france24--2020-08-15--De Bruyne admits City 'not good enough' in Champions League

Kevin De Bruyne 's goal was not enough for Manchester City to beat Lyon Kevin De Bruyne lamented Manchester City 's failure to learn form their mistakes in the Champions League after crashing out in the quarter-finals for the third straight season after a shock 3-1 defeat to Lyon in Lisbon .
A familiar cocktail of defensive errors , missed chances and VAR controversy did for Pep Guardiola 's side with the Catalan coach also underfire for another surprise team selection in the knockout stages of the Champions League .
`` Different year , same stuff , '' said De @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 21 minutes from time .
`` We need to learn , it 's not good enough . ''
The Belgian levelled only after Guardiola had resorted to his usual 4-3-3 formation and City looked more like their old selves in the second half after Maxwel Cornet put Lyon in front at the break .
However , Moussa Dembele 's strike to restore the French side 's lead was allowed to stand despite a VAR check for a trip on Aymeric Laporte before Raheem Sterling incredibly fired over with the goal gaping to bring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ error from goalkeeper Ederson then allowed Dembele to tap home and seal Lyon a semi-final meeting with Guardiola 's old club Bayern Munich .
`` I 've no idea , I 've not seen it back so whatever they decide , they decide .
I 'm not going to blame that , I think we should have done better , '' added De Bruyne on Lyon 's second goal .
`` The first half was n't good enough , we know that we started slow .
The second half we played really well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and had a couple of chances then the 2-1 , 3-1 ends the game .
It 's a shame for us to go out that way . ''

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Kevin De Bruyne lamented Manchester City's failure to learn form their mistakes in the Champions League after crashing out in the quarter-finals for the third straight season after a shock 3-1 defeat to Lyon in Lisbon.
A familiar cocktail of defensive errors, missed chances and VAR controversy did for Pep Guardiola's side with the Catalan coach also underfire for another surprise team selection in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
"Different year, same stuff," said De Bruyne, who scored City's equaliser 21 minutes from time. "We need to learn, it's not good enough."
The Belgian levelled only after Guardiola had resorted to his usual 4-3-3 formation and City looked more like their old selves in the second half after Maxwel Cornet put Lyon in front at the break.
However, Moussa Dembele's strike to restore the French side's lead was allowed to stand despite a VAR check for a trip on Aymeric Laporte before Raheem Sterling incredibly fired over with the goal gaping to bring City back on level terms.
An error from goalkeeper Ederson then allowed Dembele to tap home and seal Lyon a semi-final meeting with Guardiola's old club Bayern Munich.
"I've no idea, I've not seen it back so whatever they decide, they decide. I'm not going to blame that, I think we should have done better," added De Bruyne on Lyon's second goal.
"The first half wasn't good enough, we know that we started slow. The second half we played really well, we came back for the 1-1 and had a couple of chances then the 2-1, 3-1 ends the game. It's a shame for us to go out that way."
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-15--Dembele double as Lyon stun Guardiola's City to reach Champions League semis

Lyon players celebrate after Moussa Dembele 's second goal which sealed their 3-1 win over Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals in Lisbon on Saturday Moussa Dembele came off the bench to score two late goals as Lyon caused another Champions League sensation on Saturday , dumping out Pep Guardiola 's Manchester City with a 3-1 quarter-final win in Lisbon .
City had looked on course to come back and win the tie behind closed doors at the Estadio Jose Alvalade after Kevin De Bruyne 's goal midway through the second half had cancelled out Maxwel Cornet 's first-half @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back ahead in the 79th minute and then capitalised on a shocking miss by Raheem Sterling to clinch the victory three minutes from the end .
Against all expectations , a team who finished seventh in the curtailed French season , and had played just two competitive games since early March , now find themselves through to a Champions League semi-final on Wednesday against Bayern Munich .
That , surely , will be a step too far for Rudi Garcia 's team but then again nobody expected them to eliminate Juventus in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ City here .
Guardiola 's team had been warned about Lyon , losing at home and then drawing away against the French club in last season 's Champions League .
But that was almost two years ago now and Lyon had lost several key players since then .
This , a day after Bayern 's 8-2 demolition of Barcelona , is a seismic shock and a hammer blow to the ambitions of City under Guardiola .
Their wait for European glory will go on , with this a third consecutive exit in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Etihad Stadium to deliver the Champions League , but he has not managed to equal the club 's best performance to date in the competition , a semi-final appearance in 2016 , just before he was appointed .
And so , a year after Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur in an all-English final , there will be no English representative in the semi-finals in the Portuguese capital .
Instead both ties will be Franco-German duels , with Paris Saint-Germain facing RB Leipzig before Bayern meet Lyon in a repeat of the 2010 semi-finals .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a three-man defence , as Fernandinho and Aymeric Laporte were joined by the young Spaniard Eric Garcia in the back line .
Phil Foden dropped out of their line-up .
City created little in the first half and were caught out by a long ball over the top as Lyon took the lead .
Garcia raced back to tackle Karl Toko-Ekambi but Cornet was quickest to the loose ball and , with Ederson off his line , curled a low shot first-time into the corner of the net to keep up his remarkable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scored three times against them in last season 's two meetings .
De Bruyne appeared the most likely to make something happen for City and threatened from free-kicks after the restart , as City turned up the heat following the introduction of Riyad Mahrez in place of Fernandinho .
The equaliser duly arrived in the 69th minute as Mahrez clipped a ball forward towards Sterling and he cut it back from the byline to De Bruyne , the Belgian arriving unmarked at the edge of the box to sidefoot home first-time .
Few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to win the game from there .
Lyon had offered nothing going forward in the second half and coach Garcia even decided to take off Memphis Depay , who had been anonymous .
But it proved an inspired decision as his replacement Dembele latched onto Houssem Aouar 's through ball to race through on goal and beat Ederson .
City expected the effort to be disallowed following a VAR review but the Dutch officials let it stand , and Lyon were back in front .
Still they should have been pegged back again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over with the goal gaping having been teed up by Ilkay Gundogan .
Lyon went straight downfield and sealed a famous victory as Dembele converted the loose ball after Ederson had saved from Aouar .

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Moussa Dembele came off the bench to score two late goals as Lyon caused another Champions League sensation on Saturday, dumping out Pep Guardiola's Manchester City with a 3-1 quarter-final win in Lisbon.
City had looked on course to come back and win the tie behind closed doors at the Estadio Jose Alvalade after Kevin De Bruyne's goal midway through the second half had cancelled out Maxwel Cornet's first-half opener.
However, Dembele put Lyon back ahead in the 79th minute and then capitalised on a shocking miss by Raheem Sterling to clinch the victory three minutes from the end.
Against all expectations, a team who finished seventh in the curtailed French season, and had played just two competitive games since early March, now find themselves through to a Champions League semi-final on Wednesday against Bayern Munich.
That, surely, will be a step too far for Rudi Garcia's team but then again nobody expected them to eliminate Juventus in the last round, never mind knock out City here.
Guardiola's team had been warned about Lyon, losing at home and then drawing away against the French club in last season's Champions League.
But that was almost two years ago now and Lyon had lost several key players since then.
This, a day after Bayern's 8-2 demolition of Barcelona, is a seismic shock and a hammer blow to the ambitions of City under Guardiola.
Their wait for European glory will go on, with this a third consecutive exit in the quarter-finals.
Guardiola was brought to the Etihad Stadium to deliver the Champions League, but he has not managed to equal the club's best performance to date in the competition, a semi-final appearance in 2016, just before he was appointed.
- Franco-German battle -
And so, a year after Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur in an all-English final, there will be no English representative in the semi-finals in the Portuguese capital.
Instead both ties will be Franco-German duels, with Paris Saint-Germain facing RB Leipzig before Bayern meet Lyon in a repeat of the 2010 semi-finals.
Guardiola had set his team up with a three-man defence, as Fernandinho and Aymeric Laporte were joined by the young Spaniard Eric Garcia in the back line. Phil Foden dropped out of their line-up.
City created little in the first half and were caught out by a long ball over the top as Lyon took the lead.
Garcia raced back to tackle Karl Toko-Ekambi but Cornet was quickest to the loose ball and, with Ederson off his line, curled a low shot first-time into the corner of the net to keep up his remarkable record against these opponents -- the wing-back scored three times against them in last season's two meetings.
De Bruyne appeared the most likely to make something happen for City and threatened from free-kicks after the restart, as City turned up the heat following the introduction of Riyad Mahrez in place of Fernandinho.
The equaliser duly arrived in the 69th minute as Mahrez clipped a ball forward towards Sterling and he cut it back from the byline to De Bruyne, the Belgian arriving unmarked at the edge of the box to sidefoot home first-time.
Few would have bet against City going on to win the game from there. Lyon had offered nothing going forward in the second half and coach Garcia even decided to take off Memphis Depay, who had been anonymous.
But it proved an inspired decision as his replacement Dembele latched onto Houssem Aouar's through ball to race through on goal and beat Ederson.
City expected the effort to be disallowed following a VAR review but the Dutch officials let it stand, and Lyon were back in front.
Still they should have been pegged back again, but Sterling somehow put the ball over with the goal gaping having been teed up by Ilkay Gundogan.
Lyon went straight downfield and sealed a famous victory as Dembele converted the loose ball after Ederson had saved from Aouar.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-15--Lyon into Champions League semi-finals after surprise 3-1 victory against Man City

Lyon 's French forward Moussa Dembele ( R ) vies with Manchester City 's French defender Aymeric Laporte during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final football match between Manchester City and Lyon at the Jose Alvalade stadium in Lisbon on August 15 , 2020 .
Substitute Moussa Dembele struck twice as Olympique Lyonnais stunned Manchester City with a 3-1 victory on Saturday to move into the semi-finals of the Champions League where they will face Bayern Munich .
Lyon took the lead in the 24th minute with a fine finish from Maxwel Cornet , who spotted Ederson off his line and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the edge of the box .
City drew level through a Kevin De Bruyne side-foot finish in the 69th minute and pushed forward in search of winner but were caught out on the break .
Dembele broke free and Ederson 's outstretched leg could n't keep his shot out of the net .
City had a golden chance to draw level moments later but Raheem Sterling somehow blasted over from close range with the goal at his mercy .
Lyon responded by taking advantage of chaos in the City defence with Ederson pushing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Dembele pouncing for his second .

