Spain and Portugal will make a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup.
A symbolic ceremony was held before the nations’ Euro 2020 warm-up which ended 0-0 at Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium.
Spain’s King Felipe VI and Portugal president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa were present as each nation’s prime minister signed an agreement to support the bid.
Both teams wore T-shirts bearing ‘Vamos 2030’ before the friendly, which marked the centenary of Portugal’s first international – also against Spain.
“The governments of Spain and Portugal wish to express their desire and commitment to host the 2030 World Cup,” the agreement said
Fernando Gomes, president of the Portuguese Football Federation, and his Spanish counterpart Luis Rubiales, ratified an agreement signed last October to promote a joint bid.
“A message to the [other] national federations: if you give us your trust, when you come to our countries you are going to find an unforgettable experience,” Rubiales said on Friday.
The 2022 World Cup will be held in Qatar while Canada, Mexico and the USA will be joint hosts in 2026.
Fifa plans to select the 2030 host in 2024.
Spain and Portugal could face competition from other joint bids under discussion: one from the UK and the Republic of Ireland, and one from Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile, aimed to coincide with the centenary of the first World Cup in Uruguay.
Serena Williams remains the highest seed in her half of the French Open draw after a dominant third-round victory against Danielle Collins.
The American seventh seed beat compatriot Collins 6-4 6-4 and will face Kazakhstan’s 21st seed Elena Rybakina next.
Williams, 39, is one of just four top 10 seeds left in the women’s draw after Aryna Sabalenka lost earlier on Friday.
The Belarusian third seed was beaten 6-4 2-6 6-0 by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Williams is bidding to equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam triumphs, but has not made it past the fourth round at Roland Garros since 2016.
“That felt really good for me,” said Williams. “Things were not going my way. I had to earn it and turn it around.
“That was really positive for me going into the next match.
Why are there so few top-10 players left in the women’s draw?
Not since 2001 have so few top-10 seeds reached the women’s third round at Roland Garros, although there are varying reasons behind the absence of so many top stars heading into the second week.
In addition to the high-profile withdrawals of Ashleigh Barty and reigning US and Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka, for injury and mental health reasons respectively, world number three Simona Halep pulled out pre-tournament with a calf problem.
On court, Sabalenka joined a casualty list featuring Karolina Pliskova, Bianca Andreescu and Belinda Bencic that, in addition to an injury for 11th seed Petra Kvitova, has opened the draw up considerably.
Azarenka, the 15th seed, outclassed Madison Keys 6-2 6-2 to reach the last 16
An unseeded quarter-finalist is guaranteed in the bottom half of the draw with Tamara Zidansek – who beat Katerina Siniakova 0-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 – set to meet Romania’s Sorana Cirstea in the last 16.
While that should aid Williams in her efforts to make Grand Slam history, the American is also arguably housed in the most difficult quarter of the draw.
Should she negotiate her way past Rybakina, the 39-year-old would then face two-time Grand Slam winner Victoria Azarenka or Pavlyuchenkova in the quarter-finals.
“There’s still a lot of matches, a lot of great players, as we can see,” Williams said of the open draw.
“There’s so much depth in this game now, it doesn’t matter if you’re playing in the first round or not, you really have to fight for every match and nothing comes easy.”
Williams recovers from second-set stutter to win
There was little to separate the two Americans in the opening games, but characteristically powerful serving eventually put Williams in control.
The three-time French Open champion served five aces in the first set – work somewhat undone by two double faults – and an impressive cross-court volley earned her a break to go 4-3 up.
Williams held on from there to take the first set and was given a helping hand as 27-year-old Collins’ level dipped at the start of the second set, handing her an early break.
But double faults crept back in on Williams’ serve and as a result she gave away two games to the world number 50, who was playing her first tournament since undergoing surgery for endometriosis in April.
From 4-1 down, an increasingly fired-up Williams won the next five games to secure a fourth-round spot at a Grand Slam for the 64th time in her career.
Williams’ fourth-round opponent Rybakina claimed a comfortable 6-1 6-4 victory over Elena Vesnina earlier on Friday.
The American’s serve will be put to the test against the 21-year-old, who herself hit 12 aces in the third round and did not face a single break point.
Frustrated Sabalenka falls to shock defeat
Aryna Sabalenka has never been past a Grand Slam fourth round and was visibly frustrated during her defeat
Pavlyuchenkova, 29, has never been beyond the quarter-final of a Grand Slam but the Russian 31st seed came from 3-0 down to win the first set against Sabalenka.
