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Grenke Chess Classic

Grenke Chess Classic 2018
Karlsruhe/Baden Baden, Germany
March 31-April 9, 2018

Final Standings
1 . Fabiano Caruana USA 2784, 6.5/9
2. Magnus Carlsen NOR 2843, 5.5/9
3-5. Levon Aronian ARM 2794, Nikita Vitiugov RUS 2735, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave FRA 2789, 5.0/9
6. Matthias Bluebaum GER 2631, 4.5/9
7-9. Viswanathan Anand IND 2776, Hou Yifan CHN 2654, Arkadij Naiditsch AZE 2701, 3.5/9
10. Georg Meier GER 2648, 3.0/9
Average ELO 2736 Category 20
Time Control: 100 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 50 minutes for the next 20 moves then 15 minutes play-to-finish with 30 seconds added after every move starting move 1
The 2018 Grenke Chess Classic is a 10-player round-robin held in Germany from March 31 to April 9. The first three rounds were in Karlsruhe alongside the Grenke Chess Open, then after a rest day the last six rounds are in the Kulturhaus LA8 in Baden-Baden. The spa city of Baden-Baden has been the venue of many great chess tournaments in the past and it is also the site of the world headquarters of Grenke Leasing (with special emphasis on IT Equipment), the major sponsor of the event.
As BW readers know the Berlin Candidates tournament, won by Fabiano Caruana, finished just last March 27, and from there he went straight to Karlsruhe to play in the Grenke Classic.
Useless Trivia: Did you know that “Karlsruhe,” which translates to “Charles’ Repose,” is named after Margrave (or “military commander”) Charles III William who founded this new city to get peace from his wife. The city was planned with the palace tower at the center and 32 streets radiating out from it like the spokes of a wheel. Almost all of these streets survived until today. Because of this city layout, in metric geometry, Karlsruhe metric refers to a measure of distance that assumes travel is only possible along radial streets and along circular avenues around the center.
But I digress. The field in Grenke Classic included the reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave who both did not play in the Candidates’ event, so surely both players wanted to measure themselves up against the world championship challenger. Let’s see how strong he really is!
Well, Caruana showed that at current form he was very strong indeed. Fabulous Fabi did not lose a single game and had four wins (against Vachier Lagrave, Naiditsch, Meier and Vitiugov) to sore 6.5/9, a full point ahead of second-placer Magnus Carlsen (who also did not lose a game but only had two wins).
Not only that but Fabiano proved that he had the strength and will to finish strongly when needed. Remember the London Chess Classic last December? He performed a magnificent feat by first squeezing out a six-hour victory over the hard-to-beat Michael Adams to tie Ian Nepomniachtchi for first place and then emerged victorious in the 4th game of a playoff against a well-rested Ian Nepomniachtchi.
In the Berlin Candidates Caruana was tied with Karjakin after the 12th round (total of 14 rounds) and had the worse tie-break, so he had to finish at least half a point ahead of Karjakin to win, but Fabi responded by defeating both Aronian and Grischuk (definitely not an easy thing to do) in the final two rounds and ended up one point ahead of his closest pursuer.
Now in Grenke Caruana did it again with a last round victory over GM Nikita Vitiugov. Fiona Steil-Antoni asked him where he was getting the energy from and his reply was “I can’t say I’ve had much energy throughout the tournament. I’ve felt a bit burnt out, but I haven’t really put any stress on myself. I guess it’s working out, and obviously I was lucky in a bunch of games, specifically my game against Magnus. I was very lucky to survive that, and my game against Hou Yifan, and also my wins were kind of random, but I guess I took my chances!”
Here is Fabi’s best game.

Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime (2789) — Caruana, Fabiano (2784) [A29]
GRENKE Chess Classic 2018 Karlsruhe/Baden Baden GER (7.3), 07.04.2018

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Bb4
Caruana: “I thought he was surprised in the opening. I normally don’t play 4…Bb4 and he was very clearly unfamiliar with the line, and we were both on our own after 9.Qc2, I guess.”
5.Bg2 0–0 6.0–0 e4 7.Ng5 Bxc3 8.bxc3 Re8
This line was very much in vogue in the late ’80s in large part due to Kasparov weaponizing it for his world championship match with Karpov. He usually continued with 9.f3 though.
9.Qc2
Here is one such Kasparov game which made a huge impression on me. 9.f3 exf3 10.Nxf3 d5 11.d4! Kasparov remarked here that this was a novelty prepared for his Seville world championship match which he never got to use. 11…Ne4 12.Qc2 dxc4 13.Rb1 (Garry Kasparov: ‘The key move: by attacking the b7–pawn, the rook hinders the development of the bishop on c8, and in some cases it is threatening via b5 to support the action in the center or on the kingside.’) 13…f5 (13…f6! is the move to play) 14.g4! (Garry Kasparov: ‘On seeing this unexpected move, Vassily nervously flinched and sank into agonising thought. What I had played was obviously not in his analysis! It suddenly transpired that Black faced serious dangers, and Ivanchuk’s ardent expression somehow immediately faded.’) 14…Qe7 (14…fxg4 15.Ne5!) 15.gxf5 Nd6 (15…Bxf5) 16.Ng5 Qxe2 17.Bd5+ Kh8 18.Qxe2 Rxe2 19.Bf4 Nd8 20.Bxd6 cxd6 21.Rbe1! Rxe1 22.Rxe1 Bd7 23.Re7 Bc6 (23…h6 24.f6!) 24.f6 1–0 Kasparov,G (2760)-Ivanchuk,V (2625) Moscow 1988. The conclusion will be 24…Bxd5 25.Re8+ Bg8 26.f7 Nxf7 27.Nxf7# Wow.
9…d5 10.cxd5 Qxd5 11.d3 Bf5 12.Bf4 h6 13.Nxe4
“I just made sure that after” 13.dxe4 Nxe4 14.c4 Qd4 15.Rad1 Qc3 “and here I thought I am already much better” (Caruana)
13…Nxe4 14.Qb2 b6 15.Rfd1
Caruana expected MVL to take the c7–pawn: 15.Bxc7 Rac8 16.Bf4 Na5 17.Rad1 Qe6 18.Bxe4 Bxe4 19.dxe4 Qxe4 but then he will have “very good compensation” (Caruana) for it.
15…Qc5 16.dxe4 Bxe4 17.Bf1?!
This was a surprise to Caruana. He had expected 17.Bxe4 Rxe4 Caruana expected 18.Bxc7 Na5 19.Bf4 Rae8 with Black having full compensation for the sacrificed pawn.
17…Re7 18.a4
After the game Caruana remarked that “the whole concept of a2–a4 followed by Ra1–c1 feels wrong.”
18…Rae8 19.Rac1 g5! 20.Bd2
[20.Be3 is met by 20…Qf5 and Ne5.]
20…Qf5 21.f3 Qc5+ <D>
POSITION AFTER 21…QC5+
22.Kh1
Caruana speculated that MVL might have missed that 22.Kg2? is refuted by 22…Bxf3+! and now 23.Kxf3 (23.exf3 Re2+ 24.Bxe2 Rxe2+ 25.Kh3 (25.Kh1 Qf2) 25…Qf5+ followed by mate) 23…Qg1! and I do not see any defense to 24. — Re3+ 25.Bxe3 Rxe3+ 26.Kg4 Ne5+ 27.Kh3 Rxg3+ 28.hxg3 Qh1#
22…Bd5
With the idea of Rxe2
23.Be1
No choice:
23.c4 Rxe2 24.Bxe2 Rxe2 25.Rf1 Bxf3+ 26.Rxf3 Ne5 27.Rcf1 Qc6 28.Qa3 Rxd2 29.Qe3 (otherwise Black will follow-up with …g5–g4) 29…Nxf3 30.Qxf3 Qxc4 with an easily winning endgame;
23.e4 Rxe4! 24.fxe4 Bxe4+ 25.Bg2 Bxg2+ 26.Kxg2 Re2+ 27.Kh1 Qd5+ 28.Kg1 Qg2#
23…Bc4 24.e4 Bxf1 25.Bf2 Qc4 26.Rxf1 Qxa4 27.c4 Ne5 28.Bd4 g4 29.fxg4
Or 29.f4 Nf3 30.Bh8 f5 31.exf5 Qc6 Caruana: Black mates first
29…Qd7 30.Qc3 c5
Black starts harvesting pawns.
31.Bxe5 Rxe5 32.Qf3 Rxe4 33.Rcd1 Qe6 34.g5 hxg5 35.Rd5 g4 36.Qc3 Re5 0–1
After this tournament the live ratings of the players are as follows:

