$6B Budget for Next World Cup

🚨 FIFA are preparing a budget of around $6 BILLION for the 2030 FIFA World Cup. 💰 

The tournament will mark the 100th anniversary of the World Cup, with FIFA planning a landmark edition to celebrate a century since the inaugural tournament in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1930. 🏆🌍

And six countries have already secured their 2030 places after the global governing body for football officially confirmed the tournament’s unique hosting arrangement spanning three continents. Morocco, Portugal and Spain will serve as the main hosts of the expanded tournament, while Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will stage special centenary celebration matches. 

A US official told The Intercept that recent attacks had wounded “far more” personnel than are reflected in the Pentagon’s current casualty count. They did not provide numbers but said “dozens” had received medical attention. 

According to ⁠Al Jazeera citing CENTCOM, the ongoing conflict with Iran has resulted in 17 confirmed US military deaths, one service member missing, and over 420 wounded. 

And reporting by The Intercept previously found that the Pentagon’s official tally of dead and wounded personnel is a gross undercount, stemming from what one US government official called a “casualty cover-up”. 

There's nothing new about this because it has always been the US practice!

On the Iranian side, at least 3,000 have been killed according to Iranian reports and Al Jazeera's live trackers, though independent monitors like the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) estimate around 3,684 fatalities, with more than 26,500 to 27,000 individuals injured. 

We should anticipate that devastating human losses across Iran will escalate under the weight of continuous US bombardments. CENTCOM already announced they finished their latest round of strikes on Monday, marking the completion of the tenth consecutive night of American air attacks on Iran. 

And US President Donald Trump warned Tuesday on Truth Social that the United States was "not finished" attacking Iran. 

I say it again! Iran should stop pussyfooting with the evil regime that is the US. It's time to declare war and go on the offensive. 💣💣💣

A Thorny Hold-Up

Even though Malaysian durian prices are said to be depressed this season, the king of fruits remains a lucrative target, proven when three robbers hauled away four baskets of premium-grade durians after threatening two teenage orchard caretakers in Melaka. 

Jasin police chief Lee Robert said the robbery took place at about 11:30 AM on June 27 at a durian orchard in Anjung Gapam, Bemban, where the two teenagers, aged 17 and 18, were looking after the durian harvest. He said the suspects, who arrived in a car, loaded four large baskets of “IOI” durians into their vehicle before one of the teenagers confronted them. 

“One of the suspects became aggressive and brandished a machete to intimidate the teenager, while another made off with a motorcycle belonging to the father of one of the victims before they fled”, he said the following day. 

Lee said acting on intelligence, a team from the Jasin police arrested four men, aged between 27 and 35, in separate raids between 12:30 AM and 7:30 AM on the same day in Bertam Hulu, Kampung Paya Rumput, Masjid Tanah and Jasin. 

“Two of the suspects admitted their involvement in the incident, while another was positively identified by one of the victims as the person who stole the motorcycle”, he added. 

He highlighted that three of the suspects tested positive for methamphetamine, while checks also revealed they had criminal records. 

However, police were unable to recover the stolen durians.

I'm happy to share that Germany and the Netherlands had been eliminated in the knockout phase (Round of 32) of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Monday, after both suffered dramatic penalty shootout defeats. 

In fact, Paraguay President Santiago Peña signed a decree declaring the following day, a national holiday to commemorate the victory against Die Mannschaft (The Team). 

The match had ended in a 1-1 tie after extra time, and then, La Albirroja (The White and Red) stunned the four-time world champions 4-3 on penalties. 

And Oranje (The Orange) lost 2-3 on penalties to Morocco after also being tied 1-1 after extra time. 

In the meantime, Brazil avoided a major upset by coming from behind to defeat Japan 2-1, also on Monday. A dramatic 95th-minute winner secured the Seleção (The Selection/Squad) a spot in the last 16. I'm glad too the Samurai Blue lost!

🤗🤗🤗

6 Million Viewers Tune In to Watch Scotland Lose to Morocco

Whoa, a peak audience of six million viewers tuned in to watch Scotland lose 1-0 to Morocco in the World Cup on Friday. 

