Liverpool
look set to miss out on
Vegard Forren
after
Southampton
launched a bid for the defender.
The 24-year-old Norway international had been due at the club's Melwood training ground later today for manager Brendan Rodgers to begin his assessment.
But he withdrew after his current club Molde accepted a bid, thought to be in the region of £3.5m (Dh20.7m) for the centre back, with
QPR
also now reportedly interested in signing Forren.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the Molde coach, confirmed the
Premier League
strugglers had tabled a bid for the player, who made his international debut for Norway last year.
---
Swansea
have signed
Roland Lamah
on an 18-month loan deal from Spanish club
Osasuna
.
The Belgiun international winger, who can play on either flank, is Michael Laudrup's first acquisition of the January transfer window.
Ivory Coast-born Lamah, who also has top-flight experience in Belgium, Holland and France, told the club's website: "This is a great opportunity for me and I'm happy to be here.
"I know a few of the players here, and I already know that Swansea is a family club that will suit my style of play."
Swansea have the option of making the 25-year-old's switch a permanent one at any time during his loan spell.
Lamah, whose move remains subject to
Premier League
clearance, will not be available for tomorrow's FA Cup third-round replay at
Arsenal
, but could be handed his debut in Saturday's league meeting with
Stoke
.
---
Loic Remy
has still not decided whether to join
Newcastle
or
Queens Park Rangers
, according to Jose Anigo, sporting director at Marseille
The France international is currently in the UK to seal a move to the
English Premier League
during the January transfer window
Marseille had reached agreement with Newcastle over a deal for the 26-year-old, but QPR remain an option for the forward.
"We at OM reached an agreement with Newcastle, but we also talked with other English clubs," he told RTL television.
"We gave them a working basis and it remains up to Loic to choose the club he prefers in terms of their structure or sporting plans.
"He is currently in England and is speaking with some clubs.
"Everyone talks about Newcastle, but it is not just Newcastle because he is talking with other clubs.
"We have to remain cautious. We have done our job and players and agents must do theirs. Nothing is done."
Anigo claimed the player had not ruled out moving to the Premier League's bottom club after reports claimed the player would have a medical at Loftus Road.
"QPR have deep pockets and a manager (
Harry Redknapp
) known in England to have a good reputation, so I do not think Loic has closed the door on QPR," he said.
---
Sandro Rosell, the
Barcelona
president, remains confident
Victor Valdes
and
David Villa
will stay at the Nou Camp.
The pair have been linked with moves away from the Catalan club, albeit for different reasons, with Valdes refusing to confirm whether he will extend his contract beyond 2014 and Villa struggling to hold down a regular first-team place.
Rosell remains confident that the players, however, and Valdes in particular, will stay with the club.
"I don't think it's true that he has decided not to renew," he told RAC."I think he will be another of the homegrown batch who will end his career at the club.
"That's what I believe and that's my dream but I know he has to share the dream. I'm not looking for any alternatives."
Villa has struggled to retain a place in Barca's starting XI since breaking his leg in a
Club World Cup
match in December 2011, an injury that left him on the sidelines for eight months.
"Villa will not leave. But coming back from a serious injury to play in this team is not easy," added Rosell.
---
Martin Petrov
has joined Primera Liga strugglers
Espanyol
from
Bolton Wanderers
until the end of the season.
The 33-year-old Bulgarian winger- who played in Spain with
Atletico Madrid
from 2005-07 - came to an arrangement with Bolton to release him from his contract.
"Martin Petrov signed for Espanyol after having passed his medical this morning and having signed a contract," said the club on its website.
"He is the club's first signing in the winter transfer window."
Dougie Freedman, the Bolton manager, said both the player and the club would benefit from the move.
"He's on a fantastic wage at this club and one that I feel that we can (use to) make room for another player," he admitted
"He's done nothing wrong. He's been a good lad and a good servant to the club. I just feel we're going in a different direction."
---
Fulham
manager Martin Jol admits he needs to add reinforcements to his squad during this transfer window.
The Premier League side started the season brightly but have struggled in recent weeks, winning just one game in their last six to drop to 13th in the Barclays Premier League table.
Tom Huddlestone
,
Banel Nicolita
of St Etienne and
Jores Okore
of Nordsjælland have all recently been linked with a move to Craven Cottage.
Jol admits bringing players in before the transfer window shuts is a priority.
"We had a very good start to the season. We had a settled team before but I think we are a bit unsettled now," Jol said,
"We are the only team in the Premier League who have not found their feet in general.
"If you look at Wigan, they have a settled team. They bought two or three players in the first week of January and we haven't got that.
"We don't have a lot of money to spend."
sports@thenational.ae
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THE BIO
Mr Al Qassimi is 37 and lives in Dubai
He is a keen drummer and loves gardening
His favourite way to unwind is spending time with his two children and cooking
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Day 4, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Not much was expected – on Sunday or ever – of Hasan Ali as a batsman. And yet he lit up the late overs of the Pakistan innings with a happy cameo of 29 from 25 balls. The highlight was when he launched a six right on top of the netting above the Pakistan players’ viewing area. He was out next ball.
Stat of the day – 1,358 There were 1,358 days between Haris Sohail’s previous first-class match and his Test debut for Pakistan. The lack of practice in the multi-day format did not show, though, as the left-hander made an assured half-century to guide his side through a potentially damaging collapse.
The verdict As is the fashion of Test matches in this country, the draw feels like a dead-cert, before a clatter of wickets on the fourth afternoon puts either side on red alert. With Yasir Shah finding prodigious turn now, Pakistan will be confident of bowling Sri Lanka out. Whether they have enough time to do so and chase the runs required remains to be seen.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
'Young girls thinking of big ideas'
Words come easy for aspiring writer Afra Al Muhairb. The business side of books, on the other hand, is entirely foreign to the 16-year-old Emirati. So, she followed her father’s advice and enroled in the Abu Dhabi Education Council’s summer entrepreneurship course at Abu Dhabi University hoping to pick up a few new skills.
“Most of us have this dream of opening a business,” said Afra, referring to her peers are “young girls thinking of big ideas.”
In the three-week class, pupils are challenged to come up with a business and develop an operational and marketing plan to support their idea. But, the learning goes far beyond sales and branding, said teacher Sonia Elhaj.
“It’s not only about starting up a business, it’s all the meta skills that goes with it -- building self confidence, communication,” said Ms Elhaj. “It’s a way to coach them and to harness ideas and to allow them to be creative. They are really hungry to do this and be heard. They are so happy to be actually doing something, to be engaged in creating something new, not only sitting and listening and getting new information and new knowledge. Now they are applying that knowledge.”
Afra’s team decided to focus their business idea on a restaurant modelled after the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Each level would have a different international cuisine and all the meat would be halal. The pupils thought of this after discussing a common problem they face when travelling abroad.
“Sometimes we find the struggle of finding halal food, so we just eat fish and cheese, so it’s hard for us to spend 20 days with fish and cheese,” said Afra. “So we made this tower so every person who comes – from Africa, from America – they will find the right food to eat.”
rpennington@thenational.ae
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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THE SPECS
Engine: six-litre W12 twin-turbo
Transmission: eight-speed dual clutch auto
Power: 626bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh940,160 (plus VAT)
On sale: Q1 2020