Substitute Moussa Dembele struck twice as Olympique Lyonnais stunned Manchester City with a 3-1 victory on Saturday to move into the semi-finals of the Champions League where they will face Bayern Munich.
Lyon's French forward Moussa Dembele (R) vies with Manchester City's French defender Aymeric Laporte during the Champions League quarter-final football match between Manchester City and Lyon in Lisbon, Portugal on August 15, 2020.
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Lyon took the lead in the 24th minute with a fine finish from Maxwel Cornet, who spotted Ederson off his line and beat him with a low drive from the edge of the box.
City drew level through a Kevin De Bruyne side-foot finish in the 69th minute and pushed forward in search of winner but were caught out on the break.
Dembele broke free and Ederson's outstretched leg couldn't keep his shot out of the net.
⏰ RESULT ⏰
🔴🔵 Cornet & Dembélé (2) send Lyon to semi-finals!
😮 Did you see that coming?#UCL — UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 15, 2020
City had a golden chance to draw level moments later but Raheem Sterling somehow blasted over from close range with the goal at his mercy.
Lyon responded by taking advantage of chaos in the City defence with Ederson pushing out a low shot from Houssem Aouar and Dembele pouncing for his second.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-08-15--Ivic tasked with returning Watford to Premier League

Former PAOK midfielder Vladimir Ivic coached the club to the 2017 Greek Cup title Vladimir Ivic said after being named manager of relegated Watford he needs to adapt as fast as possible to English football if he is to take them straight back to the Premier League .
The 43-year-old Serbian signed a one-year contract -- with the option of extending it by a further year -- and replaces Nigel Pearson .
Pearson was controversially sacked last month with two matches remaining of the Premier League season , and Hayden Mullins failed to keep them up as caretaker manager .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ top tier for the 2019 FA Cup finalists .
Ivic -- who coached PAOK to the 2017 Greek Cup and guided Maccabi Tel Aviv to successive Israeli league titles the past two seasons -- is Watford 's fourth full-time manager in less than a year .
`` First of all , from the beginning I have a big expectation of myself and of my coaching staff , '' Ivic told watfordfc.com .
`` It 's my first time in England and I need to adapt as fast as possible , to do the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to me . ''
The former Serbia international midfielder will start work with Watford on Monday , alongside his three-strong coaching team .
`` I 've worked with my coaching staff for three years , so I know that we will ask the most from ourselves so we can help the players to achieve the club 's goals , '' said Ivic .
The Championship season is due to get underway on the weekend of September 12 .

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Vladimir Ivic said after being named manager of relegated Watford he needs to adapt as fast as possible to English football if he is to take them straight back to the Premier League.
The 43-year-old Serbian signed a one-year contract -- with the option of extending it by a further year -- and replaces Nigel Pearson.
Pearson was controversially sacked last month with two matches remaining of the Premier League season, and Hayden Mullins failed to keep them up as caretaker manager.
It ended a five-year stay in the top tier for the 2019 FA Cup finalists.
Ivic -- who coached PAOK to the 2017 Greek Cup and guided Maccabi Tel Aviv to successive Israeli league titles the past two seasons -- is Watford's fourth full-time manager in less than a year.
"First of all, from the beginning I have a big expectation of myself and of my coaching staff," Ivic told watfordfc.com.
"It's my first time in England and I need to adapt as fast as possible, to do the best for the club is very important to me."
The former Serbia international midfielder will start work with Watford on Monday, alongside his three-strong coaching team.
"I've worked with my coaching staff for three years, so I know that we will ask the most from ourselves so we can help the players to achieve the club's goals," said Ivic.
The Championship season is due to get underway on the weekend of September 12.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-15--France reports post-lockdown peak with 3,310 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours

People wearing protective face masks due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic , walk in `` Les Terrasses du Port '' @ @ @ @ @ July 20 , 2020 , as masks become mandatory in all indoor public spaces .
@ @ @ @ @ Saturday reported 3,310 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours , setting a new @ @ @ @ @ day in a row and taking the country 's cumulative cases to 215,521 .
A @ @ @ @ @ being investigated , up 17 compared with 24 hours earlier , the ministry said in @ @ @ @ @ people were in French hospitals on Saturday night for COVID-19 , including 376 in intensive @ @ @ @ @ toll had increased by 4 over the past 24 hours , with the new total @ @ @

The French Health Ministry on Saturday reported 3,310 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, setting a new post-lockdown high for the fourth day in a row and taking the country's cumulative cases to 215,521.
People wearing protective face masks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walk in 'Les Terrasses du Port' commercial centre in Marseille on July 20, 2020, as masks become mandatory in all indoor public spaces.
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A total of 252 clusters are being investigated, up 17 compared with 24 hours earlier, the ministry said in a website update.
In all, 4,857 people were in French hospitals on Saturday night for Covid-19, including 376 in intensive care.
French Covid stats are v worrying tonight: 3,310 new cases in 24 hours after 2,846 yesterday. Average over last 4 days is 2,250 compared to circa 1,500 last week. 1/2 — John Lichfield (@john_lichfield) August 15, 2020
The total death toll had increased by four over the past 24 hours, with the new total at 30,409.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)
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france24--2020-08-15--South Korea's Kim nearly makes two aces in grabbing PGA lead

South Korea 's Kim Si-woo aced one hole and lipped out on another hole-in-one bid Saturday on his way to grabbing a two-stroke lead at the US PGA Wyndham Championship .
Sparkling on the same course where he won his first PGA title four years ago , Kim fired an eight-under par 62 to stand on 18-under 192 after 54 holes at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro , North Carolina .
Americans Rob Oppenheim , who shot 62 , and Doc Redman , who fired a 63 , shared second on 194 with countryman Billy Horschel another stroke adrift .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ title after his 2016 Wyndham win by five strokes over England 's Luke Donald and a 2017 Players Championship triumph .
Kim aced the par-3 third hole , the ball landing near the cup and making a small bounce before hopping into the hole .
He added short birdie putts at the fouth and fifth and answered a bogey at the par-3 seventh with a birdie at eight , then nearly smacked another hole-in-one at the par-3 12th .
Kim 's tee shot bounced twice , then the ball lipped off the edge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away , setting up a tap-in birdie .
Kim also ran off three birdies in a row at the par-5 15th from two feet , the par-3 16th from six feet and the par-4 17th after dropping his approach inches from the hole .
Americans Jim Herman , who fired a 61 , and Mark Hubbard shared fifth on 196 with compatriots Peter Malnati and Webb Simpson on 197 .
The event marks the final tournament of the US PGA regular-season , with the top 125 players in season points advancing to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at TPC Boston .
Kim stands 121st on the list but would jump into 30th with a victory .
The top 30 in season points after two playoff events advance to the season-ending Tour Championship next month at East Lake in Atlanta .

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South Korea's Kim Si-woo aced one hole and lipped out on another hole-in-one bid Saturday on his way to grabbing a two-stroke lead at the US PGA Wyndham Championship.
Sparkling on the same course where he won his first PGA title four years ago, Kim fired an eight-under par 62 to stand on 18-under 192 after 54 holes at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Americans Rob Oppenheim, who shot 62, and Doc Redman, who fired a 63, shared second on 194 with countryman Billy Horschel another stroke adrift.
Kim is chasing a third US PGA title after his 2016 Wyndham win by five strokes over England's Luke Donald and a 2017 Players Championship triumph.
Kim aced the par-3 third hole, the ball landing near the cup and making a small bounce before hopping into the hole.
He added short birdie putts at the fouth and fifth and answered a bogey at the par-3 seventh with a birdie at eight, then nearly smacked another hole-in-one at the par-3 12th.
Kim's tee shot bounced twice, then the ball lipped off the edge of the cup and stopped 14 inches away, setting up a tap-in birdie.
Kim also ran off three birdies in a row at the par-5 15th from two feet, the par-3 16th from six feet and the par-4 17th after dropping his approach inches from the hole.
Americans Jim Herman, who fired a 61, and Mark Hubbard shared fifth on 196 with compatriots Peter Malnati and Webb Simpson on 197.
The event marks the final tournament of the US PGA regular-season, with the top 125 players in season points advancing to the FedEx Cup playoffs that begin next week at TPC Boston.
Kim stands 121st on the list but would jump into 30th with a victory. The top 30 in season points after two playoff events advance to the season-ending Tour Championship next month at East Lake in Atlanta.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-15--Portland's Lillard named MVP of NBA restart

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard , who averaged a league-leading 37.6 points in eight seeding games , has been named the top player of the NBA 's restart in a quarantine bubble in Orlando , Florida .
Lillard recorded 30 points and 16 assists against Boston on August 2 , matching his career high for assists and logging his first of three seeding games with at least 30 points and 10 assists .
On August 6 against Denver , he finished with 45 points -- becoming the first player in NBA history with at least 45 points , 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as he tied his own franchise record for three-pointers in a game .
Lillard ’ s 61-point outing against the Mavericks on August 11 tied his own club record for points in a game and marked his third game of 60-plus points this season , a one-campaign feat only accomplished by Lillard and Wilt Chamberlain .
In a must-win contest at Brooklyn on August 13 , Lillard finished with 42 points .
As he prepared to lead the Blazers against the Memphis Grizzles on Saturday in a play-in game for the final spot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said his explosive performance in the bubble was a continuation of his form early in a season that was then disrupted by injury and the coronavirus pandemic .
`` I feel like I was in this type of rhythm before I got hurt before the All-Star break ( in February ) , '' Lillard said .
`` I felt good , I was shooting the ball well I was moving well .
`` And then coming off the injury after the break it just took some time , and then the season got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time to recover and get healthy , I guess kind of clear my mind of everything and spend time with my family and have time away from the game , I just came into the bubble ready to go . ''
Phoenix 's Monty Williams , who led the Suns to a perfect 8-0 record in the bubble , was chosen as the top coach of the seeding-game schedule , even though his young team did n't make the playoffs .
Joining Lillard on the first team for games played at Disney World @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Devin Booker , Indiana 's T.J. Warren , Dallas ' Luka Doncic and Houston 's James Harden .
Booker was second in the top-player race .