The world number four – who has won five titles in Doha, Ostrava, Linz, Abu Dhabi and Madrid in the past 18 months but is yet to make an impact at a major – broke Pavlyuchenkova twice to take the second set.
But Sabalenka became increasingly erratic and frustrated after Pavlyuchenkova took an injury break for treatment to her thigh, failing to win a single game in the deciding set and hitting 39 unforced errors overall.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek, Elina Svitolina and American Sofia Kenin are the three top-10 seeds left in the top half of the draw, with all three playing their third-round matches on Saturday.
Tottenham have called off talks with Antonio Conte about becoming their next manager.
The former Chelsea boss, 51, looked set to replace Jose Mourinho after Spurs’ hopes of luring Mauricio Pochettino back from Paris St-Germain were dashed.
However, negotiations have ground to a halt and there is no likelihood of them resuming.
Suggestions from Italy are that Conte was starting to have doubts due to the transfer budget he was set to be given.
However, Tottenham also had concerns as well.
The Italian manager has a reputation for buying ready-made stars whereas, under chairman Daniel Levy, Tottenham’s reputation has come through development and building teams, as they did under Pochettino.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles on Friday night lost 1-0 to Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions, the first time the Cameroonians have defeated Nigeria in regulations time since 27 August 1989.
The winning goal came in the 37th minute when Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa fired home from the edge of the penalty box.
What was more, in eight friendly matches since the 0-0 draw with Uganda on 20 November 2018, the Super Eagles won just one – a 1-0 defeat of Egypt in Asaba on 26 March 2019.
The five-match unbeaten streak established since the 1-1 draw with Tunisia last September has come to an end.
Nigeria created a hatful of chances but were undone by lack of precision in the final third as Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions ran away with a 1-0 win in an international friendly in the Austrian capital, Vienna on Friday evening.
Andre Zambo Anguissa caught goalkeeper Maduka Okoye napping with a ferocious grounder after latching on to William Ekong’s interception nine minutes before the break at the Stadion Wiener Neustadt.
Before the goal, Moses Simon had seen his shot blocked by Anguissa as he broke down the left; Paul Onuachu’s close-range header had been thwarted by goalkeeper Simon Medjo’s reflected save; Okoye had saved from Karl Toko Ekambi and; Onuachu had lifted the ball too high when it appeared easier to score, all within the first six minutes of action.
Cameroon arrived the venue with their well-known power and grit, and added workmanship and vigour. The Eagles, who edged the two teams’ last encounter 3-2 in the Round of 16 at the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt two years ago, were quick on the counter and balanced on the turn but the absence of some players, particularly of Victor Osimhen and Zaidu Sanusi, undoubtedly told.
Ekong and Abdullahi Shehu had to spirit the ball away from danger before Simon’s shot flew inches away from goal in the 35th minute. A minute later, Cameroon scored and the momentum naturally swung in the Lions’ favour.
Despite this, Nigeria dominated a fiercely –contested second half. England –based midfielder Wilfred Ndidi was a pillar in the middle of the pack as always, and Alex Iwobi and Etebo also upped their game. An Iwobi, Simon and Onuachu orchestra in the 51st minute ended with Onuachu lifting the ball too high. Ndidi and Iheanacho also wasted chances. But the most painful was Simon blasting over from inside the six-yard box after a flurry of shots had been blocked by the Lions.
Medjo did a great job to accomplish a doube save as Ekong and Etebo unleashed shots in the 64th minute.
The introduction of Ahmed Musa in the 66th minute added even more urgency to Nigeria’s game, but there was still no way past the Indomitable Lions’ defence, with Musa’s own shot diverted from goal with 14 minutes left. Iwobi also blasted over the woodwork with three minutes left.
Both teams will clash again also in Vienna on Tuesday.
The White House warned corporate executives and business leaders on Thursday (Jun 3) to step up security measures to protect against ransomware attacks after intrusions disrupted operations at a meatpacking company and a southeastern oil pipeline.
There has been a significant hike in the frequency and size of ransomware attacks, Anne Neuberger, cybersecurity adviser at the National Security Council, said in a letter.
The threats are serious and they are increasing. We urge you to take these critical steps to protect your organizations and the American public,” she added.
The recent cyberattacks have forced companies to see ransomware as a threat to core business operations and not just data theft, as ransomware attacks have shifted from stealing to disrupting operations, she said.
Strengthening the country’s resilience to cyberattacks was one of President Joe Biden’s top priorities, she added.
