Argentine footballer Paulo Dybala has tested positive for coronavirus for the fourth time in six weeks, according to a report.
The Juventus forward had announced on March 21 that he and his girlfriend Oriana Sabatini had contracted Covid-19. According to Spanish programme El Chiringuito, Dybala has had four tests since and his most recent test has come back positive as well.
Neither the defending Serie A champions or the player have responded to the claims, but if confirmed it will rule Dybala out of returning to training with his teammates from May 4 to May 18 as Italy looks to resume its 2019-20 season following the coronavirus-enforced shutdown on March 9.
Dybala has scored 13 goals in all competitions this season, including in league leaders Juventus' last game against Inter Milan on March 8.
Dybala is not the first Serie A player to test positive more than once of Covid-19. Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Sportiello tested positive, then negative, then positive again.
The forward, 26, had previously talked about his painful experience after he and his girlfriend contracted the coronavirus and how he "struggled to breathe".
"Luckily [we are] much better, these days we do not have any symptoms," Dybala had told Juventus' YouTube channel last month.
"I had stronger symptoms, I got tired very quickly, when I wanted to train, I was short of breath after five minutes.
"There we noticed that something was not right and through the tests the club did we were told that we were positive.
"From there we had more symptoms, such as cough, tired body and when we slept I felt very cold, but from the club they had told us that we were going to be fine so we had to be calm."
Dybala is one of the three Juventus players to have contracted coronavirus, along with Blaise Matuidi and Daniele Rugani.
French midfielder Matuidi and Italian defender Rugani - the first player in Serie A to test positive for the virus - tested negative for Covid-19 earlier this month, the club said, and were "no longer subject to the home isolation regime".
Meanwhile, Italian Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora warned on Wednesday that Italy may have to follow France and the Netherlands and call an end to their football and sports seasons because of the pandemic.
"I see an increasingly narrow path for the resumption of the championship. If I were a president of a football club, I would especially think of organising myself to safely resume the next championship which will start at the end of August," Spadafora told Italian television channel La 7.
"The decisions being taken by other countries, like France yesterday, could push Italy to follow this line too, which would then become a European line.
"I think the next meeting of the Lega Serie A may hold a surprise," said Spadafora, with Italy's top flight clubs holding an emergency general assembly on Friday.
"The majority of clubs could ask us to suspend this season and prepare for the next championship as best possible."
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Players who tested positive
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Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
The biog
Place of birth: Kalba
Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren
Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken
Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah
Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence