Football: Ronaldo sends Man United into last 16, Chelsea thrash Juventus

Manchester United booked their place in the Champions League last 16 as Cristiano Ronaldo scored in a 2-0 victory at Villarreal on Tuesday, while holders Chelsea also reached the knockout phase by thumping Juventus.

Three-time European champions United went into their first game since sacking Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the weekend needing a win to confirm a top-two finish in Group F.

But they were under massive pressure as defeat would have left their fate out of their own hands.

David de Gea made two crucial saves and United, with Michael Carrick in caretaker charge, took advantage through Ronaldo's 78th-minute lob.

Jadon Sancho, so often a peripheral figure since his big-money move from Borussia Dortmund in the close-season, capped a fine individual display with his first goal for the club late on.

"It's not an important result for me personally. It's an important one for the players and the club," said Carrick.

Ronaldo's goal was the 799th of his career, his 140th in the Champions League and his sixth in the competition this season.

The other qualification spot in the group remains up for grabs after Young Boys and Atalanta played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in Bern.

Late goals from Vincent Sierro and Silvan Hefti gave the Swiss champions a 3-2 lead, but Luis Muriel struck in the 88th minute for the visitors.

Atalanta face a winner-takes-all match against Villarreal in Bergamo next month.

- Chelsea thrash Juve -

Chelsea romped into the last 16 and to the top of Group H with an impressive 4-0 thrashing of Juventus at Stamford Bridge.

Thomas Tuchel's men knew that qualification would be secured if they could avoid defeat or if Zenit Saint Petersburg failed to beat Malmo.

The Blues dominated the early stages and took the lead through young defender Trevoh Chalobah's third goal of the season.

Chelsea's defenders were consistently a menace from set-pieces, and Thiago Silva saw a header saved by Wojciech Szczesny early in the second period.

It was a defender who doubled Chelsea's lead in the 56th minute.

England right-back Reece James hammered a fine volley into the bottom corner to net for the fifth time already this term.

Chelsea grabbed their third goal less than two minutes later, Ruben Loftus-Cheek prodding the ball to Hudson-Odoi, who smashed home from close range.

There was still time for Timo Werner, making his first appearance since an injury layoff, to come off the bench and score in added time.

"We did really well, it is so tough to score goals against Juventus and we created so much," said Tuchel. "Full credit for an amazing performance and a fantastic result."

Zenit drew 1-1 with Malmo to secure a spot in the Europa League knockouts.

- Barcelona stutter -

Barcelona were held to a goalless draw by Benfica at the Camp Nou in Xavi's second game as coach, but remain above the Portuguese side in Group E.

However, the Catalan club will have to beat Bayern Munich in Germany in their final group game to be sure of making the next round.

Benfica host already-eliminated Dynamo Kiev in their last match, trailing Barca by two points.

Barcelona endured a nervy first half which saw Gavi waste the only clear opportunity, blazing over from close range when Memphis Depay was waiting in the middle for a tap-in.

Xavi's men improved after the interval, though, with Frenkie de Jong's header forcing Benfica 'keeper Odysseas Vlachodimos into a flying save.

But it was Benfica who almost took a huge step towards the last 16 deep into injury time, only for Haris Seferovic to shoot wide when he should have scored.

"We played well but there's a bitter aftertaste because we were here to win tonight," Barca defender Ronald Araujo told uefa.com.

"In front of our fans, our people -– and now we simply must go and win in Munich."

The other game in Group E saw Bayern Munich wrap up top spot with a 2-1 victory at Dynamo Kiev.

Robert Lewandowski lit up a snowy evening in the Ukrainian capital by scoring a magnificent overhead kick, with Kingsley Coman also on the scoresheet for the six-time winners.

In Group G, Lille made Salzburg wait to reach the last 16 as Jonathan David scored a first-half winner in a 1-0 victory in France.

All four teams in the group can still go through, after Sevilla saw off Wolfsburg 2-0.

Agence France-Presse

Israel begins giving COVID shots to children age 5 to 11

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel on Tuesday began administering the coronavirus vaccine to children age 5 to 11.

The country recently emerged from a fourth COVID wave and daily infections have been relatively low for the last few weeks. But Health Ministry statistics show that a large share of the new infections have been in children and teenagers.

Children age 5 to 11 make up nearly half of active cases. Officials hope the new inoculation campaign will help bring down the numbers and perhaps stave off a new wave.

Israeli media reported low demand for the shots on the first day they were available to this age group. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett accompanied his son David, 9, on Tuesday to get his jab in a bid to encourage parents to have their children vaccinated.

Bennett held his son’s hand as he received the shot. David Bennett said he was a little scared but the shot didn’t hurt. The prime minister urged all eligible children to get vaccinated: “It protects our children and also parents,” he said.

Israel, which has a population of more than 9 million, has had more than 1.3 million infections since the start of the pandemic and more than 8,100 deaths.

-Associated Press

BTS named artist of the year at 2021 American Music Awards

South Korean boy group BTS was named artist of the year at the American Music Awards show in Los Angeles on Sunday, Nov. 21 — the top prize at the world’s largest fan-voted ceremony.

The K-pop group beat rival nominees Ariana Grande, Drake, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd.

BTS and Swift were among the early winners at the American Music Awards, in a show hosted live by rapper Cardi B.

BTS was named favorite pop group, the first of three awards it was nominated for on the awards show.

“We’re just a small boy band from Korea which just united by the love of music and all we want to do is spread good vibes,” BTS singer Kim Nam-Joon, known as RM, said.

BTS joined Coldplay on stage for a rendition of their single “My Universe” in a post-pandemic return to live performances for the K-pop group, whose single “Butter” ruled the Billboard singles charts in the United States for 10 weeks this summer.

Swift, who did not attend Sunday’s ceremony, last year won the title for a record sixth time. On Sunday, she took home the trophies for favorite female artist and best pop album for her lockdown album “evermore.”

“I’m so lucky to be in your life and to get to have you in mine,” Swift told fans in a video acceptance speech.

First-time host Cardi B pulled off a series of extravagant costume changes and confessed she was worried about messing up.

“I’m a little nervous. I’m shaking,” the “Bodak Yellow” rapper said, sporting a head-to-toe black feather headdress.

Rodrigo, 18, who burst onto the charts in January, went into Sunday’s show with a leading seven nods including artist of the year, best new artist and favorite pop song for her debut single “drivers license.”

Canadian R&B singer The Weeknd followed with six nominations, while Doja Cat, reggaeton star Bad Bunny and first-time nominee R&B singer Giveon had five each.

Doja Cat picked up three awards on Sunday, including for her “Kiss Me More” collaboration with SZA. Meanwhile, Megan Thee Stallion, who on Saturday pulled out of performing on the show citing personal issues, won for favorite female hip-hop artist.

Other artists due to perform later on Sunday include Jennifer Lopez, Latin star Bad Bunny, Italian Eurovision song contest winners Maneskin and country singer Carrie Underwood.

The nominees were based on Billboard music chart performance, streaming and album sales, radio play and social media engagement, and the winners were chosen entirely by fans.

-reuters

US authorizes COVID-19 boosters for all adults, recommends for over-50s

The United States authorized the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all people aged 18 and older on Friday, as the world's hardest-hit country enters a new winter wave of the pandemic.

Boosters were previously available to the immunocompromised, people over 65, those at high risk of severe disease, and people in high risk occupations.

The new decision "helps to provide continued protection against COVID-19, including the serious consequences that can occur, such as hospitalization and death," acting commissioner Janet Woodcock of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said.

A panel of experts convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) then ratified the decision to broaden eligibility, while explicitly recommending boosters for all people over 50, even absent underlying conditions.

"I am really glad that we have clarity and streamlining of the recommendations so that all Americans can understand the vaccines that are recommended for them at this time," said Camille Kotton, an infectious disease clinician at Massachusetts General Hospital.

CDC director Rochelle Walensky formally signed off on the panel's recommendations, stating that boosters "are an important public health tool to strengthen our defenses against the virus as we enter the winter holidays."

The FDA said it based its decision on data demonstrating a strong immune response to boosters from hundreds of people dosed with both brands of vaccines. 

Pfizer also carried out a clinical trial involving 10,000 people aged over 16 which found that the booster showed an efficacy against symptomatic infection of more than 95 percent compared to those who did not receive a booster.

Both vaccines are available to people six months after completing their primary series. 