Miami (AFP) –
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Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard, who averaged a league-leading 37.6 points in eight seeding games, has been named the top player of the NBA's restart in a quarantine bubble in Orlando, Florida.
Lillard recorded 30 points and 16 assists against Boston on August 2, matching his career high for assists and logging his first of three seeding games with at least 30 points and 10 assists.
On August 6 against Denver, he finished with 45 points -- becoming the first player in NBA history with at least 45 points, 10 assists and 10 three-pointers in a game as he tied his own franchise record for three-pointers in a game.
Lillard’s 61-point outing against the Mavericks on August 11 tied his own club record for points in a game and marked his third game of 60-plus points this season, a one-campaign feat only accomplished by Lillard and Wilt Chamberlain.
In a must-win contest at Brooklyn on August 13, Lillard finished with 42 points.
As he prepared to lead the Blazers against the Memphis Grizzles on Saturday in a play-in game for the final spot in the Western Conference playoffs, Lillard said his explosive performance in the bubble was a continuation of his form early in a season that was then disrupted by injury and the coronavirus pandemic.
"I feel like I was in this type of rhythm before I got hurt before the All-Star break (in February)," Lillard said. "I felt good, I was shooting the ball well I was moving well.
"And then coming off the injury after the break it just took some time, and then the season got suspended.
"So just having that time to recover and get healthy, I guess kind of clear my mind of everything and spend time with my family and have time away from the game, I just came into the bubble ready to go."
Phoenix's Monty Williams, who led the Suns to a perfect 8-0 record in the bubble, was chosen as the top coach of the seeding-game schedule, even though his young team didn't make the playoffs.
Joining Lillard on the first team for games played at Disney World from July 30-August 14 were Phoenix's Devin Booker, Indiana's T.J. Warren, Dallas' Luka Doncic and Houston's James Harden.
Booker was second in the top-player race.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-16--'Lucky' Chinese phone number fetches $300,000 at online auction

People walk past a mobile phone shop displaying lucky telephone numbers for sale in Hong Kong .
Many Asian cultures consider certain numbers -- such as eight -- as good fortune A `` lucky '' mobile phone number has sold for a whopping 2.25 million yuan ( $ 300,000 ) after hundreds of people vied online for the right to use the apparently auspicious string of digits .
The number ends in five eights , a sought-after combination in China as the word `` eight '' in Mandarin sounds similar to the word for `` prosperity '' .
The number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by a court in Beijing , and an online sale attracted more than five thousand bids between Saturday and Sunday .
Phone users in China -- especially companies seeking to impress clients and business partners -- often pay a premium for combinations of digits considered lucky .
Eight is the most sought after digit , and so prized in China that the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing started officially at eight minutes past eight on the eighth day of August , the eighth month .
The number four , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' , is least favoured .
The winner of Sunday 's auction paid 400 yuan to join the action and has ten days to come up with the remaining sum .
A phone number ending in eight sevens holds the record on the auction platform for fetching 3.91 million yuan at a 2017 auction .
Seven sounds like `` arise '' or `` life essence '' and is considered a good number for relationships .

Beijing (AFP) –
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A "lucky" mobile phone number has sold for a whopping 2.25 million yuan ($300,000) after hundreds of people vied online for the right to use the apparently auspicious string of digits.
The number ends in five eights, a sought-after combination in China as the word "eight" in Mandarin sounds similar to the word for "prosperity".
The number was among assets seized and ordered auctioned by a court in Beijing, and an online sale attracted more than five thousand bids between Saturday and Sunday.
Phone users in China -- especially companies seeking to impress clients and business partners -- often pay a premium for combinations of digits considered lucky.
Eight is the most sought after digit, and so prized in China that the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing started officially at eight minutes past eight on the eighth day of August, the eighth month.
The number four, which in Mandarin sounds similar to "death", is least favoured.
The winner of Sunday's auction paid 400 yuan to join the action and has ten days to come up with the remaining sum.
A phone number ending in eight sevens holds the record on the auction platform for fetching 3.91 million yuan at a 2017 auction.
Seven sounds like "arise" or "life essence" and is considered a good number for relationships.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-16--Lyon surprise means new Champions League format leaves major powers locked out

Lyon players celebrate after beating Manchester City to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League for just the second time Lyon were not supposed to make it to Lisbon at all for the Champions League 'Final Eight ' , but now they are through to one of two Franco-German semi-finals against Bayern Munich while the giants of England , Spain and Italy watch from the sidelines .
It is an unlikely last-four line-up in this unprecedented finale to the competition , reduced to a straight knockout tournament from the quarter-finals onwards after the long delay to the season caused by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this shared Franco-German success on Saturday night was the French president , Emmanuel Macron .
`` In Brussels and on the football field , France and Germany are the driving forces in Europe , '' wrote Macron , a Marseille fan , on Twitter .
France may be the world champions but their best players usually move abroad .
Ligue 1 is often derided by outside observers .
Now , for the first time it has two clubs in the Champions League semi-finals in the same season .
`` FARMERS LEAGUE '' wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Saturday as he congratulated Lyon , in an ironic reference to an oft-used insult towards Ligue 1 on social media .
The two French clubs could still meet in the final , a year after Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur in an all-English final and Europe appeared to accept once and for all that the Premier League was an unstoppable force .
But aside from the more unpredictable nature of one-off matches behind closed doors on neutral territory compared to the usual home and away ties , maybe there is a more obvious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the decision to end their season early in April due to the health crisis would prove a major handicap for their clubs in Europe are being forced to revise their thinking .
At the time , a front-page headline in sports daily L'Equipe summed up the mood .
`` Like idiots '' , it said .
Paris Saint-Germain had played two competitive matches in five months before defeating Atalanta in their quarter-final .
Lyon managed just one competitive outing in the same period before going to Turin and eliminating Juventus on away goals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a team that finished seventh in the shortened French season promptly ousted Manchester City .
`` It is incredible because we are the surprise team now .
I do n't think many people expected us to get here , '' said Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes .
PSG and Lyon now face RB Leipzig and Bayern respectively , with the two German clubs having come into the 'Final Eight ' rested and raring to go , the Bundesliga season having restarted before ending in late June .
In contrast , City played 12 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ League resumed in mid-June , before beating Real Madrid in their last 16 , second leg .
Atalanta played 13 games in six weeks , while Spain 's representatives played twice a week between mid-June and mid-July .
Lyon 's players ran a combined nine kilometres more than City on Saturday .
More importantly , those players will have come into the 'Final Eight ' better rested mentally .
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin this week told AFP that the 'Final Eight ' format would be a one-off , saying it was `` impossible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the crowded match calendar .
The 'Final Eight ' has thrown up something not seen since 1991 and the end of the old European Cup .
That is the last year in which none of the semi-finalists came from Spain , England or Italy , the most successful nations in the tournament 's history .
Red Star Belgrade defeated Bayern and then won the final against Marseille , who had overcome Spartak Moscow in the semis .
That was also the last year to feature no English teams after their long ban from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The next season , 1991/92 , was the first with a group stage , and the Champions League was born .
Only clubs from Spain , England and Italy have featured in the last six finals .
Now it is the chance for Germany and France -- the political giants of the EU -- and if Bayern do not live up to their favourites ' tag by winning a sixth European Cup , there will be a new name on the trophy .

