Arsenal
Keiran Gibbs, the Arsenal left-back, believes Lukasz Fabianski's impressive performance in goal against Partizan Belgrade on Tuesday proved that the Polish keeper has what it takes to be the club's No 1. The Pole produced a commanding display that included a number of high-quality saves - including a late penalty stop. "He is a great speaker and he doesn't hide away," Gibbs told the club's website. "I think he felt like he had a point to prove. We do feel for him [after the criticism he has had]. He is a great keeper or else he wouldn't be here at Arsenal."
Aston Villa
Gerard Houllier, the Aston Villa manager, is aiming to find more leaders in his team to help captain Stiliyan Petrov. The Bulgarian took over the armband from Gareth Barry, who joined Manchester City in 2009, but Houllier said he prefers to have two or three leaders on the pitch. "The captain is not only the leader on the field, he is a leader by example," Houllier told the club's website. "He knows what we want to do, anyway. I prefer to rely on a group of leaders, two or three players. One can be the technical leader, one can be the captain, one can be the energiser."
Birmingham City
Alex McLeish is confident Nikola Zigic, Birmingham's £6 million (Dh34.8m) signing, will come good despite struggling to adapt so far to the demands of the Premier League. The Serbia international has been confined chiefly to a substitute role as he tries to adjust after playing in Spain with Valencia. Said McLeish, his manager: "Nikola is still adjusting to the English game. It is hurly-burly, 100 miles an hour. On the Continent he is used to balls being laid up to him and cushioning it and laying it off and keeping the play moving. It is a totally different game to the Spanish system."
Blackburn Rovers
Junior Hoilett, Blackburn's up-and-coming winger, has drawn inspiration from Brett Emerton's match-winning performance from the bench in the 2-1 victory at Blackpool last week. The Canadian, 20, told the Lancashire Evening Telegraph: "It gives all of us who aren't playing at the moment that bit of inspiration. It shows you how things can change for you quickly. It shows you can make an impact as a substitute and give yourself a chance of getting into the first team. That is what all of us are aiming for. I will keep working hard in training and keep working hard in games and when I get my chance I need to take it."
Blackpool
The Liverpool fan Gary Taylor-Fletcher is dreaming of scoring at Anfield when Blackpool face the 18-times league champions on Sunday. "It doesn't matter who scores, we want the win," the striker told the club's website. "If I do score, it'll be absolutely unbelievable. But the main thing is that we put in a good performance, as well. If we can match the performance that we put in against Blackburn"- an unlucky 2-1 home defeat last week - "then we'll have a great chance of getting a point, if not three. If we keep playing football like we did against Blackburn then sooner or later it's going to start happening for us."
Bolton Wanderers
Stuart Holden, the Bolton midfielder, has signed a contract extension which keeps him at the club until 2013. The American international, 25, joined the club in January from the Major League Soccer side Houston Dynamo. He told Bolton's website: "I'm really excited because I love being at the club. I couldn't ask to be around better fans, management, staff and players. I was given an opportunity by the manager [Owen Coyle] to show that I can play at this level and I'm extremely grateful." Holden has started each of Bolton's six Premier League games this season after just one league start because of injury last term.
Chelsea
Carlo Ancelotti will attend Chelsea's match against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday despite the death of his father. Giuseppe Ancelotti passed away in Italy on Wednesday night, aged 87, with his Carlo at his side. The funeral will take place tomorrow. "Everyone at Chelsea sends our deepest condolences to Carlo and his family. They are all in our thoughts at this time," read a statement on the club's website. Ray Wilkins, the assistant manager, will appear at today's news conference in Ancelotti's place. Chelsea host their London rivals looking to extend a run of nine wins in their last 13 meetings with Arsenal.
Everton
David Moyes' side, surprisingly, find themselves bottom of the table after six games and a large reason for that is a lack of goals. Three strikes in the home draw with Manchester United aside, Everton have scored just once in their other five games including last week's 0-0 draw at Fulham. Stephen Pienaar, Everton's South African midfielder, said the team need to be more clinical when chances do come their way. He told Everton's TV channel: "We are just lacking a goal at the moment. We have to build on the last game and make sure we play with the same confidence and with a bit more sharpness in front of goal we can win there."
Fulham
Fulham's young goalkeeper, David Stockdale, is fit again after injury curtailed his impressive early season run of form and prevented him from an England call-up. Stockdale, 25, injured his ankle after the 2-2 draw with Manchester United in August. "To miss out on my first England call-up was gutting," Stockdale told Fulham's website. "I'm a proud Englishman and it was heartbreaking. Now I've got to stay patient, keep working hard and wait for my opportunity at Fulham to come again. Obviously Mark [Schwarzer] is our No 1 keeper at the moment, but when my opportunity arises, I'm going to grab it with both hands."
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 2
(Martial 30', McTominay 90 6')
Manchester City 0
Afghanistan squad
Gulbadin Naib (captain), Mohammad Shahzad (wicketkeeper), Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
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'Cheb%20Khaled'
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SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4-litre%20flat-six%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E525hp%20(GT3)%2C%20500hp%20(GT4)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E465Nm%20(GT3)%2C%20450Nm%20(GT4)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven-speed%20automatic%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh944%2C000%20(GT3)%2C%20Dh581%2C700%20(GT4)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Read more about the coronavirus
New Zealand 15 British & Irish Lions 15
New Zealand 15
Tries: Laumape, J Barrett
Conversions: B Barrett
Penalties: B Barrett
British & Irish Lions 15
Penalties: Farrell (4), Daly
Straightforward ways to reduce sugar in your family's diet
- Ban fruit juice and sodas
- Eat a hearty breakfast that contains fats and wholegrains, such as peanut butter on multigrain toast or full-fat plain yoghurt with whole fruit and nuts, to avoid the need for a 10am snack
- Give young children plain yoghurt with whole fruits mashed into it
- Reduce the number of cakes, biscuits and sweets. Reserve them for a treat
- Don’t eat dessert every day
- Make your own smoothies. Always use the whole fruit to maintain the benefit of its fibre content and don’t add any sweeteners
- Always go for natural whole foods over processed, packaged foods. Ask yourself would your grandmother have eaten it?
- Read food labels if you really do feel the need to buy processed food
- Eat everything in moderation
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
The%20Genius%20of%20Their%20Age
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20S%20Frederick%20Starr%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Oxford%20University%20Press%3Cbr%3EPages%3A%20290%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20January%2024%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
The specs: 2018 Maserati Ghibli
Price, base / as tested: Dh269,000 / Dh369,000
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 355hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.9L / 100km
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.”
Aquaman%20and%20the%20Lost%20Kingdom
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20James%20Wan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jason%20Mamoa%2C%20Patrick%20Wilson%2C%20Amber%20Heard%2C%20Yahya%20Abdul-Mateen%20II%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Fixtures (all times UAE)
Saturday
Brescia v Atalanta (6pm)
Genoa v Torino (9pm)
Fiorentina v Lecce (11.45pm)
Sunday
Juventus v Sassuolo (3.30pm)
Inter Milan v SPAL (6pm)
Lazio v Udinese (6pm)
Parma v AC Milan (6pm)
Napoli v Bologna (9pm)
Verona v AS Roma (11.45pm)
Monday
Cagliari v Sampdoria (11.45pm)
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
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Saturday's schedule at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
GP3 race, 12:30pm
Formula 1 final practice, 2pm
Formula 1 qualifying, 5pm
Formula 2 race, 6:40pm
Performance: Sam Smith
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
MATCH INFO
Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)