1. Magnus Carlsen NOR 2839

2. Fabiano Caruana USA 2818

3. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov AZE 2814

4. Vladimir Kramnik RUS 2792

5. Maxime Vachier Lagrave FRA 2789

6. Hikaru Nakamura USA 2787

7. Wesley So USA 2786

8. Ding Liren 2783

9. Sergey Karjakin RUS 2778

10. Anish Giri NED 2777

As you can see Caruana is back in the no. 2 spot, exactly where the world championship challenger should be.
We will continue on Thursday.
 
Bobby Ang is a founding member of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines and its first Executive Director. A Certified Public Accountant, he taught accounting in the University of Santo Tomas for 25 years and is currently Chief Audit Executive of the Equicom Group of Companies.
bobby@cpamd.net

Porous defense

It would be an understatement to argue that LeBron James isn’t used to losing a match in the first round of the playoffs. Heading into yesterday’s curtain-raiser against the Pacers, he had won his last 21 outings and 48 of 55 overall. And there was even more reason for fans to expect the same old, same old from the King: He had yet to suffer a setback in 12 Game One opening-series appearances. As far as oddsmakers were concerned, the Cavaliers were heavy favorites for a reason: him.
Unfortunately for James, the 2017-2018 campaign isn’t like any other in his career. For all the confidence pundits had in the Cavaliers owing to his mere presence, there were enough factors in play for doubt to set in. Among others, an evident lack of cohesion on court coverages owing to injuries and personnel turnover stood out; they stumbled through the regular season next to last in defensive efficiency, a position that underscored the difficulties that lay with their bid to claim a fourth straight Finals berth. And against the Pacers, who had beaten them thrice in four previous meetings, it was particularly worrisome.
True enough, the Cavaliers found themselves shellacked in their initial playoff homestand. Outplayed and outhustled from the get-go, they didn’t so much as get a taste of the lead en route to an 18-point drubbing. And even though they managed to mount a couple of second-half rallies from 23 behind, their glaring inability to consistently make stops told on the outcome. Pressed to rely on defense to get them back in the game in light of their poor shooting, they predictably failed to summon the requisite effort.
Significantly, James stayed even-keeled in the aftermath of the setback, noting that if the Cavaliers could come back from a one-three deficit with the Larry O’Brien Trophy on the line, a zero-one slate to start the playoffs isn’t cause for concern. They’ll do much better in Game Two, he contended, and he may well be right. There’s just one problem, though: The current roster is nowhere near as formed — as united, even — as that which managed to go all the way in 2016.
Of course, James is James, and if only for the constancy of his excellence, the Cavaliers cannot be written off. The numbers don’t lie, though; based on advanced stats, they’ll have to shoot lights out every time they burn rubber. Otherwise, they end up taxing their decidedly porous defense, to unfavorable results.
 
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.

Peso drops on weak remittances

THE PESO dropped on weak February remittances data.