Lisbon (AFP) –
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Lyon were not supposed to make it to Lisbon at all for the Champions League 'Final Eight', but now they are through to one of two Franco-German semi-finals against Bayern Munich while the giants of England, Spain and Italy watch from the sidelines.
It is an unlikely last-four line-up in this unprecedented finale to the competition, reduced to a straight knockout tournament from the quarter-finals onwards after the long delay to the season caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Among those celebrating this shared Franco-German success on Saturday night was the French president, Emmanuel Macron.
"In Brussels and on the football field, France and Germany are the driving forces in Europe," wrote Macron, a Marseille fan, on Twitter.
France may be the world champions but their best players usually move abroad. Ligue 1 is often derided by outside observers. Now, for the first time it has two clubs in the Champions League semi-finals in the same season.
"FARMERS LEAGUE" wrote PSG's Kylian Mbappe in a tweet on Saturday as he congratulated Lyon, in an ironic reference to an oft-used insult towards Ligue 1 on social media.
The two French clubs could still meet in the final, a year after Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur in an all-English final and Europe appeared to accept once and for all that the Premier League was an unstoppable force.
But aside from the more unpredictable nature of one-off matches behind closed doors on neutral territory compared to the usual home and away ties, maybe there is a more obvious explanation.
- Better rested? -
Those in France who feared the decision to end their season early in April due to the health crisis would prove a major handicap for their clubs in Europe are being forced to revise their thinking.
At the time, a front-page headline in sports daily L'Equipe summed up the mood. "Like idiots", it said.
Paris Saint-Germain had played two competitive matches in five months before defeating Atalanta in their quarter-final. Lyon managed just one competitive outing in the same period before going to Turin and eliminating Juventus on away goals last weekend.
Buoyed by that triumph, a team that finished seventh in the shortened French season promptly ousted Manchester City.
"It is incredible because we are the surprise team now. I don't think many people expected us to get here," said Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes.
PSG and Lyon now face RB Leipzig and Bayern respectively, with the two German clubs having come into the 'Final Eight' rested and raring to go, the Bundesliga season having restarted before ending in late June.
In contrast, City played 12 matches in 40 days after the Premier League resumed in mid-June, before beating Real Madrid in their last 16, second leg.
Atalanta played 13 games in six weeks, while Spain's representatives played twice a week between mid-June and mid-July.
Lyon's players ran a combined nine kilometres more than City on Saturday. More importantly, those players will have come into the 'Final Eight' better rested mentally.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin this week told AFP that the 'Final Eight' format would be a one-off, saying it was "impossible" in a normal year because of the crowded match calendar.
- Not since 1991 -
The 'Final Eight' has thrown up something not seen since 1991 and the end of the old European Cup.
That is the last year in which none of the semi-finalists came from Spain, England or Italy, the most successful nations in the tournament's history.
Red Star Belgrade defeated Bayern and then won the final against Marseille, who had overcome Spartak Moscow in the semis.
That was also the last year to feature no English teams after their long ban from Europe following the 1985 Heysel disaster. The next season, 1991/92, was the first with a group stage, and the Champions League was born.
Only clubs from Spain, England and Italy have featured in the last six finals. Now it is the chance for Germany and France -- the political giants of the EU -- and if Bayern do not live up to their favourites' tag by winning a sixth European Cup, there will be a new name on the trophy.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-16--Benitez hits rock-bottom in China as search for first win drags on

Defeat for Benitez means his young side drop to bottom of their group with two points Rafael Benitez hit rock-bottom in the Chinese Super League on Sunday after Giovanni van Bronckhorst 's Guangzhou R & F extended Dalian Pro 's wretched winless start to the season .
Israeli international striker Eran Zahavi scored a first-half penalty to give R & F a badly needed 1-0 victory , van Bronckhorst 's first win as a coach in Chinese football .
However , defeat for Champions League winner Benitez -- Dalian 's third in five matches this season -- means his young @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with two points .
The 16-team CSL , which began five months late because of coronavirus , has been split into two groups , in Suzhou and Dalian , to prevent infections .
To rub salt into the wounds of former Liverpool manager Benitez , the match was effectively a home game for his team because it was played at Dalian 's youth training base .
`` We needed to have the calm to take the chances that we had , '' said the 60-year-old Spaniard , who is suffering one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` As I said many times , it 's a young team and we have to learn from our mistakes and keep working , that 's it , you can not do too much ( else ) . ''
The game between two sides who were still looking for a first victory of the campaign was postponed by a day after heavy rain lashed Dalian on Saturday .
Torrential rain gave way to fierce heat on Sunday and Benitez had a white towel slung around his neck to wipe off the sweat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Champions League glory in 2005 and is one of the best-paid coaches in the world , has wo seven of his 22 matches since arriving in northeast China in July last year .
The former Real Madrid , Chelsea and Inter Milan boss is enduring his lowest average points return since he was sacked by Real Valladolid in 1996 after two wins in 23 games .
In the build-up to the match , Benitez said that his side is the youngest in the CSL and he is committed to following through on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ young Chinese players .
However , Dalian also have proven international experience with 33-year-old former Napoli captain Marek Hamsik and ex-Premier League striker Salomon Rondon .
In contrast to the rising pressure on Benitez , former Barcelona and Arsenal star van Bronckhorst can breathe a little easier .
R & F were bottom at the start of play but now sit sixth of the eight teams in the Dalian-area group .
`` It 's not easy when you only have one point to play like this so I 'm happy with the result @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Mousa Dembele .
`` We had some bad luck sometimes but everyone played with a lot of courage ( in previous games ) and today the defence really played like men . ''

Shanghai (AFP) –
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Rafael Benitez hit rock-bottom in the Chinese Super League on Sunday after Giovanni van Bronckhorst's Guangzhou R&F extended Dalian Pro's wretched winless start to the season.
Israeli international striker Eran Zahavi scored a first-half penalty to give R&F a badly needed 1-0 victory, van Bronckhorst's first win as a coach in Chinese football.
However, defeat for Champions League winner Benitez -- Dalian's third in five matches this season -- means his young side drop to bottom of their group with two points.
The 16-team CSL, which began five months late because of coronavirus, has been split into two groups, in Suzhou and Dalian, to prevent infections.
To rub salt into the wounds of former Liverpool manager Benitez, the match was effectively a home game for his team because it was played at Dalian's youth training base.
"We needed to have the calm to take the chances that we had," said the 60-year-old Spaniard, who is suffering one of the poorest spells of his long managerial career.
"As I said many times, it's a young team and we have to learn from our mistakes and keep working, that's it, you cannot do too much (else)."
The game between two sides who were still looking for a first victory of the campaign was postponed by a day after heavy rain lashed Dalian on Saturday.
Torrential rain gave way to fierce heat on Sunday and Benitez had a white towel slung around his neck to wipe off the sweat.
Benitez, who took Liverpool to Champions League glory in 2005 and is one of the best-paid coaches in the world, has wo seven of his 22 matches since arriving in northeast China in July last year.
The former Real Madrid, Chelsea and Inter Milan boss is enduring his lowest average points return since he was sacked by Real Valladolid in 1996 after two wins in 23 games.
In the build-up to the match, Benitez said that his side is the youngest in the CSL and he is committed to following through on the club's "blueprint" of developing young Chinese players.
However, Dalian also have proven international experience with 33-year-old former Napoli captain Marek Hamsik and ex-Premier League striker Salomon Rondon.
In contrast to the rising pressure on Benitez, former Barcelona and Arsenal star van Bronckhorst can breathe a little easier.
R&F were bottom at the start of play but now sit sixth of the eight teams in the Dalian-area group.
"It's not easy when you only have one point to play like this so I'm happy with the result," said R&F's former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Mousa Dembele.
"We had some bad luck sometimes but everyone played with a lot of courage (in previous games) and today the defence really played like men."
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-16--Rizwan guides Pakistan to 236 all out against England in 2nd Test

On the attack - Pakistan 's Mohammad Rizwan hits a boundary on the fourth day of the second Test against England at Southampton Mohammad Rizwan top-scored with 72 as Pakistan were eventually dismissed for 236 in their first innings on the fourth morning of the weather-interrupted second Test against England at Southampton on Sunday .
Pakistan resumed on their overnight 223-9 after rain had washed out the whole of the third day 's play .
Rizwan was then 60 not out -- his second fifty in eight career Tests following his 95 against Australia in Brisbane in November .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scheduled 11:00 am ( 1000 GMT ) start when , despite having had hours to prepare for the possibility , a member of the ground-staff was summoned to bring out sawdust for the bowlers ' run-ups .
Rizwan , in partnership with dogged tailender Mohammad Abbas ( two off 20 balls ) , had taken Pakistan past 200 in a ninth-wicket after they had come together with the tourists struggling at 176-8 .
Rizwan , on another overcast morning , with the Ageas Bowl floodlights on , made his intentions clear by charging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ball of the day from James Anderson , swinging wildly and missing .
The wicketkeeper did , however , make contact when he sliced a drive off Anderson over the slips to the third man boundary .
Rizwan also square-cut Anderson for a well-struck boundary before he was last man out when , aiming legside off Stuart Broad , he got a leading edge and was caught in the covers by Zak Crawley .
Rizwan batted for three and three-quarter hours , facing 139 balls with seven fours .
Broad , who had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off-spinner Graeme Swann 11 years ago to take three wickets in seven consecutive Test innings , led the attack with 4-56 in 27.2 overs .
Broad has taken 26 wickets in four Tests so far this season at a miserly average of 12.38 .
`` It 's been very frustrating , '' England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler told Sky Sports before Sunday 's play started when asked about the delays .
`` You just want to get out and play , get the game moving forward , we 're into day four and we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Now we 've got the floodlights , we play more cricket than we used to but it is still not perfect . ''
Buttler added : `` The colour of the ball is quite dark and with player safety , I do n't think there is a perfect answer .
At times umpires are an easy scapegoat . ''
Pakistan , 1-0 down in a three-match series after their three-wicket defeat in the first Test at Old Trafford last week , were also indebted to Abid Ali ( 60 ) and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ innings when the conditions were stacked against the batsmen .
Victory in this match will see England secure their first series win over Pakistan since 2010 .

