09-02-2021

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TuesDAY, FebruArY 9, 2021 8US trade gap soars in 2020amid pandemic disruptionsWASHINGTON: The US trade deficit surgedin 2020 to its highest level since 2008, thegovernment reported Friday, in thepandemic-roiled year that upended theglobal economy, reports BSS.Business shutdowns and global shippingdisruptions caused by Covid-19 were a majorfactor for most of last year, leading to thelargest trade gap since the start of the globalfinancial crisis, according to CommerceDepartment data.And even as activity began to pick up,exports lagged and services continued tosuffer, while the easing of US pandemicrestrictions fueled a rebound in imports.The total US trade deficit in goods andservices surged, adding $102 billion to the2019 total to reach $678.7 billion, as exportsfell more than imports, according to the data."Still-weak global demand and travelrestrictions will keep trade subdued in thenear term, with total exports clearly laggingimports," said James Watson of OxfordEconomics.The report showed exports of goods andservices fell by nearly $400 billion to $2.1trillion last year, while imports fell just under$300 billion to $2.8 trillion.Weak net exports subtracted from GDPgrowth last year, and economists caution itcould get worse before it gets better,especially since services like travel and hotelsmay be the last to improve."Restrictions are being relaxed in the US,which will likely provide further support toimports, but ongoing lockdowns acrossEurope could weigh on export demand in thenear term," said Rubeela Farooqi of HighFrequency Economics.In the most fraught US trade relationshipunder former president Donald Trump, thegap with China in goods trade alonenarrowed by $34.4 billion to $310.8 billionlast year, on a modest gain in exports and asmall decline in imports, the data showed.Trump promised his "America First" focuson domestic industry and aggressive tradepolicies and high tariffs on allies and rivalsalike would boost sales of American-madeproducts, but the total trade gap increasedevery year he was in office with the exceptionof 2019.After a steady escalation of trade tensionsand tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollarsin annual goods imports, Trump signed a"phase one" deal with Beijing a year ago, butmany economists say the policy has failed toachieve its stated goals and in some areas didmore harm than good."Rather than benefiting the economy, ithas reduced US economic growth andemployment, resulting in an estimated peakloss of 245,000 jobs," the US-China BusinessCouncil said in a report last month, addingthat "Tariff rates remain at a multi-decadehigh" in spite of the agreement.What kind of course correction PresidentJoe Biden will press for in trade relationsremains unclear, but he has indicated he willnot immediately roll back tariffs on China.His policy efforts may be delayed as hispick to lead the Commerce Department hasbeen held hostage by Republicansdemanding he continue the hardline stanceagainst Chinese tech firm Huawei.Republican Senator Ted Cruz put a hold onBiden's nomination for Gina Raimondo tohead the agency that will play a key role intrade relations, effectively blocking herconfirmation. "I'll lift the hold when theBiden admin commits to keep the massiveChinese Communist Party spy operationHuawei on the Entity List," Cruz tweeted.Trump barred Huawei from the USmarket, pressured allies to shun its telecomnetworking gear and imposed a successionof escalating sanctions including cutting offaccess to vital components, saying theequipment could be used by China forespionage.Primary students' stipend payoutbegins through NagadThe disbursement ofstipends and allowances foreducational accessoriesamong primary schoolstudents through Nagad, thedigital financial service ofthe postal department ofBangladesh, began recently,a press release said.The stipends and theallowances for theeducational accessories weresent to the Nagad wallets ofthe parents of 86,452students in 655 schoolsunder six districts in the firstphase. The Directorate ofPrimary Education (DPE)will provide the stipend andthe allowances throughNagad among 1.40 crorestudents this year, largesteverdigital stipend funddistribution in the world ofthis kind.Mustafa Jabbar, Posts andTelecommunicationsDivision Minister, and Md.Zakir Hossen, State Ministerfor the Ministry of Primaryand Mass Education,inaugurated the funddistribution programme atthe secretariat. Golam MdHashibul Alam, secretary ofthe Ministry of Primary andMass Education, Md. AfzalHossain, secretary of thePostsandTelecommunicationsDivision, AlamgirMuhammad MansurulAlam, director-general of theDirectorate of PrimaryEducation, Md. Siraz Uddin,director-general of theDirectorate of Posts of theBangladesh Post Office, andTanvir A Mishuk, managingdirector of Nagad, werepresent among others.The disbursement of thestipends and allowances foreducational materials washalted for almost a yearbecause of nontransparencyand inertia inthe distribution system.Following the instructionfrom the Honourable PrimeMinister Sheikh Hasina, theDPE signed an agreementwith Nagad on December 13,2020. The government'sexpenses to distribute thefunds will come down by lessthan a third because of thepartnership with Nagad, thesecond largest digitalfinancial carrier of thecountry.As per the agreement, astudent is signed up on thedigital platform anew byinserting their birthcertificate with the mobilephone number and NIDnumber of the parent. As aresult, the fund is instantlytransferred to the Nagadaccount of the parents of thestudent as soon as it is sent.The beneficiary also receivesthe cash-out charge alongwith the stipend andallowances, so they will notbe charged for it.As per the contact Nagadran a registration processwhich was complicatedinitially. But once thedatabase will become ready,the registration processwould be easier for the years.Once a student's name isadded to the database, thegovernment and student willbe able to use theinformation until thecompletion of his or herstudy life. The students ofonly grade one will be addedto the database at thebeginning of each year. Itwill ensure the transparencyand accountability andincrease the efficiency ofpublic money.Connected virtually at theinauguration programmeMustafa Jabbar, Posts andTelecommunicationsMinister, said "This is ahistoric moment. Theproject of distributingallowances and stipends tostudents through Nagad willbe considered as a milestoneof digitalization path inBangladesh. We would liketo assure the Ministry ofPrimary and MassEducation that we will repaythe trust you have keep on usby taking the service ofNagad. Although Nagad isthe youngest digital financialservice in the country, it isthe most beloved service toPrime Minister SheikhHasina. That is why she haschosen this service todistribute stipends tostudents."Md. Zakir Hossen, StateMinister of the Ministry ofPrimary and MassEducation said, "Because ofthe stipends and allowancesenrollment has increasedand dropout has reduced by18 percent. However, we seethat there has been a lot ofmisappropriation of thepublic fund in the way theallowance was distributedearlier. That is why we havechosen Nagad which is alsoowned by the governmentand they will save hugepublic money."Tanvir A Mishuk,managing director of Nagad,said: "Nagad always placesthe highest importance inthe customers. And in thiscase, the students and theirguardians will get thehighest level of priority. Wecan assure that we will winthe hearts of all through ourservices."Russia's annualinflation risesto 5.2pc inJanuaryMOSCOW : Russia'sannual inflation rate rose to5.2 percent in January,Rosstat statistics agency saidFriday, as food prices shothigher, reports BSS.Consumer prices startedto climb in March last year,driven by the slump in oilprices and a drop in thevalue of the nationalcurrency the ruble, aftermonths of historically lowinflation.Among the most affectedfood prices were those ofsugar, which rose by 64percent, and sunflower oil,which rose 26 percent.Russia's government hasbeen addressing the issuesince late 2020 afterPresident Vladimir Putinpublicly expressed concernabout the sharp increase inthe prices of certain foodproducts.He instructed thegovernment to preparemeasures to regulate pricesbefore the end of yearholidays, which wasfollowed by anannouncement of exportquotas for cereals amongother measures.Last year Russia recorded3.4 percent inflation yearon-year.Inflation was notablydriven by the weak ruble,which fell in early November2020 to its lowest level sinceDecember 2014, beforerecovering.Global food prices - led bycereals, oils and sugar - rosein January for the eighthconsecutive month reachingtheir highest level in nearlyseven years, the UN FoodandAgricultureOrganization said inFebruary.China's garmentindustry reportsshrinking profitsin 2020BEIJING : China's garmentindustry registered lowerprofits and revenue in 2020,data from the Ministry ofIndustry and InformationTechnology showed, reportsBSS.Profits of the country'smajor garment enterprisescame in at 64.04 billion yuan(about 9.9 billion U.S. dollars)last year, down 21.3 percentyear on year, the ministrysaid.Meanwhile, the combinedoperating revenue of thesecompanies fell 11.3 percentfrom a year ago to 1.37 trillionyuan.The output of China'sgarment sector reached 22.37billion pieces in 2020, down7.7 percent year on year,according to the ministry.Russia's annual inflation risesto 5.2% in JanuaryChinese consumersfocus more on health,safety when