Teleoperated robots can help perform patient care tasks while keeping healthcare workers safe

Team Sonnenwagen from RWTH Aachen University race in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, in Australia.

Homegrown Kelowna athlete Andrew Becker hopes to trade in his Regina Rams’ university jersey for a professional one.

The meatpacking industry has slowed down due to the coronavirus outbreaks at the plants. Meatpackers warn that it could lead to meat shortages and stores limiting purchases.

As Johor Darul Ta'zim ascend to the throne as the new Kings of Malaysian football, Pahang are emerging as the anointed challenger to the champions.

SHOWS:

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (FILE - JULY 11, 2010) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)

1. STILL PHOTO SHOWING ANDRES INIESTA SCORING THE WINNING GOAL IN THE FINAL OF THE 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP AS SPAIN BEAT THE NETHERLANDS 1-0

2. STILL PHOTO SHOWING INIESTA CELEBRATING AFTER SCORING

3. STILL PHOTO SHOWING INIESTA CELEBRATING AFTER THE FINAL WHISTLE AS SPAIN WERE CROWNED WORLD CHAMPIONS

4. STILL PHOTO SHOWING INIESTA HOLDING THE WORLD CUP TROPHY ALOFT WITH HIS TEAMMATES

5. STILL PHOTO SHOWING HOLDING THE WORLD CUP TROPHY ALOFT AMONGST PHOTOGRAPHERS

MADRID, SPAIN (FILE - JULY 12, 2010) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

6. INIESTA (RED HAT) NEXT TO XABI ALONSO ON OPEN TOP BUS PARADE AFTER SPAIN RETURNED HOME FROM THE 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP AS CHAMPIONS

7. BUS DRIVING PAST AS FANS CELEBRATE

MADRID, SPAIN (FILE - JULY 14, 2010) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

8. THEN SPANISH PRIME MINISTER JOSE LUIS RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO INTRODUCTING INIESTA AS SQUAD AND FANS START CHEERING HIS NAME

9. SQUAD AND FANS CHEERING INIESTA'S NAME

INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA (FILE - JUNE 10, 2008) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)

10. STILL PHOTO SHOWING INIESTA IN GROUP D ACTION AGAINST RUSSIA AT EURO 2008, WHICH SPAIN WON

KIEV, UKRAINE (FILE - JULY 1, 2012) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)

11. STILL PHOTO SHOWING INIESTA IN ACTION DURING THE EURO 2012 FINAL AGAINST ITALY WHICH SPAIN WON

NICE, FRANCE (FILE - JUNE 16, 2016) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

12. INIESTA JOGGING DURING TRAINING

SAINT-MARTIN-DE-RE, FRANCE (FILE - JUNE 24, 2016) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

13. INIESTA PASSING THE BALL DURING TRAINING

14. INIESTA DRIBBLING WITH BALL

MADRID, SPAIN (FILE - MARCH 26, 2018) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

15. INIESTA BEING HELPED UP AND WARMING UP DURING TRAINING

16. INIESTA JOGGING

SAINT-MARTIN-DE-RE, FRANCE (FILE - JUNE 23, 2016) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

17. INIESTA GREETING HIS WIFE

18. INIESTA HOLDING HIS CHILD

LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (FILE - MAY 27, 2011) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

19. INIESTA TRAINING WITH BARCELONA INSIDE WEMBLEY STADIUM AHEAD OF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL WHICH THEY WON AFTER BEATING MANCHESTER UNITED

BARCELONA, SPAIN (FILE - MAY 29, 2011) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

20. INIESTA AND LIONEL MESSI POSING WITH CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TROPHY

BARCELONA, SPAIN (FILE - JUNE 7, 2015)

21. INIESTA ON OPEN TOP BUS WITH TEAMMATES CELEBRATING WINNING THE TREBLE DURING PARADE

22. TROPHIES AND INIESTA CELEBRATING

BARCELONA, SPAIN (FILE - MAY 15, 2016) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