THE PESO weakened against the dollar on Monday as data on money sent home by Filipinos overseas in February came out weaker than expected.
The local unit ended yesterday’s session at P52.07 versus the greenback, 12 centavos weaker than its P51.95-per-dollar finish on Friday.
The peso opened the session stronger at P51.92, which was also its best showing for the day. During the day, it dipped to as low as P52.12 against the US currency.
Dollars traded slipped to $518.1 million from the $522.65 million logged during the previous session.
“The peso broke from its tight range [on Monday] as it ended weaker,” a trader said in a phone interview. “I think it’s mostly on the back of the remittance data of the Philippines coming in weaker than expected.”
Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) sent more money home in February although at a slower pace from the previous month, the central bank reported yesterday.
Remittances totalled $2.267 billion for the month, up 4.5% from the $2.169 billion inflows tallied in February 2017, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said. However, the figure slipped from the $2.379 billion cash transfers received in January.
February’s growth pace is likewise the slowest in three months since a 2% increase recorded in November, data showed.
Despite the decline, February remittances brought 2018’s tally to $4.647 billion, 7.1% higher than the $4.338 billion received during the comparable period last year.
“The peso weakness is quite surprising because other currencies are seeing a weaker dollar. This is a specific move for the peso,” the trader added.
Meanwhile, another trader said the peso weakened “amid safe-haven buying for the dollar following the escalation of geopolitical concerns on military activities in Syria during over the weekend.”
The White House announced that American, British and French military forces struck what is believed to be a chemical weapons facility in Damascus, Syria following a suspected gas attack.
In response, Russia vowed to respond to any attack on its ally, adding that the Syrian military had intercepted 71 of the missiles fired.
For today, the first trader expects the peso to move between P52 and P52.20 against the greenback, while the second trader gave a slightly lower range of P51.95 to P52.15.
“The local currency is expected to continue losing strength on expectations of upbeat US retail sales data and increased geopolitical involvement in Syria,” the second trader noted. — Karl Angelo N. Vidal

Stocks decline on concerns over US-Syria tensions

LOCAL SHARES fell on Monday, as investors stayed on the sidelines amid growing concerns on the United States’ attacks against Syria.
The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) dropped 0.37% or 29.73 points to close at 7,870.25 yesterday, settling below the 8,000 mark for the second consecutive day.
The broader all-shares index likewise lost 0.48% or 23.37 points to end at 4,771.28.
“The market traded in the red today after some initial strength in the morning following weakness in the US markets last Friday,” Papa Securities Corp. trader Gabriel F. Perez said in an e-mail on Monday.
Concerns over the US’ military attacks against Syria dragged down Wall Street indices last Friday. Over the weekend, the US and its allies warned Syria of further missile attacks should it once again make use of chemical weapons, despite no signs of retaliation from Russia, Syria’s backer.
Following this, on Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down by 0.50% or 122.91 points to 24,360.14. The S&P 500 index edged 0.29% lower or 7.69 points to 2,656.30, while the Nasdaq Composite index slipped 0.47% or 33.60 points to 7,106.65.
However, Asian indices seemed unperturbed by the geopolitical tensions, with majority posting gains on Monday.
Back home, five sectoral indices suffered losses, led by services that shed 1.08% or 17.78 points to close at 1,617.88. Mining and oil followed with a 0.65% or 72.75-point decline to 11,096.06; holding firms dipped 0.52% or 41.61 points to 7,867.22; industrials went down 0.42% or 48.2 points to 11,208.38; while financials gave up 0.37% or 7.54 points to 2,021.09.
Property was the lone sectoral counter that went up, adding 0.27% or 10.03 points to 3,614.96.
Some 1.68 billion issues switched hands, translating to a value turnover of P4.77 billion, thinner than Friday’s P6.09 billion.
“Pullbacks on low volume are generally regarded as weak movements. So this shouldn’t be regarded as a definite sign that the index’s low and support of 7,834 will be breached [on Tuesday],” Papa Securities’ Mr. Perez said.
Decliners outpaced advancers, 130 to 68, while 49 names remained unchanged.
Foreign investors turned buyers on Monday, netting purchases worth P139.71 million, reversing Friday’s net foreign outflows worth P829.5 million.
Moving forward, analysts said investors will be looking at the first-quarter performance of listed firms.
“I think investors are more focused on companies’ performances this first quarter, specifically on how TRAIN (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion) law will affect not just companies but the overall economy,” IB Gimenez Securities, Inc. Research Head Joylin F. Telagen said via text.
“This first-quarter earnings will I think determine market direction in the next few weeks and the index will possibly move toward an appropriate valuation,” Ms. Telagen said. — Arra B. Francia

