Swede Lindelof to join Man United
Manchester United have reached an agreement to sign Swedish international centre-back Victor Lindelof from Benfica for €35 million (Dh144m), the Europa League champions announced on Saturday.
“Manchester United is pleased to announce that it has reached agreement with Benfica for the transfer of Victor Lindelof, subject to a medical examination, international clearance and personal terms,” United said in a statement.
“A further announcement will be made once the transfer is complete.”
Gundogan ready to return for Man City
Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan said on Sunday that he hopes to be fit for the start of the new season after recovering from the cruciate knee ligament injury that has prevented him from playing competitive football this year.
The 26-year-old Germany international impressed in his first season for the club, playing 16 games before sustaining the serious injury against Watford on December 14.
Gundogan returned to light training last week, working with the ball for the first time.
“I think I’m in a good way,” he told the club’s official website. “I’m working hard. So hopefully I can join the rest of the lads for preseason - maybe not 100 percent but I am increasing day by day the work and hopefully being ready for the first Premier League game.
“Watching from the sidelines is one of the most difficult things,”
Reus raring to go for Dortmund
Germany international Marco Reus already has his sights set on getting back into action after knee surgery.
The Borussia Dortmund midfielder suffered a partial tear in his cruciate ligament in the DFB Pokal final against Eintracht Frankfurt two weeks ago.
The 28-year-old, who missed the 2014 World Cup due to an ankle problem, posted a thumbs up photo of himself on social media following the operation and is focused on getting through his rehabilitation programme, which is expected to be around six months.
“The surgery went fine and I’m already on the road to recovery,” Reus wrote in a post on his personal Facebook and Instagram sites.
“Now there is a relatively long rehab phase which I will follow. I will tackle this with everything I have and I’ll do anything to be back soon on the pitch.
“I always come back strong and this will also be the case this time.
Former England manager moves to China
Former England and AC Milan manager Fabio Capello has been named as the new manager of Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Suning, the club said on social media on Sunday.
Capello replaces Choi Yong-soo, who resigned earlier this month to return to coach FC Seoul in his native South Korea after Jiangsu were knocked out of the Asian Champions League in the round of 16 by fellow Chinese Super League side Shanghai SIPG.
The Italian, who won the UEFA Champions League with AC Milan in 1994 and who was at the helm with England at the World Cup finals in 2010, takes over a Jiangsu side that are 15th in the 16-team championship having won just once so far this year in the league.
The current campaign has been a struggle for the club after they finished as runners-up in both the league and Chinese Cup last year.
Capello is the latest big name coach to move to China, with Super League leaders and reigning champions Guangzhou Evergrande currently managed by 2002 World Cup winner Luiz Felipe Scolari.
Gnabry signs for Bayern Munich
The 21-year-old made his Arsenal breakthrough in 2012 but after struggling to command a regular berth - and a loan spell with West Bromwich Albion - joined Werder Bremen last summer.
An impressive season which yielded 11 goals from 27 appearances brought him to Bayern’s attention and the two-time Germany international has now joined the Bundesliga champions.
“It is a great honour to be part of FC Bayern,” he said. “Before me lies an exciting time, which I am very much looking forward to.”
Rangers sign up Portuguese youngster
Rangers have signed winger Daniel Candeias from Benfica on a two-year contract.
The 29-year-old wide player is a former Portugal age-group international who has yet to make a full international appearance.
He joined Benfica from Nacional in 2014 but failed to make a first-team breakthrough with the Lisbon giants and has instead spent the last three seasons on loan to clubs outside Portugal.
After stints with German side Nuremberg, Spanish outfit Granada, French club Metz and Turkish top-flight newcomers Alanyaspor, he has taken up the chance to move to Scotland.
He joins up for a second time with Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha, who had Candeias in his squad at Nacional in 2011/12.
A Rangers statement said: “Rangers are delighted to announce the signing of Daniel Candeias on a two-year-deal from Portuguese side Benfica.”
Sa Pinto in at Standard Liege
Former Portuguese international Ricardo Sa Pinto, 44, has been named as the new manager of Standard Liege, the Belgian giants announced on Sunday.
Sa Pinto played for Standard towards the end of his playing career. Last season, he managed Greek outfit Atromitos and had a previous stint at Sporting in Lisbon.
Standard are 10-time Belgian champions but have just endured a disappointing season, missing out on the Belgian championship play-offs for the second season running.
According to Belgian media, Sa Pinto was not the club’s first choice for the position – French former Lyon and Aston Villa manager Remi Garde had been among the other names linked to the post.
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FORSPOKEN
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Starfield
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SQUADS
South Africa:
Faf du Plessis (capt), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Dane Paterson, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada
Coach: Ottis Gibson
Bangladesh:
Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wkt), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wkt), Mustafizur Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Tamim Iqbal, Taskin Ahmed.
Coach: Chandika Hathurusingha
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Wonka
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Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
Fifa%20World%20Cup%20Qatar%202022%20
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Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Meydan race card
6.30pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
7.05pm: Handicap Dh 185,000 2,000m
7.40pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap Dh 190,000 1,400m
8.50pm: Handicap Dh 175,000 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap Dh 175,000 1,200m
10pm: Handicap Dh 165,000 1,600m
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Britain's travel restrictions
- A negative test 2 days before flying
- Complete passenger locator form
- Book a post-arrival PCR test
- Double-vaccinated must self-isolate
- 11 countries on red list quarantine
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (11.30pm)
Saturday Freiburg v Borussia Monchengladbach, Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Dortmund, Cologne v Wolfsburg, Arminia Bielefeld v Mainz (6.30pm) Bayern Munich v RB Leipzig (9.30pm)
Sunday Werder Bremen v Stuttgart (6.30pm), Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen (9pm)
Monday Hoffenheim v Augsburg (11.30pm)
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
