Category: Sports

After being held to 2-2 draw in a game with U23 Singapore, the national U23 football team of Laos is gearing up to win in the match against Cambodia on May 9 as part of the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).

Laos’ Vientiane Times newspaper reported that despite the result, local fans were satisfied with the performance of the team in the match against Singapore.

It said that the team plan to arrange a more solid defense in the match against U23 Cambodia on May 9, with a high resolve for a victory, or at least a draw. U23 Laos must not lose if it wants to go further in SEA Games 31.

Laos’s upcoming matches in Group B are not likely to be easy as it will face strong rivals of Malaysia and Thailand on May 11 and May 16, respectively.

According to Vientiane Times, U23 Laos hope to enter the semi-final, and even the final round. The Lao Football Federation has promised a reward of 100 million kip (nearly 8,000 USD), plus bonuses, for each win./.

Source: Lao News Agency

The Ministry of Education and Sports and Xieng Khuang Province have agreed to launch the 11th National Games in Xieng Khuang on Dec 13, 2022.

Vice Governor of Xieng Khuang Mr. Sivilay Sengchaleun, Deputy Minister of Education and Sports Ms. Khanthaly Siriphongphan, and Director General of the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education and Sports, Mr. Sengphone Phonamat met in Xieng Khuang to discuss the organizing of the sports event on Mar 7.

The 11th national competition event has been scheduled for Dec 13-22, 2022. It will be followed by the 3rd National Para Games.

Source: Lao News Agency

Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, held at the National Stadium in Beijing on Feb 20.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach attend the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at the National Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 20, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

Party and state leaders Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan attend the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at the National Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 20, 2022. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

Party and state leaders Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan attend the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at the National Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 20, 2022.

Source: Lao News Agency

Olympic Villages for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games in downtown Beijing, the Chinese capital’s Yanqing district and Hebei province’s Zhangjiakou officially opened their doors to athletes and team officials for the Games on Thursday.
Zhang Guannan, member of the operation team for Beijing Olympic Village, said the complex will house about 1,000 athletes and team officials from 44 countries and regions.
He added that in addition to quality accommodation services, the village also has fitness, entertainment and health care facilities to meet the needs of athletes and officials. A total of 678 dishes will be offered in a rotation with some featuring special options for the upcoming Chinese New Year.
Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., Chairman of the International Olympic Committee Coordination Commission for Beijing 2022, lauded the “wonderful facilities” in the village during his visit, adding that the athletes are very lucky to compete at Beijing 2022 in an excellent and safe setting.

Source: Lao News Agency

Russia is contributing to an undersupply of natural gas to Europe, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Fatih Birol said on Wednesday, noting it comes amid a standoff between Moscow and the West over Ukraine.

The Paris-based IEA, energy watchdog for developed countries, warned that the high energy prices and consumer pain wrought by the gas crunch makes the case for future mandatory storage quotas for European companies.

“We believe there are strong elements of tightness in Europe’s gas markets due to Russia’s behavior,” Birol told reporters, noting “today’s low Russian gas flows to Europe coincide with heightened geopolitical tensions over Ukraine.”

Russian gas company Gazprom reduced exports to Europe by 25% year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2021 despite high market prices and reduced spot sales while other exporters boosted them, Birol said.

“The current storage deficit in the European Union is largely due to Gazprom,” he added. “The low levels of storage in company’s EU-based facilities account for half of the EU storage deficit although Gazprom facilities only constitute 10% of the EU’s total storage capacity.”

Russian energy exports have been in focus amid a standoff between Russia and the West as Russia has built up its troop presence near neighboring Ukraine, which is trying to forge closer ties with NATO.

Some European Union lawmakers have accused Russia, which supplies more than 30% of the bloc’s natural gas, of using the crisis as leverage while Russia and NATO hold talks in Brussels on Wednesday.

Moscow has denied this and Gazprom has said it has fulfilled European contracts in full.

Yet Birol said Russia could increase deliveries to Europe by at least one-third through abundant spare capacity, the equivalent of 10% of the EU’s average monthly gas consumption or a full LNG vessel every day via commercially available pipelines.

In contrast to its dealings with the European Union, Russia is delivering natural gas exceeding its contractual commitments to China, Birol added.

“I think regulations in Europe should be reviewed to ensure that storage levels are in effect to cover end-user needs with mandatory minimum storage obligations for all commercial operators.”

Source: Voice of America

The World Health Organization says new data is emerging every day about the potential impact of the new omicron variant on the coronavirus pandemic, but that it is premature to draw conclusions about the severity of the infection.

Since omicron was detected two weeks ago in South Africa, it has spread rapidly to 57 countries. The World Health Organization says certain features of the new coronavirus variant, including its global speed and large number of mutations, suggest it could have a major impact on the evolution of the pandemic.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says omicron appears to be extremely contagious, with cases in South Africa rising more quickly than the delta variant. That indicates an increased risk of re-infection with omicron, he says, but adds that more data is needed to draw firmer conclusions.

“There is also some evidence that omicron causes milder diseases than delta,” he said. “But again, it is still too early to be definitive. Any complacency now will cost lives. Many of those who do not die could be left battling long COVID or post-COVID condition.”

Tedros says governments and individuals must act now and use all the tools available. He says all governments should re-assess and revise their national plans based on their current situation and capacity.

“Accelerate vaccine coverage in the most at-risk populations in all countries, intensify efforts to drive transmission down and keep it down with a tailored mix of public health measures,” he said. “Scale up surveillance, testing, and sequencing and share samples with the international community.”

The WHO chief is urging nations to avoid what he calls the kind of ineffective and discriminatory travel bans that were slapped on southern African countries days after they reported the presence of the omicron variant.

New evidence, however, reveals that omicron was present in western Europe before the first cases in southern Africa were officially identified.

The WHO is warning that governments are likely to withhold important scientific information if they believe they will be punished for being transparent.

The message may be getting through. Tedros notes that France and Switzerland have lifted their travel bans on southern Africa. He is urging other countries to follow their lead.

Source: Voice of America