World Bank cites need to address ‘poor quality of jobs’ to reduce poverty in PHL

THE WORLD BANK has labelled the poor quality of jobs in the Philippines as the “missing link” to reducing poverty and inequality in the country, even as the government carries out a more ambitious infrastructure development program.
“The key challenge facing the government is not unemployment, but rather the poor quality of jobs in the labor market, as a large share of employment opportunities in the Philippines consist of low-paid jobs,” the World Bank said in its Philippine Economic Update report.

Oil firms to hike fuel prices on Tuesday

After last week’s price cut, oil companies this week will raise the prices of petroleum products to reflect the movement of prices in the international market.
Gasoline prices will rise by P0.35 per liter, diesel by P0.55 per liter and kerosene by P0.80 per liter.
For most oil companies, price adjustment will take place at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 17.
This week’s increase follows last week’s price cut for both gasoline and diesel, at P0.40 and P0.30, respectively. Kerosene prices were unchanged last week. — Victor V. Saulon

OFW allegedly forced by Saudi employer to drink household bleach in ‘serious but stable’ condition — DFA

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is coordinating with authorities in Saudi Arabia following the hospitalization of a Filipino household service worker who was allegedly forced to drink household bleach by her employer.
In a statement issued Monday, April 16, the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah said Agnes Mancilla remained in serious but stable condition at the King Fahad Central Hospital in Jizan, Saudi Arabia.
“We would like to assure our kababayans that we are working closely with authorities in Jizan to make sure that justice will be given to Agnes Mancilla,” Consul General Edgar Badajos said. — Camille A. Aguinaldo

Remittance growth slows in February

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) sent more money home in February although at a slower pace from the previous month, the central bank reported on Monday, April 16.
Remittances totalled $2.267 billion for the month, up 4.5% from the $2.169 billion inflows tallied in February 2017, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said. However, the figure slipped from the $2.379 billion cash transfers received in January.
February’s growth pace is likewise the slowest in three months since a two percent increase recorded in November, data showed.

Stocks continue decline on jitters over US-led strike on Syria

Local shares fell on Monday, April 16, as investors stayed on the sidelines amid growing concerns on the United States’ attacks against Syria.
The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index dropped 0.38% or 29.73 points to close at 7,870.25 on Monday, settling below the 8,000 mark for the second consecutive day. The broader all-shares index likewise lost 0.49% or 23.37 points to end at 4,771.28.
“The market traded in the red today after some initial strength in the morning following weakness in the US markets last Friday,” Papa Securities Corp. trader Gabriel F. Perez said in an email.
Concerns on the US’ military attacks against Syria dragged down Wall Street indices last Friday. Over the weekend, the US and its allies warned Syria of further missile attacks should it once again make use of chemical weapons, despite no signs of retaliation from Russia, Syria’s backer.
With this, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down by 0.5% or 122.91 points to 24,360.14. The S&P 500 index edged 0.29% lower or 7.69 points to 2,656.30, while the Nasdaq Composite index slipped 0.47% or 33.6 points to 7,106.65.
Asian indices seemed unperturbed by the geopolitical tensions, with majority posting gains on Monday.
Back home, five sectoral indices suffered losses, led by services that shed 1.09% or 17.78 points to close at 1,617.88. Mining and oil followed with a 0.65% or 72.75-point decline to 11,096.06; holding firms dipped 0.53% or 41.61 points to 7,867.22; industrial went down 0.43% or 48.2 points to 11,208.38; while financials gave up 0.37% or 7.54 points to 2,021.09.
Property was the lone sectoral counter that went up, adding 0.28% or 10.03 points to 3,614.96.
Some 1.68 billion issues switched hands, translating to a value turnover of P4.77 billion, thinner than Friday’s P6.09 billion.
“Pullbacks on low volume are generally regarded as weak movements. So this shouldn’t be regarded as a definite sign that the index’s low and support of 7,834 will be breached tomorrow,” Papa Securities’ Mr. Perez said.
Decliners outpaced advancers, 130 to 68, while 49 issues remained unchanged.
Foreign investors turned buyers on Monday, netting purchases worth P139.71 million, reversing Friday’s net foreign outflows worth P829.5 million. — Arra B. Francia

