DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Analysts see a bleak future for Cameroon The arrest was announced by Kamtoʼs lawyer Agbor Nkongho and seemed to belie the conciliatory note struck byBiyain a speech given after the swearing-in ceremony to a seventh term of office. Biya recognized "the frustrations and aspirations" of the English-speaking North-West and South-West regions, where a deadly conflict has been raging since last year. He promised "a good number of answers" and an acceleration of the "ongoing decentralization project." Is Biya about to change his policies of repression and look for solutions for conflict? "No, this is not a hopeful sign," Cameroonian analyst Tanda Theophilus from the International Crisis Group (ICG) research organization told DW. The president has acknowledged the plight of the people before; but by labelling them separatists ʼterroristsʼ he also makes it clear that he is not willing "to dialogue with them," Theophilus said.
German conservatives against UN migration pact There are growing reservations within Angela Merkelʼs Christian Democratic Union (CDU) about Germany signing onto the United Nationsʼ migration pact. Marian Wendt, a CDU lawmaker and member of the Bundestagʼs home affairs committee, told DW on Tuesday that he was concerned that the compact did not distinguish betweeneconomic migrantsand asylumseekers, and was annoyed with the German Foreign Ministry for failing to communicate the purpose of the agreement properly. The non-legally binding Global Compact for Migration was finalized in July and is set to be adopted by UN member states in December, though eight countries, including the US, Australia, and Italy, have either already withdrawn or have signalled an intention to withdraw.
253/2018 • 7 NOVEMBER, 2018
Italy must get tax back from Vatican, EU rules Europeʼs top court has told Italy to recoup municipal taxes unpaid by Vatican schools and hostels
Itʼs a win for a Montessori school and a Rome guesthouse owner who asserted unfair taxation in the context of EU law. Appeal judges at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) overruled EU commission and lower chamber rulings Tuesday, telling Italy it must recoup municipal taxes on Vatican-owned non-commercial properties found to be illegal state aid. In January 2012 Italy established a church loophole, exempting "non-commercial" ecclesiastical education and accommodation properties from paying a new single Italian municipal tax known as IMU. In December 2012, the Brussels-based European Commission declared the non-collection as unlawful but let Italy off the hook with its argument that recovery would be impossibly complicated because Italyʼs property title registry and tax database was incomplete. That excuse was adopted by the ECJʼs General Court in September 2016, prompting further appeals by Romeʼs Schuola Elementare Maria Montessori and Pietro Ferraci, a Rome bed-and-breakfast property owner. The Italian news agency ANSA quoted the school appellants as saying: "We are very happy. It was
long battle, but in the end David won over Goliath." The extent of the Vaticanʼs unpaid tax bill is still unclear. ECJ appeal judges in Luxembourgrecognized the Montessori school and Ferraci as complainants under Article 263 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which allows "any natural or legal person" to institute proceedings, saying this was a "first time" on admissibility. Secondly, the appeal judges said Italyʼs non-recovery of its municipal tax (IMU) from church educational and accommodation entities was only justified after "scrupulous" and objective examination, and if "no alternative methods" existed. The Commission had failed to establish that Italyʼs municipal tax recovery was impossible, said the ECJ, and set aside the lower chamberʼs judgement. Rome was where in the late 19th century medical doctor Maria Montessori developed a new, childcentered form of education, now widely practiced around the world. Italy has 137 institutions, according to the movementʼs Italian branch.
Disillusionment overshadows Madagascan elections According to this passerby in the capital Antananarivo, the election should not be happening in the first place. "Itʼs pointless," he told DW, "I have seen different presidents come and go. They make promises which they then never keep." He says he will not vote. "The candidates always have big plans for us, but I never see any evidence that they intend to deliver on them." Many think like him. Citizens lack faith in Madagascarʼs politicians and political system, and the country itself is in a serious plight. Since independence in 1960 Madagascar has struggled to pull itself out of poverty. Despite a relatively peaceful postcolonial history, the countryʼs Gross Domestic Product per capita has consistently fallen. The United Nations Human Development Index ranks Madagascar in the bottom quarter and 90 percent of Madagascans live below the poverty line. The mostly rural population has severely limited job prospects and in desperation many to turn to crime.
