Tag: euro

Categories
-Top News Sports UK News

UK, Ireland to host Euro 2028

Rome and Istanbul are separated by about 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) across the Mediterranean Sea and Aegean Sea with flights taking more than two hours…reports Asian Lite News

The United Kingdom and Ireland have been selected as the hosts of Euro 2028, the continent’s sporting body UEFA announced on Tuesday.

Italy and Turkey are set to announce the continental event in 2032. Turkey withdrew from the running to host the 2028 event to forge an alliance with Italy.

Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Dublin, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Newcastle are in the reckoning to be selected as host cities.

Italy was likely to win any contested vote for 2032 even amid doubts the nation could finish a massive construction project to build and upgrade the stadiums needed for a 24-team, 51-game tournament.

UEFA gains stability over the organization if Italy and Turkey each has to provide just five stadiums despite its own bid rules stating that only neighboring member federations can propose co-hosting.

Rome and Istanbul are separated by about 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) across the Mediterranean Sea and Aegean Sea with flights taking more than two hours.

Though Italy and Turkey both get direct entry to Euro 2032 as hosts, UEFA will not offer five automatic places for the 2028 hosts. One option is putting all five into traditional qualifying groups and awarding the automatic places to the two best records among the non-qualifiers.

The UEFA Executive Committee has appointed the host associations for UEFA EURO 2028 and UEFA EURO 2032 at a ceremony in the UEFA Headquarters here.

The football associations of England, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales submitted a joint bid to stage UEFA EURO 2028.

Matches are set to take place at ten different stadiums, including Glasgow’s Hampden Park and Dublin’s Aviva Stadium. Belfast’s Casement Park and Everton’s Bramley-Moore Dock stadium.

On the other hand, The Italian and Turkish football associations, which started as individual bidders, decided to join forces and submitted a joint bid to stage EURO 2032.

Turkey had initially bid to host both Euro 2028 and 2032. But later withdrew from the running to host Euro 2028 after their bid with Italy for 2032 was approved by European football’s governing body.

ALSO READ-Lionesses lose cup but win hearts

Categories
-Top News UK News

Euro 2022 winners urge next PM to support girls’ football

United Kingdom. No10 Downing Street are flying the flag of St George in support of the England Women's Football Team after reaching the final of the Euro 2022 tournament. 10 Downing Street. Picture by Kyle Heller / No 10 Downing Street

The players asked the two candidates to pledge to ensure that all girls have access to at least two hours of PE sessions each week, where football is offered…reports Asian Lite News

England’s Euro 2022 winning footballers on Wednesday urged the two candidates vying to become the UK’s next prime minister to ensure that all girls have access to the sport at school.

All 23 members of the squad, which beat Germany 2-1 in Sunday’s final at a sold-out Wembley Stadium, signed an open letter to Conservative Party leadership candidates Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, calling on their help to “create real change in this country.”

“Currently only 63 percent of girls can play football in PE (physical education) lessons. The reality is we are inspiring young girls to play football, only for many to end up going to school and not being able to play,” they wrote.

“This is something that we all experienced growing up.”

The players asked the two candidates to pledge to ensure that all girls have access to at least two hours of PE sessions each week, where football is offered.

“We have made incredible strides in the women’s game, but this generation of schoolgirls deserves more,” they wrote.

“They deserve to play football at lunchtime, they deserve to play football in PE lessons and they deserve to believe they can one day play for England.

“We want to create real change in this country and we are asking you, if you were to become Prime Minister on 5 September, to help us achieve that change.”

Both candidates responded to the Lionesses’ call, without making any firm commitment on schoolgirls being able to play football.

Truss’s campaign responded by saying the candidate “is committed to investigating what prevents schools from delivering the recommended minimum of two hours PE per week.”

Sunak’s spokesman said he “would love to see all schools provide two hours of PE a week.”

ALSO READ-‘Russia a danger to Europe’

Categories
-Top News Economy Europe

Euro falls to parity with USD, hitting 20-year low

The euro continued to fall from Tuesday morning and traded at par with the U.S. dollar in a short-term in intraday trading…reports Asian Lite News

For the first time in two decades, the euro on Tuesday falls to parity with the U.S. dollar, meaning one U.S. dollar is equal in value to one euro.

The single currency of 19 European Union countries has not fallen to or below a one-to-one exchange rate with the U.S. dollar since December 2002.

