Germany
Germany midfielder Toni Kroos has no regrets about joining Real Madrid from Bayern Munich this summer.
Kroos, 24, left Bayern after rejecting their offer of a new contract beyond next summer, and he believes he made the right move. “I’ve done everything right. I’m 100 per cent satisfied,” he told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. “In a worldwide standing, Real Madrid are a small step ahead of Bayern Munich. If I just think about my presentation at the Bernabeu, there were 20,000 fans there, even though I had never played a single second for Real. Something like that is inconceivable in Germany. In Spain, the football fans are more emotional about the game.”
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World Cup
Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, the Fifa vice president, maintains that it is important to award World Cups to countries that have not hosted them before, despite the controversy surrounding the decision to stage the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which, along with the 2018 vote in Russia, is currently being investigated by Fifa over allegations of corruption. Prince Ali, who is also president of the Jordan Football Association, said: “It’s very important to take it to different parts of the world. I’m a firm believer in that, so let’s just hope that if it’s done in the right way and everything is satisfactory in order to kick off, then let’s go for it, whatever the decisions are that come up.”
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Algeria
A piece of slate thrown from the stands killed Cameroon striker Albert Ebosse during his Algerian club JS Kabylie’s match with USM Alger last month, the Algerian Sports Minister said yesterday. “The piece involved is identical to objects found outside the stadium – it is a serrated piece of slate,” said Mohamed Tahmi, who said that it had been discovered on a building site close to the stadium. Tahmi said that work was taking place at the time of the match on August 23 and there were plenty of loose stones, rocks and other objects that could be used as projectiles on the site. The death of Ebosse, 24, who was struck by the slate as he walked from the pitch after the game, has led to the suspension of all football competitions in the country and JS Kabylie cannot play a home game until the end of the investigation.
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Spain
David Silva is confident Spain are well-equipped for success as they begin their bid for a third successive European Championships title tonight with a home game against Macedonia in Group C of the qualification stages for Euro 2016. Xabi Alonso and David Villa have retired from international football since Spain exited the World Cup in the group stages, but Silva said: “Very important players have left, but those of us who are here are important and the newcomers are, too.”
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England
England striker Danny Welbeck plans to use today’s opening Euro 2016 Group E qualifier against Switzerland to prove he is the man to lead the attack for country, and new club Arsenal. Welbeck, who joined the London side from Manchester United for £16 million (Dh95.6m) on transfer deadline day, said: “Every time you get on the pitch, it is an opportunity to show what you can do. Monday is an opportunity. I’ve never had a constant run in the team at No 9, but I have faith in my ability. I prefer 9.”
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Results
Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent
Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent
Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
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BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
The Perfect Couple
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Creator: Jenna Lamia
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My Cat Yugoslavia by Pajtim Statovci
Pushkin Press
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.”
The%20Specs
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Teams
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 3
Danilo (16'), Bernardo Silva (34'), Fernandinho (72')
Brighton & Hove Albion 1
Ulloa (20')
The%C2%A0specs%20
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Company%20Profile
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