buyingholiday goods: SurveyBEIJING : Chineseconsumers are putting moreemphasis on the health andsafety of goods purchasedduring this year's SpringFestival shopping spree,according to a survey reportedby China Youth Daily earlierthis week, reports BSS.The survey, with 2,043respondents, shows that 62.8percent of those surveyed willfocus more on the health andsafety of goods, and close to80 percent of them said theywill choose online shoppingplatforms this year.The survey also found thatmore than 60 percent of therespondents will try to reduceclose contact with others, and36 percent will check thequarantine certificate andtrace information of importedgoods.Bangladesh gets new facilities incommerce for LDCs graduation:FBCCI President Sheikh Fazle FahimFBCCI President Sheikh Fazle Fahimhas said Bangladesh will get newfacilities in commerce besidesincreasing status of the country forLDCs (Least Development Countries)graduation meeting all the threecriteria of graduation, a press releasesaid.He said LDCs graduation is a bigachievement and pride of the country.By achieving the success, foreigninvestment will be increased inBangladesh and more employmentopportunities will be created which willboost country's economy.Sheikh Fazle Fahim came up with theassertion while addressing at an onlineworkshop titled "Effective Partnershipwith the Private Sector for SustainableGraduation" organized by Support toSustainable Graduation Project (SSGP)of Economic Relations Department onSaturday (February-06) as the guest ofhonor.The FBCCI President said after LDCsgraduation Bangladesh may face somechallenges on International SupportMeasures (ISM) which includes dutyand quota free market access,preferential treatments, TRIPS etc.He said it will be needed to buildcapacity of the private sector FBCCI hastaken an initiative with the support ofinternational trade centre andinternational strategic partners onstrengthening of trade supportinstitutions, export competiveness,product and market diversification, notariffbarriers, standardization andcertification, economic diversification,micro, small, medium-sizedenterprises (MSME) support,investment and entrepreneurship,export strategy development, women'seconomic empowerment, upgradingvalue chains including in service,promoting digital economy, and e-commerce, regional trade, training oncommercial diplomacy, trade andmarket intelligence, promoting publicprivatedialogue and businessadvocacy, understanding impacts ofBangladesh's LDC graduation,implementation of the trade facilitationagreement, supporting innovation,start-ups, and their ecosystem,sustainability and inclusive growth."Our capacity building activities willbe taken integrating indigenous inputswith global standard knowledge and allchambers and associations will beincluded in this platform, he added.Path clears for Nigeria'sOkonjo-Iweala as firstwoman WTO chiefGENEVA :US President Joe Biden'sadministration on Friday offered its "strongsupport" to Nigeria's Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala tolead the World Trade Organization (WTO),clearing a path for her to become the body'sfirst female and first African leader, reportsBSS.The move marks another sharp split withformer president Donald Trump, whoparalysed the organisation and opposed thecandidacy of the former Nigerian financeminister who was backed by many othercountries.The US Trade Representative in astatement cited her "wealth of knowledge ineconomics and international diplomacy" andsaid she had "proven experience managing alarge international organisation".USTR also noted that South Korea's trademinister - whom the Trump administrationsupported - had abandoned her bid to headthe WTO earlier Friday.Yoo Myung-hee consulted with the UnitedStates - her primary backer - and other majorcountries and "decided to renounce hercandidacy", South Korea's trade ministrysaid in a statement.The process to name a successor forRoberto Azevedo, who stepped down lastAugust, had been deadlocked for months.Key WTO ambassadors tapped Okonjo-Iweala back in October as the best pick tolead the organisation, but without USsupport the process was left at a standstillsince the director general is normally chosenby consensus among all 164 member states."The United States stands ready to engagein the next phase of the WTO process forreaching a consensus decision on the WTODirector General," USTR said."The Biden Administration looks forwardto working with a new WTO DirectorGeneral to find paths forward to achievenecessary substantive and proceduralreform of the WTO."Okonjo-Iweala later said on Twitter:"Grateful for the expression of support fromthe US today."The next regular meeting of the Genevabasedorganisation's General Council, wherethe leadership issue could be discussed, wasnot until March 1, WTO spokesman KeithRockwell told AFP.But, he stressed, "another could be calledon short notice", since the last meeting inOctober had been suspended amid thedeadlock. A European diplomat hailed Yoo'sdecision to drop out of the race."We salute the spirit of responsibility inthis decision. This is good news formultilateralism," he told AFP."Now nothing stands in the way ofmembers rapidly approving the Nigeriancandidate, Doctor Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,who won the selection process."If she does get the nod, Okonjo-Iwealawould become the first woman and also thefirst African to lead the WTO.The crisis-wracked organisation is widelyseen as needing reform.Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, it hadgrappled with stalled trade talks andstruggled to curb tensions between theUnited States and China.The global trade body also faced relentlessattacks from Washington under Trump,which crippled its dispute settlement appealsystem.The previous US leader had threatened toleave the organisation altogether.Twice Nigeria's finance minister and itsfirst woman foreign minister, Okonjo-Iweala, 66, trained as a developmenteconomist - she has degrees fromMassachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT) and Harvard.She spent a quarter of a century at theWorld Bank, rising to be managing directorand running for the top role in 2012, and isseen as a trailblazer in her home country.Sheikh Fazle Fahim said celebrationof the birth centenary of BangabandhuSheikh Mujibur Rahman and GoldenJubilee of the country during LDCsgraduation period has become moremeaningful, prestigious and colorfulwhich was a dream of Father of theNation Bangabandhu Sheikh MujiburRahman.Principal Coordinator (SDG Affairs),Prime Minister's Office and Chair ofNational Task Force on LDCGraduation Zuena Aziz presided overthe workshop and Economic RelationsDivision Secretary Fatima Yasminpresented the key note while theFinance Minister A H M MustafaKamal FCA, MP was the chief guest inthe workshop.Commerce Minister Tipu MunshiMP and Finance Division SeniorSecretary Abdur Rouf Talukder spokeas the special guest on the occasionwhile Commerce Ministry SecretaryDr. Md. Jafar Uddin, BGMEAPresident Dr. Rubana Huq, BAPISenior Vice-President Abdul Muktadirand Research and Policy Integrationfor Development Chair Dr.Mohammad Abdur Razzaque spoke asthe panelist.IMF chief supportsBiden's massive USstimulus planWASHINGTON : IMF chiefKristalina Georgieva onFriday endorsed US PresidentJoe Biden's proposed $1.9trillion economic stimulusplan to deal with the paincaused by the Covid-19pandemic, reports BSS."The US does have fiscalspace to take additional reliefand support measures," shetold reporters.And it is "appropriate" touse that firepower "given theexceptional uncertainties, andmost importantly, given thefact that there is still a lot ofpain for households andbusinesses."Far from considering thepackage excessive, Georgievaexpressed support for many ofthe proposal's elementsincluding funding forvaccines, testing, foodassistance, as well as taxcredits for low-incomeworkers."The fund has been a bigproponent of using even moreEarned Income Tax Credit(and) refundable childcarecredit," she said during anevent with reporters.Biden on Friday pledged to"act fast" to push thelegislation through Congress,even as Republicans havebalked at the high price tag forthe plan that enjoys broadpopular support.Democrats hold a narrowmajority in the Senate, so theycould approve the measurewithout Republican support.Republicans also haveopposed providing aid tostruggling state and localgovernments, but Georgievasaid conditions make that aidnecessary.
TueSDAY, FeBRuARY 9, 20219Lionel Messi scored his fastest league goal as a substitute as his strike 136 seconds after coming oninspired Barcelona to a 3-2 victory over Real Betis on Sunday.Photo: APSuper-sub Messi leads Barcelonacomeback against BetisSPorTS DeSk:Lionel Messi scored his fastest leaguegoal as a substitute as his strike 136seconds after coming on inspiredBarcelona to a 3-2 victory over realBetis on Sunday, reports BSS.Messi was among several key playersrested, with ronald koemanseemingly prioritising Wednesday'sCopa del rey semi-final against Sevillaahead of Barca's fading title challengein La Liga.Defeat would have called thatdecision into question but Messi drovein an equaliser less than three minutesafter coming on in the second half andthen helped set up Francisco Trincao toscore a late winner, the 21-year-old'sfirst goal for Barcelona."He changed the game," saidkoeman, when asked about Messi."It's a bit about the cup game but wealso have to decide when the bestmoment is to rest players. The cup isthe shortest route to a title this