneca: ‘No evidence’ of higher blood clots risk from coronavirus vaccine
UK-based pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca insisted on Friday its coronavirus vaccine was safe after some countries suspended its use in response to concerns about a potential link to blood clots. “An analysis of our safety data of more than 10 million records has shown no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis in any defined age group, gender, batch or in any particular country” from the jab, a company spokesperson said. “In fact, the observed number of these types of events are significantly lower in those vaccinated than would be expected among the general population.” The AstraZeneca jab, developed with Oxford University, forms the mainstay of Britain’s vaccination programme, and of many developing economies. It is relatively cheap and easier to st...
Brazil hospitals pushed to limit as coronavirus death toll soars
Hospitals in Brazil’s main cities are reaching capacity, health officials have warned, as the country recorded the world’s highest COVID-19 death toll over the past week, triggering tighter restrictions on Thursday in its most populous state. Intensive care wards for treating COVID-19 patients have reached critical occupancy levels over 90% in 15 of 27 state capitals, according to biomedical center Fiocruz. In Porto Alegre, the largest city in southern Brazil, there are no free intensive care units (ICUs), and occupancy has also hit 100% in two other state capitals, Fiocruz reported. The Health Ministry on Wednesday reported a record 2,286 deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, as new infections rose by 79,876. With more than 270,000 deaths, Brazil’s pandemic death toll over the past y...
Highlander Adventure treks: 15 unique trails to explore
The collection of Highlander Adventure treks has been expanded for 2021. We take a look at the exciting new trails on offer In 2020, I joined my first Highlander Adventure trek in Croatia and was thoroughly won over by the semi-solo style of trekking. This year, I was pleased to see the collection expand from five treks to 15 and am planning (hoping?) to join two more – in Spain and North Macedonia. Below, I take a look at every trek on this year’s calendar, from the original Highlander Velebit in Croatia to the new trails currently being mapped in the Middle East and North Africa. What is the Highlander Adventure? The Highlander Adventure is a collection of organised five-day treks through some of Europe’s premier hiking regions, home to magnificent expanses of wilderness. Initi...
Kylian Mbappe wants 700,000 euros a week
Kylian Mbappe has said he will only renew if big money is involved. He has yet to make a firm decision on his future, but he is clear that he wants a pay rise if he is to extend his contract. He wants 36 million euros a year, like Neymar. PSG are going to be involved in tough negotiations to keep hold of Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman is studying his options before deciding on his future, but he is clear what his transfer demands are if he is to form part of a new peoject. And his salary is the main issue. Mbappe wants to be seen as one of the best footballers in Europe and he wants that to be reflected in his salary. According to ‘The Athletic’, Man City have pulled out of the race to get the French striker after finding out about his transfer demands. Kylian, therefore, wants to earn sligh...
Carlo Ancelotti: Everton not at Chelsea level
Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti admitted his side had been second best all night during their defeat at Chelsea stating the Meyserside club are not at the same level with the Blues. An own goal by Ben Godfrey and a second half penalty from Jorginho consigned Everton to a 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge, leaving them four points adrift of Chelsea in fourth but with a match in hand still. Chelsea dominated the fixture and could have won by a bigger margin, with Kai Havertz also having a goal ruled out in the second half for handball. And Ancelotti claimed that his side have plenty of work to do before now and the end of the season if they want to somehow battle it out right to the very end with the likes of Chelsea for a Champions League spot. “They played better than us,’ Ancelotti told BT Sp...
