BEIJING， Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Many media outlets and netizens have made positive comments about the Chinese national football team's 0-0 draw with Iran in Shenyang on Tuesday， lifting hopes that China could qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

China snatched the first point and now ranks fourth in Group A after two matches in the final round of FIFA World Cup Asian Zone qualifiers.

AFP reported that "China's World Cup hopes brightened on Tuesday when they held heavyweights Iran 0-0 and group rivals South Korea slipped up in an embarrassing stalemate against war-ravaged Syria."

Chinese news portal Sina said that， even when faced with the two strongest opponents in Group A， Chinese players demonstrated a tenacity of spirit and won the hearts of fans， and added "it's time to win in the next game against Syria."

People's Daily noted the value of getting a point from Iran， Asia's No.1 team， and that observes that players were more confident and showcased their prowess.

Cai Zhenhua， president of the Chinese Football Association， echoed these sentiments. "Players showed their fighting spirit on the pitch， and China goes into the next games with confidence，" he said.

A netizen named "TongJi_ZYF" commented on his microblog: "I can accept the result， after all China is weaker than Iran， and our players worked hard， giving us hope that we might qualify."

"Strikers Zhang Yuning and Wu Lei showed strength， they almost scored， and I believe that China will win soon，" said a netizen named "Victor Liu" .

Team China head coach Gao Hongbo was more measured in his analysis， but laid out a similarly optimistic outlook. "Generally speaking， I'm satisfied with my players' performance. We have eight matches to play and I think we can get better，" he said.

"

WUHAN Kent Bazemore Hawks Jersey , Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Doctors in central China have successfully slimmed the enormous right foot of a man with a rare overgrowth condition, to help him walk normally.

The 28-year-old surnamed Zhang, a native of Xiangyang City, Hubei Province, still needs another operation on his left foot to remove a sixth toe.

Zhang's feet are each 35 cm long and 18 cm wide. He has had difficulty walking recently as the second toe of the right foot grew crooked.

The operation on Monday at Union Hospital in Wuhan, capital of Hubei, corrected the crooked toe and reduced the width of the foot by one fifth.

He suffers Proteus syndrome, which causes skin overgrowth and unusual bone development.

Only four such cases have been reported in China and fewer than 100 cases have been confirmed worldwide, said Chen Zhenbing, a doctor with the hospital.

All Zhang's family members, including his parents and sister, have normal feet. But Zhang was born with a pair of feet larger than other babies, said his father.

""He was able to walk by himself when he was only eight months old,"" said Zhang senior. By the time he was 12, it was very difficult for him to find shoes big enough,"" he said.

The condition has not discouraged Zhang junior, an extroverted and easy-going guy. He got married after school and has a six-year-old daughter.

He said he was satisfied with the first operation, which was like a ""rebirth.""

""I will go to buy a suitable pair of shoes as soon as the second operation is completed,"" he said.

"

by Mahmoud Fouly

CAIRO, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The recent breakthrough in the Egyptian-Italian diplomatic ties after an 18-month rift has been motivated by a combination of political and economic factors including Cairo's regional role in fighting terror and illegal immigration as well as the massive economic and trade relations between the two countries, said Egyptian experts.

Rome announced on Monday intention to return its ambassador to Cairo after its previous envoy was recalled in April 2016 over the ambiguous murder of a 28-year-old Italian doctoral student, Giulio Regeni, whose tortured, half-naked body was found in early February 2016 on a distant roadside just outside Cairo.

The decision was welcomed by Cairo that decided in turn to appoint a new ambassador to Rome.

"The main motivation is the long, deep-rooted bilateral relations between Egypt and Italy, particularly the political, economic and security ties," said Noha Bakr, a political science professor at the American University in Cairo.

While Egypt plays a key role in collecting efforts for a political settlement in neighboring war-torn Libya, a main terror and migrant exporter to Europe, military and security cooperation between Egypt and Italy continues as a main factor for the security of their Mediterranean Sea shores.

"Italy suffers inflow of terrorism, organized crimes and illegal immigration through the Mediterranean Sea where Egypt plays a key role to maintain its maritime security," Bakr told Xinhua.

She explained that 60 percent of Italian trade passes through Egypt's Suez Canal and Italy is the fifth largest investor in Egypt with key investments worth 2.6 billion euros (3.5 billion U.S. dollars) annually, adding that Italy has invested in Egypt over 15.5 billion euros since 1970.

Italy's oil major firm Eni announced in early August that it intends to pump investments of 3.5 billion dollars into Egypt in 2018, noting it represents half of Eni's investments planned for the year.

The Italian company, which has been operating in Egypt for over 60 years, announced in August 2015 the discovery of the largest gas field, Zohr, in the Egyptian offshore of the Mediterranean Sea, saying it could hold a potential of 30 trillion cubic feet (850 billion cubic meters) of lean gas in a place covering an area of about 100 square km.

"The investment and trade relations between Egypt and Italy are a win-win situation for the economies of both states," Bakr said, noting that Italy is also the world's sixth and Eu. Cheap NBA Shirts   Cheap MLB Shirts   Cheap Soccer Hats   Cheap NFL Hats   Cheap Football Shirts   Cheap Basketball Hoodies   Cheap NHL Jerseys China   Cheap NCAA Jerseys Online   Wholesale MLB Hoodies   Wholesale College Hats