Linesman supported "noble cause" with Haaland autograph move
BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romanian assistant referee Octavian Sovre's decision to ask Borussia Dormund striker Erling Haaland to autograph his yellow and red cards raised some eyebrows but the charity that is set to benefit from a cash boost is not complaining. "The red and yellow-signed cards which my kindergarten classmate Octavian donated to our SOS Autism Bihor centre will be used for a noble cause," Simona Zlibut, who oversees a therapy centre set up by parents, told Reuters. "My little girl doesn't know when to go to the bathroom, she cannot eat alone ... costs are enormous," said Zlibut. Assistant referee Sovre managed on Tuesday to get Norway international Haaland to sign the cards at the end of the Champions League quarter-final game between Dortmund and Manchester City at the Etihad Staidum. The 20-year-old Haaland is the most sought after talent in the European game and has been linked with a move to Manchester City and their local rivals Manchester United as well as Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Source:The Star
April 08, 2021 12:46 UTC
Auger-Aliassime to work with Toni Nadal
LONDON (Reuters) - Canadian youngster Felix Auger-Aliassime has added Toni Nadal to his coaching team ahead of the European claycourt swing, the 20-year-old confirmed on Thursday. Speaking to reporters via Zoom, the world number 22 said Nadal, uncle and long-time coach to 13-time French Open champion Rafa Nadal, would start working with him ahead of the Monte Carlo Masters which starts on April 11. "I will be working with Toni starting from this tournament," Auger-Aliassime, who is coached by Frederic Fontang, said. Nadal, 60, announced in 2017 he was standing down as his nephew's coach after more than a decade on the road. He now runs the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca.
Source:The Star
April 08, 2021 12:00 UTC
Lavish US$7mil wedding in Indonesia draws controversy amid Covid-19 curbs
The nationally televised wedding party was also attended by Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto and a slew of House of Representatives members. Atta, who has 27 million followers on YouTube and reputedly earns US$1.6 million (S$2 million) a month, married singer and model Aurelia Hermansyah on April 3. According to Atta, both top officials were invited as witnesses to their wedding. So my side of the family is represented by Jokowi, and Aurel's side of the family is represented by Prabowo." "People aren't allowed to hold wedding parties, but a celebrity's wedding is personally attended by the country's leader.
Source:The Star
April 08, 2021 09:45 UTC
Teratai rep: I quit DAP to protect party’s image
PETALING JAYA: Teratai assemblyman Bryan Lai Wai Chong says his decision to leave DAP was to protect the image of the party. In a statement on Thursday, party whip for Ampang Jaya Municipal Council, Chua Yew Chong said the “Team Teratai” respected Lai’s decision to leave DAP. “Team Teratai is saddened by what happened but thanked him for continuing to support DAP and Pakatan Harapan for the stability of the Selangor government. “We ask for the support from all levels of society in the Teratai state constituency so that we can continue to serve and deliver, ” he added. On April 2, Selangor DAP chairman Gobind Singh Deo announced that Lai had resigned as the state DAP organising secretary but remained as a party member.
Source:The Star
April 08, 2021 09:10 UTC
Tencent bets billions on gamers with more fans than NBA stars
Another 45 million tuned in online, about as many as watched the six games of the 2020 NBA Finals on TV. Tencent has placed pro gaming at the heart of its ambition to dominate online entertainment, from mobile games and video streaming to social media. “We are going for the direction of connecting eSports with our games and wider entertainment business.”eSports show how Tencent thinks about its long-term future. Much like real-world sports, all the action is visual and Tencent needs to only swap the commentary to localise League Of Legends content. Looking further ahead, TJ plans to organise the China league for other games in the same fantasy universe, Lin said.
Source:The Star
April 08, 2021 06:11 UTC
Kamara says racially abused every day after Kudela incident
(Reuters) - Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara said he has been subjected to online racial abuse every day since his confrontation with Slavia Prague's Ondrej Kudela in the Europa League last month. Kamara complained of being racially abused by Kudela in their last-16 match, with the incident sparking a furious response from his Rangers team mates and saw players clash on the pitch and in the tunnel afterwards. Kudela, who is being investigated by UEFA and Police Scotland over alleged racial abuse, was on Tuesday provisionally suspended for one game ahead of a hearing. "I've seen their fans, how they've reacted, and I'll get (racist) abuse probably every day on my Instagram," Kamara told ITV News. "I feel like I need to tell my story -- the online messages I've been getting, the racial abuse online -- Instagram, Twitter, everywhere else.
Source:The Star
April 08, 2021 04:56 UTC
Sarawak DCM to pay fine after viral video shows him without a mask in public
KUCHING: Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan says he will pay the fine for not wearing a mask at a recent public event. Awang Tengah said he had been contacted by the police over the matter and acknowledged his mistake. Of course I will pay it," he said at the Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation's assembly here on Thursday (April 8). Awang Tengah was responding to a viral video clip which showed him visiting hawker stalls without wearing a face mask during his visit to Matu on March 31. The video also showed him giving money to the hawkers.
Source:The Star
April 08, 2021 04:26 UTC
Former US varsity track coach charged with nude photo scheme
BOSTON: A former track and field coach at Boston’s Northeastern University was arrested Wednesday and charged with using bogus social media accounts to try to trick female student-athletes into sending him nude photos of themselves, prosecutors said. In one case, authorities say Waithe contacted a victim through an Instagram account and claimed that he was trying to help people whose nude photos were “leaked” get the images taken offline. He sent the victim nude photos of herself, which she told authorities had been saved to her cellphone. Authorities say additional victims were the target of a separate scheme to get women to send photos of him via email under the guise of “athlete research” or “body development”. Prosecutors say Waithe has also coached at Penn State University, the Illinois Institute of Technology, the University of Tennessee.
