Brazil and Portugal joined France in the knockout rounds of the World Cup with wins over Switzerland and Uruguay respectively. Cameroon and Serbia shared the spoils in an exciting match before Ghana broke the heart of South Korea with a 3-2 victory.
Yahoo News Singapore highlights some of the action from these matches in photos.
Cameroon took the lead with a 29th-minute goal before Serbia equalised in the 46th minute. The Serbs took the lead with another goal in the 48th minute and appeared on course for a victory when they found the back of the net again in the 53rd minute.
The Indomitable Lions roared back to life with goals in the 63rd and 66th minute to grab a crucial point in the thrilling contest.
Both Cameroon and Serbia are rooted at the foot of their group's table. Anything less than a win means they are both out of the tournament.
AL WAKRAH, QATAR - NOVEMBER 28: Jean-Charles Castelletto of Cameroun scores his team first goal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group G match between Cameroon v Serbia at Al Janoub Stadium on November 28, 2022 in Al Wakrah, Qatar. (Photo by Lionel Hahn/Getty Images)
AL WAKRAH, QATAR - NOVEMBER 28: Strahinja Pavlovic of Serbia celebrates after scoring their team's first goal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group G match between Cameroon and Serbia at Al Janoub Stadium on November 28, 2022 in Al Wakrah, Qatar. (Photo by Michael Regan - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
AL WAKRAH, QATAR - NOVEMBER 28: Sergej Milinkovic-Savic of Serbia scores his teams second goal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group G match between Cameroon and Serbia at Al Janoub Stadium on November 28, 2022 in Al Wakrah, Qatar. (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
Cameroon's goalkeeper Devis Epassy, left, watches as Serbia's Aleksandar Mitrovic , 9, scores his side's third goal during the World Cup group G football match between Cameroon and Serbia, at the Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Cameroon's Vincent Aboubakar scores their side's second goal of the game during the FIFA World Cup Group G match at the Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar. Picture date: Monday November 28, 2022. (Photo by Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images)
AL WAKRAH, QATAR - NOVEMBER 28: Eric Maxim Choupo Moting of Cameroon celebrates after scoring his sides third goal during the Group G - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 match between Cameroon and Serbia at the Al Janoub Stadium on November 28, 2022 in Al Wakrah, Qatar (Photo by Pablo Morano/BSR Agency/Getty Images)
Ghana raced to 2-0 lead with goals in 24th and 34th minutes. But the South Koreans scored twice in quick succession in the 58th and 61st minutes to level the match.
Ghana struck the third and winning goal in the 68th minute and withstood the huge Korean pressure.
The Black Stars face Uruguay in their finale. Elimination is staring at South Korea who will face leaders Portugal in their final match.
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Group H - South Korea v Ghana - Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar - November 28, 2022 Ghana's Mohammed Salisu scores their first goal Pool via REUTERS/Stuart Franklin
Ghana's Mohammed Kudus, left, scores his side's second goal during the World Cup group H soccer match between South Korea and Ghana, at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Group H - South Korea v Ghana - Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar - November 28, 2022 South Korea's Cho Gue-sung scores their first goal REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
South Korea's forward #09 Cho Gue-sung (C) heads the ball and scores his team's second goal during the Qatar 2022 World Cup Group H football match between South Korea and Ghana at the Education City Stadium in Al-Rayyan, west of Doha, on November 28, 2022. (Photo by MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP via Getty Images)
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Group H - South Korea v Ghana - Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar - November 28, 2022 Ghana's Mohammed Kudus scores their third goal REUTERS/Matthew Childs
Brazil 1 - 0 Switzerland
Brazil struggled against a resolute Switzerland defence in the absence of Neymar but an 83rd-minute goal from Casemiro was enough for Seleção to advance to the knockouts, the second team after France to do so in the current World Cup.
A Vinicius Jr goal in the second half was disallowed for offside.
Brazil has not lost in the group stages since Norway beat them in 1998 in France. The win extended Brazil's unbeaten run in the group stage to 17 matches.
Switzerland remains second in Group G and needs a win in their finale against Serbia to keep its hopes alive for a place in the last 16. A draw may be enough provided Cameroon doesn't upset Brazil in their final match.
The match was briefly interrupted when the lights dimmed at Stadium 974 for a few seconds before halftime, halting a Brazil corner.
