The return to the practice of sports activities was announced as one of the first sectors that will reopen right away after easing restrictions. The strategy laid out by the Portuguese Prime-Minister entails authorizing the phased return of low and medium risk sporting events before the reopening of stadiums and venues to the public. Source: Sul Informação

Source: YONEX 2021 All England Open Badminton Championships. Referrals (2021) https://www.allenglandbadminton.com/news/smith-and-ellis-storm-in-semi-finals-on-fantastic-friday-at-yonex-all-england/ The badminton mixed doubles pair, Marcus Ellis & Lauren Smith lost in three games to eventual title winners Praveen Jordan and Melati Oktavianti last year, the closest the English pair have come to reaching the final since Anthony Clark and Donna Kellogg in 2007, which was a year

The increasing levels of infection across Poland has resulted in the government's decision to re-impose restrictions. At the beginning, the closure of shopping malls, hotels and culture venues would only take place in northern Poland, now the government has decided from the 9th April to introduce these restrictions across the country. Poles hopes for easing over Easter have now been dashed. Copyright- PC World

The Belgian government decided to close its borders in January 2021 to limit the spread of coronavirus. Only essential trips have been allowed for work or for an emergency. Belgians are famous for travelling and have decided that being banned from abroad should not stop them exploring their home country.

Source: talkSPORT The Khabib Nurmagomedov Era has officially come to an end. In the early hours of Friday, UFC president Dana White used Twitter to confirm that the Russian is "officially 100% retired". "29-0 is what it is. He is 100% officially retired. It was amazing to see you work, Khabib. Thanks for everything and enjoy whatever comes your way, my friend", posted the head of the organization as a caption of a photo with Nurmagomedov on Twitter. Khabib's last fight was on

Arsenal and Manchester United have been given the possibility of meeting each other for the first time in a European final after both teams discovered their possible routes towards the final of the Europa League in Gdansk this year. United have been drawn against Spanish side Granada in the quarters-finals with the winner of that game facing the winner of Ajax vs. Roma in the semi-finals. Arsenal have been drawn against the Czech side Slavia Prague, the victors last night ag

Children in the Czech Republic have been kept away from school for the longest of all the European countries. The teachers vaccination programme is being sped up to make sure they are back in classrooms as soon as possible. So far, over 175 000 school employees have registered to receive a jab. However, 30 % of teachers are still refusing to get vaccinated. Source: testkoronavir.cz

Source: BBC Demonstrators rallied in Parliament Square to address a range of issues from violence against women, to police brutality. Following the death of 33 year-old, Sarah Everard, women across the UK took to social media to discuss their experiences of walking alone at night and the measures they take to feel safe.

Schools in Portugal have closed due to the Covid-19 outbreak and students will continue their studies remotely. Although it is currently the safest form of education, it becomes a challenge for everyone involved: students, teachers and families, especially those with many children. Source: School Education Gateway

Watford Borough Council like many others is closing outdoor gyms to comply with government policies and to prevent the spread of the virus. The decision to close the outdoor gym of Cassiobury Park at Watford has prompted considerable debate in the community as outdoor exercise is one of the few freedoms people still have. Maintaining physical health and mental well-being remains a priority and the coronovirus lockdown is leading to worries about people's welfare.

Source: Olympic Blog - EFE Lucas Eguibar has made history for Spanish sport after winning the gold medal in snowboard cross at the World Cup in Sweden. The Spanish competitor won in a big way, against the favorite for the tournament, Alessandro Haemmerle. He overtook him in the last few metres of the race. The victory was so close it went to a photo-finish and the reply of the final stage as they passed over the finish line gave victory to the Spaniard.

Source : myKhel AC Milan and Inter Milan met in the quarter-finals of the Italian Cup on Tuesday January 26. At the end of the first half, viewers witnessed a big clash between Romelu Lukaku and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The two former Manchester United teammates did not wait until getting to the locker room to exchange insults. The Swedish player has been accused of provoking the Red Devil player by referring to African voodoo practices.Both received yellow cards and were excluded

Source: Australian Open Novak Djokovic has reached the third round of the Australian Open with more trouble than expected after defeating the talented Frenchman Tiafoe, adding his 24th victory in succession in Australia. Djokovic found an ally in his solid serve, with 26 aces, which kept him out of trouble against an attacking Tiafoe. The Serb conceded just once and won 84 per cent of points on his first serve. Final score was 6 -3 6 -7 7 -6 6 -3 .

Today, the Czech Republic has allowed gyms to re-opened some of their services that have been closed during the lockdown. Restaurants and pubs are also allowed to serve customers again but there are still strict rules in place. Restaurants are limited to 50% capacity with a limit of four people at each table. Besides maintaining social distancing, wearing a mask is still mandatory in all indoor premises, even at the gym, which has raised a few eyebrows.

Mental Health during lockdown, has increased suicidal thoughts from 8% to 10% between 18 to 29 year olds. I spoke to Faith Kiggundu, a drama student at Kingston University about her mental health challenges during lockdown.

Source : News4Jax.com The coronavirus pandemic has turned the world of sport upside down. The last time the Olympics was cancelled was in 1940 during the middle of WWII. The highlight of the international footballing calendar, outside the World Cup has also been cancelled. It will make for a busy sporting 2021, but in the meantime athletes still have to train and prepare. Many professional and non-professional athletes have been forced to change the way they operate in the

Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus epidemic millions of employees have found themselves on furlough or facing redundancy as employers cut hundreds of thousands of jobs. According to the Office for National Statistics between July and September the employment rate is risen 4.8% with the Bank of England forecasting the unemployment rate to peak in mid 2021 at 7.7%. The uncertainty in the investment market reflects the concerns for the economy

One of the unforeseen benefits of the lockdown globally has been the positive impact on the climate. A number of scientific reports suggest air quality has improved as industries like aviation and other forms of transportation have been restricted. In London a number of Local authorities has used lockdown as a way to push this transport issue up the local agenda by introducing Low Trafic Neighbourhoods. But as with all things climate related it is not without controversy.

Poles have a long tradition of centering their holidays around the family. This year will certainly be different, with social distancing measures still in place for much of the country. People are still trying to juggle with preparations to have some kind of festivities, but are waiting for greater clarity from the government to know exactly how much family time will actually be allowed in Poland. Source: dziennikzachodni.pl

This year’s lead into the Christmas festivities is anything but usual. Fears about spreading the virus has affected preparations in most cities across Europ with the cancellations of traditional Christmas markets and other holiday related activities. The most famous switching on the lights ceremony in Prague it seems was also sacrificed to the pandemic, although it seems no-one was told about it. The lights illuminated days before the official switch-on although this year