By Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service [Vatican City – CNS] – Pope Francis marked Ash Wednesday on his 20th day in Rome’s Gemelli hospital by taking part in the rite of the blessing of the ashes and receiving them in a short prayer service While the 88-year-old pope’s overall clinical case remained complex his condition was “stable” and he did not experience any episodes of “respiratory insufficiency,” the Vatican said in its evening medical bulletin March 5 The pope received ashes and the Eucharist in the morning from a celebrant It was most likely one of the hospital chaplains The rite was held in the private suite of rooms on the 10th floor of the hospital where the pope has been receiving treatment for double pneumonia and other respiratory ailments The pope was diagnosed with double pneumonia Feb 18 after being admitted to the hospital Feb A Vatican source said the pneumonia is following a “normal evolution” that is expected to be seen in someone receiving treatment Each case is different and “patience is needed” because the illness “does not disappear in one day,” the source said Pope Francis spent March 5 sitting in an armchair and increased the amount of “respiratory physiotherapy” he has been getting which often consists of breathing exercises A source said a physiotherapist is working with him to help prevent any of the usual consequences that arise when a person has limited opportunities for movement while hospitalized the pope receives high-flow oxygen” through a nasal cannula during the day he wears a mask covering his nose and mouth for “noninvasive mechanical ventilation.” Although the pope no longer needed oxygen through a breathing mask during the day March 4 and 5 a Vatican source has said mechanical ventilation is used at night so he can sleep better parish priest of Holy Family Church in Gaza The pope spent the afternoon alternating between working and resting A woman joins hundreds of people praying the rosary for Pope Francis in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Ash Wednesday Because of the continued complexity of his case his doctors continue to hold that his “prognosis remains guarded.” The Vatican had said in the morning that the pope had rested well overnight and had woken up a bit after 8 a.m It was the first time doctors had communicated the waking time of the pope whose normal schedule had been waking as early as 4 or 5 a.m Pope Francis had suffered “two episodes of acute respiratory insufficiency” March 3 which occurs when the lungs are unable to effectively take in sufficient oxygen or expel enough carbon dioxide to meet the body’s needs Those crises led doctors to put the pope back on “noninvasive mechanical ventilation” — a treatment that delivers air with added oxygen through a tightly fitted face mask and using positive pressure to assist breathing He also underwent two bronchoscopies that day but “remained alert oriented and cooperative at all times,” the Vatican said led the traditional Ash Wednesday celebration that usually is presided over by the pope The celebration March 5 began with a penitential procession from the Benedictine monastery of St Anselm on Rome’s Aventine Hill and to the Dominican-run Basilica of Santa Sabina followed by Mass and the distribution of ashes The cardinal read the homily prepared by Pope Francis “We are deeply united” with the pope and “we thank him for offering his prayer and his sufferings for the good of the whole church and the entire world.” The Vatican also announced that the pope would not be present for the March 8-9 Jubilee for Volunteers and that the Mass March 9 would be presided over by Cardinal Michael Czerny prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development About 25,000 people from more than 100 countries were expected to attend prefect of the Dicastery for Saints’ Causes was scheduled to lead the nightly recitation of the rosary for Pope Francis in St By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service [Vatican City] – The journey of Lent “unfolds amid the remembrance of our fragility and the hope that the Risen Lord is waiting for us,” Pope Francis wrote in his homily for Ash Wednesday the ashes help to remind us that our lives are fragile and insignificant: we are dust and to dust we shall return,” said the pope’s text Although the 88-year-old pope was still in Rome’s Gemelli hospital March 5 the day Latin-rite Catholics received ashes and began their Lenten observances the Vatican released what it said was the homily he prepared for the occasion read Pope Francis’ homily as he led the Ash Wednesday celebration usually presided over by the pope “We are deeply united” with Pope Francis delegated Cardinal De Donatis to preside over the rites The celebration began with the traditional penitential procession that leads from the Benedictine monastery of St Anselm on Rome’s Aventine Hill and goes to the Dominican-run Basilica of Santa Sabina dozens of Benedictine monks and nuns and Dominican friars and sisters took part in the procession