Posts in category: Uncategorized

By MICHAEL MIYOBA 

AFTER three consecutive defeats in the first three games of the Zambia Premier League, Kitwe giants Nkana FC will seek redemption when they host FC Muza in today’s rescheduled Week-4 fixture at Woodlands Stadium in Lusaka.

Nkana, who are anchoring the Premier League table with no points will be searching for their first win of the season to escape being confined to the relegation zone.

The game presents a tough test for new gaffer in Ian Bakala who has been trusted to lead the Kitwe outfit out of the danger zone as Beston Chambeshi’s replacement.

Bakala begins a new era in his coaching career having dumped Ndola outfit Forest Rangers for the most successful team in the Super League.

The former Lusaka Dynamos and Forest Rangers coach being assisted by his longtime close friend in former NAPSA Stars assistant coach Sipho Mumbi will however need a miracle in his quest to redeem Nkana’s poor form.

Nkana have suffered 1-0 defeats against Red Arrows, Mutondo Stars and Green Eagles in the first three league matches which exposed their blunt striking force which is yet to score a goal.

Meanwhile, FC Muza will fight to bounce back from the painful 2-1 defeat to Diables Noir of Congo Brazzaville in the CAF Confederations Cup on Sunday when they face Nkana.

Today’s game presents another tough test for FC Muza coach Mathews Ndlovu who led the Mazabuka side to a 1-1 stalemate against Red Arrows in their previous Super League match.

Ndlovu hinted that he would make changes to the team that played the CAF Confederations Cup match on Sunday as they aim to maintain an unbeaten run in the league.

Muza are unbeaten in the league and occupy seventh position on the log with five points from two stalemates against Arrows and Zanaco and a win over Mutondo Stars.

Victory over Nkana will propel Muza into the top three bracket on the Super League table dominated by Zanaco and Arrows who are on eight points each.

At the Arthur Davies Stadium in Kitwe, defending champions Power Dynamos will welcome Green Eagles with the aim of collecting maximum points to move into the top three.

Power Dynamos are eighth on the log with five points as well from their only win against Nkwazi FC and the two stalemates against Konkola Blades and Prison Leopards.

FORMER presidents, not just in Zambia but everywhere, are assets to the nation and therefore must be treated with respect and decorum befitting the office.

…‘apportion some CDF funds for sports infrastructure development’ 

By MICHAEL MIYOBA

MINISTER of Sports Youth and Arts Elvis Nkandu has encouraged Members of Parliament to consider apportioning some of the Constituency Development Funds (CDF) towards sports infrastructure development in their constituencies.

Nkandu said Government does not have enough resources to construct sports infrastructure in all the constituencies that include Mandevu.

Nkandu was reacting to a question from Mandevu MP Christopher Shakafuswa who wanted to know if the government had plans to construct a modern stadium in his constituency during a question and answer session in parliament yesterday.

Shakafuswa noted that it’s not fair that residents of Ng’ombe who are part of Mandevu have to walk long distances to find a stadium.

However, Nkandu encouraged Mandevu residents to use the Heroes Stadium, the Independence Stadium and Olympic Youth Development Centre, while noting that Government had no plans to construct a stadium in Mandevu because it does not have the capacity.

“Government has no plan to construct a stadium in Mandevu constituency and in this regard, attention is brought to the member of Parliament on the already existing modern stadium which is opposite Mandevu. It is called the National Heroes Stadium and we also have the Independence Stadium and the OYDC which is opposite Mandevu,” Nkandu said.

“I want to appeal to members of Parliament when we will be debating the budget, that we need to apportion some funds, the way the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health and Home Affairs and Internal Security are doing using CDF, we can also do the same as a Ministry of Sports by encouraging members of Parliament to apportion some funds so that we put up sports infrastructure in our respective constituencies,” Nkandu said.

Nkandu said government does not look at sports as mere entertainment but a vehicle that can be used to end poverty and creating employment among the young people.

He confirmed that some Members of Parliament have approached him that they want to put up simple stadiums using CDF and the ministry has come up with a prototype which can be used by interested MPs for the construction of simple stadia.

“For those that want to put up such stadiums you are at liberty to visit our offices and we will give you the prototype to consider in 2024 to put up such facilities,” Nkandu said.

In a collaborative study published in The Lancet Microbe, a team of scientists, led by the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute) and WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research), revealed MPXV-CRISPR—a powerful diagnostic tool capable of detecting monkeypox virus (MPXV) in clinical samples with acute precision and at a faster rate than any other method, thanks to the power of CRISPR technology. It is the first CRISPR-based diagnostic method in Australia specifically designed to target genetic sequences found only in MPXV.

By GIDEON NYENDWA 

KOVENANT Procure Zambia Limited has flagged off the distribution of fertiliser to North-Western Province under the Farmer Input support Programme (FISP).

The opioid epidemic in the United States has exacted an incalculable toll on individuals and communities, creating an urgent need for alternative painkillers. The search for non-opioid treatments is crucial, not only to mitigate the risks of addiction and overdose, but also to develop pain management tools that remain effective without inducing tolerance and other challenging side effects in patients.

A team of leading clinicians, engineers, and neuroscientists has made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of treatment-resistant depression. By analyzing the brain activity of patients undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS), a promising therapy involving implanted electrodes that stimulate the brain, the researchers identified a unique pattern in brain activity that reflects the recovery process in patients with treatment-resistant depression.

Among available immunotherapies, the use of CAR T cells is proving extremely effective against certain blood cancers, but only in half of patients. A main reason for this is the premature dysfunction of these immune cells, which have been artificially modified in vitro.

Even for killer T cells—specialized immune cells—seeking and destroying cancer cells around the clock can be exhausting. If scientists can understand why killer T cells become exhausted, then they can create more resilient cancer-killing cells.

Children with neuroblastoma—responsible for 15% of cancer deaths in this age group—could in future be given treatments with fewer side-effects than those associated with the current chemotherapy, thanks to a discovery by researchers at the University of Cambridge.