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Spain's Enric Mas made a late attack on the climb to Alto de Aitana to win stage nine of the Vuelta a Espana on Sunday, as the Movistar rider retained his overall lead and the red jersey. Mas, who took the lead after Tadej Pogacar crashed out on Saturday, lived up to the red jersey as he won his first Grand Tour stage since 2018, preserving his energy throughout the mountainous ride and flawlessly executing the final attack.Briton Oscar Onley (Netcompany Ineos) followed Mas into the final kilometre but lost the sprint to the finish line and had to settle for second place. Slovenian Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), who is second in the overall standings, came in third. Four-time Vuelta winner Roglic trails Mas by a minute and 18 seconds in the general classification. Felix Gall, who finished fourth on the day, remained third overall. LEADERS IGNORE EARLY MOVESHours before the ninth stage began, Roglic's compatriot Pogacar posted a picture of himself in a hospital bed on Instagram, set to the 1977 song "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees. Mas, wearing the red jersey for the first time, stayed in the peloton along with his closest general classification competitors as they ignored early attacks.By the time the riders started the climactic 22 km climb to Alto de Aitana, several breakaway riders had split into groups, with Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate Pavel Sivakov and Marcel Camprubi (Pinarello-Q36.5) leading the charge four minutes ahead of the peloton. Sivakov, who finished ninth in 2024, pushed ahead with 10 km remaining, as Camprubi scrambled to follow the Frenchman.MAS ATTACKSHalfway up the climb, about 20 riders including Mas and other red jersey contenders were rapidly reducing the gap to the runaway leader, with Gall's Decathlon CMA CGM teammate Gregor Muehlberger setting the pace.With just a minute between them and Sivakov, Gall attacked and others including Mas and Roglic followed. They caught Sivakov and effortlessly moved past him as Santiago Buitrago launched an attack with about four kilometres left in the stage.Soon after, Mas launched his own attack as Oscar Onley kept up with him, while Roglic followed them into the final kilometre. Mas, who had refused to celebrate or wear the red jersey on Saturday after Pogacar's crash, finally celebrated as he crossed the finish line, raising his arm to cheering spectators, with Onley just behind him. The race continues on Tuesday with a hilly 184.7 km ride from Alcaraz to Elche de la Sierra. 

Deal endorses establishment of Centre of Excellence and Support for FinTech in Doha, serving as a dynamic platform that energises fintech community both locally and regionallyQatar Development Bank (QDB), represented by the Qatar FinTech Hub (QFTH), announced the signing of a strategic co-operation agreement with the Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN), an initiative by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).The agreement was signed by QDB CEO Abdulrahman bin Hesham al-Sowaidi, who is also QFTH chairman, and GFTN Group CEO Sopnendu Mohanty, on the sidelines of the ‘Singapore FinTech Festival’.It establishes a long-term framework for collaboration in policy innovation, ecosystem enablement, capacity building, and the exchange of knowledge and best practices in financial technology.The agreement endorsed the establishment of a Centre of Excellence and Support for FinTech in Doha, serving as a dynamic platform that energises the fintech community both locally and regionally. The centre will work to deliver strategic insights and pioneering research on transformative financial technologies and their impact on markets, from Africa and Central Asia to the Gulf Co-operation Council countries.It will further contribute to strengthening collaboration between regulators, financial institutions, and innovators to develop inclusive and forward-looking policy frameworks that support emerging economies, in addition to advancing capacity building through specialised training programmes, knowledge transfer, and dedicated workshops across the financial sector.The agreement also stipulated collaborating and coordinating on establishing a ‘Qatar FinTech Forum’ in the future, to serve as an annual international fintech event held as an extension of the ‘Singapore FinTech Festival’, aimed at advancing the future of financial technology in Qatar and the region.Doha was selected as the permanent host of the forum due to its position as one of the fastest-growing fintech ecosystems in the region, and as a strategic bridge linking the Middle East with the global digital economy.The forum will be a platform for exchanging expertise and ideas among policymakers, regulators, financial institutions, investors, entrepreneurs, and academia from across continents, to discuss the future of innovation and business in fintech.Al-Sowaidi said, “Our partnership with the Global Finance & Technology Network reflects our deep commitment to positioning Qatar as a global centre of excellence for financial innovation. This aligns with the objectives of the Third Financial Sector Strategic Plan and the Qatar FinTech Strategy led by Qatar Central Bank.”Al-Sowaidi added: “Through this partnership, benefiting from GFTN’s global expertise in policy innovation and digital transformation, we aim to build on the strong momentum the country is witnessing in developing local fintech capabilities, attract world-class innovators to Qatar, and strengthen the financial ecosystem to serve as a bridge connecting local capacity with global opportunity.“This partnership builds on Qatar’s robust digital infrastructure and thriving business environment, which have witnessed remarkable progress in recent years. We believe it will play a pivotal role in driving sustainable growth in the fintech sector, supporting economic diversification efforts, and advancing the long-term ambitions of Qatar National Vision 2030.”Mohanty said, “Qatar’s bold innovation agenda provides fertile ground for global collaboration. Together with QDB’s deep commitment to entrepreneurship, innovation, and national capacity building, we are creating a platform that connects capital, policy, technology, and talent into an engine for accelerated and inclusive digital growth across Mena.”The partnership builds on the growing collaboration between Qatar and Singapore, combining both nations’ fintech expertise to advance cross-border innovation, investment, and knowledge exchange. It reinforces Qatar’s position as a leading regional hub for fintech excellence, aligned with national strategies that support sustainable, technology-driven economic growth.

Bolivians have elected Rodrigo Paz of the center-right Christian Democratic Party (PDC) as their new president, ending nearly two decades of rule by the Movement for Socialism (MAS) party.With 97% of ballots counted, Paz secured 54.5% of the vote in Sunday's run-off, according to figures released by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE).Paz is scheduled to take office on November 8, succeeding outgoing President Luis Arce, who chose not to seek re-election after a five-year term marked by Bolivia's worst economic crisis in four decades.The country is currently grappling with a severe fuel shortage caused by collapsing gas exports and dwindling foreign currency reserves, which have pushed inflation above 23% and led to long queues at fuel stations.Paz's economic platform focuses on cutting government spending, particularly fuel subsidies, while encouraging private-sector expansion and implementing a model of "capitalism for all" based on decentralization and fiscal discipline before resorting to new borrowing.