Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has voiced his frustration over how Manchester United's preparations for their derby against Manchester City have been impeded by the scheduling of their midweek FA Cup tie.
United cruised through to the quarter-finals at second-tier Derby on Thursday, when Luke Shaw's second career goal and two strikes from January signing Odion Ighalo wrapped up a 3-0 win.
Europa League football this season means United are used to playing on Thursdays, but City have an extra day to prepare for Sunday's Old Trafford encounter after beating Sheffield Wednesday the previous evening.
"It's that help we get from the FA again -- that extra 24 hours that they've had," Solskjaer said.
"I cannot believe why there's a derby on Sunday and we've got to play Thursday night. What's the point in that? That doesn't level the playing field."
City also had an extra day ahead of December's derby at the Etihad Stadium, although Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial scored in a shock 2-1 win for ...

Solskjaer frustrated over scheduling ahead of Manchester derby

PTI Automatic

Ecuador took an early 2-0 lead against Japan with nail-biting victories in their Davis Cup qualifier on Friday in western Japan, held behind closed doors due the coronavirus outbreak.
Emilio Gomez beat Go Soeda 7-5, 7-6 (7/3), before Robert Quiroz outplayed Yasutaka Uchiyama 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 7-6 (10/8).
Left-handed Quiroz, world 276, pulled the upset with big serves that kept 90th-ranked Uchiyama on defensive.
He nailed 16 aces and won points on 78 percent of his first serves.
Uchiyama came back in the second set by breaking Quiroz twice and mixed his sizzling forehand shots with delicate volleys to force his opponent to make mistakes.
But Quiroz stayed in the match, with both men keeping all of their service games in the first and third set, with the Ecuadoran overcoming Uchiyama in tie-breaks after the two sets.
Gomez, ranked 151, also stayed in control of his match against 117-ranked veteran Soeda.
The visitor kept hitting deep forehand shots to send Soeda running along the ...

Ecuador take 2-0 lead over Japan in Davis Cup qualifier

World oil prices, already slumping on coronavirus fears, extended losses to more than 5.0 per cent on Friday on reports Russia wants to delay deeper output cuts recommended by its OPEC allies.
In London morning deals, Brent North Sea crude dived to USD 47.02 per barrel, the lowest levels since July 2017.
WTI tumbled to USD 43.28 -- the lowest since late 2018.

Oil plunges over 5% on OPEC reports, coronavirus

Iran on Friday announced 17 more deaths from the novel coronavirus, raising the total number of people killed to 124, as the overall number of cases soared.
"We have confirmed 1,234 new cases, which is a record in the past few days," health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour told a news conference, raising the total number of infections to 4,747.
The new cases "are probably those who had been infected with the virus two weeks ago and have just came to us with symptoms," he added.

Iran reports 17 new coronavirus deaths, 124 in total

The first case of coronavirus in Serbia has been diagnosed in a man who had been in Hungary, the country's health minster announced on Friday.
"The first case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Serbia. It is a 43-year-old man from Subotica (north) who recently stayed in Hungary, in Budapest," said Zlatibor Loncar at a press conference.
The man is in solitary confinement at the Subotica hospital and his health is good, the minister said.
The people with whom he came into contact have been tested.
"There is no need to panic, you have to behave in accordance with the authorities' recommendations," added the minister who said the patient behaved "responsibly".
Serbia is the fourth country comprising the former Yugoslavia to have reported cases of infection following Croatia (11 cases), North Macedonia (one case) and Bosnia (two cases).
The virus, which now affects around 90 countries and territories, has infected more than 98,000 people worldwide and left nearly 3,400 people dead.
At ...

Serbia announces first coronavirus case: ministry

Cameroon has confirmed its first case of the novel coronavirus, a French national who arrived in the capital Yaounde in February, the government said on Friday.
The man, 58, has been placed in isolation in a hospital, the health ministry said in a statement.
In sub-Saharan Africa, Senegal has registered four cases, all foreign nationals, and South Africa and Nigeria have one case each since the outbreak emerged in December in China.

Cameroon confirms first virus case: ministry

The Netherlands has recorded its first death in the novel coronavirus outbreak, Dutch health officials said on Friday.
"An 86-year-old man with COVID-19 who was admitted to the Ikazia hospital in Rotterdam has died. This is the first patient in the Netherlands to die of the coronavirus," the National Institute for Public Health said in a statement, adding the source of his contamination was unknown.

Netherlands record first death in coronavirus outbreak

Governments using lockdowns and quarantines to fight the deadly new coronavirus must ensure people's rights are respected and avoid unintended consequences for their livelihoods, the UN rights chief said on Friday.
"Lockdowns, quarantines and other such measures to contain and combat the spread of COVID-19 should always be carried out in strict accordance with human rights standards and in a way that is necessary and proportionate to the evaluated risk," Michelle Bachelet's office said in a statement.