season."koeman's side sit seven pointsbehind La Liga's leaders AtleticoMadrid, who have played two gamesfewer and face Celta Vigo at home onMonday night. Success also came at acost as Barca's best available centraldefender ronald Araujo was forced offwith an ankle injury early on.With Gerard Pique already a longtermabsentee, Araujo's fitness will be ahuge concern, especially with aChampions League last 16 first leg athome to Paris Saint-Germain to come,a week after the test against Sevilla. -Messi magic -Betis will wonder how they managednot to take at least a point from a wildcontest at the Benito Villamarin butBarcelona sustain their momentum,this their sixth league victory in a row.They were hit early by the injury toAraujo, whose ankle caved under theweight of an awkward fall. Frenkie deJong came in at centre-back and hispartner Clement Lenglet should havegiven Barca the lead but headed widefrom five yards out with nobody nearhim.Betis made them pay with a brilliantopening goal on the break. ousmaneSerena Williams wasted little time in breezing into the second round as theAustralian Open began on Monday.Photo: APSerena, osaka off toflying starts as delayedAustralian open beginsSPorTS DeSkSerena Williams and Naomi osaka wastedlittle time in breezing into the second roundas the Australian open began on Monday,three weeks later than originally scheduledbecause of the coronavirus pandemic,reports BSS.Japan's osaka, the third seed, struck thefirst serve on rod Laver Arena againstrussia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in thewomen's singles and strode to touchracquets with her opponent at the net just68 minutes later after a 6-1, 6-2 victory."I was really nervous coming into thismatch. I just wanted to play well," osaka tolda smattering of spectators on the sociallydistancedcentre court. She will face France'sCaroline Garcia in the second round.Williams started her quest for a recordequalling24th Grand Slam title in stylewith a 6-1, 6-1 romp past Germany's LauraSiegemund in 56 minutes."This was a good start, it was vintageSerena," said the 39-year-old, playing anunparallelled 100th match at the tournamentand turning heads by sporting a vivid, oneleggedcatsuit. She will play Serbia's NinaStojanovic in the second round.But 2016 Australian open championAngelique kerber was the first significantcasualty, the 23rd-seeded German losing 6-0, 6-4 to 63rd-ranked American BernadaPera on Margaret Court Arena.The tournament is known as the "HappySlam" for its convivial atmosphere but thepandemic has overshadowed the event thisyear with fewer spectators, mandatory maskwearingand fans unable to circulate freelyaround the grounds. Australia has largelycontained the virus, but officials are desperateto avoid further problems from Covid-19.Preparations had to be hastily rearrangedas late as last Wednesday when acoronavirus case at a tournament hotel -the city's first local infection in 28 days -forced a suspension of play. Hundreds ofplayers and officials were tested and allwere negative.While kerber exited early, there were noproblems for the 2014 men's champion,Stan Wawrinka, as he reached the secondround for a 16th straight time with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win against Portugal's Paulo Sousa."It's always amazing and special to comeback here. Winning my first Grand Slam wassomething unbelievable, amazing memories,"said the 35-year-old Swiss 17th seed.Milos raonic, the 14th seed from Canadaalso enjoyed serene progress through to thesecond round with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 win overFederico Coria of Argentina.But Gael Monfils, the French 10th seed, isout after being stunned 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3by emil ruusuvuori of Finland, the worldnumber 86, in three hours and 46 minutes.Dembele lost the ball upfield and Betispoured forward, the ball shifted rightto emerson who motored round JordiAlba and squared for Borja Iglesias toslam home.Juanmi might have made it two butwas denied by Marc-Andre ter Stegenbefore Messi came on for MiralemPjanic in the 57th minute andequalised in the 59th. Dembelereturned a pass to the Argentinian onthe edge of the area and he drove asizzling shot inside the post.Nine minutes later, Barca were infront, Alba's cross mishit by AntoineGriezmann, only for the ball to cannonin anyway off the legs of Victor ruiz.Betis were not finished yet andneither was ruiz, the defender makingamends by heading in Nabil Fekir'scrossed free-kick with 15 minutes left.Yet Barcelona had one more trick uptheir sleeve as Messi weaved in fromthe left and his chipped pass washeaded into the path of the 21-year-oldTrincao, whose thundering shot flew inoff the crossbar.Japan pledgessafe olympics,medical expertsaren't