The West may be best, but the quantity of good teams in the NHL's toughest conference may prove to be more of a burden than benefit in 2009/10.
The San Jose Sharks and Detroit Red Wings, as usual, boast top-notch teams.
The Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames all have legitimate Stanley Cup aspirations.
The Columbus Blue Jackets, St Louis Blues and Dallas Stars believe better days are ahead, while the Nashville Predators, Minnesota Wild and Los Angeles Kings are also poised to move up. Add it all up, and you have a dozen confident teams fighting for eight play-off spots.
This is not to say the Eastern Conference is a pushover, but the top teams (Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals) might get an easier play-off opponent for a round or two. And the ability to show up in the cup final reasonably healthy and somewhat rested has been a big advantage in recent years.
That is why Pittsburgh have a great chance to be the first team to make it to three consecutive finals since Edmonton (1983-85).
Boston Bruins Last season's best goalie (Tim Thomas) and defenceman (Zdeno Chara) are back, but they will miss Phil Kessel's goals.
Montreal Canadiens Can the new and undersized forwards Scott Gomez and Mike Cammalleri deliver? Netminder Carey Price needs to bounce back from a poor year.
Buffalo Sabres Their fortunes are tied to the quality of play they get from goalie Ryan Miller and sniper Thomas Vanek.
Ottawa Senators Replacing Dany Heatley with Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo, plus the addition of Alexei Kovalev, means they have legitimate second tier scoring.
Toronto Maple Leafs Adding Mike Komisarek, Francois Beauchemin and Garnet Exelby on defence makes them tough, but who will score? They are hoping that Kessel can repeat the form he showed in Boston, but the Leafs do not have a top-quality centre for him to play with.
Philadelphia Flyers A run at the cup could be a possibility with the addition of Chris Pronger on defence. But once again choosing to go the cheap route in goal, by signing Ray Emery, could backfire.
Pittsburgh Penguins All the key elements remain for a strong defence of the cup and, with the team so young, hunger should not be an issue.
New Jersey Devils This perpetual play-off team are now a mid-level contender and Martin Brodeur is not quite the goalie he once was.
New York Rangers Relying on winger Marian Gaborik's health is a huge gamble, but if the Slovak stays healthy then the Rangers will have a decent year.
New York Islanders The summer's No 1 entry draft pick John Tavares will not be able to do it all by himself.
Washington Capitals With Alex Ovechkin on your team, goals are never going to be hard to come by, but the Capitals need to get at least one more decent defenceman if they are to mount a Stanley Cup charge.
Carolina Hurricanes Always a team ready to step in and contend when some of the favourites falter. Last year's run to the Eastern Conference final will be hard to repeat, though.
Florida Panthers They have not made the play-offs since 2000, but youngsters like David Booth, Michael Frolik and Nathan Horton could see them finally return.
Tampa Bay Lightning They finally have an NHL-calibre blueline, and rookie Victor Hedman will get expert tuition from fellow Swede Mattias Ohlund.
Atlanta Thrashers Russian sniper Ilya Kovalchuk will once again be surrounded by a bits-and-pieces supporting cast.
Detroit Red Wings They will miss the goals of Marian Hossa and Mikael Samuelsson, but the Wings always figure out a way to win.
Chicago Blackhawks The development of young forwards Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, plus signing Hossa as a free agent, could shift the balance of power in the division.
Columbus Blue Jackets After making the play-offs for the first time, sniper Rick Nash and goalie Steve Mason will ensure they are back.
St Louis Blues Eric Johnson's return to the blueline will boost an already precocious line-up.
Nashville Predators Someone has to finish last in the league's toughest division, and it will probably be the league's hardest-working team.
Vancouver Canucks Signing the Sedin twins and goalie Roberto Luongo means these guys must now dominate in the play-offs.
Calgary Flames Signed Jay Bouwmeester to bolster an already deep defence.
Edmonton Oilers More reliance on youth after failing to attract big names.
Minnesota Wild Might take a step back in first year with a new coach and a new GM - and without Gaborik.
Colorado Avalanche Another year in the basement beckons after Joe Sakic's retirement.
San Jose Sharks Heatley must help them translate regular season success into play-off wins, otherwise the team will be dismantled.
Anaheim Ducks Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan are the NHL's most dynamic forward line.
Dallas Stars They will do better than 12th place in captain Mike Modano's final season.
Los Angeles Kings A team loaded with potential will take at least another 12 months to realise how good they can be.
Phoenix Coyotes Too bad about the squabbles over ownership because they do have some good young talent.
smccaig@thenational.ae
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Key changes
Commission caps
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
THE SPECS
BMW X7 xDrive 50i
Engine: 4.4-litre V8
Transmission: Eight-speed Steptronic transmission
Power: 462hp
Torque: 650Nm
Price: Dh600,000
Schedule:
Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)
Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)
Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four
Sept 21: Group A Winner v Group B Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 23: Group B Winner v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 25: Group A Winner v Group B Winner (Dubai)
Sept 26: Group A Runner-up v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 28: Final (Dubai)
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Key 2013/14 UAE Motorsport dates
October 4: Round One of Rotax Max Challenge, Al Ain (karting)
October 1: 1 Round One of the inaugural UAE Desert Championship (rally)
November 1-3: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Formula One)
November 28-30: Dubai International Rally
January 9-11: 24Hrs of Dubai (Touring Cars / Endurance)
March 21: Round 11 of Rotax Max Challenge, Muscat, Oman (karting)
April 4-10: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (Endurance)
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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.”
Employment lawyer Meriel Schindler of Withers Worldwide shares her tips on achieving equal pay
Do your homework
Make sure that you are being offered a fair salary. There is lots of industry data available, and you can always talk to people who have come out of the organisation. Where I see people coming a cropper is where they haven’t done their homework.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate
It’s quite standard to negotiate if you think an offer is on the low side. The job is unlikely to be withdrawn if you ask for money, and if that did happen I’d question whether you want to work for an employer who is so hypersensitive.
Know your worth
Women tend to be a bit more reticent to talk about their achievements. In my experience they need to have more confidence in their own abilities – men will big up what they’ve done to get a pay rise, and to compete women need to turn up the volume.
Work together
If you suspect men in your organisation are being paid more, look your boss in the eye and say, “I want you to assure me that I’m paid equivalent to my peers”. If you’re not getting a straight answer, talk to your peer group and consider taking direct action to fix inequality.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
Gertrude Bell's life in focus
A feature film
At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.
A documentary
A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.
Books, letters and archives
Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
WRESTLING HIGHLIGHTS
Banthology: Stories from Unwanted Nations
Edited by Sarah Cleave, Comma Press