The figure was achieved across ITV, STV, ITVX and STV Player, with a peak of 1.2 million viewers on STV in Scotland, making it the most-watched television event on the channel since the team took on Germany in the opening game of Euro 2024, as cited by The London Standard (branded online as The Standard and formerly known as the Evening Standard). 

Richard Williams, managing director of audience at STV, said: “In spite of the disappointing result, it’s clear from the viewing figures that the nation was right behind Steve Clarke’s men... no other group of supporters comes close. It’s been great to have Scotland back in the World Cup for the first time in 28 years, and the ratings prove that shared experiences like this can bring audiences together like nothing else”. 

At its peak, the match had an 81% share of TV viewing.  

Fourth seed Sivasangari Subramaniam faced second seed Hania El Hammamy for the title decider at the PSA Squash Tour Finals yesterday. 

However, the Egyptian proved to be a formidable opponent, utilizing her speed and accuracy to halt the Malaysian's incredible tournament momentum. Hania beat Sivasangari 3-1: 11-6, 10-11, 11-8, 11-8 in 41 minutes. 

Scotland Loses to Morocco @ World Cup

Scotland's World Cup knockout took a big knock when the Atlas Lions secured a narrow 1-0 win in the Group C clash yesterday.

The Scots had a really poor start, the worst possible and allowed the latter to score in just 71 seconds. The Moroccan midfielder from PSV Eindhoven got in behind the Scotland defence and sent an absolute rocket into the top corner of the net. 

Scotland were just so passive and to be honest, I'd rather we go out of the tournament with a bit of bravery and gallusness. 

In the second-half, there was more control from Scotland, much more possession and much more aggression higher up the pitch. But, sigh, they couldn't score. 

Despite the setback, Scotland's World Cup dreams are mathematically still alive. A point against Brazil on Wednesday will likely be enough to earn the first ever knockout stage place for the Scots.

But that's assuming we'll want to aim for a draw outcome. You can plan all you want but believe me, football is so random that you're never promised to get that outcome. 

I say we go for a win! And a win over Brazil would guarantee Scotland a place in the next round. No ambiguity, no doubt, no uncertainty. 

Scotland can win!

China's "Great Green Wall", officially known as the Three-North Shelter Forest Program, is an ongoing, decades-long project to plant nearly 100 billion trees, stretching over 3,000 miles (4,800 km) across northern China. 

Launched in 1978 and slated for completion in 2050, it is one of the largest ecological engineering projects in human history. The purpose is to combat soil erosion, stop the expansion of the Gobi Desert, and protect farmland and cities from severe dust and sandstorms. 

And sure enough, it has successfully stabilized shifting sand dunes, reduced the frequency and severity of dust storms, and significantly boosted China’s overall forest coverage from about 10% in the mid-20th century to over 25% today. The expanded vegetation has also absorbed massive amounts of CO₂, transforming sections of the belt into a vital carbon sink.

Scotland Wins WC Opener

I declared on June 05 that in the FIFA World Cup, I am cheering for Scotland.

And yesterday, Scotland had a great start when they battled past Haiti 1-0 and go top of World Cup Group C – ahead of Morocco and Brazil who drew 1-1 earlier in the day – with their first win in the tournament since 1990. 

John McGinn put them into the lead in the 28th minute when his shot took a double deflection to land in the back of the Haiti net. 

Group C's standings after Matchday One:

Malaysia remains in a relatively strong position with sufficient supplies of fuel, food and essential medicines, thanks to early intervention and coordinated crisis management efforts, says Prime Minister’s Economic Adviser Nurhisham Hussein. 

Nurhisham (left), who also heads the Secretariat of the National Economic Action Council (MTEN) Crisis Management Task Force, said the government’s immediate priority since the crisis began has been ensuring uninterrupted supplies of critical goods and services. 

He told Bernama this week after the conflict in West Asia entered its 100th day on June 07.

