WTA Doha
The Qatar Ladies Open starts on Monday night with names like Venus Williams, Sam Stosur and Victoria Azarenka in action.
World No 17 Williams, coming off a third-round loss to Lucie Safarova in Dubai last week, meets Australia Casey Dellacqua on Monday evening.
Another Aussie, Stosur, faces world No 15 Safarova, while Azarenka gets the challenge of world No 11 Angelique Kerber.
The tournament features Petra Kvitova as its top seed and automatically qualifies the top four, including Dubai champion Simona Halep, Agnieszka Radwanska and Caroline Wozniacki, into the last 16.
Monday’s other first-round matches will include world No 16 Flavia Pennetta battling No 26 Svetlana Kuznetsova and No 22 Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova facing No 28 Sabine Lisicki.
ATP Rio de Janeiro
Spanish world No 9 David Ferrer stormed to the ATP Rio Open title on Sunday, battering Italian Fabio Fognini 6-2, 6-3 in a one-sided final.
Fognini, ranked 28 in the world, had edged out titleholder and clay king Rafael Nadal in his semi-final 24 hours earlier but had no answer to Ferrer as the second seed sped past him in 1hr 23min.
Ferrer added his second title of the season after Doha last month to keep the Rio crown in Spanish hands after Nadal’s success in the inaugural event last year.
“It’s been a very special week for me,” said Ferrer after taking his series with Fognini, the Australian Open doubles champion, to a perfect 8-0.
Ferrer and Nadal had joined Brazil’s now-retired former world No 1 Gustavo Kuerten at the Sambadrome during last week’s carnival festivities before getting down to the serious stuff of swapping their samba shoes for finding their claycourt rhythm in humid conditions.
“I promise next year I will learn how to dance samba,” Ferrer joked as he addressed the crowd at the Jockey Club in downtown Rio, bringing the curtain down on the $1.5 million (Dh5.5m) event.
For Fognini, there was the compensation at least of a first win over Nadal, making him feel as good as if he had actually won the title.
“Sorry David, nothing against you, but I beat the king of clay,” said Fognini.
Ferrer took the joke in good heart.
“You said you beat the king of clay but the king of clay is right here, it’s Guga Kuerten. Rafa still has time for such accolades,” said the new champion.
Ferrer was the more consistent as his booming serves put Fognini in difficulty and although the Italian attacked the net, he was quickly on the back foot.
In the fourth game of the opener, Fognini saved a pair of break points as he came back to deuce only to serve up two double faults.
A second break in the eighth game saw Ferrer land the opening set in 37 minutes.
The second brought no respite as the 32-year-old Spaniard underlined his dominance to net his 23rd ATP World Tour title in his 48th final.
Nadal will meanwhile head for Buenos Aires this week looking to push along preparations for a 10th Roland Garros crown in June.
Earlier, Italian top seed Sara Errani scored a 7-6 (7/2), 6-1 win in the women’s final over Slovakian sixth seed Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.
The win moves Errani up to the fringes of the top 10 – she will Monday rise from 16th to 12th in the new rankings.
“It is always special to play here – I love playing on clay,” said Errani.
“I’ll be back here I hope for the Olympics but it’s a pity they won’t be on clay,” said Errani, noting the Olympic tournament will be a hardcourt event falling shortly before the US Open.
ATP Buenos Aires
Local hopeful world No 29 Leonardo Mayer will kick off the Argentina Open on Monday against Frenchman Stephane Robert, while an all-Argentine matchup of Maximo Gonzalez and Juan Monaco will also help jumpstart the tournament.
Buenos Aires will feature Rafael Nadal, a semi-finalist in Rio, as the top seed as Fabio Fognini, the losing finalist to David Ferrer, heads south as well as the fourth seed.
Pablo Cuevas and Tommy Robredo round out the top four in Argentina.
ATP Delray Beach
Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic, never dropping a service game all week, defeated American Donald Young 6-3, 6-3 Sunday to win the Delray Beach Open, snapping a four-final losing streak.