and Mass said people learn how fleeting earthly life is from their “fragility through illness poverty and the hardships that can suddenly befall us and our families.” But the experience of fragility is not only individual in the social and political realities of our time we find ourselves exposed to the ‘fine dust’ that pollutes our world,” including through the abuse of power “ideologies based on identity that advocate exclusion,” war violence and the exploitation of the earth’s resources Those forms of “toxic dust,” he said can pollute “the air of our planet impeding peaceful coexistence while uncertainty and the fear of the future continue to increase.” A sense of fragility also leads people to try to hide or ignore the fact that everyone dies imposes itself as a reality with which we have to reckon a sign of the precariousness and brevity of our lives.” “We are invited to lift our eyes to the One who rises from the depths of death and brings us from the ashes of sin and death to the glory of eternal life,” Pope Francis wrote Christ’s death and resurrection “is the hope that restores to life the ‘ashes’ of our lives,” he wrote we are doomed passively to endure the fragility of our human condition.” “The hope of Easter that we journey toward reassures us of God’s forgiveness,” the text added “Even while submerged in the ashes of sin hope opens us up to the joyful acknowledgement of life.” is a call to turn to the Lord and so become “a sign of hope for the world.” The papal text also encouraged Catholics to follow the traditional Lenten practices of almsgiving teaches a person to look beyond themselves nurture “the hope of a fairer world.” that we are ‘beggars for heaven'” and hope that God is “waiting for us with open arms at the end of our earthly pilgrimage,” he wrote “let us learn from fasting that we do not live merely to satisfy our needs only the love of God and of one another can truly satisfy us and give us hope for a better future.” © OSV News / Our Sunday Visitor, Inc. 2025 – from CNS Vatican bureau Catholic Saskatoon News is supported by gifts to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal: dscf.ca/baa. © 2022-2023 Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon does not necessarily endorse the content of any external sites linked from or listed on this website Adapting to endure humanity's impact on the world Dispatches from the frontiers of neuroscience Patrick Hendry via Unsplash Global warming is the biggest challenge we have ever faced Since the first industrial revolution, the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) — a powerful greenhouse gas — in the atmosphere has increased by almost 50%, which is causing a steep rise in global temperature. Controlling its increase and keeping temperature rise below 1.5 degrees is necessary to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change that likely requires stopping new emissions immediately and reducing the excess CO2 that is already in the atmosphere.  Scientists are developing technologies that can literally suck CO2 from the air with huge fans. This technique, called direct air capture (DAC) uses either adsorption — where CO2 sticks to a surface —  or chemical reactions which capture and use CO2 to create something else Coming up with new ways to use commercialize extracted CO2 can inspire new technology that reduces atmospheric CO2 Recently, scientists from the University of Southern California have developed a simple method to turn CO2 into methanol The conversion happens without complicated purification or separation steps Pixabay the separation of the captured CO2 requires temperatures higher than 700°C. In this novel technique a base,  captures CO2 and forms a compound called potassium formate This step represented the main challenge that the researchers had to face "further hydrogenation [addition of hydrogen] of the formate...was found to be ineffective." which they hoped would lead to producing methanol but through a different route obtaining the total conversion of CO2 to methanol in 20 hours.  Simple "one-pot" conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into methanol (CH3OH) This method still requires some adjustments. The reaction is cyclical — you end up with the same material in the pot at the end of the reaction as you had in the beginning Different components wander off and turn into other chemicals but are regenerated at the end in the same proportion they were in at the beginning But the base does gets consumed. If the researchers can overcome this issue this technique can be easily scaled up and added to existing plants But, there's more. For it to be energetically efficient, the production of hydrogen must be derived from splitting water with renewable sources of energy (such as from solar power). This method is not widely available yet, but it is being tested in a series of HYDROSOL projects Right now, most of the hydrogen used in the chemical industry comes from fossil fuels. The steam reforming method — cheap and common but energetically demanding — heats up methane gas and water at very high temperature (700-1100 °C) to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen With these plants popping up more and more we could see large-scale sustainable CO2 to methanol conversion in a few years But then what will do we do with all of that methanol?  