09-07-2021

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FriDAY, JulY 9, 20218Minister's products can be availedthrough online purchaseHuman life has come to a standstill in theglobal pandemic. People have becomehousebound. In such a situation, the onlyway to be safe is to be aware of the hygienerules. Therefore, the Minister Group isgiving special benefits in onlinepurchasing of various products includingelectronics products like LED TVs,refrigerators, and ACs. This offer can beavailed by ordering at home through cashon delivery and online payment with easyinstallments. It also comes withAsian markets down overFed signal, China techcrackdownHONG KONG:Asian markets were broadlydown Thursday after the Fed signalled apossible inflation-induced policy change,while concerns lingered over China'scrackdown on tech giants reports BSS.The Federal Reserve said Wednesday thatwhile rising prices were expected as the USeconomy recovered from the pandemic, theinflation jump was higher than expected.Officials said the US central bank needs tobe ready to pull back on its massive supportprogramme if this persists, according tominutes from a June policy meeting.But it gave no indication that a reversalwas imminent-a stance consistent withcommentary from Fed chair Jay Powell thatdid not jolt the market.US markets appeared ready to set asideinflation fears-at least for the time beingwithWall Street finishing modestly higheras both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq edged torecords. "It took some time, but the Fed hasfinally acknowledged rising inflationaryforces," Louis Navellier, Chairman ofNavellier & Associates, said in a note toinvestors on Wednesday."That's no small adjustment, but themarket has currently bought into the'transitory inflation' narrative-until the keyJune inflation data rolls in next week."The strong overnight lead from WallStreet provided some boost in Asia butTokyo was down Thursday morning withpossible gloom on the horizon as theJapanese government debated furtherCovid-19 lockdowns to fight a surge ininfections.guaranteed gifts and discounts on cashpayments, including toiletries. Besides,this will also help the consumers to avoidpublic gatherings, a press release said.Minister's Smart and LED TVs areavailable at home in installments of onlyTK 2,000 with the guaranteed gift.Moreover, there is a great offer on thefridge which is a 12-year guarantee on thecompressor. The fridge is available inmonthly installments of only TK 3,000.And as soon as the customer buys theSeoul was higher, as was Sydney whereinvestors did not seem affected by news thatthe lockdown in Australia's biggest citycould be extended.Wellington and Singapore were alsodown.Hong Kong stocks opened lower,extending losses into a seventh day, oncontinued concerns about China'scrackdown on the country's tech giants.Beijing's shock decision to remove ridehailingapp Didi from online platforms onnational security grounds sparked fears of awider regulatory move against firms onceseen as untouchable.Authorities this week suggested they couldrevise rules for Chinese companies listedoverseas-a move that would clip the wings ofmajor firms such as Alibaba, Tencent andBytedance and potentially limit their abilityto attract foreign capital.Investors were more upbeat in mainlandChina, where markets opened up onindications from Beijing that it wouldincrease support to business, in part byexpanding the liquidity available to banks.The triumphant recovery from thepandemic in the world's second-largesteconomy had shown signs of slowing inrecent weeks, with key factory data edgingdown in June and factory gate inflationsoaring.China's State Council said Wednesdayfollowing a meeting that it was prepared to"use monetary policy tools... to enhancefinancial support to the real economy,particularly to smaller businesses."fridge, he/she gets Minister's rice cookerand toiletries products for free. There arealso special discounts on online bookingsof Minister AC. Minister Inverter AC's aremade by the Japanese brand PanasonicCompressor with a 12-year guarantee andthey can be purchased from the Minister'sonline shop with a monthly installment ofonly TK 5,000. Moreover, human careand toiletries products are also availableonline as well as in the supermarkets ofthe country.Nagad launch self PIN reset optionThe annoying hassle offorgetting and resetting PINnumber of the customersfinally come to an end as thedynamic mobile financialservice Nagad has launchedself PIN reset option, a pressrelease said.In this digital era of life,people have several PINnumber for