Germany sets new restrictions on glyphosate Use of glyphosate and similar herbicides in Germany will face tougher restrictions going forward, the Environment Ministry announced on Tuesday. From 2020, farmers will be required to set aside 10 percent of their farmland to protect biological diversity if they want to use glyphosate and similar herbicides, the ministry said.
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253/2018 • 7 November, 2018
Amnesty accuses Turkey of ʼturning blind eyeʼ to abuses in Afrin Human rights organization Amnesty International accused Turkey on Thursday of allowing Syrian armed groups to commit a wide range of violations against civilians in Afrin. Turkish forces aided by allied rebelscaptured the northern Syrian townin March from the US-backed Kurdish Peopleʼs Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara considers a terrorist group.According to Amnestyʼs research, scores of displaced residents have since returned to their homes, only to be subjected to rights abuses. Read more:Turkeyʼs military offensive against Kurdish-held Afrin: What you need to know Amnesty interviewed 32 people, both current and former Afrin residents, between May and July 2018, who said: Residents in Afrin are enduring "arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, confiscation of property and looting."Most of the abuses were "at the hands of Syrian groups that have been equipped and armed by Turkey."Some of the rebel groups and Turkish armed forces had "taken over schools, disrupting the education for thousands of children."
Outcry in Uganda over compulsory HIV test 19-year-old Methia Nalukwago, a student at Makerere University in the capital Kampala, is excited by the proposal to have all students undergo compulsory HIV/AIDS testing. Some students, she says, have been living in denial. "Our friends, we study with them but you look at someone and you are like, ʼare you sure you are not sick or something like that?ʼ Of course you never come out to tell them but you feel it deep down inside you, this person must be sick because of the symptoms that show," Nalukwago told DW. "Compulsory testing for HIV will help us know our HIV status and where we stand." Studies conducted by the Ugandan AIDS Commission show lack of sufficient information among the youth is contributing to an increase of HIV. Jane Were, the head teacher of Forest Hill College in Mukono district located 21 kilometers (13 miles) east of Kampala, said they are grappling with HIV in schools. She said the situation has been made worse by parents who mislead their children on what they are actually suffering from. "We have situations where parents lie to students about these [anti-retroviral] drugs. There are parents who tell children they have other ailments other than HIV," 2
EU digital tax on verge of collapse France has been desparately trying to save a plan to get tech companies to pay more tax
Some nations are pinning their hopes on a global solution to the problem, while others are pushing national schemes. The European Unionʼs ambitious plan to impose bloc-wide tax regulations on digital companieswas on the verge of failure on Tuesday. Tech giants such as Facebook and Google pay remarkably little tax by shifting profits to low-tax member states, but plans to fix that have been deeply divisive in the EU. EU finance ministers presented widely differing views on a plan to charge tech firms a 3 percent levy on digital revenues in all EU states: Key proponent France agreed to post-
German politician targeted by haters over climate refugees A member of the Green Youths has received an onslaught of online hate, including rape and death threats, after she publicly put her support behind extending citizenship to asylum seekers fleeing disasters of climate change. Earlier this month, comments made by 24-yearold Ricarda Lang (above), a spokeswoman for the political organization, were published in a number of German regional newspapers and online outlets, including ZDF, and Die Welt. "The EU should offer the citizens of island states that are threatened by climate change European citizenship and enable them to migrate with dignity," Lang told German media. In the 24 hours that
pone implementation to 2020 if it meant saving the plan, but insisted on signing it by December.Ireland and Sweden remain sceptical, especially if the deal is not anchored in a global tax framework.Germany wants an OECD-backed global deal, but supports a 2020 EU back-up plan, if it doesnʼt affect car makers.Spain and the UK reiterated their plans for national schemes.Italy said it would impose a national plan if no EU plan was signed by December. followed, Lang saidhate messagesflooded her Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Email. "People threatened my life and commented on my body, and said how they wanted to kill or rape me," she told DW. "The first day was really hard because I kind of felt like I was alone, standing in front of this huge wall of hate."
