After almost seven months, the finish line of the Major League Baseball season is within sight.
For some teams, this is the start of something great; for others, it is a deadline coming all too soon.
Some divisions are all but done and dusted, but as many as four could go down to the wire. Here is a look at the play-off picture with two weeks of the regular season remaining:
American League East
This division is the Baltimore Orioles’ to lose. They are more than 10 games clear of the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees with 14 to play. It would take an epic collapse for Baltimore to miss the play-offs.
Their plans have been complicated by slugger Chris Davis being suspended for 25 games after testing positive for amphetamines, ruling him out of the rest of the regular season and at least one round of the play-offs.
American League Central
A week ago, it looked like the Detroit Tigers were gassed and the Kansas City Royals were on their way to the division title. Now, it looks like the Royals started their finishing kick too soon.
The Royals trail the Tigers by a half-game and have one three-game series in Kansas City to take control of the division. The problem for the Royals is that the Tigers have just as many games against the dregs of the division.
American League West
Even more settled than the AL East, the Los Angeles Angels have left the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners in the dust. Oakland have faded fast since trading away big hitter Yoenis Cespedes.
National League East
The Washington Nationals are cruising as the Atlanta Braves, their long-time nemeses, collapse down the stretch and trail by nine-and-a-half games. The Nationals are mashing the ball and pitching well. Their run differential of 115 is the best in the NL.
National League Central
The St Louis Cardinals have rounded into the form most expected of them this season. Shaking off months of indifferent form has coincided with the Milwaukee Brewers plummeting like a stone, while the Pittsburgh Pirates quietly threaten to return to the post-season. The Brewers have three-game series against the two teams ahead of them and must catch fire to make up the five-game gap.
National League West
The Los Angeles Dodgers are no longer the fun-loving, bubble-blowing juggernaut of the early summer. They are near-certainties for the play-offs, but how well they do there is now in question.
Meanwhile, the San Francisco Giants have revived their offence after months of struggle. They sit two games behind the Dodgers, but have all but secured at least a wild-card berth.
REVIEW Teams of the week
Los Angeles Angels – Taking the mantle of best team in baseball and running with it. Won six in a row to end August and have taken 10 of 12 in September.
Houston Astros – Looking revived since Bo Porter was fired as manager on September 1. Are they playing with no pressure, or was something seriously wrong?
Players of the week
Albert Pujols, LA Angels – Struck out four times on Thursday to earn his first career golden sombrero. At a time when nearly every batter strikes out consistently, going 14 years without a four-strikeout game is pretty impressive.
Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox – Eight shutout innings against Oakland lowered his earned-run average to a league-best 1.99. Could emerge as a sneaky alternative to Felix Hernandez for the American League Cy Young Award.
Duds of the week
Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles – With his team winning their division at a canter and on course for the AL Championship Series, slugger gets banned 25 games for amphetamine use. How stupid can you be?
Jeff Wilpon, New York Mets – Executive faces a lawsuit for allegedly harassing the head of marketing and ticket sales, a woman, before firing her last month. Anyone who can get people to buy tickets to Mets games deserves a medal, not unemployment.
PREVIEW
Series of the week
Seattle Mariners at LA Angels, today to Thursday – Mariners must at least split the series in Anaheim to stay in the running for the second AL wild card.
Milwaukee Brewers at St Louis Cardinals, Tuesday to Thursday – Despite their abysmal run of form, Brewers can still squeak into the play-offs, but they must act fast.
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Brief scores:
Everton 2
Walcott 21', Sigurdsson 51'
Tottenham 6
Son 27', 61', Alli 35', Kane 42', 74', Eriksen 48'
Man of the Match: Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur)
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
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.”
SPECS
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The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Haltia.ai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Arto%20Bendiken%20and%20Talal%20Thabet%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20AI%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2041%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20About%20%241.7%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self%2C%20family%20and%20friends%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
More from Armen Sarkissian
The%20specs%3A%20Taycan%20Turbo%20GT
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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.
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Empire of Enchantment: The Story of Indian Magic
John Zubrzycki, Hurst Publishers
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
Results:
CSIL 2-star 145cm One Round with Jump-Off
1. Alice Debany Clero (USA) on Amareusa S 38.83 seconds
2. Anikka Sande (NOR) For Cash 2 39.09
3. Georgia Tame (GBR) Cash Up 39.42
4. Nadia Taryam (UAE) Askaria 3 39.63
5. Miriam Schneider (GER) Fidelius G 47.74