23. INIESTA ON OPEN TOP BUS DURING PARADE CELEBRATING BARCELONA WINNING LA LIGA

LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (FILE - FEBRUARY 19, 2018) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

24. INIESTA PASSING BALL IN CIRCLE DURING TRAINING

BARCELONA, SPAIN (FILE - SEPTEMBER 9, 2016) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

25. INIESTA JOGGING DURING TRAINING SESSION

BARCELONA, SPAIN (FILE - MARCH 18, 2017) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

26. INIESTA WALKING OUT FOR TRAINING

27. INIESTA WARMING UP

BARCELONA, SPAIN (FILE - MAY 20, 2018) (MEDIAPRO - ACCESS ALL)

28. VARIOUS OF INIESTA WAVING TO BARCELONA FANS DURING FAREWELL CEREMONY

BARCELONA, SPAIN (FILE - DECEMBER 18, 2018) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

29. INIESTA RECEIVING SPAIN NATIONAL TEAM MVP AWARD AT AN AWARDS CEREMONY ORGANISED BY MARCA SPORTS NEWSPAPER

TOKYO, JAPAN (FILE - MAY 24, 2018) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

30. INIESTA ARRIVING ON STAGE FOR SIGNING CEREMONY WITH VISSEL KOBE CHAIRMAN HIROSHI MIKITANI

31. INIESTA AND MIKITANI POSING FOR PHOTOS WITH VISSEL KOBE SHIRT

32. INIESTA'S NUMBER 8 VISSEL KOBE SHIRT

33. INIESTA AND MIKITANI

STORY: A shy village boy who could not bear to leave his parents' bed, Andres Iniesta may have seemed an unlikely candidate to become one of the best footballers of all time, but anyone who saw him play rarely had serious doubts.

Iniesta, who turns 36 on Monday (May 11), weaved his magic for Barcelona for 16 years and was one of the architects of the club's greatest era, playing a defining role as they won 32 trophies including nine Spanish titles and four Champions League crowns.

"This kid is going to retire us all," said Pep Guardiola when he first watched a teenage Iniesta in action while Spain coach Luis Enrique describes the diminutive midfielder as "Harry Potter, waving his wand".

Iniesta conducted an equally mesmerising orchestra for Spain and clinched his country's finest sporting achievement when his extra-time goal against the Netherlands sealed victory in the 2010 World Cup final.

That cold-blooded strike in Johannesburg's Soccer City Stadium forever endeared Iniesta to Spaniards no matter their allegiances, earning him standing ovations even when playing away to Barca's sworn enemies Real Madrid and Espanyol.

Most touching, though, was how he celebrated that career-defining goal -- ripping off his shirt to pay tribute to his late friend and fellow footballer Dani Jarque who died the previous year.

Jarque's sudden death and a series of injuries had led Iniesta into a severe bout of depression, things getting so bad that he asked to sleep in his parents' bed, just as he had done as a 10-year-old when home from Barcelona's academy.

He conquered his demons with the help of a psychologist and a supportive coach in Guardiola, who had never forgotten how Iniesta backed him when he got off to a rocky start in his first season at Barca.

That campaign ended with Barcelona winning the Champions League, helped by Iniesta's stoppage-time goal against Chelsea to reach the final, sparking a 50% surge in the birth rate in Barcelona.

Last week, he honoured the anniversary of the "Iniestazo" by calling up some of the children his goal had given life to.

"Iniesta is the boyfriend every mother would want for her daughter," said his former Spain team mate Sergio Ramos, summing up the player's universal appeal.

Iniesta called time on his magnificent spells with Spain and Barcelona in 2018 to see out his career in Japan with Vissel Kobe, where he is a role model for the club's future generations.

The only major thing missing from Iniesta's honours list is the prestigious Ballon d'Or, and when he announced he was leaving Barca, organisers France Football felt a pang of guilt for not giving him the award for best player in the world.

"Forgive us, Andres," said their editorial.

"Of all the absences on the list of Ballon d'Or winners, his is particularly painful."