We can either use it as it is, as fuel or antifreeze, or as a reactant to produce more chemicals. The first case is understandably not the solution to our CO2 problem: as a fuel methanol burns and produces new CO2 that goes back into the atmosphere and not carbon-negative as we need. Subtracting CO2 from the atmosphere is not enough if global emissions do not decrease On the other end, methanol can be used to produce solvents long-lasting materials that don't liberate CO2 immediately.  However it is necessary to consider the balance between the stored carbon and the one produced during the synthesis of these materials More investments in this kind of research are necessary to reduce the production of  CO2 altogether This topic is delicate and involves scientists and the choices consumers make along the way: The cars we buy (or rather don't) the electricity source we choose for our own houses the people that we elect to lead us in these decisions We ask other scientists from our Consortium to respond to articles with commentary from their expert perspective A lot can be done to decrease the emissions of CO2 but it is also interesting how somehow with the technique you mentioned in the article the CO2 built up for years can be reduced at some point in time Regarding the conversion of CO2 into methanol I am intrigued by how methanol was separated from the other alcohol used.  it’s an ingenious way to store CO2 where it came from I think your idea is really interesting. Carbon capture can be performed at the point sources (such as power plants or cement factories) with similar technologies. You can find more information here can be built everywhere and absorbs CO2 when it is relatively diluted Traditional burial practices are ecologically unsustainable Sarah Brumble Max G. Levy Jordan McKaig Teresa Ambrosio Josseline Ramos-Figueroa Emily Mueller Keir Birchall A new study shows how hydrogen tinkers with cells to reduce inflammation Akshata R. Naik Alyssa Shepard Rosaria Cercola Kay McCallum Iflah Shahid Wendy Wagner Will Walker We're a community of scientists telling stories about all the truth and beauty in the universe and entertaining science writing sent to you We're a community of scientists telling fascinating true stories about the science that's happening now People hold a banner reading "Cercola is praying for you Come on get up and walk" (refering to Lazzarus) at the statue of John Paul II outside the Gemelli University Hospital on March 6 Pope Francis had a stable day at Rome's Gemelli Hospital which included calling the Catholic parish in Gaza and increasing his respiratory and mobility exercises In a March 5 statement, the Vatican said the 88-year-old pontiff "remained stable" throughout the day and experienced no episodes of respiratory difficulty or failure The Vatican also confirmed he continued to receive high-flow oxygen through the nose as planned The Pope spent Wednesday sitting in a chair and participated in the Ash Wednesday blessing ritual from his private apartment on the 10th floor of Gemelli Hospital he received the ashes and Eucharist from the celebrant during the morning ceremony Pope Francis made a phone call to Father Gabriel Romanelli the priest of the Holy Family parish in Gaza and a fellow Argentine This contact with the Gaza parish comes amid ongoing concerns about the situation in the region The pontiff also conducted some work activities throughout the morning and spent the afternoon continuing with his duties despite his hospitalization Vatican doctors are maintaining a "guarded" prognosis given the complexity of his clinical status which includes factors such as his advanced age and underlying chronic respiratory illness The pontiff is now approaching three weeks of hospitalization after being admitted to Gemelli on February 14 for treatment of a complex respiratory infection and double pneumonia Pope Francis has experienced several fluctuations in his condition with periodic respiratory crises necessitating continuous high-flow oxygen and nighttime use of non-invasive mechanical ventilation This treatment involves sealing an oxygen mask around his nose and mouth to create pressure that assists with inhalation The Vatican reported that twice in the past week the Pope experienced bronchospasms – a tightening and restriction of the tubes connecting the lungs to the windpipe – that required suctioning and ventilation treatment the ventilator is now removed during daytime hours with the Pope receiving oxygen through his nose while continuing to perform respiratory exercises The Vatican statement indicated that Pope Francis has increased his respiratory physiotherapy and active motor therapy aimed at improving his mobility and reducing oxygen