differentservices, and it is verycommon that people oftenforget or mixed up their PINnumbers. Usually, forfinancial services, theprocess for restoring orchanging the PIN number istime consuming.Earlier, Nagad users hadto contact the help desk viaphone to reset their PIN butnow it is just a few clicks onthe phone. Nagad, theMobile Financial Servicearm of Bangladesh PostalDepartment, has nowintroduced self PIN resetsystem to smoothen up theprocess and reduce thehassle of users.For PIN reset, the userhas to dial *167#. This willlead to a menu where theyhave to press 8 in thekeypad to select the PINchanging option. In the nextstage the user will find twoother options, 1 forforgetting PIN and 2 forresetting PIN. Whenpressed 1 the user has toinput his/her nationalidentity (NID) number anda confirmation text will besent from Nagad. Then theuser will have to input thebirth date.In the next step, user willbe asked transaction relatedquestions like if anytransaction were made inlast 90 days, types oftransection and the amountof last transection. Bycompleting this step, theuser will be allowed to resetthe PIN number.Under its recentcampaign, 'Deshi Nagad-e,Beshi Labh' the MFSoperator has brought anumber of exiting andinnovative solutions toCanadian bankrobber jailed inSingapore,escapes caningSINGAPORE:A Canadianman who staged a rare bankrobbery in Singapore hasbeen sentenced to five yearsin jail, but will escape acaning due to an agreementthat allowed his extradition,reports BSS.David James Roach, whorobbed a StandardChartered Bank branch in2016, was extradited toSingapore last year fromBritain after the city-stateoffered assurances he wouldnot be flogged.The 31-year-old pleadedguilty to one charge of bankrobbery and another chargeof money laundering fortaking the stolen money outof the country.A court on Wednesdayhanded down the jail termand six strokes of the cane-amandatory punishment inthe city-state for robbery.But Singapore's interiorministry and attorneygeneral'schambers said theywere working "through thenecessary procedures tofulfil the assurance given tothe UK government" thatRoach will be spared caning.Roach strolled into thebank and took Sg$30,000($22,000) after presenting athreatening note, a rarerobbery in a country withone of the world's lowestcrime rates.make the customerexperience better andsmoother. The newlyintroduced self PIN resetservice is also a part ofNagad's continues processof innovation. In setting thePIN, the customer has tomake sure that the PINnumbers are four differentnumbers. Moreover, if thesame number isconsecutive, the pin will notbe set.Nagad Managing DirectorTanvir A Mishuk said, "Forthe past few days we havebeen working closely on thePIN resetting issue.Eventually the servicebecame available to thepeople. Now users will bemore self-sufficient evenresetting their Nagadaccount's PIN. If customersare aware and do not sharetheir PIN with anyone, nountoward incidents willoccur as there is no scope toaccess Nagad accountwithout having PIN."It is to be mentioned thatNagad never asks for thePIN number from its usersin any circumstances. So ifthe users receive any suchcall or request, they shouldnot entertain.Tokyo sharesopen lower asvirus fears lingerTOKYO: Tokyo shares openedlower Thursday with investorswary of possible gloom aheadas Japan's governmentdebates imposing furtheranti-infection measures,although strong Wall Streetshares provided some supportreports BSS.The benchmark Nikkei 225index fell 0.08 percent, or23.96 points, to 28,342.99 inearly trade, while the broaderTopix index slipped 0.02percent, or 0.45 points, to1,937.23.Tokyo shares are likely to gothrough a period of anxietywith an impending anti-virusstate of emergency for Tokyoclouding the outlook, OkasanOnline Securities said in anote."The Tokyo market isexpected to face heavyresistance," Okasan said.Still, bargain hunters arewilling to pick up good offers,providing general support forthe overall market."Tokyo is expected to comeunder another state ofemergency, posing furtheruncertainty for the generaleconomic outlook," Okasansaid.The country's leading ICTcompany "Synesis IT" isproviding technical assistanceto BTRC in the process ofregistering all types of mobilehandsets besides banningillegal and counterfeithandsets. In the meantime, allthe active handsets of thecustomers in the network havebeen automatically registeredwith National EquipmentIdentity Registrar (NEIR). Itmay be mentioned here that,the"BangladeshTelecommunicationRegulatory Commission" hasreportedly taken up the NEIRproject to prevent the importof illegal mobile handsets,reduce the