(Production: Stefan Haskins)

Countries around the world are wrestling with how to ease curbs on business and public activity without having the coronavirus come surging back. Meanwhile some governors are seeking to bolster home-state production of vital medical supplies and protective equipment.

The coronavirus in Japan has brought not just an epidemic of infections, but also an onslaught of bullying and discrimination against the sick, their families and health workers. A government campaign to raise awareness seems to be helping, at least for medical workers. When Arisa Kadono tested positive and was hospitalized in early April, she was only identified as a woman in her 20s in food business.

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has compared the uncertain feeling during football's coronavirus shutdown to that of retirement.

Former Arsenal boss Unai Emery has backed Dani Ceballos to play a key part for the Gunners in their push for Europe if the football season resumes.

German football's restart plans have suffered a setback after second-tier outfit Dynamo Dresden were forced to quarantine their entire squad following two positive coronavirus tests.

The Queen is set to withdraw from her public duties for an extended period of time amid the...

The new system will be numbered from one to five, with level five being the most serious.

Japanese medical workers and infected patients have reported widespread incidents of discrimination amid the coronavirus pandemic.

There will be drop in temperatures compared to recent days.

The opening night of South Korea’s K-League presented a rare-treat for football fans starved of action, with reigning champions Jeonbuk Motors facing cup champions Suwon Bluewings.

Teams will be allowed to make five substitutions per match after the International Football Association Board (IFAB) made a temporary amendment to football’s laws to cope with returning from the coronavirus-enforced break.

The startup closed a bridge round with US-based SIG a few months ago.

The post SG-based healthtech firm mClinica seeks to raise $20m amid virus outbreak appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

The co-working sector is likely to stare at a spate of consolidations as lockdown drags down revenues of companies.

The post SEA’s co-working operators fight for survival amid COVID-19 outbreak appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

Marta was right when saying Formiga will retire eventually but PSG’s record-breaking midfielder is preparing for a seventh Olympic Games next summer

When England stepped out at Meadow Lane in October 2018, having qualified unbeaten for the Women’s World Cup, all eyes were on one opponent: Brazil’s six-times Ballon d’Or winner, Marta. Necks prepared to strain for a glimpse of the ageing giant of women’s football. It may have been a friendly but at 34 the Brazilian’s career clock was ticking. For most, it would be the only time to see her in the flesh.

When Marta limped off after 22 minutes the disappointment of the crowd was palpable. The Brazil performance matched Marta’s lacklustre mood but in the then 40-year-old Formiga they had a player who would not subscribe to her teammates’ indifference – with the young winger Ludmila the exception alongside her.

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Washington (AFP) - Orders for vaccines against diseases such as measles have declined since a national emergency was declared in the United States because of the coronavirus pandemic, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.

In the fight against COVID-19, Uber has extended support by offering free rides to frontline BMC healthcare workers and non-COVID patients in Mumbai through its recently launched UberMedic service.

All UberMedic cars are fitted with a roof-to-floor plastic sheeting enclosing the driver. Additionally, all drivers are being trained in safety procedures and provided with personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves, sanitisers and disinfectants to sanitise the cars between rides.

The agreement is part of Uber’s recent offer to provide free rides worth Rs 1 crore to the Maharashtra government. Prabhjeet Singh, Director, Operations and Head of Cities, Uber India & South Asia, said, “The BMC has been working tirelessly to contain the spread of COVID-19. We feel privileged to be supporting them in these challenging times and will help move what matters by leveraging our global experience, technology and network of drivers.”

Uber’s recently launched UberMedic service has been transporting frontline medical workers in 35+ hospitals across 23 Indian cities.

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The city might miss seeing Lord Ganesh in his full glory this year, as work on the gigantic idols, which usually adorn the biggest and richest pandals during Ganesh Chaturthi, has taken a big hit due to the Coronavirus outbreak and the resulting lockdown. Sculptors, who usually start work in May for the annual festival that will be celebrated on August 22 this year, have been forced to put all orders on hold, as raw materials aren't available, and most of the artisans are stuck in their hometowns. The government too, hasn't given permission to begin work. With the lockdown extended till May 17, the sculptors say that mandals might have to settle for scaled-down versions of the idol.

Mumbai has over 10,000 sarvajanik Ganesh mandals. To ensure that the idols are delivered on time, sculptors start work three months in advance, first making the pattern, a rough model, which is then corrected with welding at the workshops. Another 20 days are invested in painting the idol, and giving it the final touches. Mandals usually accept delivery of the idols 10 days before the festival begins.

A Ganesh idol-making workshop at Chinchpokli, where work otherwise begins in May, is currently shut due to the lockdown

With the way the situation has panned out till now, work is unlikely to begin before July. This will leave sculptors with just about a month to complete work. Reshma Khatu, daughter of late sculptor Vijay Khatu, says, "Currently, we have put all the orders and planning on hold and are awaiting the government's decision. The crisis doesn't seem to be nearing an end. We do not want to put our workers at risk. Even if one person is detected COVID-19 positive, work will go for a toss and the entire workshop will be sealed."

The other problem is that at least 70 per cent of the workers employed, hail from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. They work in Maharashtra during May to October. Vijay Kumar Soni, hails from Patna, but is currently stuck in Konkan, where he and his employer Rajan Zaad, have been working on rough designs. "We came here in March, and hence could begin work. Some of the dyes are ready, and we hope to get started on the idols when we return to Mumbai. But, I am not sure if the other workers from Patna will be able to make it on time." Zaad, who is a sculptor from Lalbaug, says that he will be requesting the mandals to accept smaller-sized idols.

Sculptor Rajan Zaad says he intends to request mandals to have smaller-sized idols this year

The raw materials for making the larger idols come from Rajasthan and Kerala, while shadu—a kind of clay used for the sculpture—comes from Gujarat. But transportation has taken the biggest hit, and state borders are sealed.

Ankush Kambli, a sculptor from Parel village, says he has started work from home with the help of his family members but is running out of raw materials. Ditching the ubiquitous plaster of Paris, he has decided to use only shadu. "There is no clarity, if we will be able to get back to our routines of working from a workshop. We understand that there is the need for social distancing and that is the sole reason why we are working from home."

Reshma Khatu

The Brihanmumbai Murtikar Samanvay Samiti, an umbrella body of Ganpati sculptors, has decided to share their concerns with the government. Gajanan Tondvalkar, president of the samiti, and a sculptor in Naigaon, Dadar, says, "We will request the government to help ensure transportation of raw materials, so that we can work from home, at least."

Meanwhile, the city's Ganesh mandals, have decided to put discussions about the festivities on hold. Sudhir Salvi, secretary of Lalbaugcha Raja Mandal, says, "Calls that need to be taken regarding the celebrations will be done once the Coronavirus situation is under control." The secretary of Lalbaug Sarvajanik Utsav Mandal, popularly known as Ganesh Galli Ganpati, Swapnil Parab, says the committee is yet to take a decision and will honour the government's directive.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

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Maharashtra's count for COVID-19 cases crossed 20,000 cases and the city had 722 new cases on Saturday. The bar of the state's death toll rose higher with 48 deaths, and 27 of them occurred in Mumbai.

State health officials said that while Mumbai has 12,864 COVID-19 cases, an additional 178 cases have been reported, but are yet to be added to the tally. Apart from 27 deaths that occurred in Mumbai, 10 were reported in Pune, eight in Malegaon and one each in Akola, Nanded and Amravati. State health officials said that the 48 deaths had occurred between April 25 and May 8.

Migrant workers, who were walking to MP on the Eastern Expressway, were herded back by policemen before the Mulund Toll Naka. Pic/Sameer Markande

Civic officials said that among the 27 patients who died, 21 of them were suffering from other ailments and three of the patients who died were less than 40 years old. In order to reduce the burden on the city's hospitals, the civic body is now urging people who test positive but have no symptoms to refrain from visiting hospitals. They are encouraging asymptomatic positive patients to visit COVID care centres instead.