Scotland at the 2026 World Cup

For the 2026 World Cup, I SUPPORT SCOTLAND!

Scotland are back at the World Cup after a 28-year absence.

And they have been drawn into a tough group with five-time winners Brazil, Morocco and Haiti as the Scots attempt to reach the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time in their history.

Scotland's 2026 World Cup fixtures are as follows:

GROUP STAGE 

Scotland vs. Haiti on Sunday, June 14 

Scotland's first game is certainly their easiest on paper, against the 83rd-ranked Haiti. The game, which kicks off locally on Saturday night, provides a great chance for a strong start.

Scotland vs. Morocco on Friday, June 19 

Morocco, now eighth in the world, are dark horses for the tournament after reaching the semis four years ago. Even a point from this game would be a bonus for Steve Clarke and Co. 

Scotland vs. Brazil on Wednesday, June 24 

Scotland's next test will be against the iconic Seleção, another side they faced in their last World Cup group stage in 1998. Back then, Brazil won 2-1 to kick off their tournament. 

ROUND OF 32

1st in Group C: Monday, June 29 vs. Group F runners-up 

2nd in Group C: Tuesday, June 30, vs. Group F winners 

3rd in Group C: Depends on third-place seeding

Just over a week until Scotland's World Cup campaign begins, tickets for the opening match are being sold on third-party resale websites. This is a shambolic situation because US travel bans mean that fans traveling from countries such as Haiti won’t be able to attend the World Cup to support their teams. If this is not discrimination, I don't know what is.

The situation highlights a disgraceful disconnect between FIFA’s global inclusive ethos and strict, localized US immigration policies.  

Football aside, Malaysian women's doubles pair Pearly Tan-Thinaah Muralitharan advanced to the Indonesia Open Badminton quarter-finals on Thursday after defeating Taiwan's Hsu Ya Ching-Sung Yu Hsuan. 

The world No. 2 beat the Taiwanese world No. 15 duo 21-18, 21-19 in a close second-round match in Jakarta. This will be their first quarter-final appearance since Pearly returned from a back injury at last week's Singapore Open, where they were eliminated in the second round.

And in squash, Sivasangari Subramaniam's challenge at the British Open ended in the third round on Wednesday. 

The world No. 5 was tipped to overcome England's world No. 8 Georgina Kennedy for a place in the quarter-finals but instead went down 11-9, 11-9, 11-13, 11-5 in 52 minutes. It was the Malaysian's fifth defeat to Kennedy in six meetings. 

She had received a first-round bye and on Monday, she defeated England's world No. 30 Lucy Turmel in the second round, rallying back from a game down to win 10-12, 11-2, 11-8, 11-9.

South African Men's Liberation from Colonial Naming Values

South African husbands are now legally entitled to adopt their wives’ surnames – a right previously denied under civil registration laws – the country’s Constitutional Court have found, in a ruling described as "historic" in local media. 

In the decision issued on Thursday, Justice Leona Theron (left) found that the prevailing legal framework imposed outdated colonial values and reinforced patriarchal assumptions. 

According the Citizen outlet, Justice Theron stated that the tradition of women taking their husbands’ surnames stems from a “a colonial import rooted in patriarchal norms where women were seen as legally inferior to their husbands and expected to assume their identity”. 

In her decision, Theron noted that the law’s failure to offer men the same right constituted unfair gender-based discrimination. The court suspended the declaration for 24 months, granting Parliament time to amend the legislation or introduce a new framework. 

The court’s judgment followed a legal challenge brought earlier this year by two South African couples: Jana Jordaan and Henry Van Der Merwe, and Jess Donnelly-Bornman and Andreas Nicolas Bornman. 

According to reporting by News24, applicant Henry Van Der Merwe had been entirely blocked from assuming the surname of his wife, Jana Jordaan, despite the couple mutually agreeing on the change prior to their marriage. In a similar case, Andreas Bornman was denied permission by the Department of Home Affairs to hyphenate his surname to include that of his wife, Jess Donnelly. 