Refugees in Italy get their hands dirty with own farm Every morning Dembo Cisse, a sturdily-built 21-year old from Guinea, waits for the car to pick him up. He and two others, who live in the same apartment that belongs to Italyʼs privatized migrant reception system, get in the vehicle. The old family car
Germanyʼs family reunification policy can leave young adults in limbo It sounds desperate, but Riham abo Staiti says she would rather die than turn 18. The 17-year-old only leaves her darkened accommodations when absolutely necessary. She lives here in a 30-square-meter (323-square-foot) portable housing unit with her father and three siblings in the Nahr alBared Refugee Camp in northern Lebanon. Yet, one important person is missing: "I just want to be with my mother," Riham says. She only speaks with her mother, who lives in a suburb of Karlsruhe, Germany, on her mobile phone. Her fear is constant when the two talk each day: "I am terrified of being left here on my own," says Riham. She has been waiting for the day she can join her mother for more than three years now. She is in a race against time, for she will likely be barred from family reunification as soon as she turns 18.
then heads from Oleggio, a small town in the northern Italian region of Piedmont, to an agricultural field nearby. But Dembo and his companions are not off to work in the food supply chain, dominated by large-scale distributors who require ever lower prices and therefore cheap labor — which many of their fellow Africans provide for lack of better options. Read more: Italy tells refugees: Donʼt risk the journey The carʼs driver is Raffaele DʼAcunto, known as Lello, the areaʼs first organic farmer, now retired, who decided to set up a small-scale agricultural company to make organic produce and sell it on the local market. Lello, Dembo and four others from Mali, Senegal and Nigeria — the youngest of whom is just 19 — are to become equal partners in the budding business they have aptly named Zappa Arcobaleno, Italian for Rainbow Hoe. The company is currently caught up in the bureaucratic process awaiting official registration.
253/2018 • 7 November, 2018
Angela Merkel puts on hold arms sales to Saudi Arabia Chancellor Angela Merkel has said Germany will stop exporting weapons to Saudi Arabia, at least for the time being. The decision comes in the wake of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate. Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday that Germany would put arms exports to the kingdom on hold for the time being, given the unexplained circumstances ofdissident journalist Jamal Khashoggiʼs death. The chancellor said Riyadh had not put the full facts of Khashoggiʼs demise "on the table." "First, we condemn this act in the strongest terms," she told a press conference after speaking to members of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party. "Second, there is an urgent need to clarify what happened — we are far from this having been
Invisible and dangerous: The Salafist scene in North RhineWestphalia There are more Salafists in North Rhine-Westphalia than in any other German state. The scene has all but vanished from the public eye in its stronghold. But it is still very active, as DW is told by numerous sources. "Speak after me," the red-bearded German convert and Salafist preacher Pierre Vogel says as he publicly summons the young woman. Cheered on by an enthusiastic crowd in the pedestrian zone of the western city of Offenbach, she does exactly that, and repeats the words of the Islamic profession of faith. That was in 2010. The conversion was filmed and uploaded to YouTube — just one example of the many videos shared online from the heydays ofSalafist missionary work in Germany. Until 2016, the scene had a self-confident and sometimes aggressive public appearance. Bearded men in baggy pants and flowing white robes such as Pierre Vogel regularly distributed free German-language editions of the Koran in market squares and pedestrian zones.
cleared up and those responsible held to account," she said. "Thirdly, I agree with all those who say that the, albeit already limited, arms exports cannot take place in the current circumstances." Pressure from within German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, of the Social Democrats — junior partner in Merkelʼs coalition government — had already called for weapons exports to the kingdom to be halted. Germany is the fourth largest exporter of weapons to Saudi Arabia after the United States, Britain and France.
Women struggle to survive Greeceʼs notorious refugee camp
Amal, a young woman in her 20s, and her family fled the ongoing conflict at home in Yemen as well as limited opportunities for women. After a treacherous journey across the Aegean she arrived at Lesbos. Here she thought she would finally find the freedom she was looking for. Instead she was taken to Moria, Greeceʼs largest refugee camp, which resembles an open-air prison. She describes it as
hell on earth. Moria has been in the international spotlight repeatedly because of the dreadful circumstances. More than 7,000 people live in an area built for 3,100. High walls and a barbed-wire fence separate the main camp site from the tent city that spreads around it. The living conditions do not meet international standards and are not adequate for thousands of residents.
Pakistan honor killings haunting young women Khanzadi Mehboob lives in constant fear for her life after she married against the wishes of her family. Although honor killings are illegal, tribal customs in Pakistan often trump the rule of law. In 2008, when she was only 15 years old, Khanzadi Mehboob started teaching children in her village located near Jacobabad in Pakistanʼs southern province of Sindh. Her dedication impressed an NGO, which provided her "school" with a building in 2011.
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253/2018 • 7 November, 2018
How will the EU-Italy budget standoff be resolved? After weeks of tug-of-war games, Italyʼs coalition government — made up of the populist 5-Star Movement and the right-wing Northern League party — last week approved their first budget. Under the proposals, the countryʼs deficit will rise to 2.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019. New social security benefits are also planned, on the orders of 5-Star leader Luigi Di Maio, who is also the labor and social policy minister. Cuts to the countryʼs tax system, demanded by Northern League party leader Matteo Salvini, are also in the bag. The introduction of two tax bands of 15 and 20 percent are meant to boost the economy but could mean considerable revenue losses. In addition, costly pension reforms — which have not yet been factored into this budget — are being readied, following a promise by Italian Prime Minister Guiseppe Conte. A further sweetener will see the coalition drop a long-planned increase in the countryʼs sales tax (VAT), which analysts say will only widen the hole in the countryʼs finances. Even so, Finance Minister Giovanni Tria, an economics professor not aligned to either party, has tried to limit public spending. He pushed for the deficit to rise to a maximum of 1.6 percent. Apparently, he initially threatened to resign after pressure to further boost the stateʼs debt levels but is now likely to remain in office.
Car rental company under fire after ad jokes about hitting cyclists The 2017 Palme dʼOr-winning Swedish satirical film The Squarehas a memorable sequence about the lengths advertising agencies will go to in order to grab attention for a product, however vacuous the campaign — or indeed the product — is. Needing to whip up interest in a patently ridiculous modern art exhibition called "The Square," the advertising men come up with a YouTube video portraying an impoverished child being killed in an explosion after entering the exhibition, supposedly a haven of peace. The clip draws widespread condemnation but also goes viral, stirring mass interest in something which hardly warrants it. As one of the worldʼs biggest car rental companies, you might think Sixt has no major need for such advertising gimmicks. Yet in recent years, the Munich-based company has tried to cultivate something of an image around its use of banter and humor in its advertising campaigns. 4
Donald Tuskʼs elephant in the room An almost Trump-like whiff of collusion has stalked the head of the European Council. In Warsaw to answer questions about an old scandal, the ex-Polish PM dismissed allegations against him as politically motivated.
Eastern German states demand €60 billion for coal phaseout Very few people in the Western world work directly with coal anymore, but fears engendered by the phase-out of this fossil fuel in favor of cleaner energy sources remain politically potent. Thatʼs especially apparent in eastern Germany, where, following US President Donald Trumpʼs lead, far-right populists are seeking to harness antienvironmentalism and anxiety about the economic future in the countryʼs poorest region. That was the backdrop to a press conference in Berlin on Friday at which the leaders of the three eastern German coal mining states — Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg — demanded a whopping €60 billion ($69 billion) in federal aid to stop producing lignite. They saidthe economic interests of those facing unemployment should take precedenceover environmental protection. "We owe it to the people in our regions that the path is new jobs first, then the phaseout and then the discontinuation of existing production," said Saxony State Premier Michael Kretschmer of the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU).
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Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, was questioned on Monday in Poland as part of a parliamentary investigation into a pyramid scheme that swindled thousands of Poles during his time as prime minister. The Amber Gold scandal, which came to light in 2012, was one of the biggest business affairs in Poland since the fall of communism in 1989. The case is being investigated by the Polish government,
led by the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, which set up a special multi-party commission that has questioned dozens of state officials. Tusk served as Polish prime minister between 2007 and 2014 and since then has served as EU Council president, being reelected for a second term in March 2017 by 27 member states, with only one vote against him — that of Poland.
Chinaʼs GDP growth slows to lowest rate in years
EU spells out Italy budget plan concerns
Chinaʼs economic growth has slowed to its lowest rate in nine years during the third quarter of 2018, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Friday. The numbers showed the effects of Beijingʼs mounting debt as well astrade disputes with the United States. "Faced with an extremely complex environment abroad and the daunting task of reform and development at home," Chinaʼs growth has still managed to remain relatively steady, said NBS spokesman Mao Shengyong. The worldʼs second-largest economy experienced 6.5 percent growth compared to the same quarter last year, but was slightly behind the first two quarters of 2018, which were 6.8 percent and 6.7 percent, respectively. Although exports have long been a staple of Chinaʼs economy, US tariffs targeting machinery, electronics, cars and appliances have decreased foreign investmentin these sectors. The US has accused China of pressuring foreign companies with Chinese offices to hand over protected technologies, if not outright stealing them.
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The EUʼs budget chief has called for a row over Italyʼs draft budget to be resolved calmly. Romeʼs plans to flout eurozone budget discipline rules pushed Moodyʼs to downgrade the countryʼs credit rating. Italyʼs Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Saturday the government would not be backtracking on its plans. "I think I can speak for the whole government, I deny any rethinking of the 2.4 percent [goal]," Di Maio, who heads the Five Star Movement, told journalists in Rome. He also said there is no desire on [Italyʼs] part to leave the eurozone or the European Union. His co-Deputy Premier, Matteo Salvini of the League party, echoed his cabinet colleague after a Saturday meeting: "There is, and there wonʼt be any intention to leave the European Union or the single currency system." However, both Salvini and Di Maio said they wanted to change how the EU works. European Economics Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said on Friday that the European Commission was waiting to see how Rome reacted to a letter he delivered listing concerns about Italyʼsplanned 2019 deficit-raising budgetbefore any decision was taken on whether to take action.
253/2018 • 7 November, 2018
Who is the ultimate girl group?
The punk band that concerned more the German spy agency than far-right terrorists
The Spice Girls are back:
"When we see you puke, weʼre fine." That statement rings loud and clear when it comes to punk rock band Feine Sahne Fischfilet ("FSF," literally translated as "Fine Cream Fish Filet"). The Rostock-based group has a strong dislike of neo-Nazis and right-wing radicals. The six musicians perform whenever and wherever thereʼs reason to oppose rightist extremism. Their approach: full-on confrontation. Their lyrics sound like violence, rioting, and anger all jumbled into one. Up until three years ago, they were on the watch list of the domestic intelligence agency of the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: The band was supposedly "explicitly anti-state," aiming to dissolve state structures and viewing violence as a "legitimate option for action in conflicts with political opponents."
The British ambassadors of "girl power" have confirmed that they will be reuniting for a UK tour in 2019 — one Spice down. But theyʼre not the only ones with a claim to the title of the ultimate girl band. Fifth band member Victoria Beckham was conspicuously missing from the video. A press release confirmed that fashion designer Beckham is unable to join her former band mates on stage due to "business commitments." The group last appeared with all five members for a one-off performance during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in London in 2012. The re-
union tour will kick off in Manchester on June 1, 2019, with concerts to follow in Coventry, Sunderland, Edinburgh, Bristol and London. Tickets will go on sale on Saturday November 10 at 10.30 GMT. During a recent television appearance, Brown suggested that a world tour would follow the UK concert dates. British singer Jess Glynne has been confirmed as a opening act on the tour.
Berlinʼs Teufelsberg listening station to be historical monument A former NSA spy station outside Berlin will receive state protection as a historical monument, authorities confirmed on Saturday. The iconic buildings on the western edge of Berlin, as well as the hill called Teufelsberg that they stand upon, will be placed under a preservation order, state curator Christoph Rauhut confirmed to the Tagesspiegel newspaper. A spokesman for the Senate Cultural Administration also confirmed the news to the DPA news agency. The
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step will be officially announced on Monday. Authorities said the order does not mean the site will have to be reconstructed as it once was but will instead ensure its preservation in the current state. During the Cold War, US intelligence wanted to build a listening station in West Berlin to intercept Soviet radio communications. Testing throughout West Berlin revealed Teufelsberg, a manmade hill in the Grunewald forest, had ideal conditions for such a center.
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Culture
A new exhibition celebrates 100 years of Budapest’s Gellért Hotel A recreated Baroque-style guest room, photos of the building taken during World War II and Communist-era posters reflect the history of Budapest’s most legendary hotel, the Gellért. A new exhibition at the Museum of Commerce & Catering celebrates the centenary of this institution which opened on 24 September 1918. Attached to the hotel is Budapest’s Art Nouveau Gellért Baths, whose outdoor wave pool, also illustrated at the museum, was the first of its kind in the world. Tucked away in the cobblestoned district of Óbuda, the former residence of Hungarian writer Gyula Krúdy is now home to a charming museum. Here, permanent displays include old-fashioned shop interiors illustrating the history of commerce and catering. This same building also hosts relevant seasonal exhibitions, such as the recently opened Gellért 100 to commemorate the centenary of the Gellért Hotel, a splendid Art Nouveau landmark towering above the Buda riverfront. Opened during the turmoil of World War I, during its long history, the Gellért has accommodated the likes of former US president Richard Nixon and the Dalai Lama. They both enjoyed the hotel’s fine facilities that are now brought to life through historic objects and images currently on show at the museum.
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253/2018 • 7 November, 2018
ʼJustin Roseʼs rise to number one sold short by ponderous threeball formatʼ
It was a swift return to the top for Justin Rose - world number one again, two months after he had earned the honour for a single week. But there was nothing quick about the gutsy way the Englishman seized his opportunity to become the worldʼs best player for the second time. Rose needed to win the Turkish Open and got the job done at the first extra hole. It was a scrappy end; Li Hoatongʼs dramatic three-putt capped a climax in which Rose nervously bogeyed the final two regulation holes.
Floyd Mayweather tells UFCʼs Khabib Nurmagomedov ʼcome into my worldʼ
Boxer Floyd Mayweather has told UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov to "come into my world" and make a bout happen that he believes will earn him more than his fight with Conor McGregor. The American, 41,beat McGregorin August 2017 in a fight that generatedmore than £450mand earned him £210m. Nurmagomedov, after defeating the Irishman on his return to UFC, then called out Mayweather himself. "When I face Khabib, of course I am getting a nine-figure payday," he said. "More than the McGregor fight. Probably $100m more - Iʼm going to say between $110m and $200m (more) guaranteed." 6
Aleksandar Kolarovʼs free kick stunner secures Serbia win over Costa Rica A brilliant second half free kick from captain Aleksandar Kolarov led Serbia to a deserved win over Costa Rica. Serbia were wasteful in front of goal but did enough to secure three vital points in Group E. Another World Cup day, another sublime freekick. If Cristiano Ronaldo’s ice-cold effort tosnatch a point against arch-rivals Spain on day two was the current goal of the tournament front-runner, the Portuguese may have just met his match. Aleksandar Kolarov, take a bow. A combination of poor finishing and sublime goalkeeping had kept the scores level until Serbia’s no.11 produced his moment of magic. Kolarov’s powerful left foot is no secret, but few inside the stadium would have expected such a thunderous strike when the Roma defender stood over a free kick midway through the second half. His shot was unstoppable; a side-footed missile which screamed into the top corner of the Costa Rica net. Kaylor Navas, who kept his team in the game with several crucial saves either side of half time, was nowhere near it.
Andy Murray: Britainʼs former number one to play Open Sud de France in Montpellier Andy Murray has not played since reaching the Shenzhen Open quarter-finals in September
Andy Murray will play at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier in February. The ATP 250 event takes place between 3 and 10 February, one week after the Australian Open. Britainʼs former world number one ended his 2018 season early in September, having only played 12 matches after returning from hip surgery in June. He said he wanted to get "in the best
shape possible for the beginning of the 2019 season" and "get back competing for the biggest tournaments". Murray, 31, is expected to play at the Australian Open in January. and the Scot has already announced he will be playing in the Brisbane International earlier that month.
Manny Pacquiao v Floyd Mayweather: Rematch a ʼbig possibilityʼ says Filipino Manny Pacquiao says a rematch with Floyd Mayweather is a "big possibility" as he "cannot retire with peace of mind" following his 2015 defeat. The Philippine greatlost to American Mayweatherin Las Vegas by unanimous points decision, although he has since regained a version of the world title. The two met in Japan at a concert, where they talked about a rematch. "I told him ʼIʼve got the belt and I am a championʼ and he said he would get
my belt," Pacquiao said. The 2015 fight between the two multi-weight world champions was billed as the ʼFight of the Century,ʼ but following a tame defeat, which saw Mayweather add the WBO welterweight title to his WBC and WBA titles, Pacquiao said he had beensuffering with a shoulder injury. "Itʼs different - this time there are no excuses," Pacquiao, 39, told BBC Radio 5 live boxing correspondent Mike Costello. "I cannot retire with peace of mind with that defeat."