Capitals 7, Flyers 0
Joel Ward had his first career hat trick and Nicklas Backstrom scored two goals to help the Washington Capitals rout the Philadelphia Flyers 7-0.
Jason Chimera and Troy Brouwer also had goals for the Capitals, who snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 6-7-0.
Braden Holtby made 30 saves to post his eighth career shutout.
The struggling Flyers fell to 3-9-0.
Lightning 3, Hurricanes 0
Ben Bishop recorded his second shutout in as many games against Carolina while Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman scored as Tampa Bay continued their mastery of the Hurricanes at PNC Arena with a 3-0 victory.
The Lightning have started 9-4, beating their former Southeast Division rival for the eighth time in the last nine visits to Raleigh. Bishop stopped 31 shots en route to his fourth career shutout.
Meanwhile, the Hurricanes (4-6-3) continue to struggle on offence, losing their fourth straight after starting the season 4-2-3. During the skid the Canes have been outscored 13-4.
Penguins 4, Blue Jackets 2
The Pittsburgh Penguins registered three goals in less than five minutes in the second period to roll to a 4-2 victory over Metropolitan Division opponents the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The two teams will face-off again on Saturday in Columbus.
The Penguins got on the board first at 7:11 of the first, just six seconds into their first power-play opportunity of the night.
Chris Kunitz’s early goal pushed his scoring streak to three.
Sidney Crosby picked up the secondary assist to extend his lead in the NHL scoring race and his scoring streak against Columbus to six consecutive games.
Marc-Andre Fleury made 37 saves to earn his league-leading 10th victory.
Blues 4, Panthers 0
The St Louis Blues routed the Florida Panthers for the second time this season, with a 4-0 win.
The Blues beat the Panthers 7-0 last month. In that game, Jaroslav Halak got the shutout and improved his career record against Florida to 8-1, posting a 0.75 goals-against-average in his past four games against Florida.
On Friday, the Blues rested Halak and still won with backup goaltender Brian Elliott, who helped St Louis (8-1-2) earn at least one point for their sixth straight game.
The Panthers lost their fourth successive game to fall to 3-8-2.
Wild 4, Canadiens 3
Jason Pominville scored his second goal of the game late in the third period lifting the Minnesota Wild to a 4-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens.
Pominville, who now has five goals in the past three games, scored in the second and third periods and added an assist as Minnesota (7-4-3) improved to 5-1-2 at home. Nino Neiderreiter and Justin Fontaine also scored for the Wild.
Brendan Gallagher scored his sixth goal of the season for the Canadiens (8-6-0), while PK Subban and Brian Gionta both scored in the third period to erase a 3-1 Wild lead.
Montreal controlled the play for long stretches, but saw a two-game winning streak snapped, thanks in large part to 28 saves by Minnesota goalie Josh Harding.
Islanders 5, Senators 4 (SO)
Frans Nielsen’s shootout goal gave the New York Islanders a 5-4 victory over the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre.
Evgeni Nabokov preserved the win with a great leg stop off Bobby Ryan.
The win snapped the Islanders’ two-game losing streak. While they did get a point, the loss extended the Senators’ own losing streak to four games.
Goaltending was the story of the game, as Robin Lehner faced 57 shots in the Senators net while Nabokov was tested just 31 times.
John Tavares, Matt Martin, Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Nielsen had the Islanders goals. Kyle Okposo added a pair of assists.
Erik Condra, Mika Zibanejad, Bobby Ryan and Clarke MacArthur scored for the Senators, while Erik Karlsson chipped in with two assists.
Avalanche 3, Stars 2 (OT)
Paul Stastny scored twice, including the game-winner with 1:24 remaining in overtime as the Colorado Avalanche recorded a 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars.
Semyon Varlamov made 27 saves for Colorado.
Stastny had opened the scoring for the Avalanche at 8:22 of the opening period and he also ended the game with a 24-foot snap that got the better of Dallas goaltender Kari Lehtonen to clinch the overtime victory.
Dallas scored the equaliser with 3:29 left in regulation when Tyler Seguin flicked a 30-foot wrister to Varlamov’s left to make it 3-3.
Two seconds after the Seguin goal, Gabriel Landeskog and Dallas’ Alex Chiasson dropped the gloves near center ice, Landeskog being assessed a minor penalty for roughing and the Stars went on the power play with 3:27 left in regulation.
Dallas captain Jamie Benn tried to give the Stars their first lead of the night with 2:27 remaining but Varlamov denied him with a glove save at the far post to preserve the tie.
Varlamov also denied close-range chances by Dallas’ Shawn Horcoff and Antoine Roussel late in regulation.
Red Wings 4, Flames 3
The Detroit Red Wings fired a season-low 22 shots on goal and the most harmless one turned out to be the back-breaker.
Joakim Andersson’s shot from the corner bounced off the toe of Tomas Tatar’s skate for a crucial goal as the Red Wings scratched out a 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames.
Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Justin Abdelkader also scored for the Wings (8-4-2).
Chris Butler, Sean Monahan and Curtis Glencross scored the goals for the Flames (5-6-2), who have now lost six of their past eight games.
F1 drivers' standings
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 281
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 247
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes 222
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull 177
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 138
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull 93
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 86
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 56
Mountain%20Boy
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Zainab%20Shaheen%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Naser%20Al%20Messabi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Results
2pm: Serve U – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Violent Justice, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
2.30pm: Al Shafar Investment – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,400m; Winner: Desert Wisdom, Bernardo Pinheiro, Ahmed Al Shemaili
3pm: Commercial Bank of Dubai – Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Fawaareq, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson
3.30pm: Shadwell – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
4pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Rakeez, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar
4.30pm: Al Redha Insurance Brokers – Handicap (TB) Dh78,000 (D) 1,800m; Winner: Capla Crusader, Bernardo Pinheiro, Rashed Bouresly
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
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.”
Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books
The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
Results
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,600m; Winner: RB Kings Bay, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: AF Ensito, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
8pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,400m; Winner: AF Sourouh, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
8.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m; Winner: Baaher, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
9pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Mootahady, Antonio Fresu, Eric Lemartinel
9.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Dubai Canal, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
10pm: Al Ain Cup – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Harrab, Bernardo Pinheiro, Majed Al Jahouri
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.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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
