Below, a guide to the Table Tennis Asian Cup taking place in Dubai, a key continental warm-up event ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics that will feature some of the leading stars of the sport.
What
2016 Table Tennis Asian Cup in Dubai
The tournament, an annual singles championship organised by the Asian Table Tennis Union, both figures into qualifying for the annual men’s and women’s World Cup (October 1-3 men’s in Saarbrucken, Germany; October 7-9 women’s in TBD) and the final major event for Asia ahead of the 2016 Olympics. It also comes on the heels of the April 13-17 Asian Olympic Qualification tournament in Hong Kong.
When
April 28-30. The draw to be held April 27.
*Match schedule to be released at a later date
Where
Dubai World Trade Centre’s Zabeel Hall
Tickets
Admission is free
• Read more: Ahmed Rizvi – 2016 Table Tennis Asian Cup to serve up ranking points ahead of Olympics qualification
Who
Some of the world’s top ranked table tennis stars will be on hand. The confirmed players so far include:
*with notable results from Olympics; biennial Table Tennis World Championships; annual World Cup and Asian Cup
Men
Zhang Jike, China (world No 4) – Gold-medal winner at 2012 London Olympics; gold 2011, 2014 Table Tennis World Cup; semi-finals 2015 World Championships; silver 2010 Table Tennis World Cup; gold 2010 Asian Cup; bronze 2009 Asian Cup; silver 2011 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals; T-3rd 2009, 2015 ITTF Grand Finals
Xu Xin, China (No 3) – Gold-medal winner at 2013 Table Tennis World Cup; semi-finals 2013 World Championships; last-16 2015 World Championships; gold 2012, 2013 and 2015 Asian Cup; silver 2011 Asian Cup; bronze 2010 Asian Cup; gold 2012, 2013 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals; silver 2009 Grand Finals; T-3rd 2015 Grand Finals
Chuang Chih-yuan, Chinese Taipei (No 7) – Bronze-medal winner at 2013 Asian Cup; 4th at 2012 London Olympics; last-32 2008 Beijing Olympics; last-16 2013 World Championships; first round 2015 World Championships; gold 2002 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals; T-3rd 2012 Grand Finals
Jun Mizutani, Japan (No 6) – Bronze-medal winner at 2007, 2014 and 2015 Asian Cup; last-16 at 2012 London Olympics; last-32 2008 Beijing Olympics; quarter-finals 2015 World Championships; first round 2013 World Championships; gold 2010, 2014 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals
Gao Ning, Singapore (No 25) – Last-16 at 2012 London Olympics; last-32 2008 Beijing Olympics; last-16 2013, 2015 World Championships; T-3rd 2011 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals
Nima Alamian, Iran (No 119) – Third round at 2012 London Olympics; last-32 2013 World Championships; first round 2015 World Championships
Tang Peng, Hong Kong (No 17) – Second round at 2012 London Olympics; quarter-finals 2015 World Championships; last-32 2013 World Championships; T-3rd 2014 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals
Soumyajit Ghosh, India (No 83) – Second round at 2012 London Olympics; second round 2015 World Championships; first round 2013 World Championships
Wong Chun Ting, Hong Kong (No 11) – Last-16 2015 World Championships
Koki Niwa, Japan (No 12) – Last-16 2013, 2015 World Championships
Jung Young-sik, South Korea (No 14) – Last-32 2015 World Championships; second round 2013 World Championships
Lee Sang-su, South Korea (No 18) – Last-16 2015 World Championships; second round 2013 World Championships
Abdulla Al Balooshi, UAE – National No 1
Women
Liu Shiwen, China (world No 1) – Gold-medal winner at 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015 Table Tennis World Cup; gold 2013 World Championships; silver 2013, 2015 World Championships; gold 2010, 2012, 2013 Asian Cup; silver 2009, 2015 Asian Cup; gold 2011, 2012, 2013 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals
Feng Tianwei, Singapore (No 6) – Bronze-medal winner at 2012 London Olympics; quarter-finals 2008 Beijing Olympics; bronze 2008, 2013 Table Tennis World Cup; quarter-finals 2013, 2015 World Championships; gold 2015 Asian Cup; silver 2008 Asian Cup; bronze 2010 Asian Cup; gold 2010 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals; T-3rd 2008, 2009, 2012 Grand Finals