dependency Pope Francis was unable to preside over the traditional Ash Wednesday procession and Mass which was instead celebrated by Italian Cardinal Angelo De Donatis major penitentiary of the Vatican's Apostolic Penitentiary A nightly rosary prayer for the Pope's health and recovery is being held in St attended by various cardinals and members of the Roman Curia residing in Rome Wednesday's service was scheduled to be led by Italian Cardinal Marcello Semeraro prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for Saints Causes The British police launched an urgent operation to stop Iranian terror cells operating within the country The president has proposed implementing a 100% tariff on films produced outside the United States "I don't think we should be bombing foreign countries on behalf of other foreign countries Analysis  Archaeology Blogpost Business & Finance Culture Exclusive Explainer Environment Features Health In Brief Jewish World Judea and Samaria Lifestyle Cyber & Internet Sports Diplomacy  Iran & The Gulf Gaza Strip Politics Shopping Terms of use Privacy Policy Submissions Contact Us The first issue of Israel Hayom appeared on July 30 Israel Hayom was founded on the belief that the Israeli public deserves better more balanced and more accurate journalism [contact-form-7 id=”508379″ html_id=”isrh_form_Newsletter_en” title=”newsletter_subscribe”] Brera Holdings (NASDAQ: BREA) successfully completed its inaugural Investor Weekend at its Italian Serie B football club Juve Stabia in Castellammare di Stabia The event provided investors with an immersive football and cultural experience Attendance at Juve Stabia's match against Cittadella at Stadio Romeo MentiExclusive networking with Club executives and President Andrea LangellaVisit to Juve Stabia Academy at Cercola Training CenterSpecial access to Inter Milan vs Napoli match at Diego Maradona Stadium with Napoli owner The event featured cultural experiences including visits to Pompeii this marks the first in a series of investor-focused experiences aimed at strengthening ties between the Club and stakeholders within Brera's multi-club ownership strategy Brera Holdings (NASDAQ: BREA) ha completato con successo il suo primo Investor Weekend presso il suo club di calcio di Serie B italiano L'evento ha offerto agli investitori un'esperienza immersiva nel calcio e nella cultura Partecipazione alla partita della Juve Stabia contro il Cittadella presso lo Stadio Romeo MentiNetworking esclusivo con i dirigenti del Club e il Presidente Andrea LangellaVisita all'Academy della Juve Stabia presso il Cercola Training CenterAccesso speciale alla partita Inter Milan vs Napoli presso lo Stadio Diego Maradona con il proprietario del Napoli L'evento ha incluso esperienze culturali come visite a Pompei al Golfo di Napoli e attrazioni culinarie locali questo segna il primo di una serie di esperienze focalizzate sugli investitori finalizzate a rafforzare i legami tra il Club i sostenitori e i portatori di interesse all'interno della strategia di proprietà multi-club di Brera Brera Holdings (NASDAQ: BREA) completó con éxito su primer Investor Weekend en su club de fútbol de la Serie B italiana El evento ofreció a los inversores una experiencia inmersiva en el fútbol y la cultura Asistencia al partido de la Juve Stabia contra el Cittadella en el Estadio Romeo MentiNetworking exclusivo con los ejecutivos del Club y el Presidente Andrea LangellaVisita a la Academia de Juve Stabia en el Centro de Entrenamiento de CercolaAcceso especial al partido Inter de Milán vs Napoli en el Estadio Diego Maradona con el propietario del Napoli El evento presentó experiencias culturales al Golfo de Nápoles y atracciones culinarias locales esto marca el primero de una serie de experiencias centradas en los inversores destinadas a fortalecer los lazos entre el Club los aficionados y las partes interesadas dentro de la estrategia de propiedad de múltiples clubes de Brera 브레라 홀딩스 (NASDAQ: BREA)는 이탈리아 세리에 B 축구 클럽인 유베 스타비아에서 첫 번째 투자자 주말 행사를 성공적으로 마쳤습니다 나폴리 카스텔람마레 디 스타비아에서 열린 이번 행사는 투자자들에게 축구와 문화의 몰입형 경험을 제공했습니다 로메오 멘티 스타디움에서 유베 스타비아와 치타델라의 경기 관람클럽 경영진 및 안드레아 랑겔라 회장과의 독점 네트워킹체르콜라 훈련 센터에 있는 유베 스타비아 아카데미 방문나폴리 구단주와 함께하는 디에고 마라도나 스타디움에서의 인터 밀란 vs 나폴리 경기 특별 관람 팬 및 이해관계자 간의 유대 강화를 목표로 하는 투자자 중심의 경험 시리즈의 첫 번째 행사로 자리 잡고 있습니다 Brera Holdings (NASDAQ: BREA) a réussi à organiser son premier Investor Weekend au sein de son club de football de Serie B italien L'événement a offert aux investisseurs une expérience immersive dans le football et la culture Assistance au match de la Juve Stabia contre Cittadella au Stadio Romeo MentiRéseautage exclusif avec les dirigeants du Club et le Président Andrea LangellaVisite de l'Académie de la Juve Stabia au Centre d'Entraînement de CercolaAccès spécial au match Inter Milan vs Napoli au Stade Diego Maradona avec le propriétaire de Napoli L'événement a également proposé des expériences culturelles dans le Golfe de Naples et des attractions culinaires locales cela marque le premier d'une série d'expériences axées sur les investisseurs