BUSINESS | Page 1 SPORT | Page 8 We will compete fi ercely, says Qatar’s dollar peg Qatar star expected to hold fi rm, says report Akram published in QATAR since 1978 FRIDAY Vol. XXXIX No. 11053 January 4, 2019 Rabia II 28, 1440 AH GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals In brief Djokovic enters semi-finals Top Qatari football ARAB WORLD | Business Qatar investment in Jordan bourse $1.5bn Qatari investment in Jordanian offi cial barred from bourse at the end of December touched 1.067bn dinars ($1.5bn). Qatari investments are ranked first in terms of nationalities with most holdings. Statistics provided entering the UAE by Jordan’s Securities Depository Centre revealed that Qatari investors held 180,579mn financial securities O Saoud al-Mohannadi is Chairman of Organising Committee of at the end of last month. According to the Centre, the number of Qatari Asian Cup, a prestigious tournament the UAE itself is hosting investment contributions in the ownership of securities reached By Sports Reporter FIFA is conducting a feasibility 373,000 in that period. Doha study on a possible 48-team World Cup in 2022, and Infantino had said REGION | Crisis in Qatar last month that a “majority” n a shocking and illogical deci- of the national football federations UN envoy heads to sion that not only calls into ques- were in favour of an expanded tour- Yemen as truce holds Ition its politics but also its eth- nament. The UN envoy for Yemen will hold ics and sporting spirit, the UAE last However, the prospect of countries a new round of talks with Houthi night barred top Qatari football offi cial like the UAE and Saudi Arabia hosting rebels and the Saudi-backed Saoud al-Mohannadi from entering some FIFA World Cup matches has not government in the coming days as the Emirates for the AFC Asian Cup found favour with Amnesty Interna- the United Nations said yesterday football tournament starting tomor- tional. that a ceasefire in the key port city row. The human rights body warned FIFA of Hodeidah was holding. Martin After he was disallowed entry, al- against expanding the 2022 World Cup Griff iths will travel to the rebel- Mohannadi, the Vice President of both to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, raising held capital of Sanaa tomorrow Serbia’s Novak Djokovic celebrates winning his quarter-final match against Georgia’s the Qatar Football Association and the concerns about human rights in these for talks with Houthi leaders and Nikoloz Basilashvili at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open at Khalifa International Tennis and Asian Football Confederation has re- Saoud al-Mohannadi two states. with the head of a truce monitoring Squash Complex yesterday. Details on Sport Page 1 turned to Doha. “Saudi Arabia and the UAE are in the committee, Dutch general Patrick What makes the UAE decision dou- 48 teams already in 2022,” Infantino throes of cracking down on govern- Cammaert, said UN spokesman bly cringe-worthy is that al-Mohan- said on Wednesday at a sports confer- ment critics and prominent rights de- Farhan Haq. He will then head nadi is also the Chairman of the Or- ence in Dubai. fenders,” Amnesty International UK’s to Riyadh to meet with Yemen’s ganising Committee of the Asian Cup, “The World Cup will take place in head of policy and government aff airs President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi a prestigious tournament the UAE it- Qatar with 32 teams. Obviously, if we Allan Hogarth said in October. and other off icials. self is hosting. can increase it to 48 teams and make “An expansion of the Qatar World Italy slams Saudi ban The Asian Cup is a quadrennial event the world happy we should try it.” Cup into Saudi Arabia and the UAE EUROPE | Aviation that brings together the top teams of He added: “If we can accommo- ought to come with a proper acknowl- the continent of nearly a month of ac- date some of the neighbouring coun- edgement from FIFA of the need for London airports order tion-packed football. tries in the Gulf region which are very both countries to substantially im- anti-drone equipment on women in stadiums Qatar’s national team, who are also close by to host a few games in the prove their human rights record,” he London’s Gatwick and Heathrow taking part in the event, are expected World Cup this could be very ben- added. airports have ordered military-grade “It should be organised in a country to fl y out tomorrow. eficial for the region and the entire Qatar has maintained that the de- anti-drone defences worth “several Reuters that respects our women and our val- The latest episode of UAE mixing world.” cision to expand from 32 to 48 teams million pounds” after