Jiang Huajun, Hong Kong (No 31) – Last-16 at 2012 London Olympics; Last-16 2013, 2015 World Championships
Tie Yana, Hong Kong (No 24) – Quarter-finals at 2008 Beijing Olymipcs; Last-32 2015 World Championships; T-3rd 2005 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals
Zhu Yuling, China (No 3) – Bronze-medal winner at 2015 Asian Cup; semi-finals 2013 World Championships; quarter-finals 2015 World Championships; T-3rd 2015 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals
Mima Ito, Japan (No 9) – Quarter-finals 2015 World Championships
Seo Hyo-won, South Korea (No 12) – Last-16 2013 World Championships; second round 2015 World Championships; silver 2014 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals
Yang Hae-un, South Korea (No 14) – last-16 2015 World Championships; last-32 2013 World Championships
Cheng I-ching, Chinese Taipei (No 16) – Last-16 2015 World Championships; second round 2013 World Championships
Yu Mengyu, Singapore (No 28) – Last-16 2015 World Championships; second round 2013 World Championships; T-3rd 2014 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals
Miu Hirano, Japan (No 19) – Last-32 2013, 2015 World Championships
Chen Szu-yu, Chinese Taipei (No 36) – Last-32 2015 World Championships; second round 2013 World Championships
Noura Al Maazmi, UAE – National No 1
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RESULT
Los Angeles Galaxy 2 Manchester United 5
Galaxy: Dos Santos (79', 88')
United: Rashford (2', 20'), Fellaini (26'), Mkhitaryan (67'), Martial (72')
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The biog
Family: Parents and four sisters
Education: Bachelor’s degree in business management and marketing at American University of Sharjah
A self-confessed foodie, she enjoys trying out new cuisines, her current favourite is the poke superfood bowls
Likes reading: autobiographies and fiction
Favourite holiday destination: Italy
Posts information about challenges, events, runs in other emirates on the group's Instagram account @Anagowrunning
Has created a database of Emirati and GCC sportspeople on Instagram @abeermk, highlight: Athletes
Apart from training, also talks to women about nutrition, healthy lifestyle, diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure
SQUADS
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (capt), Azhar Ali, Shan Masood, Sami Aslam, Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Usman Salahuddin, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Asghar, Bilal Asif, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas, Wahab Riaz
Sri Lanka: Dinesh Chandimal (capt), Lahiru Thirimanne (vice-capt), Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Roshen Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Rangana Herath, Lakshan Sandakan, Dilruwan Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Gamage
Umpires: Ian Gould (ENG) and Nigel Llong (ENG)
TV umpire: Richard Kettleborough (ENG)
ICC match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)
Company Profile
Company name: Hoopla
Date started: March 2023
Founder: Jacqueline Perrottet
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Investment required: $500,000
How Tesla’s price correction has hit fund managers
Investing in disruptive technology can be a bumpy ride, as investors in Tesla were reminded on Friday, when its stock dropped 7.5 per cent in early trading to $575.
It recovered slightly but still ended the week 15 per cent lower and is down a third from its all-time high of $883 on January 26. The electric car maker’s market cap fell from $834 billion to about $567bn in that time, a drop of an astonishing $267bn, and a blow for those who bought Tesla stock late.
The collapse also hit fund managers that have gone big on Tesla, notably the UK-based Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust and Cathie Wood’s ARK Innovation ETF.
Tesla is the top holding in both funds, making up a hefty 10 per cent of total assets under management. Both funds have fallen by a quarter in the past month.
Matt Weller, global head of market research at GAIN Capital, recently warned that Tesla founder Elon Musk had “flown a bit too close to the sun”, after getting carried away by investing $1.5bn of the company’s money in Bitcoin.