DOHA, QATAR - NOVEMBER 28: Casemiro #5 of Brazil scores his team's first goal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group G match between Brazil and Switzerland at Stadium 974 on November 28, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Wu Zhizhao/VCG via Getty Images)
Brazil's Vinicius Junior, center, shoots the ball past Switzerland's goalkeeper Yann Sommer, right, to score a goal that later was disallowed during the World Cup group G football match between Brazil and Switzerland, at the Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Switzerland's Fabian Rieder, left, and Switzerland's Remo Freuler challenge Brazil's Rodrygo during the World Cup group G football match between Brazil and Switzerland, at the Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Brazil's Richarlison, centre, and Switzerland's Nico Elvedi challenge for the ball during the World Cup group G football match between Brazil and Switzerland at the Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Lights of the stadium are off during the World Cup group G football match between Brazil and Switzerland, at the Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes is on everyone's lips after scoring twice for the Portuguese in a starring role.
Cristiano Ronaldo appeared to score the opener in the 54th minute when he wheeled away in celebration but the goal was credited to Fernandes after replays.
Fernandes added a second from the penalty spot but was denied a hat trick at the final whistle.
Portugal is only the third team to advance into the last 16 after France and Brazil.
Uruguay must beat Ghana in their finale to keep their chance of advancing alive.
A pitch invader carrying a rainbow flag briefly interrupted the match.
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the World Cup group H football match between Portugal and Uruguay, at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Group H - Portugal v Uruguay - Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar - November 28, 2022 Portugal's Bruno Fernandes scores their second goal from the penalty spot REUTERS/Matthew Childs
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Group H - Portugal v Uruguay - Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar - November 28, 2022 Portugal's Bruno Fernandes celebrates scoring their second goal REUTERS/Lee Smith
A pitch invader runs across the field with a rainbow flag during the World Cup group H football match between Portugal and Uruguay, at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
The Philadelphia Eagles steamrollered the injury-hit San Francisco 49ers 31-7 to book their place in the Super Bowl on Sunday.It got worse for San Francisco on their opening drive, when quarterback Purdy was hit by the Eagles' Hasson Reddick as he attempted to pass.Â
"Avatar: The Way of Water" continued to dominate the box-office charts, taking in an estimated $15.7 million this weekend in North American theaters to make it the fourth-leading global grosser of all time. Hefty results from theaters around the world -- including $237 million in ticket sales in China -- helped boost "The Way of Water" to fourth place globally all-time at $2.117 billion, unadjusted for inflation.Â
Yogi, Paddington and Winnie the Pooh, move over. There's a new bear in town. Or on Mars, anyway.The beaming face of a cute-looking teddy bear appears to have been carved into the surface of our nearest planetary neighbor, waiting for a passing satellite to discover it.And when the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter passed over last month, carrying aboard the most powerful camera ever to venture into the Solar System, that's exactly what happened.Scientists operating the HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment), which has been circling Mars since 2006, crunched the data that made it back to Earth, and have now published a picture of the face."There's a hill with a V-shaped collapse structure (the nose), two craters (the eyes), and a circular fracture pattern (the head)," said scientists at the University of Arizona, which operates the kit.Each one of the features in the 2,000-meter (1.25-mile)-wide face has a possible explanation that hints at just how active the surface of the planet is."The circular fracture pattern might be due to the settling of a deposit over a buried impact crater," the scientists said."Maybe the nose is a volcanic or mud vent and the deposit could be lava or mud flows?"HiRISE, one of six instruments aboard the Orbiter, snaps super-detailed pictures of the Red Planet helping to map the surface for possible future missions, either by humans or robots.Over the last ten years the team has managed to capture images of avalanches as they happened, and discovered dark flows that could be some kind of liquid.They've also found dust devils twirling across the Martian surface, as well as a feature that some people thought looked a lot like Star Trek's Starfleet logo.One thing they have not found, however, is the little green men who were once popularly believed to inhabit the planet.hg/st
With a political class that is widely mistrusted and seen as weak and out of touch, Peruvians have grown increasingly disillusioned that a solution to weeks of violent unrest is at hand, experts told AFP.