Source:The Star
April 08, 2021 02:26 UTC
Online fitness classes go mainstream
Last spring, when fitness clubs were ordered to close because of the pandemic, they started offering online classes as an option to their exercise-deprived clients. A recent report by British-based AMA Research, which tracks trends in health care, said that interest in online fitness classes is growing worldwide and predicted that the gains will continue at least through 2025. “Online fitness courses are rapidly gaining popularity due to the growing health awareness among the people, increased internet penetration and rise in smartphone users,” the report said. Everyone “from children to adults are taking huge interest in online fitness courses”. “They get a lot of energy from the classes.”There was an adjustment period when the online classes first started, Smith admitted.
Source:The Star
April 08, 2021 01:02 UTC
‘No short cut to losing weight’
“Managing obesity is not merely to reduce body weight. “Bariatric is another term for weight reduction surgery. “There has been more than 95% success rate of weight (reduction) in bariatric surgery.”On misconceptions regarding the surgery, Dr Mustafa, who graduated from Baghdad University in 2000, said: “There is no short cut here. Later, guest speaker Mohd Hasli Alfie Ahmad Sobri, popularly known as Chef Bob, shared his personal experience and what motivated him to undergo bariatric surgery. Another bariatric surgery patient, whose name was withheld, told participants that he had joined a fintech programme to get a RM30,000 loan for the surgery.
Source:The Star
April 07, 2021 23:47 UTC
Hakimi eyes decent jump in GP to regain form
Hakimi, who is from Perak, has not featured in any competition since he took gold in the Philippines SEA Games in 2019. “The Malaysian GP will be the first competition for all national athletes this year and I will be more than happy to jump further than 15.80m to win the gold. “I am competing to regain my form and rhythm after no competitions for the whole of last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, ” said Hakimi, who is coached by Firdaus Salim. At the Philippines SEA Games, Hakimi leapt to 16.68m to take his third consecutive gold medal in triple jump. “Competing against the top athletes in Europe will definitely push me to break my personal best and also my national record to win a place in the Olympics.
Source:The Star
April 07, 2021 23:15 UTC
COVID-19 vaccine not mandatory to compete in Tokyo, says USOPC
(Reuters) - The United States Olympic Paralympic Committee (USOPC) will help athletes find a COVID-19 vaccine but will not require them to get a shot to compete at the Tokyo Summer Games, CEO Sarah Hirshland said on Wednesday. Instead, the USOPC said it will provide logistical support connecting athletes and other personnel with places they can get the vaccine. "We are not tracking, we will not mandate the vaccine either for Team USA athletes nor for any other members of the delegation," said Hirshland during the opening session of the three-day Team USA virtual media summit. The USOPC is encouraging athletes and staff to get the vaccine particularly with Japan entering what appears to be a fourth wave of the pandemic just 107 days out from the Games Opening Ceremony. Carlin Isles, a former collegiate American football player and track athlete turned rugby standout, said that after initial reluctance he planned to get the vaccine.
Source:The Star
April 07, 2021 18:25 UTC
Opinion: Relax, Hollywood – Google’s win over Oracle is a good thing
The copied lines of code came from Java APIs, or application programming interfaces, that enable apps, websites and services using the Java software platform to interoperate. Unless you write software for a living, you probably don’t feel like you have a stake in copyright protection for APIs (or computer programs in general). Granted, the Los Angeles metropolitan area is filled with people who shudder at the thought of any ruling that seems to weaken copyright protection. But by copying the Java APIs, Google could count on a huge army of Java-fluent developers being able to write apps for Android from the get-go. The Java APIs gave Google a head start; Android went on to become the world’s most popular mobile phone operating system by far.
Source:The Star
April 07, 2021 11:26 UTC
Govt approved RM1.366b loans under SME initiative of PENJANA, says Tengku Zafrul
KUALA LUMPUR (April 7): The government had approved a total of 7,266 applications for RM1.366 billion in loans under the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) initiative of the National Economic Regeneration Plan (PENJANA) as of March 19, 2021. For the SME Soft Loan Fund operated by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), a total of RM11.82 billion has been approved and will benefit 24,921 SMEs. "This amount includes the Special Relief Facility (SRF), the Automation and Digitalisation Facility (ADF), All Economic Sectors (AES) Facility and Agrofood Facility (AF) funds. Meanwhile, as of March 26, the PENJANA Tourism Financing scheme had approved 308 applications out of a total of 626 applications, with a total funding of RM61.9 million. Tengku Zafrul also urged small traders and micro entrepreneurs to apply for the Geran Khas Prihatin (GKP) 3.0 where applications will be open until April 15, 2021.
Source:The Edge Markets
April 07, 2021 09:45 UTC
Singing opera in a surgical mask
No one loves wearing a mask at work, but spare a thought for the chorus of the Paris Opera, having to project through multiple layers of cotton and polyester. But having a mask strapped across one's face is far from ideal for a singer. "When one sings opera, there are deep inhalations and deep exhalations, so if breathing is restricted, we get tired very easily." In opera, the chorus often takes centre-stage, as in ever-popular set pieces like Va, pensiero from Verdi's Nabucco or the Gypsy Chorus from La Traviata. "The tests to join the Opera are extremely demanding," he said, requiring a mastery of multiple languages, musical styles and technique.
Source:The Star
April 07, 2021 09:00 UTC