The Guardian newspaper in Britain have picked up the news articles on the recent spate of attacks against national footballers in Malaysia (https://www.theguardian.com/football/article/2024/may/08/footballers-in-malaysia-attacked-advised-to-hire-bodyguards) highlighting the recommendation by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) that players consider hiring bodyguards. Top flight club Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) were also asked to beef up security for their squad after their midfielder Safiq Rahim became the third player to be attacked over the past week. Safiq, a former national team captain, had his car windscreen smashed by unknown assailants late on Tuesday. Selangor winger Faisal Halim is in critical care unit after he was splashed with acid at a shopping mall on Sunday and Akhyar Rashid was injured in a robbery outside his home in Terengganu last week. JDT will be hosting the Charity Shield match against Selangor on Friday.

Author Madeleine Orr highlights the irony of sports organizations supporting climate-damaging companies while athletes suffer the consequences of climate change. In short:FIFA partnered with Aramco, a major fossil fuel emitter, despite environmental evidence linking the sports industry to the climate crisis. Orr’s book, Warming Up, illustrates how sports are impacted by climate change, from melting snow affecting winter sports to extreme heat threatening athletes’ health. Orr emphasizes practical steps to reduce climate impacts, like better heat protocols and moving away from fossil fuels in sports. Why this matters:As climate change accelerates, its effects on health and the sports industry are undeniable.

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Chinese students pay about three-quarters of all taught postgraduate tuition fee income at some leading UK universities, according to new estimates that are likely to heighten concern about the sector’s over-reliance on Beijing. The analysis combines Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa) data on enrolments, excluding Scotland, with fee income estimates from databases held by Times Higher Education. At an institutional level, it found that many of the country’s top research-intensive universities had become two or even three times more dependent on Chinese students’ tuition fees over this period. They were associated with 40 per cent of total fee income at UCL in 2021-22 – up from just 14 per cent seven years previously. With domestic tuition fees frozen, leading universities have increasingly turned to international students to plug holes in their finances.

Western Sydney's Cumberland city council has voted to place a blanket ban on same-sex parenting books from local libraries in a move the New South Wales government warns could be a breach of the state’s Anti-Discrimination Act. The amendment, put forward by a councillor, Steve Christou, proposed that the council take “immediate action” to remove same-sex parents books and materials in its library service. Six councillors voted in favour of the amendment and five voted against, while four councillors were not present to vote

AstraZeneca has begun the worldwide withdrawal of its Covid-19 vaccine due to a “surplus of available updated vaccines” that target new variants of the virus. The announcement follows the pharmaceutical company in March voluntarily withdrawing its European Union marketing authorisation, which is the approval to market a medicine in member states. On 7 May, the European Medicines Agency issued a notice that the vaccine is no longer authorised for use. In a statement, AstraZeneca said the decision was made because there is now a variety of newer vaccines available that have been adapted to target Covid-19 variants. This had led to a decline in demand for the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is no longer being manufactured or supplied.

Prince Harry is in London to celebrate a decade of the Invictus Games, but a visit to his father, the King, will not be on the agenda. But he will not be seeing his father this week "due to His Majesty's full programme", said a spokesperson for Prince Harry. The honour would have likely passed to Prince Harry had he remained a working royal. Prince Harry founded the Invictus Games a decade ago as a Paralympics-style sporting event for military personnel and veterans. With plans underway for the first winter hybrid Invictus at Vancouver Whistler next year, Prince Harry said the team behind the games was "eager to celebrate the Invictus Spirit once again".

Kylian Mbappé admitted he was 'sad' and 'disappointed' after Paris Saint-Germain were knocked out of the Champions League, having lost 2-0 on aggregate to Borussia Dortmund in the semi-final. The forward however urged his team to keep working towards success. 'There's still the French Cup final and that's an important objective for the club and for us players. We're going to keep on working to try and win this final and another trophy.'