Virus lockdowns and quarantines must respect rights: UN

Japan's badminton king Kento Momota said he was again dreaming of Tokyo Olympics gold on Friday but didn't know when he'd return to action after a car crash that left him fearing his career was over.
The world number one admitted his "spirit was almost broken" after the accident in January -- hours after he won the Malaysia Masters -- which killed the driver of the vehicle taking him to Kuala Lumpur airport.
Momota, 25, had been expected to be out for two months but he needed surgery for an eye socket fracture in February, dashing plans to return for this month's All England Championships.
"I thought about it. How long will it take?" he said, when asked if he had been worried that he might never play again.
"There were times when my spirit was almost broken."
Momota, who missed the 2016 Olympics after he was suspended for visiting an illegal casino, is now back in training but doesn't know when he'll be compete again.
"Of course, the Tokyo Olympics is on my mind," he told reporters in 

Japan badminton star Momota feared career over after deadly crash

Seoul threatened to retaliate on Friday over what it called Tokyo's "irrational" plan to quarantine arrivals from South Korea over the coronavirus outbreak, turning the scientific issue into a diplomatic row.
The two countries have close economic ties and are both major US allies, democracies and market economies faced with a rising China and nuclear-armed North Korea.
But their relationship continues to be heavily affected by Japan's colonial rule of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945 -- a dispute that escalated into a trade and security row last year.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday announced that foreign arrivals who have recently been in China or South Korea would be required to spend 14 days in quarantine.
The South's two biggest airlines Korean Air and Asiana on Friday announced the cancellations of most or all of their flights to Japan once the measure comes into force, and K-pop band Super Junior indefinitely postponed their upcoming shows in the ...

South Korea threatens retaliation over 'irrational' Japan virus quarantine

The Vatican on Friday reported its first coronavirus case, saying it had suspended outpatient services at its health clinic after a patient tested positive for COVID-19.
The clinic inside the tiny city state -- which has some 1,000 residents -- will be deep cleaned, while the emergency room will remain open, spokesman Matteo Bruni told journalists.

Vatican reports its first coronavirus case

The city of Bethlehem was on lockdown Friday, after the first Palestinian cases of the deadly coronavirus were discovered there.
The Palestinian government announced a month-long state of emergency late Thursday after the seven cases were identified, while the Israeli defence ministry said it had imposed emergency measures on Bethlehem, with all people "forbidden from entering or leaving the city".
It added that the lockdown had been imposed "in coordination with the Palestinian Authority".
The Church of the Nativity, built on the site that Christians believe was the birthplace of Jesus, was closed on Thursday and is among places expected to be shuttered for a month.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh made a special broadcast late Thursday to announce the 30-day lockdown, saying the measures were essential to contain the disease.
All but essential travel between Palestinian governorates was now prohibited, while all schools and educational facilities would close, he said.
Public parks ..

Bethlehem under lockdown after virus cases confirmed

Thai health authorities on Friday said they would not order the compulsory quarantine of visitors from countries hit hard by coronavirus, as the kingdom struggles to balance health fears with the needs of its flatlining economy.
The holidays of possibly tens of thousands of people were cast into doubt on Tuesday when the health minister insisted a quarantine of all entrants from China - including territories of Hong Kong and Macau - Italy, Iran, South Korea, would be imposed.
On Friday health authorities spiked the plan, instead "recommending" arrivals from the four countries stay indoors and report to authorities for monitoring.
"We recommend home quarantine," Sukhum Kanchanapimai, permanent-secretary of the Public Health Ministry told reporters.
Travellers from the four countries will have to "report on their health status daily", said Tanarak Plipat of the Disease Control Department, or risk "punishment" under the law.
A British man who entered the kingdom from Hong Kong became the 

No compulsory quarantine of visitors to Thailand: Health Ministry

An adviser to Iran's foreign minister who took part in the 1979 US embassy hostage crisis has died from coronavirus, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Hossein Sheikholeslam, "a veteran and revolutionary diplomat" died late Thursday, IRNA said.
Iran has been scrambling to contain the rapid spread of coronavirus which so far has infected 3,513 people and killed at least 107 people in the Islamic republic.
Six of those who died from coronavirus are politicians or government officials.
Before his death, Sheikholeslam was advisor to Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
A former ambassador to Syria, he also served as deputy foreign minister from 1981 to 1997.
Sheikholeslam was also one of the students involved in the 1979 Iran hostage crisis.
That year, and less than nine months after the toppling of the American-backed shah, Iranian students stormed the US embassy in Tehran and took 52 Americans hostage.
This prompted Washington to sever diplomatic ties with Iran in 1980.
The ...

Adviser to Iran's foreign minister dies of coronavirus

EU countries on Friday gave a cautious welcome to a Russian-Turkish ceasefire in Syria as a sign of goodwill but urged the warring parties to allow in more humanitarian aid.
Foreign ministers from the 27 EU states are meeting for talks in Zagreb on the crisis in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, where Ankara is battling Moscow-backed government forces.
A ceasefire came into force at midnight aiming to halt intense fighting that has sparked a humanitarian crisis and raised fears of Turkish and Russian armies clashing -- and it appears to be holding.
"For sure I am pleased for the ceasefire, the ceasefire is good news. At least it's goodwill -- let's see how it works," Josep Borrell said as he arrived for talks.
Nearly a million civilians have fled their homes due to the fighting in Idlib, with the United Nations describing it as the worst humanitarian emergency since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011.
"It is important now to concentrate on humanitarian aid and I would ...