drones Milan ues,” she wrote in a Facebook post. politics with sport comes only a day Two days ago, Aref al-Awani, the would be taken only after a feasibility caused three days of disruption The Supercoppa fi nal, which pitch- after FIFA President Gianni Infantino Tournament Director of the AFC Asian study is completed in March. at Gatwick last month, The Times es the Serie A champions against the said in the UAE that some of Qatar’s Cup, had stated that the UAE was in- Ever since an illegal blockade was newspaper reported yesterday. talian Deputy Prime Minister Mat- winners of the Coppa Italia, has been neighbouring countries may be called deed “willing” to host matches during imposed on Qatar by Saudi Arabia, Transport Minister Chris Grayling teo Salvini yesterday condemned as played abroad several times, with the on to host a few matches of the 2022 the 2022 World Cup. UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, there have met police, aviation and defence I“disgusting” restrictions imposed United States, China and Qatar the FIFA World Cup if studies show a 48- “If FIFA were to propose it, we would been several instances of these coun- chiefs yesterday to discuss the issue, on women hoping to see the fi nal of previous foreign venues. team tournament in four years’ time is certainly look at the economic impact tries breaching international laws and the report said. The airports did not the Italian Supercoppa, which is being feasible. and media opportunities. It’s good to protocols. immediately comment on the report. staged this month in Saudi Arabia. “To have the Italian “If you think it’s a good thing to have have football in the region... sports for Rogue Saudi-based TV channel The encounter between Juventus Supercoppa being played in a 48 teams in the World Cup, why not us is to bring everybody together,” al- BeoutQ has been broadcasting pro- REGION | Weather and AC Milan will be played in Jeddah country where women cannot try four years before, that’s why we are Awani had said in comments reported grammes from beIN Sport illegally de- on January 16 as part of a three-match go to the stadium unless they analysing whether it’s possible to have by Al Jazeera. spite several warnings. Kuwait resu mes deal that Italy’s Serie A signed last are accompanied by a man is port operations year with Saudi Arabia worth €22mn sad” Kuwait’s port authority has resumed ($25mn). port operations at Shuwaikh, Doha The decision to go ahead with the The head of the Serie A, Gaetano and Shuaiba ports after temporarily game in the wake of the killing of jour- Micciché, defended the decision to halting them earlier because of bad nalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi play in Saudi Arabia and said there Pelosi elected US House speaker weather, the state news agency consulate in Istanbul had already would be no change of heart. Kuna reported yesterday. caused controversy. In a statement he said women would But the anger built this week when not have to be accompanied by a man to AFP we disagree, we will respect each oth- last November, Trump’s Republicans AMERICA | Controversy Serie A released information on how to get into the stadium, adding that this Washington er and we will respect the truth,” the managed to modestly expand its major- get tickets, saying some category of seats would be a “historic fi rst”. Democrat from California said. ity in the Senate, meaning Washington US updates China were only available for men and explain- “Until last year, women (in Saudi Pelosi was elected speaker in the gridlock is almost certain to deepen. travel advisory ing that women could only gain access by Arabia) could not attend any sporting ancy Pelosi, the newly-elect- 435-seat House yesterday after Dem- Vice President Mike Pence swore in The United States warned its citizens buying tickets in “family” areas. event,” he said. “We are working to en- ed Democratic speaker of the ocrats gained 40 seats in November the new senators – 53 Republicans hold yesterday they could face arbitrary “To have the Italian Supercoppa be- sure that in the next games that we play NHouse of Representatives, said midterm elections to seize control of the majority over 45 Democrats and two action by authorities when they visit ing played in a country where women in the country, women can access all yesterday she was under “no illusions” the chamber from President Donald independents who align with them. China, following the detention of cannot go to the stadium unless they the stadium seats.” that working with Republicans in a di- Trump’s Republicans. Among the newcomers is Sena- two Canadians. Updating its travel are accompanied by a man is sad.