SYDNEY: Novak Djokovic could still play at the Australian Open, a Serbian teammate said Thursday, despite the world number one’s last-minute decision to pull out of the ATP Cup in Sydney. The 20-time Grand Slam champion withdrew from this week’s teams event days before its start on Saturday, heightening doubts over whether he will defend his Australian … Read more
LOS ANGELES: The NBA, NFL and NHL are scrambling to keep teams competing, even as Covid case rates skyrocket in the United States and Canada due to the Omicron variant. As of Wednesday, the United States had hit its highest ever average of new Covid cases, with a seven-day average of 265,427 surpassing the previous … Read more
SYDNEY: England’s beleaguered Ashes tour went from bad to worse Thursday with under-pressure coach Chris Silverwood to miss the fourth Test in Sydney after a family member tested positive for the coronavirus. Silverwood and his family have to isolate in Melbourne for 10 days while the rest of the team head to Sydney for the … Read more
PARIS: A Covid “tsunami” threatens to overwhelm healthcare systems, the WHO said Wednesday, as record surges fuelled by the Omicron variant dampened New Year celebrations around the world once again. Governments are walking a tightrope between anti-virus restrictions and the need to keep societies and economies open, as the highly transmissible variant drove cases to levels never … Read more
WELLINGTON, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) — New Zealand reported 60 new Delta variant cases of COVID-19 in the community on Thursday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country’s current community outbreak to 10,776. Among the new infections, 20 were recorded in the largest city of Auckland, 28 in nearby Waikato, one in Northland, … Read more
NEW YORK: Brooklyn Nets stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving along with teammate LaMarcus Aldridge have been cleared to return after being sidelined by Covid, the NBA team said Tuesday. Eastern Conference leaders Brooklyn swept the Lakers and Clippers in Los Angeles without any of the trio, James Harden returning from Covid protocols to lead … Read more
BARCELONA: Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele, defender Samuel Umtiti and midfielder Gavi have tested positive for Covid-19, the Spanish club said Wednesday, bringing to six the number of infected first team players. “The players are in good health and self-isolating at home. The Club has reported the cases to the relevant authorities”, it said in a … Read more
LONDON: Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk says he and his teammates need to “look in the mirror and improve” after the 1-0 loss to Leicester dealt a blow to their Premier League title prospects. Leaders Manchester City can extend their advantage to nine points later on Wednesday if they beat Brentford. Chelsea could leapfrog Liverpool into second … Read more
MELBOURNE: Nick Kyrgios has urged Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic to play at the Australian Open, saying Wednesday it would be a “disaster” if the ‘Big Three’ were missing. Swiss ace Roger Federer has already pulled out as he recovers from a knee injury and Nadal’s plans are unclear after contracting Covid-19. Djokovic is on … Read more
MIAMI: The USA v Ireland one day international cricket series scheduled for this week has been cancelled over Covid-related concerns, USA Cricket said Tuesday. The federation had already cancelled one of the three scheduled matches, but had hoped to play the remaining two on Wednesday and Thursday. “While all players in both current playing squads have returned negative Covid … Read more
PARIS: Barcelona’s Spanish international left-back Jordi Alba has tested positive for Covid, the club confirmed on Tuesday. “Jordi Alba has tested positive for COVID-19, ruling him out of Tuesday afternoon’s training session,” the La Liga club said in a statement. Read More: Villa boss Gerrard tests positive for Covid-19 “The player is in good health … Read more
WASHINGTON: US health authorities on Monday halved the recommended isolation time for people with asymptomatic Covid-19, as President Joe Biden warned Americans not to panic amid a surge of cases threatening wider social disruption. Speaking about the rapidly spreading Omicron variant, Biden said some US hospitals could be “overrun,” but the country is generally well … Read more
PARIS: Ski ace Mikaela Shiffrin and tennis star Andrey Rublev tested positive for Covid-19 just weeks from the Winter Olympics and Australian Open respectively as a global sport once again felt the chill wind of the coronavirus. Two-time Olympic gold medallist Shiffrin will miss this week’s World Cup races in Lienz — but with a … Read more
Have you seen a better example of a celebrity’s love and dedication to his fans than Engin? Engin Altan Duzyatan was diagnosed with coronavirus last week. The actor updated his followers on his health and quarantine activities on Sunday. Read more: Turkish actor Cengiz Coskun thanks Pakistanis for their love Engin, who plays the lead … Read more