level of theft,increase national security andrevenue by preventing mobilebasedcrime, a press releasesaid.The experimental activitiesof the National EquipmentIdentity Registrar (NEIR)have started from July 1. Thenew mobile phones that willbe added to the network, thevalidity of the handset will beverified through NEIR whilekeeping the network active. Ifthe handset is valid, it will beregistered automatically.In November 2020, theBringing back tradition:the coalmen reviving aCuban swampSAN AGUSTÍN: In a remoteswamp in central Cuba, menhew wood and build largepyres that smolder for days asthey keep vigil, reports BSS.They are the coalmen ofCienaga de Zapata, revivingan old tradition of makingcharcoal-not in industrialfurnaces, but open-air fires."It's a little hard, but I likeit," said 59-year-old DanielDiaz, his face and clothesblackened by soot.He is one of a few dozenmen taking part in agovernment-sponsored jobcreationprogram to bringback traditional charcoalmakingto an area where itused to be a way of life.Diaz lives with his family ina wooden house next to a riverin the Cienaga de Zapatanational park in theCaribbean's largest wetland.He is one of few in the projectto have worked in coalproduction before-with alocal company Synesis ITsigned an agreement withBTRC to implement the NEIRproject. According to theagreement, they haveintroduced the NationalEquipment Identity Register(NEIR) system within thestipulated time.Meanwhile, there is a hugeLONDON : Ethnic minorities, the selfemployedand low-income families in Britainsuffered greater deprivation levels during thecoronavirus pandemic despite "surprisinglypositive" living standards figures, a reportpublished on Thursday found reports BSS.The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) thinktank'sannual report on living standards,poverty and inequality identified these groupsas the hardest-hit, even as unprecedented statesupport mitigated the worst effects of the crisis.The research follows other studies showingthat Britain's ethnic minorities were morelikely to suffer worse health and economicoutcomes during the pandemic and less likelyto accept vaccines."How fast and to what extent these groupsrecover as the economy reopens will be a keydeterminant of the pandemic's legacy," saidreport co-author Tom Wernham.Some 15 percent of Britons from minorityethnic backgrounds were behind theirhousehold bills at the start of 2021, comparedwith 12 percent before the pandemic.The proportion of adults of Pakistani andBangladeshi origin living in households whereall adults were unemployed or furloughedremained 10 percentage points higher at thebeginning of 2021 than pre-pandemic levels, asmany of these households relied on one incomeearner.Household worklessness for black adultsrose 2.4 percentage points, higher than thenational average of 1.9, the report added.The share of self-employed workers who lostcareer of 33 years behind him.His house is just a fewmeters from the charcoalfires. Behind him stands a tallwood pyramid, soon to becovered in straw and soil forthe combustion process whichtakes five or six days toproduce charcoal.Diaz will keep an eye on theprocess "day and night" toensure the thick smoke doesnot become fire.As he labors, his nine-yearolddaughter plays in the rivernearby.Charcoal is made,traditionally and in moderntimes, by heating wood in alow-oxygen environment.With some 80,000 tonssent abroad every year,mainly to Europe, charcoal isone of sanctions-strickenCuba's largest exports, thoughalmost all of it is nowproduced on industrial scale.In Cuba, the traditional"carboneros" of Cienaga dedemand of around three croremobile handsets inBangladesh every year ofwhich 25 to 30 percent ofsmartphones are importedillegally. Due to this, thegovernment loses revenue of 1thousand to 1 thousand 200crore. Moreover, the NEIRsystem will reduce the level ofZapata are famous: it is withthem that Fidel Castro spenthis first Christmas after therevolution of 1959.Photographs from the timeshow the revolutionary leadersurrounded by coalmen andtheir families in the regionotherwise known for itscrocodiles.Over the years, however, thetraditional way of makingcharcoal has been largelyabandoned.Now the government isseeking to bring it back."They had a shortage ofexperienced people. So theycame looking for me," saidOrlando Prado, 73, retireduntil he was brought onto theproject when it started lastyear.In a large hangar on theriver bank, ancient machinesare being restored to producethe wooden tools used tocollect and transport thecharcoal produced.Synesis IT is Assisting BTRCfor mobile phone