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Mohammad Rizwan top-scored with 72 as Pakistan were eventually dismissed for 236 in their first innings on the fourth morning of the weather-interrupted second Test against England at Southampton on Sunday.
Pakistan resumed on their overnight 223-9 after rain had washed out the whole of the third day's play.
Rizwan was then 60 not out -- his second fifty in eight career Tests following his 95 against Australia in Brisbane in November.
And there was a further delay to the scheduled 11:00 am (1000 GMT) start when, despite having had hours to prepare for the possibility, a member of the ground-staff was summoned to bring out sawdust for the bowlers' run-ups.
Rizwan, in partnership with dogged tailender Mohammad Abbas (two off 20 balls), had taken Pakistan past 200 in a ninth-wicket after they had come together with the tourists struggling at 176-8.
Rizwan, on another overcast morning, with the Ageas Bowl floodlights on, made his intentions clear by charging down the pitch to Sunday's first ball of the day from James Anderson, swinging wildly and missing.
The wicketkeeper did, however, make contact when he sliced a drive off Anderson over the slips to the third man boundary.
Rizwan also square-cut Anderson for a well-struck boundary before he was last man out when, aiming legside off Stuart Broad, he got a leading edge and was caught in the covers by Zak Crawley.
Rizwan batted for three and three-quarter hours, facing 139 balls with seven fours.
Broad, who had already become the first England bowler since off-spinner Graeme Swann 11 years ago to take three wickets in seven consecutive Test innings, led the attack with 4-56 in 27.2 overs.
- 'Frustrating' -
Broad has taken 26 wickets in four Tests so far this season at a miserly average of 12.38.
"It's been very frustrating," England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler told Sky Sports before Sunday's play started when asked about the delays.
"You just want to get out and play, get the game moving forward, we're into day four and we're still fielding in the first innings.
"Now we've got the floodlights, we play more cricket than we used to but it is still not perfect."
Buttler added: "The colour of the ball is quite dark and with player safety, I don't think there is a perfect answer. At times umpires are an easy scapegoat."
Pakistan, 1-0 down in a three-match series after their three-wicket defeat in the first Test at Old Trafford last week, were also indebted to Abid Ali (60) and Babar Azam (47) for painstaking innings when the conditions were stacked against the batsmen.
Victory in this match will see England secure their first series win over Pakistan since 2010.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-16--Roglic is Tour de France doubt after Criterium withdrawal

Primoz Roglic was badly grazed in his early crash on stage four of the Criterium du Dauphine Overnight Criterium du Dauphine leader Primoz Roglic has pulled out of the Tour de France dress-rehearsalbefore Sunday 's final stage with his team warning his plans were in jeopardy .
The Vuelta a Espana champion had been on brilliant form before Saturday 's fall , when his team Jumbo-Visma also lost the man who came third on the 2019 Tour de France Steven Kruijswijk to a dislocated shoulder .
The two formed part of the Dutch team 's trio of leaders with former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dumoulin .
Announcing that the 30-year-old former ski-jump champion would not start the fifth and final mountain stage Sunday Jumbo hinted Roglic may be in worse condition than first thought .
`` The evolution of his injuries will determine the plans for the upcoming races , '' Jumbo said on Twitter .
The next race on his calendar is the delayed Tour de France which begins on August 29 .
The Slovenian withdrew after a nasty fall which left the physical phenomenon badly grazed after a crash early in Saturday 's penultimate stage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually climbed into the back of his team car , but was persuaded to carry on and ride through the pain to the Megeve ski-station summit .
Roglic won Vuelta a Espana last September after coming close to winning the Giro .
He has been too hot to handle for all comers this season and has in his armoury an irresistable late kick over the final 500m .
His withdrawal leaves France 's Thibaut Pinot heading the general classification by 10 seconds ahead of the concluding 153.5 kilometre fifth stage , which also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ panoramic view of Mont Blanc and over 50km climbing on the menu .
Colombia 's Tour de France champion Egan Bernal of Team Ineos pulled out of the Criterium on Saturday with a back issue , while Bora-Hansgrohe 's Emanuel Buchmann , fourth on the 2019 Tour , also pulled out of the race after a fall .

Megève (France) (AFP) –
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Overnight Criterium du Dauphine leader Primoz Roglic has pulled out of the Tour de France dress-rehearsalbefore Sunday's final stage with his team warning his plans were in jeopardy.
The Vuelta a Espana champion had been on brilliant form before Saturday's fall, when his team Jumbo-Visma also lost the man who came third on the 2019 Tour de France Steven Kruijswijk to a dislocated shoulder.
The two formed part of the Dutch team's trio of leaders with former world champion and Giro d'Italia winner Tom Dumoulin.
Announcing that the 30-year-old former ski-jump champion would not start the fifth and final mountain stage Sunday Jumbo hinted Roglic may be in worse condition than first thought.
"The evolution of his injuries will determine the plans for the upcoming races," Jumbo said on Twitter.
The next race on his calendar is the delayed Tour de France which begins on August 29.
The Slovenian withdrew after a nasty fall which left the physical phenomenon badly grazed after a crash early in Saturday's penultimate stage.
At one point the race leader actually climbed into the back of his team car, but was persuaded to carry on and ride through the pain to the Megeve ski-station summit.
Roglic won Vuelta a Espana last September after coming close to winning the Giro.
He has been too hot to handle for all comers this season and has in his armoury an irresistable late kick over the final 500m.
His withdrawal leaves France's Thibaut Pinot heading the general classification by 10 seconds ahead of the concluding 153.5 kilometre fifth stage, which also starts and ends in Megeve with its panoramic view of Mont Blanc and over 50km climbing on the menu.
Colombia's Tour de France champion Egan Bernal of Team Ineos pulled out of the Criterium on Saturday with a back issue, while Bora-Hansgrohe's Emanuel Buchmann, fourth on the 2019 Tour, also pulled out of the race after a fall.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-16--Israeli and UAE firms join forces in coronavirus research

Representatives from the Emirati company APEX National Investment ( R ) and the Israeli TeraGroup sign an agreement to develop research on the novel coronavirus Firms from the United Arab Emirates and Israel have signed an agreement to jointly develop research and studies on the novel coronavirus , the UAE 's state WAM agency reported .
The business deal comes days after a surprise political agreement between the UAE and Israel to normalise relations , a historic shift which will make the Gulf state only the third Arab country to establish full diplomatic ties with the Jewish state .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's TeraGroup signed the `` strategic commercial agreement '' late Saturday in Abu Dhabi , WAM said in a statement .
`` We are delighted with this cooperation with TeraGroup , which is considered the first business to inaugurate trade , economy and effective partnerships between the Emirati and Israeli business sectors , '' APEX chairman Khalifa Yousef Khouri said .
APEX is an investment company with a particular focus on the healthcare sector .
The deal would be `` serving humanity by strengthening research and studies on the novel coronavirus , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to develop a rapid test for coronavirus .
`` We are thrilled with our agreement with APEX National Investment , and hope that we will achieve the objectives outlined in this agreement , which in turn will benefit everyone economically , '' TeraGroup chairman Oren Sadiv said , according to WAM .
Last Thursday the UAE and Israel agreed the US-brokered deal to establish full diplomatic ties .
Under that agreement , Israel pledged to suspend its planned annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank , a concession welcomed by European and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for hopes of peace .
However , before the political deal , two Israeli defence companies last month signed an agreement with an Emirati company to collaborate on the development of a non-invasive coronavirus screening test .
State-owned Israel Aerospace Industries ( IAI ) , the country 's largest aerospace and defence firm , as well as the government 's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems , signed a memorandum of understanding with Abu Dhabi-based technology company Group 42 in July .

Abu Dhabi (AFP) –
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Firms from the United Arab Emirates and Israel have signed an agreement to jointly develop research and studies on the novel coronavirus, the UAE's state WAM agency reported.
The business deal comes days after a surprise political agreement between the UAE and Israel to normalise relations, a historic shift which will make the Gulf state only the third Arab country to establish full diplomatic ties with the Jewish state.
The UAE's APEX National Investment and Israel's TeraGroup signed the "strategic commercial agreement" late Saturday in Abu Dhabi, WAM said in a statement.
"We are delighted with this cooperation with TeraGroup, which is considered the first business to inaugurate trade, economy and effective partnerships between the Emirati and Israeli business sectors," APEX chairman Khalifa Yousef Khouri said.
APEX is an investment company with a particular focus on the healthcare sector.
The deal would be "serving humanity by strengthening research and studies on the novel coronavirus," Khouri added.
The two companies hope to develop a rapid test for coronavirus.
"We are thrilled with our agreement with APEX National Investment, and hope that we will achieve the objectives outlined in this agreement, which in turn will benefit everyone economically," TeraGroup chairman Oren Sadiv said, according to WAM.
Last Thursday the UAE and Israel agreed the US-brokered deal to establish full diplomatic ties.
Under that agreement, Israel pledged to suspend its planned annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank, a concession welcomed by European and some pro-Western Arab governments as a boost for hopes of peace.
However, before the political deal, two Israeli defence companies last month signed an agreement with an Emirati company to collaborate on the development of a non-invasive coronavirus screening test.
State-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the country's largest aerospace and defence firm, as well as the government's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, signed a memorandum of understanding with Abu Dhabi-based technology company Group 42 in July.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-16--Guardiola's tinkering ends in familiar Champions League exit for Man City