There are generally no prohibitions preventing husbands from taking their wives’ surnames across Africa. For example, in Kenya, the law allows any adult to change their name for any reason through a gender-neutral process involving a deed poll. In Nigeria, name changes are also done via deed poll. In Zimbabwe, a notarial deed of change of name and gazette publication is required. 

The exception is North Africa, where countries like Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt do not provide for surname changes through marriage at all, spouses must retain their birth names, and any alteration requires a separate judicial or administrative procedure.

At the $366,000 Egyptian Open in Giza on Saturday, world No. 8 Sivasangari Subramaniam, who received a first-round bye, opened her campaign in the second round against Egypt's world No. 45.   

She beat Nour Heikal 13-11, 11-9, 11-5 in 29 minutes. 

In fact, she's Malaysia’s sole representative to advance to the third round, following the elimination of three other Malaysian players including Rachel Arnold, Aira Azman, and national men’s number one Ng Eain Yow.

The Atlas Lions Finish Fourth Best

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In yesterday’s World Cup match between Morocco and Croatia, the latter bested the former 2-1. 

 

And so, the Atlas Lions emerged fourth best. 

 

Both teams have exceeded expectation and both can leave this tournament very proud of what they achieved. 

 

Uganda yesterday lifted a two-month lockdown on two districts at the epicentre of the country’s Ebola epidemic, amid cautious hope that the outbreak could end soon. 

 

Since authorities declared an Ebola outbreak on September 20, the East African nation has registered 142 confirmed cases and 56 deaths, with the disease spreading to the capital Kampala. The two central districts at the heart of the outbreak, Mubende and Kassanda, were placed under lockdown by President Yoweri Museveni on October 15. 

 

But yesterday, Vice President Jessica Alupo (right) announced that the government was “lifting all movement restrictions and curfew in Mubende and Kassanda districts with immediate effect”. The two hotspots were under a dusk-to-dawn curfew, with markets, bars and churches closed as well as personal travel banned. 

 

“The lifting of the restrictions is based on the fact that currently there is currently no transmission, no contact under follow-up, no patients in the isolation facilities, and we are progressing well”, Alupo said in a televised address delivered on behalf of Museveni. 

 

Ugandan authorities said last month that new cases were falling, and the last confirmed patient with the disease was discharged from hospital on November 30. 

 

Alupa warned however that the government remained on “high alert” for any resurgence in cases.

No Fairytale Ending For Morocco

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was to be no fairytale ending for Morocco. Les Bleus nipped them, 2-0, on goals by Théo Hernandez (5) and Randal Kolo Muani (79) in the second semi-final on Wednesday. 

 

France had dismantled one World Cup dream as they moved a step closer to fulfilling their own as the thrill ride that has been Morocco's campaign in Qatar came to a painful conclusion. 

 

Never mind, they’ve done really well in this World Cup campaign – and truly, the gallant Atlas Lions deserve our loudest applause! 

 

The two giants, France and Argentina will now meet on Sunday to conclude this Qatar World Cup. Needless to say, I support Argentina!

 

Note: Morocco’s World Cup isn’t over. The team will go on the field again for the third-place playoff match against Croatia on Saturday.

Morocco and France Advance To Semi-final

Morocco’s extraordinary run in Qatar continued in yesterday’s quarter-final as they claimed another leviathan scalp when they beat Portugal 1-0 to become the first African and Arab country to reach the World Cup semi-finals. 

 

This is a massive victory for the game outside of Europe and South America, who have been the dominant force in the sport, winning all 21 previous editions of the World Cup.

 

Youssef En-Nesyri’s forty-second minute goal means Morocco are only the third country outside of Europe and South America to reach the last four, after the US at the first World Cup in 1930 and South Korea, co-hosts when they got to the semis 20 years ago. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the other quarter-final, goals by Aurelien Tchouameni (17) and Olivier Giroud (78) gave France a 2-1 win over England that reward the holders with a World Cup semi-final slot – after Harry Kane equalized from the spot (54) but then blazed a second late penalty over the bar on Saturday. Yay-y-y-y! 