Six days before his 36th birthday, Karlovic blasted 13 aces past the 25-year-old US left-hander to claim the top prize of $84,250 (Dh310,000) and his sixth career ATP crown.
Karlovic held all 55 of his service games this week, saving all 19 break points he faced – including seven from Young – to become the oldest Delray Beach champion since Jimmy Connors in 1989.
Karlovic, playing in his 13th career ATP final, took only 69 minutes to win just his second title in seven years and his first since the 2013 Colombia Open.
Fourth-seeded Karlovic, the ATP’s tallest player at 2.11m (6ft 11in), reached four finals last year but was beaten in the championship matches at Memphis, Dusseldorf, Newport and in trying to defend his Bogota title.
Karlovic, who lost the 2010 Delray final to Latvian Ernests Gulbis, fired 90 aces this week to break the tournament record he set five years ago.
Karlovic, ranked 29th, broke Young, ranked 56th, in the seventh and final games of the opening set to seize command of the match against a foe he had never before faced.
Young wasted three chances to break in the second game of the second set before squandering three break points in a row. Karlovic won his seventh game in a row for a 3-0 lead and held to the finish from there for the triumph.
Young’s only prior ATP final came in 2011 at Bangkok, where he lost to Britain’s Andy Murray.
ATP Acapulco
Qualifying concluded for the Mexican Open men’s tournament late Sunday, with Ryan Harrison, Australian teen Thanasi Kokkinakis, Alejandro Gonzalez and Austin Krajicek entering the draw.
Gonzalez gets tasked with the toughest first-round test, meeting top seed Kei Nishikori.
The tournament begins late on Monday with fifth seed Alexandr Dolgopolov, facing Sam Groth, fourth seed Kevin Anderson, facing Dustin Brown and seventh seed Santiago Giraldo, facing Krajicek, all in action.
Kokkinakis will also play on Monday against Serb Dusan Lajovic.
WTA Acapulco
The WTA Mexican Open will begin on Tuesday with top seed Maria Sharapova set to met American Shelby Rogers.
World No 45 Daniela Hantuchova, coming off a victory earlier this month in the Thailand Open, will battle closely-ranked No 50 Magdalena Rybarikova on the tournament’s first day.
Rio winner Sara Errani and Caroline Garcia feature as the tournament’s second and third seeds.
ATP Marseille
Gilles Simon won the Marseille Open title for the second time on Sunday by beating fellow Frenchman Gael Monfils in three sets in the final.
Fifth seed Simon, who previously won the title in 2007, beat seventh seed Monfils 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a final that lasted two-and-a-half hours.
It was a 12th career title for the 30-year-old, who recently reached the semi-finals in Rotterdam.
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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.”
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
RESULTS
Men
1 Marius Kipserem (KEN) 2:04:04
2 Abraham Kiptum (KEN) 2:04:16
3 Dejene Debela Gonfra (ETH) 2:07:06
4 Thomas Rono (KEN) 2:07:12
5 Stanley Biwott (KEN) 2:09:18
Women
1 Ababel Yeshaneh (ETH) 2:20:16
2 Eunice Chumba (BRN) 2:20:54
3 Gelete Burka (ETH) 2:24:07
4 Chaltu Tafa (ETH) 2:25:09
5 Caroline Kilel (KEN) 2:29:14
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
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
Naga
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EMeshal%20Al%20Jaser%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EAdwa%20Bader%2C%20Yazeed%20Almajyul%2C%20Khalid%20Bin%20Shaddad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying or online bullying could take many forms such as sending unkind or rude messages to someone, socially isolating people from groups, sharing embarrassing pictures of them, or spreading rumors about them.
Cyberbullying can take place on various platforms such as messages, on social media, on group chats, or games.
Parents should watch out for behavioural changes in their children.
