Blackburn 1
Marshall 20’
West Ham 5
Moses 26’, Payet 36’, 90’+2, Emenike 64’, 85’
Red cards Taylor 55' (Blackburn), Kouyate 75' (West Ham)
Man of the match Dimitri Payet (West Ham)
Dimitri Payet's name echoed around Ewood Park long before his shots nestled in Blackburn Rovers' net. He was serenaded before he celebrated. West Ham United's supporters had announced his arrival in Lancashire. By scoring two goals and making one more, the Frenchman duly ejected his hosts from the FA Cup.
Payet is cult hero and match-winner, statement signing and the best-paid player in West Ham’s history. He illustrated why he is all with three swings of his right boot. A game of six goals and two red cards was notable for one, transformative player. He inspires victories and tributes alike. “I have to get some poetry lessons to describe his importance to us,” manager Slaven Bilic said. His team, who had been trailing, cruised into the quarter-finals courtesy of Payet.
West Ham have gone 36 years without major silverware and an age-old criticism is that they have had style without sufficient substance. Payet, perhaps their favourite flair player since Paolo di Canio, offers both. His season has brought nine goals and eight assists, including the 120th-minute free-kick Angelo Ogbonna headed in for the fourth-round winner against Liverpool, plus a lucrative new deal. “On the ball, he is up there with Luka Modric from the players I have trained,” Bilic added.
He paid £10.7 million (Dh56.6m) for Payet. It ranks as a bargain. Blackburn used to raid foreign leagues intelligently for Premier League gems, but those days feel long gone. They are 19th in the Championship and they made five changes, more than West Ham. While the Darwen End was packed with 7,185 Londoners, other stands were sparsely populated.
It all made for an unexpected scoreline when Rovers led. While West Ham’s creator in chief had a roving brief, Blackburn’s most talented technician was their right-back. Ben Marshall is a winger masquerading as a full-back and has proved prolific in this FA Cup. His fourth goal was struck with precision from 20 yards.
It proved a false dawn for Rovers. West Ham’s equaliser was a doubly dreadful goal to concede. The Rovers defence backed off, allowing Victor Moses to shoot. Goalkeeper Jason Steele allowed a low drive to slip under him. “He should have saved it,” Blackburn manager Paul Lambert said.
A deficit was transformed into an advantage by Payet’s wonderfully whipped free-kick. Booked for conceding it, when he tugged Payet, Chris Taylor fouled a second goalscorer and was sent off for halting Moses.
“The sending off killed us,” Lambert added.
Blackburn were shambolic with 10 men, West Ham emphatic, even after Cheikhou Kouyate was dismissed for tripping Adam Henley. “We are going to appeal and we have a strong case,” Bilic added. Kouyate’s had been an eventful afternoon, with one goal disallowed before he centred for Emmanuel Emenike to have a tap in.
The Nigerian, who had been on loan at Al Ain, duly doubled his tally later after Payet’s defence-splitting pass. Emenike’s full debut brought his first Hammers goals but while he spurned the chance of a hat-trick, a Frenchman applied the coup de grace as Payet slalomed his way through to rifle in a fifth.
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The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
Company Profile
Company name: Fine Diner
Started: March, 2020
Co-founders: Sami Elayan, Saed Elayan and Zaid Azzouka
Based: Dubai
Industry: Technology and food delivery
Initial investment: Dh75,000
Investor: Dtec Startupbootcamp
Future plan: Looking to raise $400,000
Total sales: Over 1,000 deliveries in three months
THE DETAILS
Kaala
Dir: Pa. Ranjith
Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar
Rating: 1.5/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
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Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
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Chatham House Rule
A mark of Chatham House’s influence 100 years on since its founding, was Moscow’s formal declaration last month that it was an “undesirable
organisation”.
The depth of knowledge and academics that it drew on
following the Ukraine invasion had broadcast Mr Putin’s chicanery.
The institute is more used to accommodating world leaders,
with Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher among those helping it provide
authoritative commentary on world events.
Chatham House was formally founded as the Royal Institute of
International Affairs following the peace conferences of World War One. Its
founder, Lionel Curtis, wanted a more scientific examination of international affairs
with a transparent exchange of information and ideas.
That arena of debate and analysis was enhanced by the “Chatham
House Rule” states that the contents of any meeting can be discussed outside Chatham
House but no mention can be made identifying individuals who commented.
This has enabled some candid exchanges on difficult subjects
allowing a greater degree of free speech from high-ranking figures.
These meetings are highly valued, so much so that
ambassadors reported them in secret diplomatic cables that – when they were
revealed in the Wikileaks reporting – were thus found to have broken the rule. However,
most speeches are held on the record.
Its research and debate has offered fresh ideas to
policymakers enabling them to more coherently address troubling issues from climate
change to health and food security.
Stamp duty timeline
December 2014: Former UK finance minister George Osbourne reforms stamp duty, replacing the slab system with a blended rate scheme, with the top rate increasing to 12 per cent from 10 per cent:
Up to £125,000 - 0%; £125,000 to £250,000 – 2%; £250,000 to £925,000 – 5%; £925,000 to £1.5m: 10%; Over £1.5m – 12%
April 2016: New 3% surcharge applied to any buy-to-let properties or additional homes purchased.
July 2020: Rishi Sunak unveils SDLT holiday, with no tax to pay on the first £500,000, with buyers saving up to £15,000.
March 2021: Mr Sunak decides the fate of SDLT holiday at his March 3 budget, with expectations he will extend the perk unti June.
April 2021: 2% SDLT surcharge added to property transactions made by overseas buyers.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
