Than Paing of the Myanmar Under-19 national football team is lifted into the air by fans after their win over the UAE in the quarter-finals of the AFC Under-19 Championships on Friday. Ye Aung Thu / AFP / October 17, 2014
Than Paing of the Myanmar Under-19 national football team is lifted into the air by fans after their win over the UAE in the quarter-finals of the AFC Under-19 Championships on Friday. Ye Aung Thu / AFP / October 17, 2014
Than Paing of the Myanmar Under-19 national football team is lifted into the air by fans after their win over the UAE in the quarter-finals of the AFC Under-19 Championships on Friday. Ye Aung Thu / AFP / October 17, 2014
Than Paing of the Myanmar Under-19 national football team is lifted into the air by fans after their win over the UAE in the quarter-finals of the AFC Under-19 Championships on Friday. Ye Aung Thu / A

Myanmar threatened with empty stands after pitch invasion following win over UAE


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Asia’s football governing body has warned Myanmar they will be ordered to play behind closed doors if they fail to rein in their fans after fining them $24,000 (Dh88,159) for a pitch invasion last week.

Dozens of people descended onto the pitch, cheering and singing in celebration, after Myanmar beat the UAE in Friday’s AFC Under-19 Championship quarter-final in Yangon, according to an AFP reporter at the match.

The Asian Football Confederation’s disciplinary committee fined the Myanmar Football Federation (MFF) $24,000 after finding it had failed “to guarantee law and order as well as safety at the venue”, the AFC said in a statement Monday.

“The MFF has been strongly advised by the AFC disciplinary committee to take all action necessary to control their spectators in future matches,” it said, warning that one more incident would lead to them having to play without spectators.

Myanmar will meet Qatar in the U-19 Championship semi-finals on Monday.

Hooliganism at Myanmar’s football matches is common.

Last December police fired water cannon to disperse rioting Myanmar football fans who tore up seats, burned shirts and hurled stones at officers after the hosts were dumped out of the Southeast Asian Games.

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Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

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War and the virus
The specs: 2018 BMW X2 and X3

Price, as tested: Dh255,150 (X2); Dh383,250 (X3)

Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder (X2); 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder (X3)

Power 192hp @ 5,000rpm (X2); 355hp @ 5,500rpm (X3)

Torque: 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (X2); 500Nm @ 1,520rpm (X3)

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic (X2); Eight-speed automatic (X3)

Fuel consumption, combined: 5.7L / 100km (X2); 8.3L / 100km (X3)

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
  • Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
  • Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
  • Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
  • Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
  • Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
  • Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
  • Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
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Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199