Pfizer's vaccine is dosed at 30 micrograms, the same as the primary series, while Moderna's is 50 micrograms, half the primary series.

People who received the Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine were already eligible for a booster of any brand two months after their first shot.

The booster decision comes as cases are rapidly rising nationally, reaching 88,000 new infections per day on average as the country enters its fifth wave, according to the latest data. 

America is officially the pandemic's hardest-hit country, with more than 760,000 deaths.

Many unknowns 

Prior to Friday's decision, some outside experts had expressed misgivings over widening boosters to all adults.

The vast majority of those people becoming hospitalized or dying with COVID are unvaccinated, and the best way to control the winter wave would be to reach those people, rather than topping up the vaccinated, the critics said.

A potential downside, they argued, was that vaccine holdouts might conclude the shots are ineffective. 

Another risk is a greater number of cases of vaccine-linked heart inflammation (myocarditis), especially among younger males. Accumulating evidence shows the risk may be greater for the Moderna vaccine compared to Pfizer, likely because of its higher dose.

Both companies are conducting post-authorization studies to assess the risks of myocarditis after third shots.

Overall, however, both health agencies took the view that the benefits outweigh the risks.

It is expected that boosters, by reducing symptomatic cases, will also help reduce community transmission, though the extent to which this might happen is not known.

It is also possible that, rather than considering the third dose a booster, the vaccines work optimally when administered three times— something that will become more clear over time as data accrues. 

Experts are in broad agreement, however, that boosters alone can't resolve the pandemic while the poorest countries, especially in Africa, remain stuck in the single-digit percentages for people covered by their initial shots. 

Last week, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus decried the fact that rich countries are administering six times more vaccine doses every day than low-income countries are delivering primary doses.

This increases the risk of new variants of concern emerging in those regions, which could eventually evade the protective action of current vaccines.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Jazz obliterate slumping Sixers

Bojan Bogdanovic scored 27 points, Rudy Gobert logged his 11th double-double of the young season and the Utah Jazz snapped out of a mini-funk by dominating the Philadelphia 76ers in a 120-85 victory Tuesday night in Salt Lake City.

Gobert took advantage of the Sixers being without Joel Embiid, who has missed five consecutive games -- all losses -- because of COVID-19 protocols.

The Jazz center scored 15 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked four shots while helping Utah win for just the second time in six games. He spearheaded a Jazz defense that limited Philadelphia to 36.7 percent shooting.

Bogdanovic hit 9 of 12 shots overall and 5 of 7 from 3-point range to lead a Utah offense that made 51 percent of its field-goal attempts and earned its largest margin of victory this season.

Four other Utah players reached double digits: Jordan Clarkson (20 points with four 3-pointers), Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell (13 apiece) and Hassan Whiteside (10).

Shake Milton scored 18 points and Tyrese Maxey added 16 points for the Sixers, who have lost five in a row after reeling off a six-game winning streak. This was the second stop on a five-game road trip for Philadelphia.

Utah, which lost the first two games on its four-game homestand, led by only two points after the first quarter

That changed quickly, though, as the Jazz opened the second quarter on a 14-point scoring streak thanks, in part, to six points from Clarkson.

Furkan Korkmaz finally put the Sixers on the scoreboard at the 7:56 mark of the quarter. Minutes later, however, Clarkson and Bogdanovic hit 3-pointers during an 8-0 run, putting the Jazz up 52-32.

The third quarter was much of the same, with the Jazz scoring the first five points and starting the second half on a 15-4 spurt. Utah's 16-point halftime lead blossomed to 31, 97-66, after three quarters.

-reuters

Shell ditches the Dutch, seeks move to London in overhaul

Royal Dutch Shell said on Monday it would scrap its dual share structure and move its head office to Britain from the Netherlands, pushed away by Dutch taxes and facing climate pressure in court as the energy giant shifts from oil and gas.

The company, which long faced questions from investors about its dual structure and had recently been hit by a Dutch court order over its climate targets, aims to drop "Royal Dutch" from its name - part of its identity since 1907 - to become Shell Plc.

The firm has been in a long-running tussle with the Dutch authorities over the country's 15 percent dividend withholding tax on some of its shares, making them less attractive for international investors. Shell introduced the two-class share structure in 2005 after a previous corporate overhaul.