Press release from the Cal Poly Humboldt administration:The University wants to acknowledge that this has been an extremely challenging time for Cal Poly Humboldt. It has also been a very emotional time for our campus community and beyond, and we have much work in front of us to reset, rebuild, and heal. The University’s Time, Place, and Manner policy is content-neutral, approved by the University Senate, and fully supportive of First Amendment protections. In fact, this policy exists to protect freedom of speech and assembly while also protecting the rights of the entire campus community to a secure environment that is conducive to our educational purpose. There is no First Amendment right to enter and occupy a building to stage a protest and it is a clear violation of the University’s Time, Place, and Manner policy.

NEW DELHI: The United Kingdom is currently witnessing severe disruptions across its major airports due to critical staff shortages , leading to prolonged delays and widespread chaos. One traveler expressed their frustration, saying, "It's been a nightmare. I've been here for over five hours and still no word on when we'll board. "The ripple effects of these delays are being felt beyond the airports themselves, impacting local transportation systems and nearby businesses. However, as the situation develops, the travel plans of thousands remain uncertain, casting a shadow over the UK's travel infrastructure.

Manchester United reportedly considered signing Kai Havertz before he joined Chelsea in 2020. The forward has turned his career around since signing for Arsenal over the summer and has been one of the most in-form players in the Premier League in recent weeks. The Gunners have laid down a strong challenge for the title this season, though they could, once again, be forced to settle for second place behind Manchester City. Arsenal are currently one point ahead of Pep Guardiola’s side but have played one additional match. Watch all the Premier League and Champions League drama unfold on TNT Sports

Why Rafah matters to Israel militarilyPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has anointed Israel’s military operation into Rafah as a solution to both returning the remaining hostages held in Gaza and finally wiping out Hamas. “The entrance to Rafah serves two main war goals: the return of our hostages and the elimination of Hamas,” Netanyahu said in a video Tuesday, saying that the Israeli military began operations overnight. It did not happen.”There are an estimated 133 Israeli hostages still in Gaza, but it’s unknown how many are alive or in Hamas control. Hamas wants such a pause to eventually end the war, while Israel looks to only stop its fighting long enough to obtain the hostages before eliminating Hamas from Gaza. A compounding humanitarian crisisAhead of a full-scale military invasion into Rafah, Israel ordered some 100,000 civilians living in parts of eastern Rafah to immediately evacuate to the coastal town of Al-Mawasi.

May 8, 2024 at 7:43 AMA collage depicting a crowded and grimy Times Square, described as overrated in a survey of world's worst tourist traps. A reported 64.5 million tourists are expected to pour into NYC by 2024’s end — just a couple million shy of 2019’s record 66.6m, with almost all of them guaranteed to at least stroll through Times Square. Often referred to as the most visited tourist attraction in the world, Times Square appears to be leaving a majority of those visitors wanting more. The Big Apple’s beating heart performed worse than all of them, earning the neighborhood the embarrassing designation of ‘most overrated tourist trap’ in the world. The news comes as the neighborhood struggles to hold on to its modern reputation as a safe and vibrant destination.

Announce protest actions, general chit chat or give your opinion on issues we haven’t covered for the day. All in all, TDB gives punters a very, very, very wide space to comment in but we won’t bother with out right lies or gleeful malice. We leave that to the Herald comment section. EDITORS NOTE: – By the way, here’s a list of shit that will get your comment dumped. Sexist abuse, homophobic abuse, racist abuse, anti-muslim abuse, transphobic abuse, Chemtrails, 9/11 truthers, Qanon lunacy, climate deniers, anti-fluoride fanatics, anti-vaxxer lunatics, 5G conspiracy theories, the virus is a bioweapon, some weird bullshit about the UN taking over the world and ANYONE that links to fucking infowar.

This necessitates a more direct and initiative-taking approach from the U.S., particularly through the effective and timely implementation of the BURMA Act. Navigating External InfluencesEven though many in the neighboring countries and civil society organizations support a democratic Burma, but struggle with how to achieve it. Politically, a democratic Burma could set a precedent that some neighbors find undesirable amidst their own authoritarian leanings. Conclusion: A Strategic ImperativeAs Burma stands at its crossroads, the international community of democratic nations has a golden opportunity to guide and support its transition into a true democracy. Committed to the ideals of freedom and democracy, the international community should not squander this chance to help Burma join the ranks of democratic nations within ASEAN.