He also predicted Tesla’s sales could struggle as traditional auto manufacturers ramp up electric car production, destroying its first mover advantage.
AJ Bell’s Russ Mould warns that many investors buy tech stocks when earnings forecasts are rising, almost regardless of valuation. “When it works, it really works. But when it goes wrong, elevated valuations leave little or no downside protection.”
A Tesla correction was probably baked in after last year’s astonishing share price surge, and many investors will see this as an opportunity to load up at a reduced price.
Dramatic swings are to be expected when investing in disruptive technology, as Ms Wood at ARK makes clear.
Every week, she sends subscribers a commentary listing “stocks in our strategies that have appreciated or dropped more than 15 per cent in a day” during the week.
Her latest commentary, issued on Friday, showed seven stocks displaying extreme volatility, led by ExOne, a leader in binder jetting 3D printing technology. It jumped 24 per cent, boosted by news that fellow 3D printing specialist Stratasys had beaten fourth-quarter revenues and earnings expectations, seen as good news for the sector.
By contrast, computational drug and material discovery company Schrödinger fell 27 per cent after quarterly and full-year results showed its core software sales and drug development pipeline slowing.
Despite that setback, Ms Wood remains positive, arguing that its “medicinal chemistry platform offers a powerful and unique view into chemical space”.
In her weekly video view, she remains bullish, stating that: “We are on the right side of change, and disruptive innovation is going to deliver exponential growth trajectories for many of our companies, in fact, most of them.”
Ms Wood remains committed to Tesla as she expects global electric car sales to compound at an average annual rate of 82 per cent for the next five years.
She said these are so “enormous that some people find them unbelievable”, and argues that this scepticism, especially among institutional investors, “festers” and creates a great opportunity for ARK.
Only you can decide whether you are a believer or a festering sceptic. If it’s the former, then buckle up.
How to help
Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.
Account name: Dar Al Ber Society
Account Number: 11 530 734
IBAN: AE 9805 000 000 000 11 530 734
Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae
How to help
Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.
Account name: Dar Al Ber Society
Account Number: 11 530 734
IBAN: AE 9805 000 000 000 11 530 734
Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae
Oppenheimer
Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr, Florence Pugh, Matt Damon
Rating: 5/5
The years Ramadan fell in May
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tips from the expert
Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
- Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
- It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
- Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
- Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
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Score
Third Test, Day 2
New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)
Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Family reunited
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.+
She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.
She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.
The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.
She was held in her native country a year later.+
The Crown season 5
Stars: Imelda Staunton, Jonathan Pryce, Lesley Manville, Jonny Lee Miller, Dominic West, Elizabeth Debicki, Salim Daw and Khalid Abdalla
Written by: Peter Morgan
Rating: 4/5 stars
Third Test
Result: India won by 203 runs
Series: England lead five-match series 2-1
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Klipit
Started: 2022
Founders: Venkat Reddy, Mohammed Al Bulooki, Bilal Merchant, Asif Ahmed, Ovais Merchant
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Digital receipts, finance, blockchain
Funding: $4 million
Investors: Privately/self-funded
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Law 41.9.4 of men’s T20I playing conditions
The fielding side shall be ready to start each over within 60 seconds of the previous over being completed.
An electronic clock will be displayed at the ground that counts down seconds from 60 to zero.
The clock is not required or, if already started, can be cancelled if:
• A new batter comes to the wicket between overs.
• An official drinks interval has been called.
• The umpires have approved the on field treatment of an injury to a batter or fielder.
• The time lost is for any circumstances beyond the control of the fielding side.
• The third umpire starts the clock either when the ball has become dead at the end of the previous over, or a review has been completed.
• The team gets two warnings if they are not ready to start overs after the clock reaches zero.
• On the third and any subsequent occasion in an innings, the bowler’s end umpire awards five runs.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
'THE WORST THING YOU CAN EAT'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v tba