Pep Guardiola has failed to take Manchester City beyond the Champions League quarter-finals in four seasons in charge Manchester City 's latest shock Champions League exit to Lyon left Pep Guardiola in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons as the Catalan coach again tinkered to ill-effect when it mattered most in Europe .
Guardiola , one of the most decorated coaches of all-time with eight league titles to his name in Spain , Germany and England , has now not won the Champions League since the second of his two triumphs in the competition as Barcelona manager in 2011 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Champions League despite the billions spent by the club 's Abu Dhabi owners .
The English side 's early years as Champions League regulars were met with growing pains as they fell to European giants like Barca , Bayern Munich and Real Madrid .
But since Guardiola arrived in Manchester in 2016 , City have failed to make it beyond the quarter-finals while exiting to Monaco , Liverpool , Tottenham and now a Lyon side that finished seventh in the curtailed Ligue 1 season .
`` Maybe one day we will break these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Guardiola after a 3-1 defeat riddled with errors at both ends of the field .
`` I am not able to do it with these incredible guys . ''
Guardiola 's decision to match up Lyon with an unfamiliar 3-5-2 formation that left the creative talents of David Silva , Bernardo Silva , Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden on the bench was just the latest questionable call of his nine-year Champions League drought .
`` This one was down to another bout of the too-clever-by-half tinkering that has inexplicably seemed to grip Guardiola @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since he last won it , '' commented The Times .
Guardiola 's European woes at City and three years at Bayern have come from conceding in waves .
Monaco won a thrilling 6-6 tie on away goals in 2017 , Liverpool thrashed a City team on their way to 100 points in the Premier League 5-1 over two legs and Tottenham scored three times at the Etihad last season .
Guardiola conceded his change of system was borne of a lack of trust in his defence , which saw City meekly surrender @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a fight this season .
`` They are so fast up front the way they play and we are not so quick central defenders .
I did n't want to leave them 2 v 2 , '' he said .
But that problem is rooted in City 's lavish spending on defenders Guardiola can not rely on .
John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi cost nearly as much as Lyon 's starting XI but watched on from the bench as a 35-year-old converted midfielder Fernandinho and 19-year-old Eric Garcia , who Guardiola admitted last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contract at the club , started in a back three .
While Guardiola shouldered most of the blame , a familiar cocktail of defensive errors , missed chances and VAR controversy also did for City .
Lyon 's pivotal second goal was allowed to stand despite claims for a foul on Aymeric Laporte by Moussa Dembele .
Goalkeeper Ederson also should have done better for both Dembele 's goals in the final 11 minutes , but in between Raheem Sterling inexplicably did not add to his 31 goals this season by firing over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year , same stuff , '' said Kevin De Bruyne , whose goal brought City level at 1-1 midway through the second half .
`` We need to learn , it 's not good enough . ''
City will at least have the chance to try again next year after beating UEFA in the courts to overturn a two-year ban from European competition .
But time is running out for Guardiola to deliver on what he was brought to Manchester to do .
The 49-year-old has one more year left on his contract @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his managerial career start a fifth season with the same club in a few weeks time .
For all his domestic success with six major trophies in four years in England , City had already won the Premier League title twice before Guardiola arrived in the Abu Dhabi era .
Winning the Champions League is what his paymasters really want and they need Guardiola to get out of his own head to do it .

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Manchester City's latest shock Champions League exit to Lyon left Pep Guardiola in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons as the Catalan coach again tinkered to ill-effect when it mattered most in Europe.
Guardiola, one of the most decorated coaches of all-time with eight league titles to his name in Spain, Germany and England, has now not won the Champions League since the second of his two triumphs in the competition as Barcelona manager in 2011.
City still have never won the Champions League despite the billions spent by the club's Abu Dhabi owners.
The English side's early years as Champions League regulars were met with growing pains as they fell to European giants like Barca, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
But since Guardiola arrived in Manchester in 2016, City have failed to make it beyond the quarter-finals while exiting to Monaco, Liverpool, Tottenham and now a Lyon side that finished seventh in the curtailed Ligue 1 season.
"Maybe one day we will break these quarter-finals," said a visibly exhausted Guardiola after a 3-1 defeat riddled with errors at both ends of the field.
"I am not able to do it with these incredible guys."
Guardiola's decision to match up Lyon with an unfamiliar 3-5-2 formation that left the creative talents of David Silva, Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden on the bench was just the latest questionable call of his nine-year Champions League drought.
"This one was down to another bout of the too-clever-by-half tinkering that has inexplicably seemed to grip Guardiola on his biggest Champions League nights ever since he last won it," commented The Times.
- Lack of trust -
Guardiola's European woes at City and three years at Bayern have come from conceding in waves.
Monaco won a thrilling 6-6 tie on away goals in 2017, Liverpool thrashed a City team on their way to 100 points in the Premier League 5-1 over two legs and Tottenham scored three times at the Etihad last season.
Guardiola conceded his change of system was borne of a lack of trust in his defence, which saw City meekly surrender their Premier League title to Liverpool without a fight this season.
"They are so fast up front the way they play and we are not so quick central defenders. I didn't want to leave them 2 v 2," he said.
But that problem is rooted in City's lavish spending on defenders Guardiola cannot rely on.
John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi cost nearly as much as Lyon's starting XI but watched on from the bench as a 35-year-old converted midfielder Fernandinho and 19-year-old Eric Garcia, who Guardiola admitted last week does not want to extend his contract at the club, started in a back three.
While Guardiola shouldered most of the blame, a familiar cocktail of defensive errors, missed chances and VAR controversy also did for City.
Lyon's pivotal second goal was allowed to stand despite claims for a foul on Aymeric Laporte by Moussa Dembele.
Goalkeeper Ederson also should have done better for both Dembele's goals in the final 11 minutes, but in between Raheem Sterling inexplicably did not add to his 31 goals this season by firing over with the goal gaping.
"Different year, same stuff," said Kevin De Bruyne, whose goal brought City level at 1-1 midway through the second half.
"We need to learn, it's not good enough."
City will at least have the chance to try again next year after beating UEFA in the courts to overturn a two-year ban from European competition.
But time is running out for Guardiola to deliver on what he was brought to Manchester to do.
The 49-year-old has one more year left on his contract and will for the first time in his managerial career start a fifth season with the same club in a few weeks time.
For all his domestic success with six major trophies in four years in England, City had already won the Premier League title twice before Guardiola arrived in the Abu Dhabi era.
Winning the Champions League is what his paymasters really want and they need Guardiola to get out of his own head to do it.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-16--Fans urge BCCI to retire Dhoni's number seven jersey

Fans are calling for Mahendra Singh Dhoni 's India number 7 shirt to be retired Players and fans Sunday urged India 's cricket board to retire Mahendra Singh Dhoni 's number seven jersey in a tribute to the two-time World Cup winning captain .
Dhoni , 39 , called time on his 16-year-old international career Saturday with a cryptic message on his Instagram post that read `` From 1929hrs consider me as retired '' .
The Board of Control for Cricket in India confirmed the news in a statement , saying : `` The boy from Ranchi , who made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the face of Indian cricket with his calm demeanour , sharp understanding of the game and astute leadership qualities . ''
Dhoni 's legions of fans including 7.8 million Twitter followers and former teammate Dinesh Karthik said they did not want to see 7 on the back of any other Indian cricketer 's jersey .
`` I hope the @ bcci retire the # 7 jersey in white ball cricket Good luck with your second innings in life , I 'm sure you 'll have a lot of surprises for us there too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tweeted .
Former batsman Mohammad Kaif agreed , writing on Twitter : `` Ca n't imagine any one else wearing a Number 7 India jersey again . ''
There is no provision to retire jerseys in cricket , unlike in football .
But the BCCI unofficially retired batting great Sachin Tendulkar 's number 10 shirt a few years after his retirement .
Dhoni , a flamboyant wicketkeeper-batsman who led India to win the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in 2007 and lifted the 50-over showpiece event in 2011 , was born on July 7 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Portuguese football megastar Cristiano Ronaldo , who also wears a famous number seven jersey .
`` @ BCCI should retire `` Jersey Number 7 '' as a Tribute to Legend MS Dhoni , '' a fan wrote on Twitter .
Another fan urged social media users to start trending `` # RetireJersey7 '' as `` Jersey number 7 was not just a number but an emotion the country is going to miss '' .
Dhoni , dubbed 'Captain Cool ' because of his unflappable style , will continue to lead his team Chennai @ @ @ @ @ @ @ starting in the United Arab Emirates next month .
Dhoni quit Tests in 2014 and has not played for the national side since India 's World Cup semi-final loss against New Zealand in England last year -- his 350th one-day international .
Cricketers from across the globe and Indian media paid tribute to the glittering career of Dhoni , who was fondly called 'Mahi ' by his teammates .
`` M.S .
Dhoni is one of the all-time greats of the game , '' International Cricket Council 's chief executive Manu Sawhney said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inspired a whole generation and will be sorely missed . ''
The Times of India newspaper splashed across its front page : `` The end of an era : Dhoni calls it a day , Mahi way . ''
`` Welcome to the retirement club , MSD !
What a magical career !
, '' former England batsman Kevin Pietersen tweeted .
Australian opener David Warner wrote : `` Congrats @ msdhoni on a fantastic career , he is one of the coolest guys I 've played against on the park . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Indian cricket and one of the greatest captains , congratulations on a great career MS Dhoni !
All the best for your future , '' former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi added on social media .

New Delhi (AFP) –
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Players and fans Sunday urged India's cricket board to retire Mahendra Singh Dhoni's number seven jersey in a tribute to the two-time World Cup winning captain.
Dhoni, 39, called time on his 16-year-old international career Saturday with a cryptic message on his Instagram post that read "From 1929hrs consider me as retired".
The Board of Control for Cricket in India confirmed the news in a statement, saying: "The boy from Ranchi, who made his ODI debut in 2004, changed the face of Indian cricket with his calm demeanour, sharp understanding of the game and astute leadership qualities."
Dhoni's legions of fans including 7.8 million Twitter followers and former teammate Dinesh Karthik said they did not want to see 7 on the back of any other Indian cricketer's jersey.
"I hope the @bcci retire the #7 jersey in white ball cricket Good luck with your second innings in life , I'm sure you'll have a lot of surprises for us there too," Karthik, a wicketkeeper-batsman, tweeted.
Former batsman Mohammad Kaif agreed, writing on Twitter: "Can't imagine any one else wearing a Number 7 India jersey again."
There is no provision to retire jerseys in cricket, unlike in football.
But the BCCI unofficially retired batting great Sachin Tendulkar's number 10 shirt a few years after his retirement.
Dhoni, a flamboyant wicketkeeper-batsman who led India to win the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in 2007 and lifted the 50-over showpiece event in 2011, was born on July 7.
He is a self-confessed fan of Portuguese football megastar Cristiano Ronaldo, who also wears a famous number seven jersey.
- 'All-time great' -
"@BCCI should retire "Jersey Number 7" as a Tribute to Legend MS Dhoni," a fan wrote on Twitter.
Another fan urged social media users to start trending "#RetireJersey7" as "Jersey number 7 was not just a number but an emotion the country is going to miss".
Dhoni, dubbed 'Captain Cool' because of his unflappable style, will continue to lead his team Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League starting in the United Arab Emirates next month.
Dhoni quit Tests in 2014 and has not played for the national side since India's World Cup semi-final loss against New Zealand in England last year -- his 350th one-day international.
Cricketers from across the globe and Indian media paid tribute to the glittering career of Dhoni, who was fondly called 'Mahi' by his teammates.
"M.S. Dhoni is one of the all-time greats of the game," International Cricket Council's chief executive Manu Sawhney said in a statement.
"He has inspired a whole generation and will be sorely missed."
The Times of India newspaper splashed across its front page: "The end of an era: Dhoni calls it a day, Mahi way."
"Welcome to the retirement club, MSD! What a magical career!," former England batsman Kevin Pietersen tweeted.
Australian opener David Warner wrote: "Congrats @msdhoni on a fantastic career, he is one of the coolest guys I've played against on the park."
"One of the true legends of Indian cricket and one of the greatest captains, congratulations on a great career MS Dhoni! All the best for your future," former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi added on social media.
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-16--Telephone service begins between Israel and UAE after historic deal

Telephone service between the United Arab Emirates and Israel has begun as the two countries open diplomatic ties .
Associated Press journalists in Jerusalem and Dubai were able to call each other from both landline and cellular phones .
Officials in Israel and the UAE did not immediately acknowledge the lines had begun working .
In the UAE , a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula , a recorded message in Arabic and English would play saying calls to the +972 country code could not be connected .
The advent of internet calling allowed people to get around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often interrupted .
Some in Israel used Palestinian mobile phone numbers , which the UAE could call .
The connection of phone service represents the first concrete sign of the deal between the Emiratis and Israelis .
Israel and the United Arab Emirates announced Thursday they are establishing full diplomatic relations in a U.S.-brokered deal that required Israel to halt its contentious plan to annex occupied West Bank land sought by the Palestinians .
The historic deal delivered a key foreign policy victory to President Donald Trump as he seeks re-election and reflected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerns about archenemy Iran have largely overtaken traditional Arab support for the Palestinians .

Telephone service between the United Arab Emirates and Israel began working Sunday as the two countries opened diplomatic ties, part of a deal brokered by the U.S. that required Israel to halt its contentious plan to annex West Bank land sought by the Palestinians for a future state.
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Associated Press journalists in Jerusalem and Dubai were able to call each other from both landline and cellular phones registered to Israel's country code +972 from around 1:15 p.m.
Over an hour later, Emirati officials acknowledged that Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan had called his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi.
Israeli Communications Minister Yoaz Handel issued a statement “congratulating the United Arab Emirates on removing the blocks.”
“Many economic opportunities will open now, and these trust-building steps are an important step toward advancing states’ interests," Handel said.
Also Sunday, Israeli news websites that had previously been blocked by UAE authorities, like the Times of Israel, the Jerusalem Post and YNet, could be accessed without using means to bypass internet filtering in the Emirates.
In the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, a recorded message in Arabic and English would typically play prior to Sunday saying calls to +972 numbers could not be connected. The advent of internet calling allowed people to get around the ban, though these too were often interrupted.
Some in Israel used Palestinian mobile phone numbers with +970 numbers, which those in the UAE could call.
The connection of phone service represents the first concrete sign of the deal between the Emiratis and Israelis.
Israel and the United Arab Emirates announced Thursday they were establishing full diplomatic relations in the U.S.-brokered accord.
The historic deal delivered a key foreign policy victory to President Donald Trump as he seeks re-election and reflected a changing Middle East in which shared concerns about archenemy Iran have largely overtaken traditional Arab support for the Palestinians.
Palestinians say it puts a just resolution of the Middle East conflict even farther out of reach by undermining an Arab consensus that recognition of Israel only come in return for concessions in peace talks. That removes a rare source of leverage for the Palestinians.
The agreement will make the UAE the third Arab country, after Egypt and Jordan, to have full, active diplomatic ties with Israel. The countries announced it in a joint statement, saying deals between Israel and the UAE were expected in the coming weeks in such areas as tourism, direct flights and embassies.
Early Sunday, the Emirates' state-run WAM news agency announced a UAE company had signed an agreement with an Israeli company for research and study of the coronavirus pandemic.
The move has sparked anger among some who see it as a betrayal of longstanding efforts to establish an independent state of Palestinians. In Pakistan, hundreds of Islamists rallied Sunday to denounce the Emirati-Israeli deal. The Jamaat-e-Islami party chanted slogans against the United States and burned effigies of President Donald Trump. They also set ablaze American and Israeli flags.
The deal also has enraged Iran and Turkey, regional rivals to the UAE.
On Sunday, the chief of staff of Iran's armed forces called the UAE's decision a “disaster.” Mohammad Hossein Bagheri urged Abu Dhabi to “revise” its position.
"If an incident happens in the Persian Gulf and violates the national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran, even a tiny bit, and we see it from the UAE, we will not tolerate it,” Bagheri said.
(AP)
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france24--2020-08-16--Lebanon president hedges over eventual peace with Israel in interview

Lebanese President Michel Aoun , pictured here in a file photo , seemed to leave the door open to eventual peace with the Jewish state , in an interview with French news channel BFMTV Lebanese President Michel Aoun , ally of Israel 's arch-foe Hezbollah , seemed to leave the door open to eventual peace with the Jewish state , in an interview with French news channel BFMTV .
Lebanon has technically been at war with neighbouring Israel for decades , with tensions sporadically flaring in the border area in Lebanon 's south , stronghold of the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BFMTV on Saturday whether Lebanon would be prepared to make peace with Israel , Aoun responded : `` That depends .
We have problems with Israel , we have to resolve them first . ''
His statement came in the wake of an announcement Thursday that Israel would normalise relations with the United Arab Emirates , only the third Arab state to establish full diplomatic ties with Israel since its creation in 1948 .
`` It 's an independent country , '' Aoun said of the UAE .
Aoun 's Christian Free Patriotic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Hezbollah , enabling them to dominate parliament and the government , which resigned on Monday amid outrage over negligence that led to the deadly explosion at Beirut 's port that devastated the capital .
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said on Friday of the Israel-UAE agreement that `` it 's a betrayal of Jerusalem and the Palestinian people .
It 's a knife in the back . ''
A key point of contention between Lebanon and Israel concerns oil and gas resources in the eastern Mediterranean , where both countries have sought bids @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The maritime border between the countries is disputed .
Aoun 's interview was aired in the aftermath of the Beirut blast on August 4 that killed 177 people and wounded at least 6,500 more , with many blaming systemic corruption and negligence of the entrenched political class for the disaster .
Many Lebanese have demanded the ouster of the entire ruling class , dominated by ex-warlords from the country 's 1975-1990 civil war , including of Aoun .
Asked by the BFMTV journalist if he had thought of stepping down , Aoun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there would be a vacuum '' .

Paris (AFP) –
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Lebanese President Michel Aoun, ally of Israel's arch-foe Hezbollah, seemed to leave the door open to eventual peace with the Jewish state, in an interview with French news channel BFMTV.
Lebanon has technically been at war with neighbouring Israel for decades, with tensions sporadically flaring in the border area in Lebanon's south, stronghold of the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah movement.
Asked in an interview on BFMTV on Saturday whether Lebanon would be prepared to make peace with Israel, Aoun responded: "That depends. We have problems with Israel, we have to resolve them first."
His statement came in the wake of an announcement Thursday that Israel would normalise relations with the United Arab Emirates, only the third Arab state to establish full diplomatic ties with Israel since its creation in 1948.
"It's an independent country," Aoun said of the UAE.
Aoun's Christian Free Patriotic Movement has for years been politically allied with Hezbollah, enabling them to dominate parliament and the government, which resigned on Monday amid outrage over negligence that led to the deadly explosion at Beirut's port that devastated the capital.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said on Friday of the Israel-UAE agreement that "it's a betrayal of Jerusalem and the Palestinian people. It's a knife in the back."
A key point of contention between Lebanon and Israel concerns oil and gas resources in the eastern Mediterranean, where both countries have sought bids for exploration in their exclusive economic zones.
The maritime border between the countries is disputed.
Aoun's interview was aired in the aftermath of the Beirut blast on August 4 that killed 177 people and wounded at least 6,500 more, with many blaming systemic corruption and negligence of the entrenched political class for the disaster.
Many Lebanese have demanded the ouster of the entire ruling class, dominated by ex-warlords from the country's 1975-1990 civil war, including of Aoun.
Asked by the BFMTV journalist if he had thought of stepping down, Aoun said, "it's impossible, there would be a vacuum".
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-16--Belarus opposition to 'March for Freedom' a week after disputed vote

