Fifa is to interview a person who has information on Qatar's 2022 World Cup bid over allegations that bribes were paid to African voters, Sepp Blatter said.
The Fifa president said The Sunday Times, the British newspaper, has agreed to bring its source to meet senior Fifa officials, who must then decide whether to order a new investigation into alleged World Cup bidding corruption.
"[The Sunday Times] are happy, they agreed that they will bring this whistleblower here to Zurich and then we will have a discussion, an investigation of this," Blatter said.
The source claims that Fifa executive committee members Issa Hayatou and Jacques Anouma were paid $1.5 million (Dh5.5m) to vote for Qatar. The nation's bid beat the United States in a final round of voting last December.
Blatter did not rule out reopening the 2022 vote if corruption could be proved, but urged taking the matter "step by step".
The Fifa president said his organisation is "anxiously awaiting" more evidence before asking its ethics committee to examine allegations made in Britain's parliament last week.
Blatter said the situation must be "clarified" by May 27 - five days before Blatter stands for re-election against Qatari challenger Mohamed bin Hammam.
Bin Hammam played a central role in Qatar's victory to secure 2022 World Cup hosting rights.
Qatar's success has been called into question since The Sunday Times submitted claims to a British inquiry into football governance, which included England's failed bid to win 2018 hosting rights.
Legislators released claims by a former bid employee that Qatar agreed to pay members of Fifa's 24-man executive committee for their votes.
"It was said in such a way that 'we are giving it to you'," the source reportedly said. "It was going to their federation."
The source said Qatar agreed to pay a third African voter, Amos Adamu, for his support. The Nigerian was later suspended from voting after a Fifa ethics court ruled he solicited bribes from undercover Sunday Times reporters posing as lobbyists.
Blatter said the newspaper and the source would meet with Jerome Valcke, the Fifa secretary general, and Marco Villiger, the legal director.
All six Fifa voters placed under suspicion have denied wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, the English Football Association (FA) has comfirmed it will abstain in the vote between Blatter and bin Hammam to be Fifa president.
"The FA Board has today agreed to abstain in the vote for the presidency of Fifa," the FA said in a statement ahead of the June 1 vote.
"There are a well-reported range of issues both recent and current which, in the view of the FA board, make it difficult to support either candidate."
The FA board was shocked by Fifa's executive committee after being comprehensively beaten in the race to host the 2018 World Cup.
After attracting only two votes, one of them its own, FA officials and bid representatives said that potential voters had lied to them and that the voting system was flawed. Russia won the bid.
Blatter has branded the FA's decision to abstain as "strange".
Blatter queried the decision and said the FA's special Fifa privileges meant they had a responsibility to play a leading role in world football.
He said in an interview at Fifa headquarters in Zurich: "It is a bit strange when the number one association in the world – which is the FA – have two candidates to choose from and they cannot make a decision which one they support. It's strange."
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
IF YOU GO
The flights
FlyDubai flies direct from Dubai to Skopje in five hours from Dh1,314 return including taxes. Hourly buses from Skopje to Ohrid take three hours.
The tours
English-speaking guided tours of Ohrid town and the surrounding area are organised by Cultura 365; these cost €90 (Dh386) for a one-day trip including driver and guide and €100 a day (Dh429) for two people.
The hotels
Villa St Sofija in the old town of Ohrid, twin room from $54 (Dh198) a night.
St Naum Monastery, on the lake 30km south of Ohrid town, has updated its pilgrims' quarters into a modern 3-star hotel, with rooms overlooking the monastery courtyard and lake. Double room from $60 (Dh 220) a night.
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre flat-six twin-turbocharged
Transmission: eight-speed PDK automatic
Power: 445bhp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh474,600
On Sale: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Set-jetting on the Emerald Isle
Other shows filmed in Ireland include: Vikings (County Wicklow), The Fall (Belfast), Line of Duty (Belfast), Penny Dreadful (Dublin), Ripper Street (Dublin), Krypton (Belfast)
More on animal trafficking
More on animal trafficking
The years Ramadan fell in May
The five pillars of Islam
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Country-size land deals
US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:
Louisiana Purchase
If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.
Florida Purchase Treaty
The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty.
Alaska purchase
America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".
The Philippines
At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million.
US Virgin Islands
It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.
Gwadar
The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees.