The national Congress is due to debate again on Monday a proposal to bring forward elections slated for April 2024 in a bid to break a political deadlock that has seen 48 deaths over seven weeks of near-daily protests.In the early hours of Saturday, following seven hours of debate, lawmakers vo
Finland still hopes to join NATO together with Sweden, Finland's foreign minister said Monday after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's remarks that Ankara could accept Helsinki's bid without its Nordic neighbour."Our strong desire in Finland has been and still is to join NATO together with Sweden," Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told reporters in Helsinki, adding: "our position remains the same."Ankara has refused to ratify the two countries' NATO membership bids, primarily because of Sweden's refusal to extradite dozens of suspects that Ankara links to outlawed Kurdish fighters and a failed 2016 coup attempt.Sweden has a bigger Kurdish diaspora than Finland and a more serious dispute with Ankara.Turkey has also reacted with fury to a decision by the Swedish police to allow a protest at which a far-right extremist burned a copy of the Koran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm earlier this month.It has been outraged, too, by a Swedish prosecutor's decision not to press charges against a pro-Kurdish group that hung an effigy of Erdogan by its ankles outside Stockholm City Court.Following those incidents, Ankara last week suspended the two countries' NATO accession talks.The decision has threatened to derail the bloc's hopes of expanding to 32 countries at a summit planned for July in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.Erdogan has dug in his heels, heading into a tightly contested May 14 election in which he is trying to energise his conservative and nationalist support base.On Sunday, he drew a clear distinction between the positions taken by Sweden and Finland in the past few months."If necessary, we can give a different response concerning Finland. Sweden will be shocked when we give a different response for Finland," Erdogan said.- 'Our closest ally' -But Haavisto, who said he had held talks with his Turkish counterpart following Erdogan's remarks, rejected that option."Sweden is our closest ally in defence and foreign policy," he said."I still see the NATO summit in Vilnius in July as an important milestone when I hope that both countries will be accepted as NATO members at the latest.""President Erdogan's statement proves that there is a positive will in Turkey to advance the NATO process quickly if needed," Haavisto added.Finland and Sweden dropped decades of military non-alignment and applied to join the US-led defence alliance in May last year in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.Finland would prefer to join together -- the two nations have a deep and longstanding defence cooperation -- but Helsinki is also eager for membership to happen as quickly as possible given its 1,300-kilometre (800-mile) eastern border with Russia.Finland spent more than a century as part of the Russian empire until it gained independence in 1917. It was then invaded by the Soviet Union in 1939. Asked how long Finland could reasonably wait for Sweden, Haavisto replied: "We have patience."The foreign minister also noted that "so many countries gave us security assurances when we started this NATO" application process, referring to pledges from the United States and Britain among others to provide security until the two countries becomes full members.All 30 members of NATO must ratify Sweden's and Finland's applications. So far, Turkey and Hungary are the only holdouts.The Hungarian legislature is expected to approve both bids in February or March.bur-po/jll/kjm
China's factory activity expanded in January after months of contraction, official data showed Tuesday, as the world's second-largest economy stirs back to life after Beijing ended strict Covid curbs.But it is now showing signs of a rebound, with a key gauge of factory output rising this month and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) upgrading its 2023 growth forecast to 5.2 percent.
Gautam Adani's vast Indian business empire lost billions more dollars in value on Monday after its rejection of claims of widespread fraud failed to reassure investors.On Monday the 60-year-old was eighth in the ranking, which put his wealth at $88.2 billion, down from almost $130 billion before the allegations.Â
Stock markets wavered on Monday with central banks set to lift interest rates again later this week in their battle against high inflation.The US Federal Reserve is forecast Wednesday to lift interest rates by just 25 basis points, down from a half-point hike last month, which followed four straight 75-point increases.
Peru's Congress will resume debate Tuesday on a bill to bring forward elections, a move aimed at ending weeks of protests that have left dozens dead and brought parts of the country to a standstill. On Monday, lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on the bill after seven hours of discussions, and proceedings will resume at 11:00 am on Tuesday (1600 GMT), according to the legislature. "We are sure that there will be a way out. All the democratic blocs are going to debate it taking into account the high sense of urgency," said Prime Minister Alberto Otarola on Monday.The South American country has been embroiled in a political crisis with near-daily street protests since December 7, when then-president Pedro Castillo was arrested after attempting to dissolve Congress and rule by decree.In seven weeks of demonstrations, 48 people -- including one police officer -- have been killed in clashes between security forces and protesters, according to the Ombudsman's Office.The unrest is being propelled mainly by poor, rural Indigenous people from southern Peru who had identified Castillo as one of their own who would fight to end poverty, racism and inequality.Dozens of roadblocks have been set up by protesters, causing a shortage of food and fuel in some southern areas as they demand that Castillo's replacement, President Dina Boluarte, step down.Trade unions and other bodies have called for another major demonstration against Boluarte in Lima on Tuesday.- Bringing elections forward -Last month, lawmakers moved elections due in 2026 to April 2024, but as protests showed no sign of abating, Boluarte has called to hold them this year, which Congress rejected late Friday."Vote for Peru, for the country, by moving the elections up to 2023," the president said in an address to the nation on Sunday. Lawmakers "have a chance to win the country's trust," she said.In last week's vote on moving elections to October, there were 65 votes against and just 45 in favor, with two abstentions.If reconvened lawmakers again refuse to advance elections, Boluarte has said she will propose a constitutional reform allowing a first voting round to be held in October and a runoff in December.Protesters are demanding immediate elections, the dissolution of Congress and a new constitution.In the Lima suburb of Huaycan, hundreds of people marched on Monday chanting: "No more deaths, Dina quit now."Dozens of soldiers headed to Ica, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of the capital, to support police in clearing roadblocks on the vital Panamericana Sur highway that connects major cities.Weeks of roadblocks have caused shortages of food, fuel and other basic supplies countrywide.- First death in Lima - According to a survey by the Institute of Peruvian Studies, 73 percent of citizens want elections this year. Monday's congressional sitting coincided with a wake for Victor Santisteban, 55, a demonstrator who died Saturday after receiving blunt force trauma to the head, according to a medical report. Santisteban's death was the first recorded in Lima since the protests started.According to the human rights ombudsman's office, Saturday's protest in the capital saw at least seven people hospitalized after police used tear gas on demonstrators hurling stones and cement pieces.Geronimo Lopez, leader of the General Confederation of Peruvian Workers, said protesters would "not cease their struggle" until Boluarte steps down, and called for a national march Tuesday.Boluarte, who as Castillo's vice president was constitutionally mandated to replace him, has insisted that "nobody has any interest in clinging to power."Apart from those who have died in protests, 10 civilians -- including two babies -- died when they were unable to get medical treatment or medicine due to roadblocks, according to the ombudsman's office.The protest movement has affected Peru's vital tourism industry, forcing the closure of the world-renowned Machu Picchu Inca citadel ruins.In the district of Poroy, about 15 kilometers from Cusco, about 300 people queued Monday to buy a gas bottle for domestic use."There are people here queuing since 3.00 am... I have not had any gas for two weeks," 33-year-old housewife Gabriela Alvarez told AFP."We have had to go back in time to cook with firewood and charcoal which hurts the lungs," she said.Peru's Las Bambas copper mine -- responsible for about two percent of global metal supply -- said Monday it would have to halt production starting Wednesday unless the roadblocks were lifted.Chinese owner MMG said in a statement that "after transportation interruptions that affected both entry and exit traffic, (the company) has been forced to start a progressive slowdown of its Las Bambas operation due to a shortage of critical supplies."cm/pb/mlr/jh/dw/st/aha/dva
Coal-rich but energy-starved South Africa will not immediately abandon its fossil-fuelled electricity generating plants as it transitions to cleaner forms of power, President Cyril Ramaphosa said Sunday.South Africa, one of the world's largest polluters which generates about 80 percent of its electricity through coal, is in the grip of an energy crisis.
David Moyes cannot wait to take on his former club Manchester United in the FA Cup fifth round after goals from Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio sealed West Ham's 2-0 victory at third tier Derby on Monday.Moyes made six changes following West Ham's vital 2-0 victory over Premier League relegation rivals Everton in their most recent match nine days ago.
Skipper Hardik Pandya on Sunday blasted the Lucknow pitch as a "shocker" after India edged New Zealand by six wickets in a low-scoring second Twenty20 international to level the series at 1-1."To be honest, it was a shocker of a wicket," Pandya said.
The Reserve Bank of India is expected to raise its main interest rate by a modest 25 basis points to 6.50% at its meeting one week after New Delhi's Feb. 1 budget, before leaving it at that level for the rest of the year, a Reuters poll of economists found. Like many other major central banks, the RBI is expected to then pause, waiting for inflation to fall before considering a shift toward a stimulative stance as Asia's third-largest economy slows. More than three-quarters of economists, 40 of 52, expected the RBI to raise its key repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.50%, according to a Jan. 13-27 Reuters poll.
France and Australia announced a deal to jointly produce 155 mm artillery shells for Ukraine on Monday after a ministerial meeting in Paris that showcased efforts to relaunch ties between the Pacific allies."Several thousand 155 mm shells will be manufactured jointly," French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said at a joint press conference with his Australian counterpart Richard Marles, as well as the countries' foreign ministers.
Superstar Shah Rukh Khan thanked fans Monday after his new film "Pathaan" smashed Indian box office records following its release last week, bringing hope to Bollywood after a spate of weak showings.But Khan thanked fans for showering love on the movie and "bringing life back to cinema", supporting the film "in spite of the fact that there might have been things that could have curtailed the happy release".