Peso sinks on weaker remittance data

The peso weakened against the dollar on Monday, April 16, as the money sent home by Filipinos overseas was weaker than expected in February.
The local currency ended Monday’s session at P52.07 versus the greenback, 12 centavos weaker than the P51.95-per-dollar finish on Friday.
The peso opened the session stronger at P51.92, which was also its best showing for the day. During the day, it dipped to as low as P52.12 against the US currency.
Dollars traded slipped slightly to $518.1 million from the $522.65 million logged during the previous session.
“The peso broke from tight range as it ended weaker,” a trader said in a phone interview on Monday.
“I think it’s mostly on the back of the remittance data of the Philippines coming in weaker than expected.”
Data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas revealed that Filipinos abroad sent home more money in February, totaling $2.267 billion. This was 4.5% higher than the $2.169 billion inflows logged in the same month last year.
However, the 4.5% growth was lower than the 14.7% pickup as expected by the analysts at HSBC Global Research.
“The peso weakness is quite surprising because other currencies are seeing a weaker dollar. This is a specific move for the peso,” the trader added.
Meanwhile, another trader said that the peso weakened “amid safe-haven buying for the dollar following the escalation of geopolitical concerns on military activities in Syria during over the weekend.”
The White House announced that American, British and French military forces struck what is believed to be a chemical weapons facility in Damascus, Syria following a suspected gas poison attack.
In response, Russia vowed to respond to any attack on its ally, adding that the Syrian military had intercepted 71 of the missiles fired. — Karl Angelo N. Vidal