 

France are now one win away from becoming the first back-to-back finalists since Brazil in 2002 and two from becoming the third team to retain the trophy after Brazil in 1962 and Italy in 1938. 

 

On both predictions, I was right! Just so you know, I’m still rooting for Morocco to turn on their magic and win their semi-final against France!

US Supports Ukraine To Fight On

The US backs Ukraine’s goal of forcefully reclaiming all territories that have voted to join Russia, and rejects any peace deal at this time, its Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) disclosed on Monday. 

 

Speaking after a wave of Russian missile strikes took out Ukrainian military and infrastructure targets on the same day, Blinken told a Wall Street Journal summit that the US would continue to arm Ukraine and bankroll its economy until it could “take back territory that’s been seized from it...”.

 

Furthermore, he asserted that while the conflict “will end almost certainly with diplomacy”, a ceasefire that freezes the current battle lines would be “a phony peace”. 

 

Ukraine will fight on and the world will bear witness to the country’s wholesale destruction. That's the price they're paying for poking the bear!

 

In the World Cup quarter-finals, I would like to see Argentina, Brazil, France and Morocco prevail over Netherlands, Croatia, England and Portugal respectively. 

 

I'm sure Morocco want more after their giant-killing run. Still, the country can expect to have a tough fight on their hands. 

 

But, don't underestimate them. They’ve come this far. The ball is round and anything is possible! I'm going to root for them!

Omicron Jitters

New cases of Omicron infection have since been identified in Australia, Canada and a host of other European countries like Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. 

Many Asia-Pacific countries have tightened borders and delayed reopening plans, dealing a fresh blow to the region’s already sluggish resumption of international travel. 

And some countries are even shutting their borders as health experts continue to study the latest Covid variant. Over the weekend, Israel and Morocco announced that the countries are closed to all non-residents. On Monday, Japan banned all foreigners from entering the country. And today, it’s China Hong Kong’s turn. 

Fears over the Omicron Covid variant mean all UK adults will now be offered a third dose of Covid vaccine, either Pfizer or Moderna. And the gap between second and third doses will be halved from six to three months.

Dr. Angelique Coetzee (left), a doctor and chair of South African Medical Association and one of the first to flag Omicron said on Sunday that the coronavirus strain's symptoms were so far mild and could be treated at home. 

No need to panic. Yet.

After 396 years, the sun has set on the British monarchy’s reign over the Caribbean island of Barbados – and Monday marked the birth of the world’s newest republic. 

It’s about time they dumped the Queen!

UAE Gives Sinopharm Vaccine the Thumbs-Up

A vaccine developed by China’s Sinopharm – and which is still in the third and final stage of clinical trials in UAE, Peru, Morocco and Argentina – has been given the thumbs-up in the United Arab Emirates. 

According to its media citing local authorities, it has been deemed to be safe and effective. 

So much so that on October 16, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, foreign minister of the UAE, received the vaccine, followed by Mohammed Abdullah al-Gergawi, the UAE minister for cabinet affairs. Not forgetting to mention that front-line healthcare workers in the UAE also got the shot. 

And yesterday, Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE and ruler of the Emirate of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Al Maktoum (right) announced on Twitter that he too has received the coronavirus vaccine shot. 

They didn’t want to wait for the trials to be completed and the findings finalized – suggesting complete confidence in the China vaccine. 

FYI, the UAE has so far recorded 135,141 Covid-19 infections and 497 deaths, according to yesterday's data collected by the Johns Hopkins University.

Yesterday too, I posted a Public Service Announcement about wearing a mask. 

But what if you forgot your mask? It can happen, right?

LOL!

19 Million Cases

Yesterday, the world hit 19 million cases. And a day earlier, the coronavirus pandemic death toll had passed 700,000. 

I suppose this is what is commonly referred to as the ‘second wave’. Again, if we examine the twelve worst-affected countries, they have combined to contribute 72.7% of the world total cases.

 

Two countries, the United States and India stuck out like sore thumbs. 

SARS-CoV-2 continues to plague the US as the number of cases went beyond 5 million. And India has become the third country to pass two million cases. 