so sureSPorTS DeSk:Japanese infectious diseasespecialist Atsuo Hamadawants to see the olympicshappen in Tokyo thissummer, but admits if theywere being held anywhereelse, he'd probably support acancellation, reports BSS."even without thecoronavirus pandemic, theolympics as a mass gatheringfosters all sorts of infectiousdiseases," Hamada, aprofessor at Tokyo MedicalUniversity, told AFP.With less than six monthsuntil the pandemicpostponedGames, organiserssay they're confident theevent will be safe. But somemedical experts aren't sosure, and think cancellation issafer."I do understand theathletes' sentiments," saidMichael Head, a seniorresearch fellow in globalhealth at Britain's Universityof Southampton."But I think from… theglobal public health point ofview, there's nothing aboutthe olympics that makes anysense whatsoever right now."olympic officials havestarted outlining virus safetymeasures, from pre-arrivalhealth monitoring to regulartesting in Japan, andlimitations on how longathletes will stay at theolympic Village."It is the mantra of all of us- the Games have to be safe,"olympic Games executiveDirector Christophe Dubisaid last week.organisers point to thesuccess of other sports eventsduring the pandemic, butexperts note the Games willbe on an entirely differentscale.The numbers areformidable: 26,000 beds inthe olympic Village alone,around 12,000 accreditedmedia, and participants fromTigres beatPalmeiras toreach ClubWorld Cup finalSPorTS DeSkTigres set up a potentialClub World Cup final datewith Bayern Munich afterseeing off Palmeiras 1-0 inSunday's last four clash atthe tournament in Qatar,reports BSS.Andre-Pierre Gignac'spenalty eight minutes afterthe break was enough for theMexican side to beat Braziliangiants Palmeiras, whoclaimed their second CopaLibertadores title last monthbut were subdued at theeducation City Stadium.Palmeiras goalkeeperWeverton was the star of thefirst half with two superbsaves, but he could do nothingto stop Gignac's powerfulspot-kick after Luan yankedback Carlos Gonzalez in thebox. Gignac's winning strikemade it three goals in twogames for the formerMarseille forward after hisbrace in Tigres' 2-1 win overUlsan Hyundai in theprevious round and made hisside the first CoNCACAFteam to reach the Club WorldCup final.Tigres will likely face Bayernin Thursday's final, with theeuropean champions overwhelming favourites in theirsemi-final with egypt's Al Ahlyon Monday. "We are so proudof what we have done. Wewere looking at this task andwe couldn't believe it. Weknow that people are cryingbecause of this victory. Wewant to dedicate this to all ofthem," said Gonzalez."We are so happy to move ontothe dream final. The Palmeirasgoalkeeper was the hero withsome great saves." Defeat will bedisappointing for Palmeiras, whoare Brazil's most successful clubwith 10 national titles and wereexpected to be Bayern's principalrivals but fell with a whimper atthe first hurdle.'exceptional' Ibrahimovicbreaks 500-goal mark tokeep AC Milan topSPorTS DeSkZlatan Ibrahimovic broke the 500-mark forcareer club goals with a brace on Sunday asAC Milan held top spot in Serie A with a 4-0 win over lowly Crotone, reports BSS."It's difficult to be surprised byIbrahimovic," said Milan coach StefanoPioli of the 39-year-old who is powering histeam's bid for a first 'Scudetto' since 2011.Milan moved back two points in front ofcity rivals Inter Milan who had pulledahead after a 2-0 win over Fiorentina onFriday.Champions Juventus are a further fiveback in third after beating roma 2-0 onSaturday.The capital side dropped to fourth equalon points with city rivals Lazio who beatCagliari 1-0.Ibrahimovic opened the scoring on thehalf hour at the San Siro after combiningwith rafael Leao for his 500th strike withnine different clubs.And the Swede brought his tally to 501 inthe 64th minute, finishing off a TheoHernandez cross for his 83rd Milan goal."To hold up at this level means you're anexceptional professional and he's helped bya physique that few have," continued Pioli."He's a champion, an athlete who hasgreat motivation, he takes care of his bodyscrupulously. Sometimes he's tired, but henever fails."Ante rebic turned the game into acomprehensive win with a quick-fire braceof his own past Crotone goalkeeper AlexCordaz.The Croatian headed in a HakanCalhanoglu corner in the 69th minute andthen seconds later turned in a reboundafter Cordaz kept out an Ibrahimovic strike."The Scudetto? The decisive matches willcome later, now we have to withstand allthe pressures which is a privilege to have,"continued Pioli."The top seven are all capable of fightingfor the title and the first four places."It's not yet time to look too much at thetable, a challenging period will come withmany matches and the europa League