Meanwhile, 25 new cases were reported from Dharavi which included one death. Five of the cases were from Mukund Nagar, the slum pocket with the highest concentration of cases. Dharavi alone now has 833 positive cases. Five other cases were reported from Mahim, 18 in Dadar, including eight cases from Kasarwadi.

In order to avoid the spread of the infection as seen in Dharavi, officials from H West ward are sealing the Khar Danda area, which includes slum pockets. The decision was taken after five members of a family in a residential building in the area tested positive earlier this week. "We found a high-risk patient while tracing the contacts of the family that tested positive. We are sealing the area. We are figuring out the arrangements for food," said an official from H West. In other parts of Bandra West, 13 cases have been reported from Shastri Nagar and 14 from the slaugherhouse near the Bandra Railway Station. Civic officials said another 12 cases have been reported from the Nargis Dutt Nagar slums.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

Italy's health authorities said Wednesday they had recorded more than 160 cases of the mosquito-borne chikungunya virus, in what one expert said could be the first outbreak outside the tropics.

A meningitis outbreak has killed 931 people in four West African countries since January, with most of the deaths occurring in Nigeria, the UN children's fund said Wednesday.

According to a new Cornell University computer model, global travel and climate warming could be creating the right conditions for outbreaks of a new virus in this country.

Having won Grammy awards in 2009 for Best Dance Recording
monster isport headphones with the song “Poker Face” and Best Electronic/Dance Album for The Fame, Lady Gaga bagged a total of 6 Grammy...

Former head of UK Sport has set sights on winning the World Cup

Jurgen Klopp sat in the dugout at several big showdowns between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke. He will be a lot farther away for Saturday's fixture but his interest will be keener than ever.

Flight routes to London will be changed and eight of the airline's 12 A380 aircraft will be grounded due to low demand.

Brave travellers can pick up a bargain on flights, in one of very few positives to come from the coronavirus outbreak.

Wanda Cooper spoke out over her son's brutal slaying on what would have been his 26th birthday and slammed law enforcement for failing to bring his killers to justice for months.

Olympic champion Jessica Ennis-Hill showed on Thursday that she has one or two extra bows to her sporting string other than the seven disciplines she competes in during the heptathlon.

RIATH AL-SAMARRAI IN PYEONGCHANG: The Scot left the ice in floods of tears on Tuesday after the first of her three speed skating medal attempts ended with a final-lap smash into the barriers.

Barcelona's vice-president Jordi Cardoner confirmed that many teams will partake in swap deals this summer with several having big squads and high earners they need to get off the books.

West Ham United were able to see off interest from Bayern Munich to secure the club-record signing of Sebastien Haller from Eintracht Frankfurt for £45million this summer.

More than 1,200 supporters were surveyed to mark the launch of a partnership between the Football Supporters' Association and GambleAware's 'Bet Regret' campaign.

Steve Bruce says Andy Robertson is among his best ever buys - but he will never forget the day he gave him a rollicking for bringing beer on to the team bus. The pair will be reunited at Anfield.

MATT HUGHES - AHEAD OF THE GAME: Sportsmail rounds up some of the hidden stories behind game. The EFL are set for a crackdown on clubs exploiting a Financial Fair Play loophole.

Owen has revealed that his 13-year-old son, James, was diagnosed with Stargardt disease several years ago, which means his retina will slowly degenerate, causing a loss of vision.

A task force had been commissioned to consider a revamped three-division system following the cancellation of the 2019/20 season at Championship level and below, but was disbanded.

Barcelona's vice-president Jordi Cardoner confirmed that many teams will partake in swap deals this summer with several having big squads and high earners they need to get off the books.

Leyton Orient captain Jobi McAnuff fears black footballers are at an increased risk of dying if the season is resumed amid the coronavirus crisis.

Fresh evidence that Russian footballers were helped to cheat during their nation's state-sponsored doping scandal will arrive at FIFA within weeks.