Transfer talk: Barton tweets his QPR medical

Queens Park Rangers

Joey Barton was in talks with QPR last night about a transfer and last night used his Twitter page to announce he was having a medical at the London club. The 28 year old, in the final year of his contract at Newcastle, was made available on a free transfer after criticising the club, on Twitter, over the summer. Warnock, boosted by funds from the recent takeover by Tony Fernandes, wants to make several signings before the transfer deadline. The squad shortages were shown by Warnock having to field first team regulars in the Carling Cup match on Tuesday, resulting in an injury to Bradley Orr. "That's why we need at least six new players in the first-team squad, to supplement what we've got to give us half a chance," Warnock said.

Liverpool

AC Milan are on the verge of signing Alberto Aquilani on a one-year loan deal from Liverpool, according to reports in Italy. Aquilani's agent Franco Zavaglia was in Liverpool yesterday holding talks with the club's executives in a bid to wrap up the loan move. When asked about Aquilani, Adriano Galliani, the AC Milan vice-president, told Gazzetta dello Sport: "We have taken a great quality player, right for Milan. Now our market is more than closed." Daniel Pacheco, the 20-year-old forward, has returned to Spain and Atletico Madrid on a season-long loan deal.

Chelsea

Hamburg confirmed yesterday the signing of Slobodan Rajkovic for an undisclosed fee from Chelsea. The 22-year-old Serbian defender passed a medical on Tuesday and put pen to paper on a four-year contract with the German club yesterday. Michael Oenning, the Hamburg coach, said he could play against Cologne on Saturday. "I don't want to rule anything out," he told his club's website. "I have to get to know him a bit first. He is tall and an uncomfortable opponent. He has a quality that we don't really have in our squad and that we need while he is left-footed, which was particularly important to me."

Stoke City

Tony Pulis, the manager, claims there is "no question" his squad needs further strengthening before next week's transfer deadline. But he is still prepared to turn potential deals down to protect the club's wage structure. The veteran defenders Jonathan Woodgate and Matthew Upson - both of whom were previously free agents - remain the only new arrivals at the Britannia Stadium this summer. "I think everybody knows we have to bring players in - I don't think there is any question from the top of the football club right down," Pulis said. "Even the youngest supporters will be looking and saying, 'Why haven't we brought players in?' But it is about making sure we do it the way we do it as a football club - that is very important for us."

Blackburn Rovers

Steve Kean is working at "full blast" in an effort to further strengthen his squad before the transfer window closes. Kean signed the Montenegro winger Simon Vukcevic on Monday for £2 million (Dh12.1m), and George John is also close to joining, from Major League Soccer side FC Dallas, for a fee of £1.2m. Yesterday he flew to Greece to collect a passport, due to his American-Greek dual nationality. Kean flew out of the UK last night to speak to the player after being given permission by his club to do so. "We're at it full blast to get bodies in, and to get them in quickly," Kean said.

The specs: Hyundai Ionic Hybrid

Price, base: Dh117,000 (estimate)

Engine: 1.6L four-cylinder, with 1.56kWh battery

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Power: 105hp (engine), plus 43.5hp (battery)

Torque: 147Nm (engine), plus 170Nm (battery)

Fuel economy, combined: 3.4L / 100km

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Four tips to secure IoT networks

Mohammed Abukhater, vice president at FireEye in the Middle East, said:

- Keep device software up-to-date. Most come with basic operating system, so users should ensure that they always have the latest version

- Besides a strong password, use two-step authentication. There should be a second log-in step like adding a code sent to your mobile number

- Usually smart devices come with many unnecessary features. Users should lock those features that are not required or used frequently

- Always create a different guest network for visitors

Things Heard & Seen

Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton

2/5

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Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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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.”

Which honey takes your fancy?

Al Ghaf Honey

The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year

Sidr Honey

The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest

Samar Honey

The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments