Sport

Club guide: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Birmingham and Blackburn

Manager Arsene Wenger (France) Last season 3rd Untimely injuries to key players handicapped the north Londoners' title aspirations last term and the club have gone five years without a trophy. Retaining the services of Cesc Fabregas, the Arsenal captain, represents Wenger's most important piece of business this summer and his exciting young side will definitely be pleasing to watch. The strike force has been by the arrival of Marouane Chamakh. Key man Fabregas - the Spaniard was a captain marvel last season. Key transfers In: Laurent Koscielny (Centre-half, 24, Lorient, £8.5m), Marouane Chamakh (Striker, 26, Bordeaux, free). Out: Eduardo (Striker, 27, Shaktar Donetsk, £6m), William Gallas (released). If they were a movie ... Leon - French leading man will do anything for his youngsters. Once considered a classic, now losing its lustre with each passing season. Prediction 4th

Manager Kevin McDonald is caretaker manager (Scotland) Last season 6th For the second successive summer, Villa have been forced to stubbornly resist big-money offers from the division's leading sides for their top players. James Milner is likely to follow last season's departure, Gareth Barry, to Manchester City by the end of the week. Martin O'Neill's subsequent decision to quit as manager could have a major influence on Villa's season. They need the right coach to continue O'Neill's work which has bought three successive sixth-place finishes. Key man Richard Dunne - Defied critics after being dumped by Manchester City with an outstanding season and three important goals. Key transfers Out: Wilfred Bouma (Defender, 32, released). If they were a movie ... Jerry Maguire - Pathos aplenty for the lovable lead in this American production, as he struggles to keep his clients. Even the neutrals want him to succeed. Prediction 8th

Manager Alex McLeish (Scotland) Last season 9th After finishing an impressive ninth on their return to the English top flight, McLeish's over-achieving - and under resourced - side will be eager to avoid the dreaded second season syndrome which often results in a relegation battle. Modest close-season expenditure has not yielded a flood of marquee players - as promised by Carson Yeung, the Hong Kong businessman, when he bought the club last year - arriving at St Andrews. Could be a difficult year. Key man Roger Johnson - A solid defence was the key last season, led by the English centre-back Key transfers In: Nikola Zigic (Striker, 29, Valencia, £6 million (Dh35.1m), Ben Foster (Goalkeeper, 27, Man Utd, £6m). If they were a movie ... Trainspotting - Unexpected success is based on their gritty Scottish roots. Casting director clearly has an eye for potential stars in the making. Prediction 13th

Manager Sam Allardyce (England) Last season 10th Allardyce's resilient unit will again prove stubborn hosts at Ewood Park, where they conceded only 18 goals - out of 55 in total - last season. It is at the other end of the pitch, however, where Rovers' inefficiencies lie. After watching his Lancashire side manage just 41 goals in 38 league games, Allardyce's pursuit of a top-class forward depends largely on the success of a reported take-over bid by Ahasan Ali Syed, a Bahraini businessman. Key man Morten Gamst Pedersen - A few seasons ago, it seemed a big money move was likely for the erratic winger, who can be inspirational when he wants to. Key transfers In: Mame Biram Diouf (Striker, 22, Man Utd, loan). If they were a movie ... Groundhog Day - Yep, they are still here. No, not much has changed since last term. Will this season be much different? Not very likely. Prediction 11th

* The National

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour Calendar 2018/19

July 29: OTA Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan

Sep 22-23: LA Convention Centre in Los Angeles, US

Nov 16-18: Carioca Arena Centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Feb 7-9: Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE

Mar 9-10: Copper Box Arena in London, UK

more from sholto byrnes
PFA Premier League team of 2018-19

Allison (Liverpool)

Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)

Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)

Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City)

Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)

Paul Pogba (Manchester United)

Fernandinho (Manchester City)

Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)

Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)

Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)

Sadio Mane (Liverpool)

The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi

Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe

For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.

Golden Dallah

For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.

Al Mrzab Restaurant

For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.

Al Derwaza

For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup. 

THE LIGHT

Director: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

Rating: 3/5

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo

Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic

Power: 242bhp

Torque: 370Nm

Price: Dh136,814

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.”

German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
THE SPECS – Honda CR-V Touring AWD

Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder

Power: 184hp at 6,400rpm

Torque: 244Nm at 3,900rpm

Transmission: Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)

0-100kmh in 9.4 seconds

Top speed: 202kmh

Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km

Price: From Dh122,900

Zakat definitions

Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.

Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.

Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.

Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.

Joe Root's Test record

Tests: 53; Innings: 98; Not outs: 11; Runs: 4,594; Best score: 254; Average: 52.80; 100s: 11; 50s: 27

Company profile

Name: Infinite8

Based: Dubai

Launch year: 2017

Number of employees: 90

Sector: Online gaming industry

Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

Tips to keep your car cool
  • Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
  • Park in shaded or covered areas
  • Add tint to windows
  • Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
  • Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
  • Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat