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The Star
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Soccer-Qatar fighting to keep World Cup dreams alive, says Lopetegui
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - World Cup - AFC Qualifiers - Third Round - Group A - Kyrgyzstan v Qatar - Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan - March 25, 2025 Qatar players line-up before the match. REUTERS/Pavel Mikheyev/File Photo (Reuters) -Qatar are within "touching distance" of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and will go all out against Iran and Uzbekistan over the next week to keep their dream alive, says new coach Julen Lopetegui. Qatar, who hosted the 2022 World Cup but have never reached the tournament via the qualification route, cannot finish in the top two in Group A to earn an automatic berth in 2027 but can still secure a spot in the playoffs for teams finishing third and fourth. The Gulf side are currently fourth on 10 points, four ahead of Kyrgyzstan. Former Spain and Real Madrid coach Lopetegui takes charge of Qatar for the first time when they face group leaders Iran in Doha on Thursday before they close out the third round by visiting second-placed Uzbekistan on June 10. "Qatar has never qualified for a World Cup through the qualifiers before, and it's a dream we're determined to fight for," Lopetegui told FIFA's website in an interview published on Tuesday. "It's within touching distance. We've got two games left to play, both of which will be incredibly difficult, and in quick succession. "However, despite all the difficulties, we're determined to give it our best shot to earn ourselves another chance of qualifying in October." Qatar have enjoyed considerable continental success in recent years, winning back-to-back Asian Cup titles, but Lopetegui said they are in a transitional phase and still finding their feet. "There's no doubt in anyone's mind that this generation has achieved some very impressive things in the Asian Cup," added the Spaniard, who was appointed coach in May. "However, generations come to an end, and now we need to turn our attention to starting the process again, which will be no mean feat. While we do that, we'll be doing our best to compete, which is the most important thing in the short term." (Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
Straits Times
23-05-2025
- Health
- Straits Times
Animal health body says vaccines needed to protect humans and trade
FILE PHOTO: Zookeepers vaccinate a bar-headed goose at a zoo after Kazakhstan reported several outbreaks of highly pathogenic bird flu in the country, in Almaty, Kazakhstan September 24, 2020. Picture taken September 24, 2020. REUTERS/Pavel Mikheyev/File Photo PARIS - Vaccinating animals more widely could help stop the spread of deadly diseases, protect public health and keep global trade flowing, the head of the World Organisation for Animal Health said as bird flu disrupts Brazilian poultry exports. Brazil, the world's top poultry exporter, confirmed its first-ever outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, in domestic birds last week, prompting export bans from several countries. While most countries rely on culling policies and movement restrictions, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said vaccination could help reduce outbreaks while preserving trade. "Vaccination is a tool, it's a very good tool when it exists, but it's up to each country, region, or group of countries to identify in which case it will be useful to use it or not," Director General Emmanuelle Soubeyran told Reuters ahead of the start of WOAH's general assembly on Sunday. More than 633 million birds have been lost to bird flu over the past two decades, the Paris-based WOAH said in a report on the state of animal health released on Friday. The disease has triggered mass culling, caused billions in economic damage, and disrupted food supply chains worldwide. Bird flu has also spread to mammals, including dairy cows in the United States, and infected hundreds of people, raising concerns it could spark a new pandemic. If properly implemented, vaccination limits virus spread, protects animal health, and lowers the risk of human infection. But it is costly to develop vaccines and roll them out, and vaccination programmes often lead to trade restrictions over fears that a disease may circulate unnoticed. In France, a nationwide duck vaccination effort helped cut bird flu outbreaks from over 300 to just 10 within a year. The United States and Canada eased their ban on French poultry imports in January, citing good traceability and monitoring. Most bird flu vaccination campaigns focus on long-lived birds like ducks or breeders. Broilers - chickens raised for meat - are typically not vaccinated because they do not live long enough, which may limit immediate use in major poultry-exporting nations. Vaccination has helped eliminate or control other animal diseases, including rinderpest in 2011, the first animal disease ever eradicated globally, and only the second of any kind eradicated after smallpox in humans, WOAH said in its report. To address concerns that vaccinations may disrupt trade, WOAH is working on global standards to distinguish vaccinated birds from infected ones, the so-called DIVA principle. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