Belarus opposition supporters joined a funeral ceremony for a protester who died on on Monday The opposition in Belarus hopes to bring thousands to the streets of the capital for a `` March for Freedom '' on Sunday , a week after the disputed election that triggered unprecedented protests against President Alexander Lukashenko .
Facing the biggest challenge of his 26 years in power , Lukashenko said on Saturday he had won support from Russian President Vladimir Putin who promised help to `` ensure the security of Belarus '' .
The Kremlin said only that the leaders had agreed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' in Belarus would be `` resolved soon '' , with no mention of specific support for Lukashenko .
The Belarusian strongman , who has ruled his ex-Soviet country with an iron grip since 1994 , is under increasing pressure from the streets and abroad over his claim to have won re-election last Sunday with 80 percent of the vote .
Tens of thousands have taken to the streets to denounce the result and support the main opposition challenger Svetlana Tikhanovskaya , a 37-year-old political novice who ran after other potential candidates including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police crackdown on protesters has seen more 6,700 people arrested , hundreds wounded and two people dead .
From exile in Lithuania , where she fled on Tuesday , Tikhanovskaya called for a weekend of peaceful rallies including Sunday 's march in Minsk on the one-week anniversary of the vote .
The opposition has called for one of the biggest rallies yet in defiance of Lukashenko , who has dismissed protesters as foreign-controlled `` sheep '' and criminals .
A pro-government demonstration has also been called from midday , a few hours before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There were reports of workers being required to attend the demonstration or risk losing their jobs .
On Friday hundreds of workers at state-run factories walked off the job in protest at the election , in a first sign that Lukashenko 's traditional support base was turning against him .
Thousands of opposition supporters demonstrated in Minsk on Saturday , with many gathering at the spot where a 34-year-old protester died during unrest on Monday .
Demonstrators heaped flowers at the spot and the crowd chanted `` Thank you ! ''
and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ photographs of protesters beaten during the crackdown , while one man stood in his underwear revealing the purple bruises on his thighs , buttocks and back .
Amnesty International has accused authorities of carrying out `` a campaign of widespread torture '' to crush the opposition .
Some protesters said they feared a Russian intervention on Lukashenko 's behalf .
`` It 's obvious that our president ca n't deal with his own people any more , he 's seeking help in the east , '' said Alexei Linich , a 27-year-old programmer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be the worst .
I 'm really afraid of this , '' said Olga Nesteruk , a landscape designer .
Thousands also protested on Saturday evening outside the Belarusian state television centre , complaining that their broadcasts backed Lukashenko and gave a skewed picture of the protests .
Around 100 staff came out of the building to join the crowd , and said they planned a strike on Monday .
European governments have condemned the election and police crackdown , and EU ministers on Friday agreed to draw up a list of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of sanctions .
The leaders of the three ex-Soviet Baltic states -- Estonia , Lithuania and Latvia -- on Saturday called for a new vote .
Tikhanovskaya has announced the creation of a Coordination Council to ensure a transfer of power , asking foreign governments to `` help us in organising a dialogue with Belarusian authorities '' .
She demanded the authorities release all detainees , remove security forces from the streets and open criminal cases against those who ordered the crackdown .
Lukashenko on Saturday rejected any foreign mediation in the crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hand over power .
`` We will not give up the country to anyone , '' he said .
`` We do n't need any foreign governments , any intermediaries . ''

Minsk (AFP) –
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The opposition in Belarus hopes to bring thousands to the streets of the capital for a "March for Freedom" on Sunday, a week after the disputed election that triggered unprecedented protests against President Alexander Lukashenko.
Facing the biggest challenge of his 26 years in power, Lukashenko said on Saturday he had won support from Russian President Vladimir Putin who promised help to "ensure the security of Belarus".
The Kremlin said only that the leaders had agreed in a phone call that the "problems" in Belarus would be "resolved soon", with no mention of specific support for Lukashenko.
The Belarusian strongman, who has ruled his ex-Soviet country with an iron grip since 1994, is under increasing pressure from the streets and abroad over his claim to have won re-election last Sunday with 80 percent of the vote.
Tens of thousands have taken to the streets to denounce the result and support the main opposition challenger Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, a 37-year-old political novice who ran after other potential candidates including her husband were jailed.
A violent police crackdown on protesters has seen more 6,700 people arrested, hundreds wounded and two people dead.
From exile in Lithuania, where she fled on Tuesday, Tikhanovskaya called for a weekend of peaceful rallies including Sunday's march in Minsk on the one-week anniversary of the vote.
The opposition has called for one of the biggest rallies yet in defiance of Lukashenko, who has dismissed protesters as foreign-controlled "sheep" and criminals.
A pro-government demonstration has also been called from midday, a few hours before the opposition march is set to begin. There were reports of workers being required to attend the demonstration or risk losing their jobs.
On Friday hundreds of workers at state-run factories walked off the job in protest at the election, in a first sign that Lukashenko's traditional support base was turning against him.
Thousands of opposition supporters demonstrated in Minsk on Saturday, with many gathering at the spot where a 34-year-old protester died during unrest on Monday.
- Fears of Russia intervention -
Demonstrators heaped flowers at the spot and the crowd chanted "Thank you!" and raised victory signs.
Many held up photographs of protesters beaten during the crackdown, while one man stood in his underwear revealing the purple bruises on his thighs, buttocks and back.
Amnesty International has accused authorities of carrying out "a campaign of widespread torture" to crush the opposition.
Some protesters said they feared a Russian intervention on Lukashenko's behalf.
"It's obvious that our president can't deal with his own people any more, he's seeking help in the east," said Alexei Linich, a 27-year-old programmer.
"If Russia intervenes, that would be the worst. I'm really afraid of this," said Olga Nesteruk, a landscape designer.
Thousands also protested on Saturday evening outside the Belarusian state television centre, complaining that their broadcasts backed Lukashenko and gave a skewed picture of the protests. Around 100 staff came out of the building to join the crowd, and said they planned a strike on Monday.
European governments have condemned the election and police crackdown, and EU ministers on Friday agreed to draw up a list of targets in Belarus for a new round of sanctions.
The leaders of the three ex-Soviet Baltic states -- Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia -- on Saturday called for a new vote.
Tikhanovskaya has announced the creation of a Coordination Council to ensure a transfer of power, asking foreign governments to "help us in organising a dialogue with Belarusian authorities".
She demanded the authorities release all detainees, remove security forces from the streets and open criminal cases against those who ordered the crackdown.
Lukashenko on Saturday rejected any foreign mediation in the crisis and told defence chiefs he would not hand over power.
"We will not give up the country to anyone," he said. "We don't need any foreign governments, any intermediaries."
© 2020 AFP


france24--2020-08-16--Ship that oozed oil off Mauritius coast splits in two

Mauritius declared an environmental emergency and salvage crews raced against the clock to pump the remaining 3,000 tonnes of oil off the ship A ship that has leaked more than 1,000 tonnes of oil in pristine waters off the Mauritius coast has split into two , its Japanese operator said Sunday .
The bulk carrier MK Wakashio ran aground on a coral reef off the southeastern coast of Mauritius on July 25 and began oozing oil more than a week later , threatening a protected marine park boasting mangrove forests and endangered species .
Mauritius declared an environmental emergency and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pump the remaining 3,000 tonnes of oil off the ship .
`` It was confirmed on August 15 that the vessel has broken into two , '' the ship 's operator Mitsui OSK Lines said in a statement , noting that the information came from the vessel 's owner , Nagashiki Shipping .
The split was caused by a crack in a cargo hold on its stern side , Mitsui said .
Officials had been preparing for the development for days , and images taken Saturday indicated it was inevitable , with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all the remaining 3,000 tonnes of oil had been pumped off the ship by that time , though there were still 90 tonnes on board , much of it residue from the leakage .
Mitsui noted Sunday that `` an amount of unrecovered oil is believed to have leaked out of the vessel '' .
The salvage team intends to pull the front two-thirds of the ship out to sea using two tugboats and let it sink to avoid further damage to the Mauritian coastline , said a police official in the Mauritian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief the media .
The remaining portion is still stuck on the reef and officials have not yet determined how they might remove it , the official said .
The weather is expected to become rougher in the coming days , Mauritius ' government said in a statement Saturday night , noting that waves could climb to 4.5 metres .
The government of Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth has come under fire , including from opposition leaders , for doing too little in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It has vowed to seek compensation from `` the owner and the insurer '' of the ship for `` all losses and damages '' caused by the spill as well as for costs related to the clean-up .
Nagashiki , the owner , has pledged to `` sincerely '' respond to requests for compensation over damage to the marine environment .
The spill is both an ecological and economic disaster for Mauritius , which relies heavily on tourism .
As of Saturday night more than 800 tonnes of oil liquid waste and more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and debris had been removed from the ocean .

Port Louis (Mauritius) (AFP) –
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A ship that has leaked more than 1,000 tonnes of oil in pristine waters off the Mauritius coast has split into two, its Japanese operator said Sunday.
The bulk carrier MK Wakashio ran aground on a coral reef off the southeastern coast of Mauritius on July 25 and began oozing oil more than a week later, threatening a protected marine park boasting mangrove forests and endangered species.
Mauritius declared an environmental emergency and salvage crews raced against the clock to pump the remaining 3,000 tonnes of oil off the ship.
"It was confirmed on August 15 that the vessel has broken into two," the ship's operator Mitsui OSK Lines said in a statement, noting that the information came from the vessel's owner, Nagashiki Shipping.
The split was caused by a crack in a cargo hold on its stern side, Mitsui said.
Officials had been preparing for the development for days, and images taken Saturday indicated it was inevitable, with the two pieces only partially attached.
Nearly all the remaining 3,000 tonnes of oil had been pumped off the ship by that time, though there were still 90 tonnes on board, much of it residue from the leakage.
- Bad weather forecast -
Mitsui noted Sunday that "an amount of unrecovered oil is believed to have leaked out of the vessel".
The salvage team intends to pull the front two-thirds of the ship out to sea using two tugboats and let it sink to avoid further damage to the Mauritian coastline, said a police official in the Mauritian capital Port Louis, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief the media.
The remaining portion is still stuck on the reef and officials have not yet determined how they might remove it, the official said.
The weather is expected to become rougher in the coming days, Mauritius' government said in a statement Saturday night, noting that waves could climb to 4.5 metres.
The government of Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth has come under fire, including from opposition leaders, for doing too little in the week after the ship ran aground.
It has vowed to seek compensation from "the owner and the insurer" of the ship for "all losses and damages" caused by the spill as well as for costs related to the clean-up.
Nagashiki, the owner, has pledged to "sincerely" respond to requests for compensation over damage to the marine environment.
The spill is both an ecological and economic disaster for Mauritius, which relies heavily on tourism.
As of Saturday night more than 800 tonnes of oil liquid waste and more than 300 tonnes of solid waste sludge and debris had been removed from the ocean.
© 2020 AFP