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Five among the seven Awards have being instituted for the first-time while the other one is being re-instituted after 2001. This will be the first-time the Awards would be presented on a common platform in an annual function. The categories for new Awards include the 2013 AIFF Award for the Best Assistant Referee; 2013 AIFF Award for the Best Referee; 2013 Award for the Best Emerging Player of the Year; Award for Best Grassroots Development Programme and Award for Continuous Contribution to Indian Football....

Though the withdrawal was inevitable, planned by his predecessor President Donald Trump, the botched handling by the Biden administration was not a foregone conclusion. Accordingly, the ignominious scenes from Kabul airport coincided with Biden’s flip to negative net approval. It has stayed negative since. Per the 538 tracker, which takes a weighted average of the polls, Biden’s approval rating is 43.4 percent and his disapproval is 51.4 percent as of December 22, putting him at a net rating of minus 8 percentage points....

“This (Asian Games performance) is the beginning and we want to continue at this pace. We had a meeting of the coaches and we have put in certain things in place. We have shortlisted some events where we think we could for the first time open an account at the Olympics Games,” Sumariwalla told reporters here. He was speaking Thursday night after three members of the Indian mixed bridge team, which bagged a bronze in the Asian Games, were felicitated at the Bombay Gymkhana....

Ivory Coast began their qualification campaign with a 2-3 defeat against Guinea but the 11 points collected in their next five matches ensured their spot in this year’s competition. They finished second in their group behind Guinea with Central African Republic and Rwanda occupying the last two spots respectively. During the preparation match against Comoros, the Ivorians looked solid with a convincing 3-1 win. The two-time champions will face Uganda and Zambia before the main event starts....

After the first legs last week, each playoff series is on a knife’s edge. Two matchups are level on aggregate goals, while the other three only see a one-goal difference. The 10 nations left standing after the previous two rounds of qualifying were drawn together in five different playoff series with the team that scores the most goals across two legs booking a ticket to the 2022 World Cup....

The aquarium’s veterinarian team is conducting further tests to identify a cause of death, and officials said they remain “cautiously optimistic” about the health of the remaining penguins. Tim Binder, senior vice president of animal care and health at the aquarium, said in a statement that the facility’s penguins are being closely monitored while the deaths are investigated. “The Florida Aquarium will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to understand this tragic course of events,” Binder said....

During Sunday’s NFC championship game, the Packers quarterback lightly bumped Falcons cornerback Robert Alford with his shoulder. After pausing for a moment to take it all in, Alford responded by flying back with his arms spread open. MORE: Falcons capitalize on Packers mistakes to advance to Super Bowl The amazing flop happened late in the game, after Rodgers was called for a rare offensive facemask penalty for pulling Alford’s helmet off his head....

The article questions whether or not the CBC’s choice to remove the cameo was politically motivated. This was a notion repeated by multiple news outlets, including Fox and Friends. “I think they’re actually terrified that people will remember that before he was the new Hitler, he was a beloved mainstream cultural figure,” said guest Mark Steyn. “That’s who Donald Trump was before he was the new Hitler. I think they’re terrified of these little things that will remind people just how deranged his opponents are....

She’s still only 15 but at the Asian Games, where’s she competing in swimming this week, she feels almost like a veteran. Singh is not even the youngest member of the Nepal swimming team in Jakarta, as she’s two months older than teammate Tisa Shakya. And there are competitors on other national teams who haven’t even reached their teens — the youngest at the games being 9-year-old Indonesian skateboarder Aliqqa Novvery....

The worst thing about those same quarterbacks? They’re still … so young. Baker Mayfield proved that, and all the Browns can do is talk themselves into believing it’s all part of his well-known swagger. In this case, it led Mayfield to publicly, verbally blame his ex-coach, Hue Jackson, for one of the few things this season for which he was completely and categorically blameless. WATCH: Mayfield’s best plays from four-TD game...