In fact, it has taken 20 days for the country to progress from a million to two million cases. That is faster than the time the US (43 days) and Brazil (27 days) took to double from a million cases. The only saving grace is that India recorded fewer fatalities than both these countries.

I wish the country would focus on fighting Covid-19 rather than fighting China. 

Africa has a million people now been confirmed to have had the coronavirus – and 87.5% are coming from these 12 countries:

Mary Stephen, technical officer at the WHO's regional office for Africa warns: "We haven't seen the peak in Africa yet".

Africa Tops 400,000 Coronavirus Cases

Covid-19 is here to stay in Africa. 

Given the current trends in incidence – more so when the coronavirus pandemic transitions to more widespread community transmission – and underlying healthcare systems vulnerabilities, the continent is in real danger of becoming the next epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Note that it took 98 days for Africa to reach 100,000 cases – and just 18 to hit 200,000 and another 22 days to reach 400,000. On that Tuesday, the continent also registered 10,000 deaths.

It is pertinent to highlight that the twelve most-affected countries are responsible for 84.2% of Africa’s total cases; insofar as fatalities are concerned, the Top 12 contributed 87.7% of total deaths. 

Elsewhere, Pakistan garnered 200,000 cases on Sunday whilst India, Turkey and Colombia collected 600,000, 200,000 and 100,000 cases respectively on Wednesday:

It is heartening to know that Malaysia has reported positive news today with the number of active cases dipping below 100 – with 85 cases only.

200,000 Coronavirus Cases in Africa

The total number of coronavirus cases in Africa passed 200,000 yesterday, according to the World Health Organization’s office for the region. The continent had added 100,000 cases in eighteen days. 

According to the latest update by the UN health agency, 201,157 people have tested positive for the virus across the 54 countries in Africa, of whom 90,374 have recovered and 5,486 have died, the UN health agency said. 

The Top 7 African countries for confirmed cases are still the same as the list I had put out in my May 23 post (“The Covid-19 Situation in Africa”) – just that there has been a reshuffle in their positions, Nos. 3 to 7:

BTW, these seven countries constitute 72.3% of Africa’s total (or 1.9% of cases worldwide). 

Even for fatalities – where the Top 7 countries make up 81.8% of Africa’s total (or 1.1% of deaths worldwide) – it's the same seven countries as I last reported in May – except for a change in positions, Nos. 2 to 7. 

And just to compare with the Bottom 7 (i.e. the Least Affected countries):

The Covid-19 Situation in Africa

More than three months have lapsed since Egypt became the first country in Africa to confirm a coronavirus case. Since then, the outbreak has reached every nation on the continent of 1.2 billion people – with 100,666 confirmed cases and 3,105 deaths on Friday, according to Africa CDC. 

No doubt Africa recorded just a wee fraction of the world's coronavirus cases – a mere 1.9%. 

Also WHO modelling has predicted that Covid-19 would move more slowly through Africa than elsewhere. It's very comforting to know, that’s for sure.

Still, the fact remains that the virus is raging in pockets of the continent. 

And it has been hit hard by the economic fallout from global trade disruptions, falling oil and commodities prices and the lockdowns deployed to fight the disease's spread. That can be just as hurting. 

I read that the presidents of Ivory Coast, Kenya, Niger, Senegal and Sierra Leone on Tuesday are already complaining that wealthy countries are failing Africa, with pledges of financial support and debt relief falling well short of the continent's needs as it battles the coronavirus pandemic. 

But it’s not only Africa that is affected – but everywhere too.

Already, the global economy is shrinking by around 5%. According to World Bank estimates, up to 60 million people could be pushed below the poverty line in their latest apocalyptic prediction. 

World Bank president David Malpass (right) said they have so far loaned money for emergency programs in 100 countries, accounting for about 70% of the world’s population, in response to the coronavirus crisis. 

He said the money would “reinforce healthcare systems” as well as pay for medical equipment and supplies.

Many countries' economies are already in dire straits.