The new single structure with all shares under British law means none of its shares would be under this tax. It would also allow Shell to strike swifter sale or acquisition deals.

In a further knock to its relations with the Netherlands, the biggest Dutch state pension fund ABP said last month it would drop Shell and all fossil fuels from its portfolio.

The Dutch government said on Monday it was "unpleasantly surprised" by Shell's plans to move to London from The Hague.

In a political long-shot, Dutch Economic Affairs Minister Stef Blok contacted the heads of political parties in parliament on Monday to gauge support for scrapping the dividend tax, broadcaster RTL reported.

The government was forced to withdraw the same plan in 2018 following widespread opposition to the move, which was seen by the public as a gift to foreign shareholders.

Shell's decision will, however, be seen as a vote of confidence in London after Britain's exit from the European Union triggered a shift in billions of euros in daily share trading from the UK capital to Amsterdam.

Shell's shares, which will still be traded in Amsterdam and New York under the plan, climbed more than 2% in London on Monday morning after the news.

"The current complex share structure is subject to constraints and may not be sustainable in the long term," Shell said, as it announced its plan to change the structure.

The dual structure means Shell now has primary listings in both London and Amsterdam, as well as two overarching legal headquarters despite operating as one economic group.

Such set-ups are expensive and complex, requiring the replication of board-level functions in two jurisdictions as well as being incorporated under two different legal regimes.

The change requires at least 75 percent of votes by shareholders at a general meeting to be held on Dec. 10, the company said.

"Among other benefits, the proposed changes will increase Shell's ability to buy back shares," Jefferies said in a research note.

Shell has said it would return $7 billion from selling U.S. assets to ConocoPhillips in addition to an ongoing share buyback program.

'MORE AGILE'

Monday's move follows a major overhaul Shell completed this summer as part of its strategy to shift away from oil and gas to renewables and low-carbon energy. The overhaul included thousands of job cuts around the world.

In May, a Dutch court ordered Shell to deepen its planned greenhouse gas emission cuts in order to align with the Paris climate deal which aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Shell has said it would appeal.

"If this decision will enable the company to be more agile in order to execute its transition to net zero, then it should be viewed positively," said Adam Matthews, chief responsible investment officer at Church of England Pensions Board, a Shell shareholder.

Matthews, who is leading talks with Shell on behalf of the investor group Climate Action 100+, said it should not remove Shell's responsibility to implement the Dutch court ruling.

Shell said the change would not change the impact of the court decision.

Shell is also battling calls made last month from activist investor Third Point for the firm to be broken up into multiple companies. Shell's top executives hit back, saying the firm's businesses worked better together.

Corporate giants are under growing pressure to simplify their structures with General Electric, Toshiba and Johnson & Johnson announcing plans last week to split into separate companies.

Dual listings, which are more expensive to maintain, are also falling out of favor.

Consumer products giant Unilever abandoned its dual Anglo-Dutch structure last year in favor of a single London-based entity. Miner BHP Group has also called time on such a structure.

If BHP and Shell complete their shifts to single share structures, Rio Tinto, Carnival and Investec will be the few remaining dual-listed companies on London's main market.

-reuters

McDonald's sparks Brazil controversy over unisex toilet

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - A McDonald's restaurant in Brazil was on Sunday ordered to comply with health regulations by installing separate male and female toilets after sparking a controversy with its unisex bathroom.

The scandal erupted over a viral video shot from inside the unisex toilet of a McDonald's restaurant in Bauru, in Sao Paulo state.

In the video, a woman who appears to have shot the clip can be heard complaining: "This is absurd! Children use these bathrooms. This is communism in our city of Bauru, it's shameful!"

The video caused such a storm that health officials visited the restaurant and "found that the municipality's health regulations had not been respected," Bauru mayor Suellen Roim said on Twitter.

According to a local law, bathrooms must be "separated and identified, one for each sex."

McDonald's has been given two weeks to comply with the regulation or face either a fine or the restaurant's closure.

The company explained in a statement that it was trying to create areas of "inclusion and respect" so that "everyone feels welcome to use" the bathrooms.

The fast-food chain said it was cooperating with authorities to "meet certain standards."

But the issue riled up the ire of conservatives in a country where questions about gender have become a hot topic since far-right President Jair Bolsonaro -- often accused of sexism and homophobia -- took power three years ago.

