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      ‘Why should fit young men be dying?’: migrant worker deaths spark concerns over Saudi Arabia World Cup

      news.movim.eu / TheGuardian · Wednesday, 20 March - 08:00

    Campaigners warn Fifa over risk of death toll rising once 2034 preparations start, after Guardian investigation reveals most of the thousands of Bangladeshi workers’ deaths are unexplained

    An ambulance is weaving through the chaos of the cargo depot at Dhaka’s international airport, navigating a careful route through trolleys stacked high with boxes, men hauling rolls of cloth and trucks reversing into loading bays. It stops and, shortly afterwards, from between the towering piles of goods, a coffin is wheeled out. Then another. And another. On this one day, the bodies of 10 migrant workers are being returned from Saudi Arabia back home to their families in Bangladesh.

    Among those present to meet the coffins is Khadija Begum, whose 35-year-old husband, Abdul Jalil Shaikh, had gone to work in Saudi Arabia at the beginning of 2023. He left with his family’s dreams on his shoulders and now is coming back in a wooden box, most of his 500,000 taka (£3,750) debt – the price he paid a recruitment agent for his job – returning with him.

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      Hamas negotiators pressured to produce list of hostages to be released

      news.movim.eu / TheGuardian · Monday, 4 March - 19:47

    Officials at Cairo talks say list is first step in truce deal as Hamas demands aid into Gaza and allowing displaced people to return

    Egyptian and Qatari officials are putting pressure on Hamas negotiators in Cairo to produce a list of hostages to be released as the first step in a phased ceasefire agreement with Israel, according to officials familiar with the talks.

    Israel has not sent a delegation to the second day of talks in Cairo , demanding that Hamas present a list of 40 elderly, sick and female hostages who would be the first to be released as part of a truce that would initially last six weeks , beginning with the month of Ramadan, the officials say.

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      CIA director ‘travels to Cairo’ as pressure grows over Gaza ceasefire talks

      news.movim.eu / TheGuardian · Tuesday, 13 February - 13:17

    Expected US presence seen as underlining pressure to end fighting amid reports of ‘significant’ progress towards peace deal

    The CIA director, William Burns, is expected to join teams from Hamas and Israel in Cairo today for negotiations over a ceasefire and prisoner exchange as international pressure increases to advance the talks.

    Israel’s delegation includes its heads of intelligence, David Barnea of the Mossad and Ronen Bar, the director of Shin Bet. Also attending are the Egyptian intelligence director, Abbas Kamel, and the Qatari prime minister, Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani. A senior Egyptian official said the meeting would focus on “crafting a final draft” of a six-week ceasefire deal, with guarantees that the parties would continue negotiations toward a permanent ceasefire amid suggestions of “significant” progress.

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      Qatar are Asia’s finest again but need strong World Cup to repair reputation | John Duerden

      news.movim.eu / TheGuardian · Monday, 12 February - 08:30

    Rightly or wrongly, second Asian Cup win in a row will not undo damage of 2022 in the eyes of much of the global community

    The 2023 Asian Cup ended as it had begun almost a month earlier: with Akram Afif scoring for Qatar. The first got the ball rolling for the hosts against Lebanon and the last came in the 95th minute of the final to make it 3-1 against Jordan. It meant the celebrations could really start among the vast majority of the 86,000 fans at Lusail Stadium.

    All three of Qatar’s goals came from the penalty spot, converted by Afif, who ended the tournament as top scorer with eight. None were outrageous decisions by the Chinese referee, Ma Ning, despite the increasingly sarcastic applause by the Jordanian players. For those men in white, it was when the penalties came – especially the second – that was worse than how.

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      Akram Afif’s hat-trick of penalties secures Asian Cup glory for Qatar

      news.movim.eu / TheGuardian · Saturday, 10 February - 17:45

    • Jordan 1-3 Qatar
    • Hosts retain continental title after trio of spot-kicks

    Qatar successfully defended their Asian Cup crown after beating Jordan 3-1 on Saturday at Lusail Stadium where Akram Afif converted three penalties to become the tournament’s top scorer as the hosts won their continental second title.

    Jordan were playing in their first Asian Cup final and seeking their first major trophy, but it was Qatar who prevailed in front of 86,492 fans including Qatar’s ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino.

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      ‘He couldn’t see light at the end of the tunnel’: Jamal Khashoggi’s widow on their life and his death

      news.movim.eu / TheGuardian · Saturday, 10 February - 15:00 · 1 minute

    Hanan Elatr fled to America after the Saudi journalist’s murder in Istanbul and wants to speak out on his behalf

    New York. Friday, 7 September 2018. Hanan Elatr, a flight attendant for Emirates, had just landed at New York’s JFK airport and was in the shuttle on her way to the hotel. Her husband of three months was meeting her there and she messaged him on WhatsApp: “Hello Jamal. I’m on the bus on my way to the hotel, where are you beautiful?”

    “In the hotel lobby,” came the reply. Although they’d known one another for a decade, her short marriage to Jamal Khashoggi had so far amounted to stolen hours between trips; of two people tethered to time zones – he due to his work as a journalist; she as cabin crew for an international airline. But that night they had discussed their future; they’d keep the condo in Virginia he had owned for some time, and maybe buy a flat together in Istanbul so they could meet more frequently. The next day Khashoggi left for Washington DC, after which he would travel on to Turkey. It was the last time Elatr saw her husband alive.

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      Jordan v Qatar: Asian Cup final – live

      news.movim.eu / TheGuardian · Saturday, 10 February - 14:10

    • Asian Cup final updates, 3pm GMT kick-off at Lusail Stadium
    • Get in touch! You can email Taha with your thoughts here

    And before we get properly going, feel free to check in on some Premier League action, with Manchester City currently on their way to three points against Everton.

    Here’s John Duerden’s excellent preview, laying out how we got to this point:

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      Hosts Qatar beat Iran in thriller to set up Asian Cup final against Jordan

      news.movim.eu / TheGuardian · Wednesday, 7 February - 17:26

    • Iran 2-3 Qatar
    • Almoez Ali’s 82nd-minute winner settles seesaw semi-final

    The Asian Cup hosts and defending champions Qatar beat Iran 3-2 in a thrilling semi-final at Al Thumama Stadium to set up a title clash with Jordan.

    Iran opened the scoring when Sardar Azmoun scored with an overhead kick in the fourth minute but Qatar equalised when Jassem Gaber’s shot from range took a deflection and looped over goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand into the net.

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      ‘Zombie football’ keeps South Korea in hunt for elusive Asian Cup crown

      news.movim.eu / TheGuardian · Monday, 5 February - 18:00

    Jürgen Klinsmann’s side stumbled into the last four but now only Jordan stand between the Taeguk Warriors and the final

    It has been labelled “zombie football” because South Korea have scored four goals in second-half added time in five Asian Cup games. The never-say-die Taeguk Warriors have stumbled and shuffled towards the semi-finals, arms outstretched, reaching to lift the trophy for the first time since 1960. Just when you think you have them beaten, up pops Son Heung-min, Hwang Hee-chan or Lee Kang-in.

    The manager, Jürgen Klinsmann, seems to be happy to let his stars do their thing. “Son is a great leader and player and I trust his decisions,” said the German after the latest last-minute escape, a 2-1 win over Australia in the quarter-final that booked Tuesday’s game against Jordan. Fans also trust the captain while being unsure about the coach; for now, though, they are willing to go along for the ride and see where it ends.

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