registrationUS raises concernsabout Mexicoenergy reformsMEXICO CITY:The UnitedStates voiced concernsWednesday about MexicanPresident Andres ManuelLopez Obrador's plannedreforms boosting the state'srole in the energy sector,during talks on a revampedNorth American trade dealreports BSS."With respect to theenergy policies that we seebeing discussed andenvisioned by the LopezObrador administration, weare watching very closely,"US Trade RepresentativeKatherine Tai told reportersin Mexico City."We are raising ourconcerns. We are here toengage and we will beexploring avenues foraddressing our concerns,"she said after talks withMexican Economy SecretaryTatiana Clouthier andCanadian Trade MinisterMary Ng.Tai sidestepped a questionabout whether Mexico wasin breach of the year-oldUnited States-Mexico-Canada Agreement(USMCA) following itsrecent decision to selectstate-run Pemex to operate amajor offshore oil field.mobile phone theft as well asvarious types of mobile phonebasedcrimes.Rupayan Chowdhury,Group CEO, Synesis IT said,"We have been able to launchNEIR within the stipulatedtime and it has beenimplemented by our owntechnology and local skilledengineers, which we considerto be a symbol of Bangladesh'scapability in informationtechnology. We believe thatNEIR will play an importantrole in the economy andnational security of thecountry.Aminul Bari Shuvro,General Manager and Head ofInformation Technology andInfrastructure, Synesis IT,said, "With the sincerecooperation of BTRC, we havebeen able to successfullylaunch the pilot activities ofNEIR on time. This project is asymbol of Bangladesh'scapability. This capabilityproves that, we have kept pacewith the world. I believe that,the radiant youth andpatriotism that I see amongour young technologists willlead the way to a truly DigitalBangladesh.UK pandemic hammeredminorities, self-employedall work in the first lockdown in March 2020and fell behind household bills is now 15percent, up from two percent before thepandemic.Despite the government's flagship furloughscheme, which has paid millions of workers'wages since March 2020, 36 percent of selfemployedworkers-many of whom work in thehard-hit events, arts and culture sectors-wereineligible for the government's self-employedincome support scheme.Researchers also found that more familiessuffering from in-work poverty fell behind onbills during Britain's first nationwide lockdownfrom last March, with the share jumping fromnine to 21 percent.The figure receded to 10 percent in the firstquarter of 2021, but 13 percent of such familiesexpect their financial situation to deteriorate inthe near future.One of the report's authors, Tom Waters,said the furlough scheme's success largelyexplained Britain's "surprisingly positive"deprivation and labour market statistics.But he added that people's ability to return totheir old jobs or find new ones would be the keyfactor for living standards as support waswithdrawn.The government's furlough scheme initiallypaid 80 percent of employees' wages to preventmass job losses but is to be phased out by theend of September.An increase of £20 ($28, 23 euros) per weekto its main social security payment, UniversalCredit, is also due to end at that time.
FRiDAY, JULY 9, 20219England's forward Harry Kane (L) shoots and scores a goal during the UEFA EURO 2020 semi-finalmatch against Denmark at Wembley Stadium in London on July 7, 2021.Photo: APKane extra-time goal takes Englandinto Euro 2020 finalSPORTS DESKEngland will play in their first majortournament final for 55 years aftercoming from behind to beat Denmark2-1 after extra time in front of adelirious 65,000 crowd at Wembley inWednesday's Euro 2020 semi-final,reports UNB.MikkelDamsgaard's stunning freekickafter 30 minutes threatenedanother semi-final disappointment forGareth Southgate's side, three years onfrom losing in the last four of the WorldCup.But Simon Kjaer's own goal eightminutes later and Harry Kane's extratimewinner on the rebound after hispenalty was saved by KasperSchmeichel means England willattempt to win the EuropeanChampionship for the first time whenthey face Italy back at Wembley inSunday's final.Defeat ends Denmark's fairytale runto the semi-finals, the furthest theyhave been at a tournament sincewinning Euro 92.The Danes' tournament began innearly-tragic circumstances when starmidfielder Christian Eriksen suffered acardiac arrest in their opening gameagainst Finland.Kasper Hjulmand's men have sinceridden an emotional wave and playedplenty of slick football in sticking fourgoals past Russia and Wales on theirway to the semi-finals.However, England's