The euro continued to fall from Tuesday morning and traded at par with the U.S. dollar in a short-term in intraday trading.

After reaching parity, the euro exchange rate picked up again slightly. As of 4:20 p.m. local time (1420 GMT), euro was trading for 1.005 dollars in the currency market.

The euro will continue to fall even after falling below par with the dollar, said Ebrahim Rahbari, global head of foreign exchange analysis at Citigroup.

Euro has slumped 10 percent against U.S. dollar since the start of the year, according to data from European Central Bank (ECB).

ALSO READ-UK govt issues extreme heat warning as temperatures soar

Categories
-Top News USA

Euro slumps to 20-year low against US dollar

Even the Australian dollar failed to gain traction despite the country’s first back-to-back 50 basis point interest rate hike in recent memory overnight, which also cemented the fastest run up in rates there since 1994…reports Asian Lite News

The Euro slumped to a two-decade low on Tuesday as the latest surge in European gas prices added to worries about a recession, while there was no stopping the dollar as U.S. Treasury yields staged a rebound.

Swathes of currencies were under pressure. The euro’s 0.8% early drop took it to its weakest since the end of 2002, Japan’s yen was near 24-year lows again, while Norway’s crown slumped 1% as its gas workers went on strike.

MUFG’s head of global markets research, Derek Halpenny, said the risks of Europe backsliding into a recession looked to be growing after another big 17% jump in natural gas prices in both Europe and in Britain.

Concerns about how the European Central Bank will react were also gnawing at sentiment after German Bundesbank chief Joachim Nagel had hit out at the ECB’s plans to try and shield highly indebted countries from sharp rises in borrowing rates.

“It will continue to be very difficult for EUR to rally in any meaningful way with the energy picture worsening and risks to economic growth increasing notably,” said MUFG’s Halpenny.

Even the Australian dollar failed to gain traction despite the country’s first back-to-back 50 basis point interest rate hike in recent memory overnight, which also cemented the fastest run up in rates there since 1994.

The Aussie ticked 0.09% lower to $0.6820, after trading as high as $0.6895 earlier in the day.

“We have had so many central banks hiking in these big increments that you are now getting talk of reverse currency wars,” said Rabobank FX strategist Jane Foley, referring to where central banks need to hike rates just to stop their currencies from falling.

“It could get concerning” for a number of currencies she added, especially if the U.S. Federal Reserve pushes ahead with large rate hikes in the coming months as expected.

The dollar’s strength, meanwhile, sent the yen back down toward a 24-year low. It was last at 135.79 per dollar.

ALSO READ-European Parliament clears 2 key digital laws to tame big tech

Categories
-Top News Sports UK News

UK, Ireland set to host Euro 2028  

The announcement will be a year ahead of schedule as there is only one bid, and the UK and Ireland will have until the end of the year to secure the necessary guarantees…reports Asian Lite News

The United Kingdom and Ireland reportedly look set to host Euro 2028 as no rival bids have been made ahead of Wednesday’s deadline.

England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland announced their intention to bid for the tournament last month, having ruled out an attempt to host the 2030 World Cup.

Turkey and Russia were tipped to be potential rivals, but both have dropped out of the running.

According to the Times, the formal decision to award Euro 2028 to the UK and Ireland will be made on April 7, barring an unlikely last-minute entry before the March 23 deadline.

The announcement will be a year ahead of schedule as there is only one bid, and the UK and Ireland will have until the end of the year to secure the necessary guarantees.

It will be the first time the UK has hosted the Euros since 1996, although some Euro 2020 games were played in London and Glasgow.

FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said in February that the infrastructure is already in place to host a hugely lucrative tournament, which appeals to UEFA.

“We believe we can put together an incredibly strong tournament in many ways. We also know we can deliver a really strong commercial return to UEFA and we feel that puts us in a strong position.

“UEFA are being very transparent with all 55 countries that they want to use the 2024 [in Germany] and 2028 men’s Euros to rebuild their coffers and rebuild their reserves, which they’ve had to use during the pandemic.”

Euro 2024 will be hosted by Germany while the 2030 World Cup could be won by a joint bid from Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Paraguay, and Italy are in the running for Euro 2032.

Russia had been in contention to host Euro 2028 until the invasion of Ukraine, while Turkey reportedly did not want to bid against the UK and Ireland.

Euro 2028 and Euro 2032 could both be expanded to 32 teams.

ALSO READ-Spring booster jab roll out begins in UK