visant à renforcer les liens entre le Club les supporters et les parties prenantes dans le cadre de la stratégie de propriété multi-clubs de Brera Brera Holdings (NASDAQ: BREA) hat erfolgreich sein erstes Investor Weekend beim italienischen Serie B Fußballclub Juve Stabia in Castellammare di Stabia Die Veranstaltung bot den Investoren ein intensives Fußball- und Kulturevent Teilnahme am Spiel von Juve Stabia gegen Cittadella im Stadio Romeo MentiExklusives Networking mit Club-Executives und Präsident Andrea LangellaBesuch der Juve Stabia Akademie im Cercola TrainingszentrumBesonderer Zugang zum Spiel Inter Mailand gegen Napoli im Diego Maradona Stadion mit dem Eigentümer von Napoli Die Veranstaltung beinhaltete kulturelle Erlebnisse wie Besuche in Pompeji im Golf von Neapel und lokale kulinarische Attraktionen markiert dies den ersten einer Reihe von investorenzentrierten Erfahrungen den Anhängern und den Stakeholdern innerhalb der Multi-Club-Eigentumsstrategie von Brera zu stärken 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brera Holdings PLC (“Brera” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: BREA) international holding company focused on expanding its global portfolio of men’s and women’s sports clubs through a multi-club ownership (“MCO”) approach announces the successful completion of its inaugural Investor Weekend onsite at its Italian Serie B football club SS Juve Stabia Srl (the “Club” or “Juve Stabia”) in Castellammare di Stabia Brera Holdings Executive Chairman Daniel McClory (left) and Juve Stabia President Andrea Langella (center right) provided certain Brera investors with an immersive football (soccer) and cultural experience in the historic region of Naples Investors attended Juve Stabia’s March 1 match against Cittadella at Stadio Romeo Menti and engaged in exclusive networking opportunities with Club executives including Juve Stabia President Andrea Langella They also received a presentation from Juve Stabia management and met with key figures at the Club investors were invited onto the pitch for a special walkout allowing them to take in the atmosphere and get a firsthand feeling of the Club’s historic stadium and passionate supporters investors were treated to an array of local delicacies including fine regional wines from Campagna further immersing them in the rich culinary culture of Naples investors visited the Juve Stabia Academy at the Cercola Training Center to witness the next generation of talent in the Naples and Campania region The itinerary included Pompeii’s ancient ruins birthplace of the legendary Italian naval vessel and epic wooden ship Amerigo Vespucci the home of one of Italy’s most revered pasta locations investors toured Antonio Massa's renowned pasta factory They also enjoyed aperitivos and traditional Neapolitan cuisine at historic restaurants acknowledged Naples as the home of luxury brand E and explored cultural landmarks such as the Duomo cathedral along with iconic Diego Maradona murals and artwork immersing themselves in the city's deep-rooted football passion Brera investors and partners on the famous Gulf of Naples next to the famous Castel dell'Ovo of Naples The Investor Weekend also featured a once-in-a-lifetime football experience as Brera investors and Juve Stabia President Langella attended the hotly contested Italian Serie A match between first place Inter Milan and second place Napoli at the iconic Diego Maradona Stadium alongside Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis This provided a firsthand look at the electrifying atmosphere of top-tier Italian football reinforcing Brera’s commitment to integrating investors into the broader football ecosystem A visit to Juve Stabia academy at Cercola Training Center in Naples This event marks the first in a series of investor-focused experiences Brera will host in collaboration with its investors and Juve Stabia and stakeholders invested in the long-term vision of Brera’s MCO strategy “This Investor Weekend was an incredible opportunity to blend football allowing our stakeholders to engage with Juve Stabia and its people on a deeper level while experiencing the rich traditions of Naples,” said Brera’s Head of Investments “We look forward to expanding this initiative reinforcing our mission to create value through strategic multi-club ownership and fostering a global football network.” Brera remains committed to enhancing its presence in the international football space bringing investors closer to the action and providing unparalleled access to the world’s most passionate football markets Future Investor Weekends are set to build upon this foundation offering further opportunities for engagement Brera Holdings PLC (Nasdaq: BREA) is dedicated to expanding its social impact football business by developing a global portfolio of emerging football and sports clubs the Company aims to create opportunities for tournament prizes recognized as "The Third Team of Milan," has been crafting an alternative football legacy since its founding in 2000 a nonprofessional