huge advantageGovt. determined tokeep sports freefrom doping; RusselSPORTS DESKState Minister for Youth andSports Mohammad ZahidAhsan Russel, MP said thegovernment has announceda zero tolerance policy tokeep the sports free fromdoping, reports BSS."The government hasalways been focused onclean sports and has beenencouraging transparentand clean sports. Under theclear direction of PrimeMinister and leader of thepeople Sheikh Hasina, theMinistry of Youth andSports is working intensivelyto make the sports arenadoping free. We expectcooperation from variousinternational organizations.We are committed tofollowing the guidelinesgiven by the World AntidopingAgency," Russel saidwhile speaking at a virtualconference organized by theWorld Anti-Doping Agency(WADA) Wednesday.The State Minister saidthat besides the economicdevelopment of Bangladesh,the sports sector is alsomoving forward at abreakneck pace. And thishas been possible thanks tothe sports-friendly PrimeMinister who has alwaysshown interest in sports andoften inspires athletes whohave a sign of success intheir respective fields.The intense passion of thePrime Minister towards thecountry's sports has takenBangladesh to a uniqueheight in the world sportsarena in recent times.in having six of their seven matches onhome soil has paid off as they were thephysically fresher side in the latterstages.Roared on by the deafening noisecreated by the biggest crowd for anEngland game in nearly two years, thehosts came flying out of the traps.Kane's teasing cross just evadedRaheem Sterling as he burst in towardsthe far post.Denmark settled after a shaky startand started to pose a threat themselvesas Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg shot straightat Jordan Pickford before MartinBraithwaite and Damsgaard saw effortsfly off target.Damsgaard stunner -England were on a national recordrun of seven consecutive clean sheets,but were finally breached in spectacularfashion by Damsgaard's free-kick thatflew into the top corner.Any questions over how Southgate'smen would react to falling behind forthe first time in the tournament wereemphatically answered as Englandrapidly hit back.Sterling should have equalised whenhe fired straight into Schmeichel'smidriff with just the 'keeper to beat.Moments later, the hosts were levelwhen Kane freed Bukayo Saka downthe right and Kjaer turned into his ownnet under pressure from Sterling.Denmark's exertions in being forcedinto a 9,000-kilometre (5,592 mile)round trip for their quarter-final winover the Czech Republic showed in thesecond half as they desperately tried tokeep England at bay.Penalty controversy -Schmeichel produced anotherstunning save from Harry Maguire'sheader low to his right, while Kanecould not get a telling connection in agoalmouth scramble in the 96thminute.Hjulmand made all five of his allottedsubstitutions before the 90 minuteswere up to give his side an extra boostof energy, but they could not get anyforward momentum.Schmeichel kept his side in the gamein extra time with another agile lowsave to his right to deny Kane beforerepelling a Jack Grealishpiledriver.England's pressure finally paid off incontroversial circumstances whenSterling was awarded a soft penalty fora challenge by JoakimMaehle in the104th minute.Schmeichel even denied Kane fromthe spot but the ball fell kindly for theEngland captain to sweep home hisfourth goal of the tournament.Southgate was the fall guy whenEngland last made it to a Euro semifinal25 years ago as he missed thedecisive penalty in a shoot-out defeat toGermany.But he has the ultimate shot atredemption come Sunday asEngland have the chance to finallybring a major trophy home after somany years of hurt.Roger Federer knocked outby Hubert Hurkacz inheaviest defeat at SW19SPORTS DESKRoger Federer crashed out of Wimbledon inthe quarter-finals at the hands of Poland'sHubert Hurkacz on Wednesday, potentiallybringing down the curtain on the Swisslegend's All England Club career, reports UNB.Federer, the 20-time Grand Slam title winnerwho turns 40 next month, lost 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 6-0 to a player 15 years his junior.It was only the eight-time Wimbledonchampion's 14th defeat at the tournament in119 matches and his first straight-sets loss sincean opening round exit against Mario Ancic in2002. It was also the first time he had lost a set6-0 at Wimbledon."It's super special to have played Roger here,it's a dream come true," said Hurkacz. "He'sdone so many special things here."World number 18 Hurkacz, 24, had never gotbeyond the third round of a Grand Slam