China's withdrawal from hosting the 2023 Asian Cup could see the showpiece shift west to the Gulf, where new infrastructure and voracious demand for major events has made the region a magnet for international tournaments. Having planned to hold the Asian Cup across 10 cities in June-July next year, China dropped the 24-team tournament due to "exceptional circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic", the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said over the weekend. The AFC said it would name a new host in due course but provided no detail and declined to provide immediate comment to Reuters . AFC member nations were in the dark on Monday about the next steps. "This is quite an unusual situation and so there’s no specific process that we are aware of on how things could go," a spokesperson for the Korean Football Association (KFA) told Reuters . "We just know that China has given up." The AFC has little time to appraise candidates and may not have a diverse set to choose … [Read more...] about China withdrawal could see 2023 Asian Cup heading west
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Mideast sandstorms snarl traffic, close schools, harm health
Sandstorms across the Middle East have delayed flights, closed schools and hospitalised thousands -- a phenomenon experts say could worsen as climate change warps regional weather patterns. Saudi Arabia on Tuesday became the latest country blanketed with dust that slowed traffic and made iconic towers in the capital difficult to see from more than a few hundred metres (yards) away. Emergency rooms in Riyadh hospitals had received some 1,285 people suffering from respiratory problems over 24 hours as a result of the sandstorm, the state-run Al-Ekhbariya channel reported. Electronic signs along Riyadh's highways warned drivers to reduce their speed because of the lower visibility, even as life largely went on as usual in the kingdom. The national meteorology centre predicted that "surface dusty winds" originating in the east and bringing a thick grey haze would continue west towards the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Other countries have been grappling with the problem … [Read more...] about Mideast sandstorms snarl traffic, close schools, harm health
Innovative logistics models in great demand: FedEx director
Hardy Diec, Managing Director of FedEx Express Indochina. Photo by FedEx Express What’s the status quo with the logistics industry? Supply chains have never been more important. More than that, reliability and accuracy in these supply chains have now become even more paramount. During this pandemic, the logistics industry has proven to be vital, whether in delivering critical healthcare shipments including vaccines and medicine, or delivering huge volumes of e-commerce shipments to end consumers. The pandemic has shifted consumer behavior greatly. The boom in e-commerce will continue to be a powerful engine of the global economy. We’re witnessing how essential supply chains are to business survival, success and growth - they are not just an opportunity to reduce cost. Businesses are rethinking their supply chains, moving to a "just in case" approach for inventory management to counter unplanned scenarios. Being able to receive products and critical components either by … [Read more...] about Innovative logistics models in great demand: FedEx director