Bayern host Dortmund in Der Klassiker on Saturday and the rivalry between the two Bundesliga heavyweights has deepened over recent years, in part due to the acrimonious transfers of Mario Gotze, Robert Lewandowski and Mats Hummels from Signal Iduna Park to the Allianz Arena. Lewandowski ‘fine’ after scare Dortmund lie a distant fourth as Bayern close in on a fifth consecutive title, but their boss Thomas Tuchel’s squad still boasts one of Europe’s most lethal strikers in Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and a clutch of impressive youngsters led by Julian Weigl, Ousmane Dembele and Christian Pulisic....

In his speech to the nation hours after the attack, Biden described the dead as heroes who gave their lives “in the service of liberty, the service of security and the service of others. In the service of America, like their fellow brothers and sisters in arms who died defending our vision and our values, with the struggle against terrorism, on this day, are part of a great noble company of American heroes....

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, remember, declared in a press conference, “I will say [the Pacers] could’ve done better.” The Oklahoma City police got in a zinger with a tweet that read, “Thanks for the tweets reporting the ‘theft’ of Paul George by @okcthunder. Our investigative findings: totally legal & very savvy.” Sixers center Joel Embiid giddily tweeted, “Playoff spots are opening up hehehehe.” One prominent website gave the trade a “D” for the Pacers....

For this team, finishing sixth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Bristol was like a win for an elite, heavily funded team. Since that finish, and DiBenedetto’s emotional reaction to it on live television in the moments following the race, the team has faced a heightened media schedule — and the accolades of many of DiBenedetto’s competitors. MORE: Richmond starting lineup | 10 drivers to watch | Tony Stewart’s return...

On Tuesday, six groups representing educators and parents, including the two largest teachers unions and the National Parent Teacher Association, issued a joint statement criticizing Trump’s push to reopen. Instead of the president “brazenly making these decisions,” the groups said health experts should figure out when schools can safely reopen during the pandemic. “[The administration has] failed to listen to families and public school educators who have been on the front lines serving their communities,” the groups said....

First, he made history in knocking out Eddie Alvarez in the second round to win the UFC lightweight title and become the first fighter in UFC history to hold two titles simultaneously. Then, McGregor revealed during the post-fight press conference that he and long-time girlfriend Dee Devlin are expecting their first child in May. MORE: Is McGregor the UFC’s greatest villain of all time? “I’m going to be a daddy early next year,” McGregor said during the presser....

And I’m not surprised. Besides their outstanding careers as seven-time Pro Bowlers, Peterson and Revis share several traits that don’t bode well for big paydays this year. Both will be 32 when the 2017 season begins. Both are accustomed to top-market salaries. Their on-field performances were lackluster or worse last season. They’ve battled injuries in recent years. Off-field incidents have tarnished their images. Now Peterson and Revis might be joined on the market by another high-profile, controversial former star....

Avellino went into their final match of the regular season third in Group A, but the Italian side missed out a place in the round of 16 in agonising fashion. Ojars Silins came so close to putting Avellino in front with seven seconds to play when his three-pointer went around the rim and out again and it was Ventspils who edged a 106-102 victory. Caleb Green’s 39-point haul was not enough to see Avellino through, with Nizhny Novgorod and Le Mans matching their 7-7 record to take the final two qualifying spots in the group....

“First and foremost, if you are unvaccinated, we would recommend not traveling,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told reporters during a Tuesday White House COVID-19 briefing. “People who are fully vaccinated, and who are wearing masks, can travel,” Walensky said. “Although, given where we are with disease transmission right now, we would say that people need to take these risks into their own consideration as they think about traveling.”...

Attorney Robert Rubin’s description came as the defense and prosecution began presenting two very different portraits of Arbery Friday, with one framing him as an innocent Black runner targeted by three white strangers and the other depicting him as an apparent threat in a neighborhood on edge from thefts and property crimes. Greg McMichael, his adult son Travis McMichael, and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan are accused of pursuing Arbery as he ran through their Georgia neighborhood in February 2020....