beforethis Wimbledon. However, boosted by havingdefeated world number two Daniil Medvedevin five sets in the last 16, he was a break up ona sluggish-looking Federer in the sixth game ofthe opening set.The Swiss star, who underwent two kneesurgeries in 2020, carved out a break for 2-0 inthe second set.He couldn't hang on and Hurkacz levelled inthe seventh game from 1-4 down beforedominating the tiebreak.Federer looked off-colour and he was quicklydown 0-2 in the third set before Hurkaczwrapped up the decider in just 29 minutes.He is only the second Polish man to reach thesemi-finals at Wimbledon - Jerzy Janowiczbeing the other in 2013.Up next is a clash with Matteo Berrettini ofItaly, who defeated close friend Felix Augier-Aliassime 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 to reach the semifinalsfor the first time. The 25-year-old is onlythe second Italian to reach the last four afterNicola Pietrangeli in 1960."I noticed the mis-hits, awkward lookingRoger Federer knocked out in quarterfinals as Hubert Hurkacz pulls offanother major upset.Photo: APUmar Akmalapologisesfor not reportingspot-fixing approachesSPORTS DESKClaiming to have learnt hislessons, controversialPakistan batsman UmarAkmal has apologised fornot reporting corruptapproaches last year, whichled to him being banned for12 months, reports UNB.Umar, 30, was last yearsuspended by the PakistanCricket Board (PCB) for notreporting spot-fixingapproaches made to himbefore the start of thePakistan Super League(PSL) matches."Seventeen months ago, Imade a mistake whichcaused damage to my cricketand career. I learnt a lotduring this time and due tothat mistake Pakistancricket's reputation sufferedbadly. I ask for forgivenessfrom the PCB and fromcricket fans around theworld," said Akmal in avideo released by the PCB onWednesday.Akmal admitted that theperiod had been "verydifficult for him"."Some people approachedme but I was unable toreport the same to the anticorruptionunit, due towhich I had to face a 12-month ban. I couldn't playcricket despite being acricketer.Stellar Brazil vs Argentina finalfor emergency Copa AmericaSPORTS DESKThe most improvised Copa America willhave the final most of the fans dreamed of,reports UNB.Brazil and Argentina play for the SouthAmerican title on Saturday at Rio deJaneiro's historic Maracana Stadium, one ofsoccer's spiritual homes. It should be amemorable ending to a tournament plaguedby setbacks and moved at the last minute toone of the countries hardest-hit by COVID-19.Neymar's Brazil team, the defendingchampions, and Lionel Messi's challengershave won a combined seven World Cups and23 continental titles.The Argentine star wants to lift his firstmajor trophy with his country, which hasn'twon any since 1993. Messi played and lostthe Copa America finals of 2007, 2015 and2016 and the 2014 World Cup, the latteragainst Germany at the Maracana."What I want the most is to win a title withthe national team," captain Messi said afterTuesday's 3-2 penalty shootout victoryagainst Colombia in the semifinal."We aim high, we managed to get the firstobjective, which was to play the final, playevery match. Now we aim higher than ever."Neymar was ruled out of the 2019 Copadue to injury. He said after Brazil's 1-0 winagainst Peru on Monday that he wanted toface Argentina in the decider."But Brazil wins the final," Neymarjokingly said. He was one of the players whoexpressed concerns about the late decision tostage the tournament in his country afterArgentina and Colombia were dropped asco-hosts.Brazil became Copa America host only twoweeks before the opener.Messi and Neymar, who won theChampions League together with Barcelonain 2015, are good friends. They were onopposite sides in 2011 when the Catalangiants thrashed Brazil's Santos 4-0 in theClub World Cup final.Argentina and Brazil have faced off morethan 100 times, but only in four deciders.Argentina won the first of them 2-0 in 1937for the South American championship, thepredecessor of the Copa. Brazil won theother three.Brazil beat Argentina 4-2 on penalties towin the 2004 Copa after striker Adrianolevelled the game at 2-2 with the last shot inregular time.One year later, the two arch rivals met forthe Confederations Cup title in Germany.The Selecao hammered Argentina 4-1 afteranother great display by Adriano, who wasplaying alongside Kaka and Ronaldinho.Argentina was heavy favorite to win the2007 Copa, but Brazil crushed Messi's hopeswith a 3-0 win in the final.Brazil also beat Argentina in the previousCopa. A 2-0 victory in the semifinal camewith goals by Gabriel Jesus and RobertoFirmino.Jesus is out of Saturday's final due tosuspension and Firmino may have lost hisplace to Lucas Paquet. Argentina hopes towin its 15th continental title and equalUruguay's record tally. Brazil seeks its 10thSouth American trophy.The final will be played in an emptyMaracana due to health protocols.Argentina and Brazil have faced off more than 100 times, but only in four deciders.Japan declaresstate of emergency2 weeks ahead ofTokyo OlympicsSPORTS DESKSurging COVID-19 cases inTokyo have hit a two-monthhigh that almost guaranteesthe Japanese governmentwill declare a new state ofemergency to start nextweek and continue for theduration of the TokyoOlympics, reports UNB.The pandemic-delayedOlympics open in just overtwo weeks on July 23.IOC President ThomasBach is scheduled to arrivein Tokyo on Thursday, whenhe will be greeted by therising cases as he selfisolatesfor three days in theInternational OlympicCommittee's five-star hotelin the capital.A new state of emergencycould lead to a ban even onlocal fans. That decision onfans is expected Friday whenlocal organizers meet withthe IOC and others.The present quasi-state ofemergency ends Sunday.Tokyo reported 920 newcases on Wednesday, upfrom 714 last Wednesday. Itis the highest total since1,010 were reported on May13.Prime MinisterYoshihideSuga met with keyministers to discuss virusmeasures and reportedly isconsidering reinstating astate of emergency in thecapital until Aug. 22. TheOlympics end on Aug. 8.Photo: FileNBA Finals: Chris Paulturns back clock toinspire Suns in Game 1SPORTS DESKIt took Chris Paul 16 years to make it to theNBA Finals for the first time in his career.But when the 36-year-old took to thePhoenix Suns Arena court for Game 1 againstthe Milwaukee Bucks, he turned back theclock to sink in 32 points and make nineassists, as the Suns recorded a 118-105 win,reports UNB.First time's the charmPaul, nicknamed 'Point God' for his abilityto read defences, exploit switches and hisawareness for player positioning was on fulldisplay in his first NBA Finals appearance.He made 12 of his 19 shots, which includedfour three-pointers from seven attempts.Half of his 32 points came in the thirdquarter where he scored six of seven fieldgoals.Coming into the Finals, only two playersaged 36 or above had scored over 30 pointsin a game with a 60 percent shooting successrate. Paul now joins the illustrious club thatincludes the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar andTim Duncan - winners of six and five NBAtitles respectively. Paul though, who standsat six-feet tall, is the only point-guard in thatlist.Suns rely on isolation playsGame 1 was won and lost in the Bucks'inability to guard Paul and shooting guardDevin Booker on isolation (one-on-one)plays. According to ESPN Stats and infodata, both of them were 12-19 when playingone-on-one against a Bucks player.Some of those plays started with the Sunsexploiting the Bucks' switching schemes -when defenders were moving to mark adifferent opponent. Both Paul and Bookerroutinely targeted Bobby Portis, a 6-foot-10centre who could only look on as Paul wouldblow by him and hit layups.The Giannis conundrumA crucial part of this series hinges on theBucks' star-player Giannis Antetokounmpo.The Greek centre - a two-time MVP - wasstruggling with a hyper-extended knee injuryand was doubtful ahead of Game 1. But theBucks played him and the seven-footerscored 20 points and made 17 rebounds -numbers that are lower than his usualscoring averages through this NBA seasonand playoffs.On the other hand, Giannis' free throwswere their usual erratic self and it did nothelp that the rest of the Bucks simplycouldn't earn enough trips to the line.Giannis attempted 12 of the Bucks' 16 freethrows, making seven of them while twomore were added by the rest of his team.This was in comparison to the Suns, whoscored 25 of 26 free throws. The home teamin fact have scored 87 percent free throwssince the Playoff stage this season - thehighest by any team in NBA Playoff historywith a minimum of 10 games, according toStatmuse.Stuck in the MiddletonThe lone bright light for the Bucksyesterday was Khris Middleton and his 29-point performance. The small forward hadthe unenviable task of matching the scoringof Suns trio Paul, Booker and DeAndreAyton - all of whom combined for 81 pointstogether.Giannis' injury could be a factor, but theBucks' 'big three' can't be a reality if JrueHoliday continues to remain absent in thesePlayoffs. The point guard scored a measly 10points and missed all of his four threepointersattempted.
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