isabout to start again." - 'My job is to score'.Ibrahimovic showed his incredible form22 years after making his professionaldebut for Swedish club Malmo, scoring hisfirst goal in october 1999."It means that I have scored a few goals inmy career," said the Swede, who wassubstituted off with 15 minutes to go."The important thing is to continue tohelp the team in the best possible way. Myjob is to score and create situations toscore."Ibrahimovic reached the landmark in 825games, having played for three Serie Asides - Juventus, Inter and Milan - as wellas Paris Saint-Germain, ManchesterUnited, Barcelona, Ajax and Los AngelesGalaxy.He has now scored 396 league goals, 57 ineuropean competitions and 48 in cupgames.The former Sweden striker returned toMilan in January 2020 and has scored 27goals in 37 appearances since.He has scored 14 league goals in 11 gamesthis season having been sidelined withcoronavirus and injury, two short of topscorer Cristiano ronaldo, who turned 36on Friday.With 116 games for Sweden and 62 goals,Ibrahimovic is the all-time leading scorerfor the Swedish national team. - Immobilelifts Lazio -In rome, Ciro Immobile scored the onlygoal as Lazio pushed their winning run tosix league games to move ahead of Napoliand level with roma.Cagliari goalkeeper Alessio Cragno keptthe relegation-threatened Sardinians in thegame for an hour, denying an Immobileheader, and getting down to clear a LuisAlberto volley.But he could do nothing to stop Immobilelatching on to Sergej Milinkovic-Savic'snodded cross with the Italian finishing offwith his left foot.Last season's european golden shoewinner has now 14 goals this campaign,equal with Ibrahimovic and Inter's romeluLukaku.In the emilia-romagna derby, MusaBarrow scored twice within the first halfhour with riccardo orsolini adding a thirdin injury time as Bologna got back winning3-0 against Parma.Bologna move up to 12th with Parmastuck 19th.Mbappe sparks PSG win overMarseille, but Lille top in FranceSPorTS DeSkkylian Mbappe set Paris Saint-Germain on the way to a 2-0 win overtroubled Marseille on Sunday, keepingthe reigning champions within threepoints of Ligue 1 leaders Lille whoearlier recorded their sixth consecutivevictory, reports BSS.Mbappe burst through at incrediblepace to give PSG the lead on the counterattackin the ninth minute at theVelodrome, with Mauro Icardi adding asecond for Mauricio Pochettino's side.The victory was achieved despiteNeymar - who celebrated his 29thbirthday on Friday - only appearing as asubstitute having missed training witha stomach bug.PSG stay third, a point behind Lyonand three adrift of Lille, who won 2-0 atNantes.Marseille finished with 10 men afterDimitri Payet's late sending-off, and aredown in ninth having won just once in11 games.The Parisians go to Barcelona in theChampions League on February 16 butMbappe insisted their thoughtsremained on domestic matters as theyfirst play in the French Cup in midweekand then host Nice next weekend."In previous years we might havebeen able to concentrate more on theChampions League but this year wereally need to stay focused on the leaguebecause we are trailing," the World Cupwinner told broadcaster Canal Plus."But maybe that's not a bad thingbecause we are forced to play withintensity in every game and that canmean that you're not taken by surprisewhen it comes to the ChampionsLeague." 'Le Classique' is the biggestfixture in French football, and thebuild-up to the 100th meeting ofMarseille and PSG had been dominatedby recent events in the Mediterraneancity.Marseille's game last weekendagainst rennes was postponed afterseveral hundred supporters attackedthe club's training ground, and threedays later coach Andre Villas-Boas wassuspended by the club after declaring ata press conference he wanted to resign.Nasser Larguet, the head ofMarseille's youth academy, took chargefor Wednesday's draw at Lens and wasagain on the bench against PSG.The last league meeting of the teamsin September was won 1-0 byMarseille, but was marred by five latered cards, including for Neymar. TheBrazilian later accused Marseilledefender Alvaro Gonzalez of racism,although no action was taken due to alack of evidence.Ligue 1 top scorer Mbappe sprintedonto Angel di Maria's pass to controland fire past Steve Mandanda for theopener, his 16th of the season. CanalPlus clocked Mbappe's stunning sprintat 36 kilometres per hour.Di Maria then hobbled off injured,before Icardi made it 2-0 midwaythrough the first half.Icardi got in front of Alvaro to meetAlessandro Florenzi's cross, the ballcoming off the back of his neck andlooping into the net.Kylian Mbappe set Paris Saint-Germain on the way to a 2-0 win over troubled Marseille on Sunday.Photo: AP
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