Officials get shirty

A British-Sudanese man who activists say was detained for wearing a Qatari football jersey in the United Arab Emirates during the recent Asian Cup tournament has been charged with ‘‘wasting police time and making false statements,’’ Emirati officials say. Activists allege Emirati police arrested and beat Ali Essa Ahmed for wearing the jersey. Since a diplomatic dispute began in June, 2017, involving Gulf Arab countries, the UAE has made showing sympathy to Qatar a criminal offence punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a US$136,000 (NZ$201,000) fine.