PARIS: Russian tennis star Andrey Rublev became the latest player to have played in an Abu Dhabi exhibition tournament earlier this month to test positive for Covid-19 just weeks away from the Australian Open. The 24-year-old world number five tweeted he was self-isolating which places in doubt his competing in the ATP Cup (Jan 1-9) … Read more
MELBOURNE: England were nervously awaiting results of PCR tests after four Covid cases in the camp but veteran Jimmy Anderson said Monday they are keen to finish the Ashes series in Australia. Four members of the England party — two support staff and two family members — tested positive for coronavirus just hours before the … Read more
Australia’s sensational spinner Lloyd Pope is eager to learn from the Pakistani leg-spinner Shadab Khan, who has been signed up by the Sydney Sixers for the remaining Big Bash league. Pope bagged two wickets for 33 runs on Sunday night against Sydney Thunders, leading the Sixers to a 30-rn win despite the rain. Shadab was … Read more
MELBOURNE: England was rocked by a major Covid scare ahead of day two of the third Ashes Test Monday with four members of the team camp — two support staff and two family members — testing positive for coronavirus. The team and management were forced to undergo urgent rapid antigen tests just as they were … Read more
BELGRADE: Novak Djokovic will not play in the ATP Cup ahead of the Australian Open, where his participation is in doubt because he refuses to say if he has been vaccinated against Covid-19, his team have told Serbian newspaper Blic. “It is 99 percent sure that Novak won’t go to the ATP Cup. He is … Read more
SYDNEY: World number 14 Denis Shapovalov has tested positive for Covid-19 after arriving in Sydney, he said Sunday, highlighting the virus threat to the Australian Open. The 22-year-old was among the first players to enter Australia ahead of the ATP Cup teams event from January 1, where he was supposed to be playing for Canada, … Read more
LONDON: Aston Villa head coach Steven Gerrard will miss the club’s next two Premier League games after testing positive for Covid-19, the club announced on Saturday. “Aston Villa can confirm Head Coach Steven Gerrard will be unable to attend our next two Premier League matches with Chelsea and Leeds United as he will be isolating … Read more
LONDON: Crystal Palace’s bid to have their Boxing Day trip to Tottenham postponed due to a coronavirus outbreak has been turned down by the Premier League despite manager Patrick Vieira testing positive. Three games scheduled for the traditional round of matches on December 26 have already been called off due to squads decimated by Covid-19 … Read more
WASHINGTON: The United States’ one-day cricket international match with Ireland due to be played on Sunday has been cancelled because one of the umpires has Covid-19, USA Cricket said. The positive case has left all four of the umpires unavailable for the first one-day international of the series in Florida as although the three other officials tested negative, they … Read more
There has been a significant increase in the tyre prices due to higher cost of production/import emanating from depreciating rupee, increase in regulatory duty by 10 per cent to 25 per cent and an increase in the Customs valuation, the predetermined value on which the taxes are imposed. Moreover, lesser inflows of smuggled goods also … Read more
LONDON: Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick has suggested abolishing the League Cup in a bid to ease fixture congestion in English football. The schedule, traditionally at its busiest over the Christmas and New Year period, has come under severe strain from the impact of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, with several Premier League … Read more
LONDON: Burnley’s match at home to Everton on December 26 has become the latest Premier League fixture to be postponed due to a coronavirus outbreak, it was announced Friday. Covid-19 cases within the Everton camp had seen the Merseysiders request a postponement on Thursday. But that initial plea was rejected despite Everton manager Rafael Benitez … Read more
WASHINGTON: The International Monetary Fund said Thursday it will extend its flexible access to emergency funding for an additional 18 months to help nations severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The IMF’s executive board agreed on Monday to “temporary increases to the cumulative access limits under its emergency financing instruments” through June 2023, the Washington-based crisis … Read more
LAHORE: Pakistan’s Chief Executive Officer of the Deaf International Cricket Council, Zahir-ud-Din Babar has said that a new era in deaf cricket will begin in Qatar with the holding of the Deaf ICC T20 Champions Trophy 2022 from March 14 to 26 at West Park International Cricket Stadium, Doha. He said this while addressing a … Read more