EU countries welcome Syria ceasefire, urge aid access

An attack on a political rally in Kabul on Friday left at least 18 people wounded, an official said, in what appeared to be the first violence to hit the capital since the US signed a withdrawal deal with the Taliban.
The Taliban immediately denied responsibility for the assault, which occurred at the commemoration ceremony for Abdul Ali Mazari -- a politician from the Hazara ethnic group, most of whom are Shiite.
An Islamic State group-claimed attack on the same ceremony last year saw a barrage of mortar fire kill at least 11 people.
Interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said gunfire had erupted from a construction site near the ceremony in the city's west, which is largely Shiite.
At least 18 people had been wounded so far, he added.
"Soon after the attack, police forces and police special forces units rushed to the scene," Rahimi told a local news station, noting that sporadic gunfire was ongoing.
Photos on social media showed at least two bodies, but there was no official word 

Attack on Kabul political rally leaves 18 wounded: official

Saudi Arabia's King Salman has relieved the economy minister in the latest cabinet reshuffle, official media reported citing a royal decree, as the kingdom grapples with plunging oil prices.
Saudi Press Agency said late Thursday that the king "relieved" Mohammed al-Tuwaijri from his position as economy minister and tasked Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan with overseeing the ministry.
Tuwaijri was appointed as advisor to the royal court with the rank of minister, the agency said.
This comes 10 days after Saudi Arabia announced the creation of three new ministries, for tourism, sports and investment.
A cabinet reshuffle last month also saw the return of former energy minister Khalid al-Falih to the main political arena as investment minister.
Falih was sacked as energy minister in a major shake-up last September and replaced by Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman -- the first member of the royal family ever to take charge of the kingdom's all-important ministry.
The latest reshuffles come as 

Saudi king relieves economy minister

Construction of all new permanent venues for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics is now complete, organisers said Friday, as preparations continue despite worries over the new coronavirus outbreak.
The announcement comes as the International Olympic Committee insisted this week that a potential cancellation or postponement of the Games due to the virus was "not mentioned" at a meeting of their Executive Board.
The last venue, the $523-million Tokyo Aquatics Centre for swimming, diving and artistic swimming, was "completed on schedule by the end of February," the organisers said in a press release.
The four-storey Aquatics Centre will seat 15,000 fans for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The main pool features a movable wall allowing the 50m facility to be converted into two 25m pools. The depth of the bottom can also be adjusted.
Other permanent venues include the main Olympic stadium, which was designed by renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma.
It heavily features the use of ...

Tokyo completes permanent Olympic venues as virus fears lurk

Former Brazilian football star Ronaldinho and his brother were "deceived" and will not face prosecution for traveling to Paraguay on false documents, officials said Thursday.
Prosecutor Federico Delfino said he had recommended not pursuing Ronaldinho and his brother Roberto de Assis Moreira.
"But on the condition of admitting committing the crime of which they are accused, in this case the use of false documents," he said.
Ronaldinho's lawyer had earlier denied that he and his brother had used fake passports to enter Paraguay.
"We have proceeded to charge several people," Delfino told the press.
"Ronaldinho and his brother Roberto contributed relevant information to the investigation" and were then removed from the case.
The brothers were acting in "good faith" in receiving the falsified Paraguayan documents, he said.
"The information that they provided is very useful in disrupting a criminal organization dedicated to the production of false documents," he said.
Brazilian authorities .

Ronaldinho and brother will not face prosecution for fake passports

Videos showing residents at the centre of China's coronavirus epidemic haranguing a top Chinese official have highlighted persistent anger at how authorities have handled the crisis.
The clips, which have been circulating online since Thursday, show occupants of an apartment block in the city of Wuhan yelling "it's all fake" from windows during an official neighbourhood inspection by Vice Premier Sun Chunlan.
According to Chinese media, the complaints were an outcry against the community's property management, who were allegedly only pretending to have volunteers deliver vegetables and meat to inhabitants of the towers in the lockdowned city.
Surprisingly, China's censors, usually quick to scrub any criticism of government officials, have allowed the homemade videos to remain on Weibo, the country's Twitter-like social media platform.
But the central government appears to be seizing on the videos to craft a narrative that Beijing is listening to the demands of its people and that ...

Wuhan residents decry 'fake' work as Chinese official tours city

Gunfire erupted at a political rally in western Kabul on Friday, an Afghan security official said, in what appeared to be the first attack to hit the capital since the US signed a withdrawal deal with the Taliban.
"Afghan special forces and police forces have reached the site," said Nasrat Rahimi, an interior ministry spokesman.
No group claimed immediate responsibility for the incident, which occurred at the commemoration ceremony for Abdul Ali Mazari -- a politician from the Hazara ethnic group, most of whom are Shia.

AFP

AFP

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