Russia’s Putin warns of global ‘chaos’ if West hits Syria again

MOSCOW/DAMASCUS — Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Sunday that further Western attacks on Syria would bring chaos to world affairs, as Washington prepared to increase pressure on Russia with new economic sanctions.
In a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, Messrs. Putin and Rouhani agreed that the Western strikes had damaged the chances of achieving a political resolution in the seven-year Syria conflict, according to a Kremlin statement.
“Vladimir Putin, in particular, stressed that if such actions committed in violation of the UN Charter continue, then it will inevitably lead to chaos in international relations,” the Kremlin statement said.
The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, told CBS’ “Face the Nation” program that the United States would announce new economic sanctions on Monday aimed at companies “that were dealing with equipment” related to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s alleged chemical weapons use.
On Saturday, the United States, France and Britain launched 105 missiles targeting what the Pentagon said were three chemical weapons facilities in Syria in retaliation for a suspected poison gas attack in Douma on April 7.
The Western countries blame Mr. Assad for the Douma attack that killed dozens of people. The Syrian government and its ally Russia have denied involvement in any such attack.
The bombings marked the biggest intervention by Western countries against Mr. Assad and ally Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday that he had convinced US President Donald Trump, who previously said he wanted to take US forces out of Syria, to stay for “the long term.”
The United States, France and Britain have said the missile strikes were limited to Syria’s chemical weapons capabilities and not aimed at toppling Mr. Assad or intervening in the civil war. Macron said in an interview broadcast by BFM TV, RMC radio and Mediapart online news that he had convinced Mr. Trump to focus on the chemical weapons sites.
The White House pushed back against Macron’s comments about Mr. Trump’s intentions for US forces.
“The US mission has not changed — the president has been clear that he wants US forces to come home as quickly as possible,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.
“We are determined to completely crush ISIS and create the conditions that will prevent its return.” she said. “In addition we expect our regional allies and partners to take greater responsibility both militarily and financially for securing the region.”
‘HARD FOR US’
Responding to Ms. Haley’s remarks about the plans for new sanctions, Evgeny Serebrennikov, deputy head of the defence committee of Russia’s upper house of parliament, said Moscow was ready for the penalties, according to RIA news agency.
“They are hard for us, but will do more damage to the USA and Europe,” RIA quoted Mr. Serebrennikov as saying.
In Damascus, Syria’s deputy foreign minister, Faisal Mekdad, met inspectors from the global chemical weapons watchdog OPCW for about three hours in the presence of Russian officers and a senior Syrian security official.
The inspectors were due to attempt to visit the Douma site. Moscow condemned the Western states for refusing to wait for the OPCW’s findings before attacking.
Mr. Mekdad declined to comment to reporters waiting outside the hotel where the meeting took place.
Mr. Assad told a group of visiting Russian lawmakers that the Western missile strikes were an act of aggression, Russian news agencies reported.
Russian agencies quoted the lawmakers as saying that Mr. Assad was in a “good mood,” had praised the Soviet-era air defence systems Syria used to repel the Western attacks and had accepted an invitation to visit Russia at an unspecified time.
Mr. Trump had said: “Mission accomplished” on Twitter after the strikes, although US Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie at the Pentagon acknowledged elements of the program remained and he could not guarantee that Syria would be unable to conduct a chemical attack in the future.
Russian and Iranian military help over the past three years has allowed Mr. Assad to crush the rebel threat to topple him.
Although Israel has at times urged stronger US involvement against Mr. Assad and his Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah reinforcements in Syria, it voiced backing for Saturday’s air strikes by Western powers.
The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah said on Sunday that Western strikes on Syria had failed to achieve anything, including terrorizing the army, helping insurgents or serving the interests of Israel.
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the US military had kept its strikes limited because it knew a wider attack would spark retaliation from Damascus and its allies and inflame the region.
“The American (military) knows well that going towards a wide confrontation and a big operation against the regime and the army and the allied forces in Syria could not end, and any such confrontation would inflame the entire region,” Mr. Nasrallah said.
The heavily armed, Iranian-backed Shi’ite Hezbollah movement, which fights alongside the Syrian army and is represented in the Beirut government, has been a vital ally of Damascus in Syria’s war.
France, the United States and Britain circulated a draft resolution to the UN Security Council late on Saturday that aims to establish an independent inquiry into who is responsible for chemical weapons attacks in Syria.
The mechanism would look at cases where the OPCW fact-finding mission has established chemical weapons were used or likely used.
Diplomats said negotiations on the draft resolution would begin on Monday and it was not immediately clear when the United States, France and Britain wanted to put it to a vote. — Reuters

Demonstrators flood Barcelona streets in support of jailed separatist leaders

BARCELONA — Hundreds of thousands of Catalan independence supporters flooded the streets of Barcelona on Sunday calling for the release of jailed separatist leaders after a supreme court ruling frustrated their latest attempt to elect a regional leader.
Around 350,000 demonstrators clogged several main city arteries waving flags and wearing yellow in support of separatist leaders jailed for their role in the wealthy region’s banned drive to split from Spain last year.
Among the politicians facing charges of rebellion is Jordi Sanchez, the latest candidate put forward by Catalan lawmakers to become leader of the region.
Catalonia’s struggle to find a leader began after it declared independence in October. Spanish courts ruled the declaration was illegal, took direct control of the region and called for new elections.
Supreme court judge Pablo Llarena refused last week to release him from jail and he faces up to 25 years on charges of rebellion, marking the latest of four unsuccessful attempts to elect a new leader.
DEADLINE
If a new leader is not named before the end of May, Catalonia will be forced to call another election.
In his first interview since a German court ruled that he would not be extradited to Spain to face charges of rebellion, former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont said that the region should avoid returning to the polls.
“It’s our obligation to look for a way to avoid further elections,” Mr. Puigdemont said in an interview with Catalan television TV3 that was recorded in Berlin and broadcast late on Sunday.
“But there is not a zero risk of this happening because there is another party involved, and that’s the Spanish government.” — Reuters

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