pan-European tournament acknowledged by UEFA which has been referred to as "the Champions League for Amateurs" by BBC Sport Brera expanded into Africa in March 2023 by establishing Brera Tchumene FC in Mozambique which quickly rose to the First Division after winning its post-season tournament the Company acquired a 90% stake in the North Macedonian first-division team Fudbalski Klub Akademija Pandev Brera made a strategic investment in Manchester United PLC The Company has further diversified its portfolio by acquiring a majority stake in UYBA Volley an Italian women's professional volleyball team assuming control of Bayanzurkh Sporting Ilch FC and establishing a joint stock company for the North Macedonian women's football club Tiverija Strumica a wholly-owned subsidiary of Brera Strumica FC Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties Such statements include statements regarding the Company's ability to grow its business and other statements that are not historical facts including statements which may be accompanied by the words "intends," "may," "will," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "projects," "predicts," "estimates," "aims," "believes," "hopes," "potential" or similar words Actual results could differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements due to a number of factors the Company's ability to continue as a going concern the popularity and/or competitive success of the Company's acquired football and other sports teams the Company's ability to attract players and staff for acquired clubs unsuccessful acquisitions or other strategic transactions the possibility of a decline in the popularity of football or other sports the Company's ability to expand its fanbase and other risk factors detailed in the Company's filings with the SEC The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and the Company does not undertake any responsibility to update such forward-looking statements except in accordance with applicable law Company Contact Information: Dan McClory, Executive Chairman, Brera Holdings PLC Email: dan@breraholdings.com Already have an account? Login is now receiving almost constant supplemental oxygen according to people familiar with his situation.The 88-year-old wears a mask over his mouth and nose at night to provide mechanical ventilation while during the day he’s usually given oxygen through a tube in his nose.Those around him emphasize that he is not artificially ventilated.According to the Holy See the pope spent the previous night in hospital without new complications.The head of the Catholic Church has now been in the Gemelli Hospital in the western Rome for almost three weeks.At the hospital Pope Francis has had at least four attacks of respiratory insufficiency some of which were also accompanied by cramps and vomiting he was given a mask for mechanical ventilation during the day as well Terms of Use|Privacy Policy Powered by CopperPress 6 July – Saturday signaled the end of the basketball group stage matches at PalaJacazzi in Aversa where the 30thSummer Universiade is taking place The top two teams in each Pool will compete in the quarter-finals starting Sunday The men’s United States team won their last group match 99-70 against Team China in Pool C China also lost their earlier two group matches against Ukraine and Finland Chinese basketball player Baiqing Zhao (right) who is participating in his first Universiade “We just want to show the Chinese basketball style in the Universiade and we tried our best in every game,” he told FISU it’s a basketball game so anything can happen in the next second.” this ‘Chinese style’ worked well and helped China get 25 points ahead of USA The situation changed suddenly in the third period though with USA surging ahead and expanding their advantage to 20 points China continued to challenge but it was not enough Team United States is represented this time by the team from Clemson University which is ranked No.45 on the NCAA official rankings said “In this game if I paid more attention to details The American team had won gold in Gwangju 2015 and finished runners-up to Lithuania two years ago in Taipei who from the Accademia Belle Arti di Napoli “We heard Universiade from the news of Napoli and we want to watch every Team China’s Basketball competition Some of us use their student ID card got the ticket from the Napoli 2019 staffs.” NAPOLI – It was a hot and heavy affair at the PalaBarbuto today as Women’s Basketball qualifying got underway with Portugal beating Argentina 64-50 and Russia defeating Romania 59-31 in the preliminary Group B games In a noisy arena – where those on the bench and in the stands cheered on their respective sides in unison – the passion and determination of the players and coaches was evident with the positive spirit that is a hallmark of the Universiade “I believe we tried to play the game the way we wanted we just need to get back into the tournament and try to win our next game.” The number ten also expressed her delight at being able to represent her nation at the Universiade saying “It’s the best feeling ever It’s great that there are these events that combine university and sport.” Much is expected from women’s basketball here in Napoli with 16 nations competing in the women’s tournament – and the men’s – for the first time in years The sport has been on the Universiade programme ever since its appearance in the first edition in Turin in 1959 but it wasn’t until two years later in Sofia that the women’s competition entered the games the women’s event is as popular as the men’s with both competitions all set to generate a real buzz in the days ahead Basketball venues for training and competition are spread out over the Campania region with other matches taking place in PalaDelMauro in Avellino and PalaJacazzi in Aversa Japan and Czech Republic picked up victories over Ukraine and Hungary respectively while USA and Taipei also got their Napoli 2019 campaigns off to a positive start by beating Mexico and Slovakia China overcame Canada and Australia beat Finland Basketball competition continues through to the 11 July with the women’s final taking place on the 10thhere at PalaBarbuto and the men’s final game coming a day later With the men’s 2017 champions Lithuania absent from Napoli the USA Team will be looking to assert their dominance Clemson University will compete as the American national team after Purdue University represented them in Taipei two years ago.The American women from Mississippi State University will also be considered among the favourites although Australia is seeking successive golds following their first place finish in Taipei 27 June – Basketball at Napoli 2019 will be one of the marquee events running almost the entire length of the Summer Universiade from 3-11 July In the magnificent PalaBarbuto and Paladelmauro halls 16 teams each in the men’s and women’s competitions will vie for top honours.  The women’s field is led by Australia Japan and Chinese Taipei – the medalists at the last Summer Universiade in Taipei in 2017 The American women’s basketball team did not feature on the podium then but are surely looking to medal in Italy. Mississippi State University will represent the United States marking their first time ever to represent USA in a Universiade. Their male counterparts are even more confident looking to claim a gold medal after winning silver in 2017 who had beaten the Americans 85 to 74 in the last final would be considered strong favourites again. Clemson University will compete as the U.S after Purdue University represented the Americans in Taipei Also in the men’s fray are the Chinese team who may not be considered top favourites but are hoping to give the favourites a run for their money the coach of Peking University’s basketball team that recently won the 21stChinese University Basketball Association (CUBA) finals without losing a game will be leading the Chinese team in Napoli In the squad is Peking University’s MVP Shaojie Wang (left) currently one of the best university basketball players in China “This will not be my first visit to Italy but it will be the first time in Napoli,” he says “I think it will be an interesting experience. We will try our best in every game in Napoli We all know this is a hard-earned chance for us university players Wang’s teammate Shengwei Wan (right) who plays for the Guangdong Tigers basketball team in the Chinese Basketball Association is looking forward to showing off some Chinese flair to the world  “I appreciate the opportunity that the Universiade and FISU provide us with to show the Chinese style of basketball to the world,” he tells us His team recently won the ninth CBA Championship in May 2019 and he heads to Napoli on a high But Wan is aware of the level of competition that awaits them “I had a chance to be at the Gwangju 2015 Summer Universiade,” he says I felt that the Universiade gave us the highest level basketball competition From the opponents’ tacit communications I learned so much from the Universiade.” I feel so excited because I will learn more from the top basketball teams again.” © International University Sports Federation This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page AEFI’s forty years of activity are a milestone that bears witness to the strength and solidity of an Association that has succeeded in growing over the years supporting the sector it has always been honoured to represent through change and in difficult times while serving as a lever for its development They also represent an opportunity to thank those who have made it all possible: all the chairmen who have held office over the years and the two Secretaries General Rodolfo Lopes Pegna and Loredana Sarti by the Theatre Mercadante and by the Nuova Orchestra Scarlatti and those organized by Napoli a gonfie vele (sport) and by N:EA (Sensuk) concluded with some shows at the Theatre Sannazaro and at Mostra d'Oltremare which have also seen the participation of student delegations from Neapolitan schools  view the presentation of the various workshops