“The private sector also has a critical responsibility to protect against these threats. All organizations must recognise that no company is safe from being targeted by ransomware, regardless of size or location,” Neuberger wrote.
Seven countries have begun using the EU’s ‘Digital COVID certificate’ to allows their citizens to easily travel across the European Union bloc.
The European Commission says seven member states – Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Croatia and Poland – have connected to the gateway and started issuing the first certificates. Other countries will follow suit when all functions are deployed nationwide, it added.
The certificate is available in digital or paper form, free of charge. The gateway allows for all certificates’ QR codes to be accessed.
The EU’s plan is for a single system to facilitate safe travel by verifying the pass holder’s coronavirus status – whether through vaccination, a recent negative test result, or proof of recovery from the virus.
More than 20 countries have successfully tested the system in the last month, the European Commission says. The launch follows an agreement between the European Parliament and Council on regulation.
South Africa’s struggling power utility Eskom Holdings Ltd will cut power supplies nationwide until Friday after more breakdowns at some of its facilities.
The state-owned company said it would extend cuts of 2,000 megawatts from the grid because of shortages caused by two plant failures. Eskom, which has faced delays in restarting two other generating units that were being serviced, said it’s been forced to ration power further after exhausting emergency reserves.
“The emergency generation reserves have been used extensively in the past days to avoid load shedding during the day,” Eskom said. “This has resulted in these being depleted, reducing available capacity.”
The utility, which supplies 95% of South Africa’s electricity, resumed rolling blackouts May 31. Eskom is saddled with about R400 billion ($29 billion) of debt that is adding to the government’s challenge of attracting new investment to stoke growth in Africa’s most-industrialized economy.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has called for global support to develop the resources in the Niger Basin area, home to over 160 million people who depend on the river as a means of sustenance.
The Niger River basin, located in western Africa, covers 7.5% of the continent and spreads over ten countries. The basin countries can be categorized into water resources producers, consumers, both producers and consumers, and minimum contributors and consumers.
The Basin is Divided into four Major Sections, Namely Upper Niger, Inland Delta, Middle Niger, And Lower Niger. The Niger River commonly called Djoliba in Guinea and Mali offers enormous development opportunities in the fields of agriculture, animal husbandry, fishing, fish farming, hydropower, hydraulics, and navigation, Buhari noted while declaring open the virtual 12th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Niger Basin Authority.
With digitalization accelerating globally, most major central banks are exploring and experimenting with central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs.
This includes the Bank of Korea, which will kick off a 10-month simulation study of CBDCs in August to test ways of issuing, redeeming and making payments with a digital won.
“There’s great need for central banks to issue CBDCs as a safe means of payment that is free of credit risks and liquidity risks.”
The BOK’s pilot platform requires partnerships with private companies.
The central bank will issue the currency, and private financial services institutions, and fintech and IT companies will be in charge of the currency’s circulation.
All this will be done in a virtual environment.
“This is the first step in constructing an experimental environment for technological research into CBDCs. In phase one this year, we’ll conduct tests related to payments and deposits. Next year, in phase two, we’ll test remittances between countries, offline payments, and digital asset purchases, such as the purchase of digital artwork and copyrights.”
The BOK will also choose a private firm as a technology supplier… through open bidding.
Some companies have already shown interest, such as Naver, Kakao, and the IT arm of LG Corporation, LG CNS.
German Foreign Office State Secretary Miguel Berger has condemned Hungary’s decision to block a European Union statement criticising China’s Hong Kong policy.
Posting on Twitter, Miguel Berger said he bloc’s foreign policy was being undermined and that there needs to be a serious debate on ways to manage dissent, including qualified majority voting.
Hungary blocked an EU statement in April criticising China’s new security law in Hong Kong, undermining the bloc’s efforts to confront Beijing’s curbing of freedoms in the former British colony.
Last month, Budapest refused to ratify a new EU trade and development accord with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, as well as declining to support an EU call for a ceasefire in violence between Israel and the Palestinians.
As part of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s quest to promote what he describes as traditional Christian family values, Budapest has also pushed against any use of the phrase “gender equality” in EU statements.
The European Commission on Friday declined to comment on the latest veto.
Hungary did, however, allow the bloc to sanction four Chinese officials last March over human rights abuses against the Muslim Uighurs in northwestern China.
Asked to comment on the Friday veto, the Hungarian government’s media office said EU sanctions on China were “pointless, presumptuous and harmful”.
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