England on Thursday (February 25) suffered an embarrassing 10-wicket defeat in the third Test against India on a spin-friendly Motera track to go down 1-2 in the four-match series. The match ended under two days with the pitch drawing flak from some former players like Michael Vaughan, who called it "not ideal" for Test cricket. But 'The Guardian' newspaper focussed on England's own shoddy display. "Inquest into England's two-day thrashing will yield no easy answers," read the headline of its report. "It is hard to work out what to blame for the disastrous third Test defeat against India when so many things went wrong. India vs England: It’s for ICC to decide whether Motera pitch is fit for purpose, not players: Joe Root The newspaper went on to pin the blame on the rotation policy, which led to resting of key players during the series, the failure to read the conditions, and "the hangover from the heavy defeat in Chennai last week." "Then the batsmen's inability to … [Read more...] about India vs England 2021: Section of English media blames team for Motera debacle, others point fingers at pitch
English newspapers
VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES FEB. 25
Buddhists pray online due to COVID-19 outbreak Blood shortage warned as donations postponed due to COVID-19 outbreaks The resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic in many cities and provinces in recent weeks has seriously affected the blood supply for medical treatment. Although many people and organisations responded to the call of blood donation by the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) on February 19, the amount of blood received per day was still only a few hundred units while the average need for treatment each day is from 1,200 to 1,500 units. There is usually a shortage of blood during the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday as the holiday lasts long while blood has a short shelf life and many patients still need blood transfusions during Tết. This year, the pandemic's resurgence has made the shortage after Tết even worse. Before Tết, 30 entities requested to postpone or cancel blood donation plans which meant the NIHBT missed out on … [Read more...] about VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES FEB. 25
Vietnam plans 13 repatriation flights for next month
The Consular Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed there may be two flights from Japan and Taiwan on March 5, with each carrying 343 passengers, Giao Thong newspaper reported. On March 6, two flights from the Philippines and Malaysia are expected to carry 240 passengers home each. A day later, one flight from Singapore with 360 passengers is scheduled to arrive in Vietnam. On March 8, there will be two flights from the U.S. and France, returning a total of over 700 passengers. From March 9 to 14, a total six flights will bring over 2,000 Vietnamese from UAE, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Russia home. Vietnam has suspended all inbound international commercial flights since March 2020, though the government has been operating repatriation flights to bring home Vietnamese citizens stuck abroad amid the pandemic, and has allowed special flights to carry foreign experts and investors to the country. The government in late January limited inbound … [Read more...] about Vietnam plans 13 repatriation flights for next month
A year into pandemic, Covid-shaming has become fervent in parts of Canada
TORONTO (NYTIMES) - For a time, Cortland Cronk, 26, was Canada's most famous - and infamous - coronavirus patient. Cronk, a travelling salesman went viral after testing positive in November and recounting his story of being infected while travelling for work to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. He was called a virus-spreader, a job-killer, a liar and a sleaze. Online memes painted him as the Grinch, since subsequent outbreaks led to restrictions against Christmas parties. Many people, including a newspaper columnist, made elaborate fun of his name. He also received threats; so many that he fled his hometown Saint John, New Brunswick, for Victoria, British Columbia - a city on the opposite end of the country, 3,600 miles away. "They were acting like I purposely got Covid," Cronk said from his new apartment. "I had hundreds of death threats per day. People telling me I should be publicly stoned." Many Canadians believed it was just rewards and that his case formed a cautionary … [Read more...] about A year into pandemic, Covid-shaming has become fervent in parts of Canada
ST website gets fresher look to showcase content
The Straits Times has refreshed its website - straitstimes.com - so that the best of its content is better showcased. A key feature is the introduction of full-fledged section pages. Readers can now go straight into Singapore, Politics, Asia, World, Business, Opinion, Sport, Digital Life and Lifestyle from the homepage to get a full menu of stories and videos. These section pages are further divided into topics for easy navigation. The Singapore page, for example, is arranged under key topics like Transport, Education, Courts and Crime. The Politics section pulls in content directly from the Singapolitics microsite, and the Asia Report microsite is prominently linked in the Asia and World sections. Straits Times editor Warren Fernandez said: "We have updated the site, and added more features to it, to serve our readers better across platforms. This is a continuing process, and we will have to keep striving to improve and develop our products in the months to come." … [Read more...] about ST website gets fresher look to showcase content