When children are being bullied they they may be feel embarrassed and isolated, so parents should watch out for signs of signs of depression and anxiety
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
AIDA%20RETURNS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECarol%20Mansour%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAida%20Abboud%2C%20Carol%20Mansour%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5.%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE BIG THREE
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
19 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 5 (2011, 14, 15, 18, 19)
French Open: 2 (2016, 21)
US Open: 3 (2011, 15, 18)
Australian Open: 9 (2008, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21)
Prize money: $150m
ROGER FEDERER
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 8 (2003, 04, 05, 06, 07, 09, 12, 17)
French Open: 1 (2009)
US Open: 5 (2004, 05, 06, 07, 08)
Australian Open: 6 (2004, 06, 07, 10, 17, 18)
Prize money: $130m
RAFAEL NADAL
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 2 (2008, 10)
French Open: 13 (2005, 06, 07, 08, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20)
US Open: 4 (2010, 13, 17, 19)
Australian Open: 1 (2009)
Prize money: $125m
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier
UAE results
Beat China by 16 runs
Lost to Thailand by 10 wickets
Beat Nepal by five runs
Beat Hong Kong by eight wickets
Beat Malaysia by 34 runs
Standings (P, W, l, NR, points)
1. Thailand 5 4 0 1 9
2. UAE 5 4 1 0 8
3. Nepal 5 2 1 2 6
4. Hong Kong 5 2 2 1 5
5. Malaysia 5 1 4 0 2
6. China 5 0 5 0 0
Final
Thailand v UAE, Monday, 7am
Australia tour of Pakistan
March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi
March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore
March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi
March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi
April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi
April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi
Shipping%20and%20banking%20
%3Cp%3EThe%20sixth%20sanctions%20package%20will%20also%20see%20European%20insurers%20banned%20from%20covering%20Russian%20shipping%2C%20more%20individuals%20added%20to%20the%20EU's%20sanctions%20list%20and%20Russia's%20Sberbank%20cut%20off%20from%20international%20payments%20system%20Swift.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Law%2041.9.4%20of%20men%E2%80%99s%20T20I%20playing%20conditions
%3Cp%3EThe%20fielding%20side%20shall%20be%20ready%20to%20start%20each%20over%20within%2060%20seconds%20of%20the%20previous%20over%20being%20completed.%0D%3Cbr%3EAn%20electronic%20clock%20will%20be%20displayed%20at%20the%20ground%20that%20counts%20down%20seconds%20from%2060%20to%20zero.%0D%3Cbr%3EThe%20clock%20is%20not%20required%20or%2C%20if%20already%20started%2C%20can%20be%20cancelled%20if%3A%0D%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%09A%20new%20batter%20comes%20to%20the%20wicket%20between%20overs.%0D%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%09An%20official%20drinks%20interval%20has%20been%20called.%0D%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%09The%20umpires%20have%20approved%20the%20on%20field%20treatment%20of%20an%20injury%20to%20a%20batter%20or%20fielder.%0D%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%09The%20time%20lost%20is%20for%20any%20circumstances%20beyond%20the%20control%20of%20the%20fielding%20side.%0D%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%09The%20third%20umpire%20starts%20the%20clock%20either%20when%20the%20ball%20has%20become%20dead%20at%20the%20end%20of%20the%20previous%20over%2C%20or%20a%20review%20has%20been%20completed.%0D%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%09The%20team%20gets%20two%20warnings%20if%20they%20are%20not%20ready%20to%20start%20overs%20after%20the%20clock%20reaches%20zero.%0D%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%A2%09On%20the%20third%20and%20any%20subsequent%20occasion%20in%20an%20innings%2C%20the%20bowler%E2%80%99s%20end%20umpire%20awards%20five%20runs.%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Racecard
5pm: Al Maha Stables – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m
6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m
6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m
7pm: The President’s Cup – Group 1 (PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m
7.30pm: The President’s Cup – Listed (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Asia%20Cup%202022
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Kerb weight: 1580kg
Price: From Dh750k
On sale: via special order
The view from The National
Scorebox
Dubai Sports City Eagles 7 Bahrain 88
Eagles
Try: Penalty
Bahrain
Tries: Gibson 2, Morete 2, Bishop 2, Bell 2, Behan, Fameitau, Sanson, Roberts, Bennett, Radley
Cons: Radley 4, Whittingham 5
India cancels school-leaving examinations
Company%20Profile
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