Agence France-Presse

Paris Hilton marries in 'true fairy tale wedding'

LOS ANGELES - U.S. socialite Paris Hilton has married her boyfriend of two years, Carter Reum, in what she called "a true fairy tale wedding."

Hilton, 40, who got engaged to businessman Reum, also 40, in February, posted details of the wedding in Los Angeles on Thursday in a blog where she said she couldn't believe she was finally a wife.

"I finally got to kiss my Prince and begin the happily ever after I’ve been dreaming of since I was a little girl," she wrote.

"Wifey for lifey," she added in a Twitter posting alongside photos of her Oscar de la Renta lace wedding gown.

Guests at the wedding on her family's posh Bel-Air estate included Kim Kardashian, Nicole Richie and Paula Abdul. Demi Lovato performed at a wedding reception, where Hilton had four changes of outfits, celebrity website TMZ reported.

Hilton, the great granddaughter of Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton, was catapulted to tabloid fame through a leaked sex tape in 2001. She later starred in the TV reality show "A Simple Life" and is currently filming a reality series called "This is Paris."

Her personal business empire now includes a perfume line, boutiques and other products.

Hilton had a long string of boyfriends, ranging from singer Nick Carter to Greek shipping heir Stavros Niarchos and musician Benji Madden. She has been engaged three times before - to actor Chris Zylka in 2018, shipping heir Paris Latsis in 2005 and fashion model Jason Shaw in 2002.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)

-reuters

YouTube hides ‘dislike’ counts to discourage attacks

YouTube announced Wednesday the tally of "dislike" clicks on videos will no longer be visible to the public to protect creators from harassment and targeted attacks.

A public count of likes -- or dislikes -- that social media posts rack up is regularly cited by critics as harmful to well-being, and Facebook as well as Instagram have allowed users to opt out.

Users on the Google-owned video sharing platform will still be able to click on the "dislike" button below a clip, but they will no longer see the negative review count.

"To ensure that YouTube promotes respectful interactions between viewers and creators... we experimented with the dislike button to see whether or not changes could help better protect our creators from harassment, and reduce dislike attacks," YouTube said in a statement. 

"Our experiment data showed a reduction in dislike attacking behavior."

Content creators -- the social media stars who draw crowds online -- will be able to see the number of thumbs-down icons their clips elicit.

YouTube said smaller scale or new creators reported being unfairly targeted in attacks, where people work to drive up the number of dislikes on videos.

The changes at YouTube come as major social networks and video platforms are frequently accused by lawmakers, regulators and watchdogs of not doing enough to fight online harassment.

Facebook is battling one of its most serious reputational crises ever, driven by leaked internal documents showing executive knew of the potential harm of their platforms.

The revelations from the leaks by former Facebook employee Frances Haugen have put fresh impetus behind talk of regulating Big Tech companies.

Worry about Facebook's potential harm has spilled over to other platforms with TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube trying to convince US senators in a hearing last month that they were safe for their young users.

Agence France-Presse

Germany's seven-day COVID incidence rate rises to record high

Germany's incidence rate measuring the number of new coronavirus infections per 100,000 people over the last seven days soared to 201.1 on Monday, a record since the pandemic erupted more than a year ago.

The figure, published by Germany's Robert Koch Institute (RKI), surpasses the last high, which had been 197.6 reached on December 22, 2020. 

While many more people in the country have had the jab than at that point last year, vaccination rates have stagnated at under 70 percent, with officials pleading in the last days for the population to get the jab.

"For the unvaccinated, the risk is high that they will become infected in the coming months," warned RKI chief Lothar Wieler on Wednesday.

In the eastern state of Saxony, where the incidence rate is more than twice the national average at 491.3, unvaccinated people face new restrictions from Monday.

Access to indoor dining and other indoor events will be limited to those who are fully vaccinated or can show proof of recovery.

The new rules are the toughest state-wide restrictions in Germany against non-inoculated people. Only children as well as those who cannot receive jabs for medical reasons will be exempt.

The surge in German cases comes with the country in political limbo following September's general election. 

The incoming coalition parties, aiming to form a government by early December, have so far ruled out mandatory jabs and said there will be no new lockdowns -- at least not for the vaccinated.

Agence France-Presse