Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, right, is struggling with a calf injury. AP
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, right, is struggling with a calf injury. AP
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, right, is struggling with a calf injury. AP
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, right, is struggling with a calf injury. AP

USA basketball star Durant 'going to be OK' for Olympics says coach Kerr in Abu Dhabi


Reem Abulleil
  • English
  • Arabic

USA men's basketball team head coach Steve Kerr has downplayed Kevin Durant's calf injury that has kept the three-time Olympic gold medallist from training with the group ahead of the Paris Games.

Team USA touched down in Abu Dhabi on Friday ahead of two scheduled exhibition games against Australia (July 15) and Serbia (July 17) as they step up their preparations for the Olympics.

Durant, who suffered a calf strain two weeks ago, was present at Saturday's session at the NYU Abu Dhabi campus but once again did not join his teammates in practice.

Kerr remains unconcerned, though, and says they have not discussed any contingency plans to replace the Phoenix Suns forward on the roster.

"He won't practise with the team today, he'll continue to do individual work," Kerr told reporters in the UAE capital on Saturday.

"I know there's still a couple of weeks before we have to make a decision roster-wise, so we're just taking it day by day.

USA basketball practice at NYU Abu Dhabi

  • LeBron James in action during the USA basketball team's practice session at NYU Abu Dhabi on Saturday, July 13, 2024, ahead of their games against Australia and Serbia in the UAE capital in the build-up to the Olympic Games in Paris. All photos: USA Basketball
    LeBron James in action during the USA basketball team's practice session at NYU Abu Dhabi on Saturday, July 13, 2024, ahead of their games against Australia and Serbia in the UAE capital in the build-up to the Olympic Games in Paris. All photos: USA Basketball
  • USA basketball team head coach Steve Kerr, second from left, at NYU Abu Dhabi.
    USA basketball team head coach Steve Kerr, second from left, at NYU Abu Dhabi.
  • Steph Curry during practice at NYU Abu Dhabi.
    Steph Curry during practice at NYU Abu Dhabi.
  • LeBron James and Joel Embiid during practice.
    LeBron James and Joel Embiid during practice.
  • Devin Booker in action.
    Devin Booker in action.
  • Bam Adebayo practises.
    Bam Adebayo practises.
  • USA basketball team practice at NYU Abu Dhabi.
    USA basketball team practice at NYU Abu Dhabi.
  • Shooting practice.
    Shooting practice.
  • Devin Booker in action.
    Devin Booker in action.
  • Steph Curry passes the ball.
    Steph Curry passes the ball.
  • The USA basketball team during practice.
    The USA basketball team during practice.
  • Anthony Davis at practice.
    Anthony Davis at practice.
  • The USA basketball team at NYU Abu Dhabi.
    The USA basketball team at NYU Abu Dhabi.
  • Tyrese Haliburton, right, and Anthony Davis.
    Tyrese Haliburton, right, and Anthony Davis.
  • USA basketball team during practice.
    USA basketball team during practice.
  • Jayson Tatum.
    Jayson Tatum.

"It's not something we've even discussed at this point," Kerr said when asked about a back-up plan. "Because we feel good that he's going to be okay, it's just day to day."

USA Basketball have put together a "super-team" for these upcoming Olympic Games that includes LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Durant, Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, and recently crowned NBA champions Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday of the Boston Celtics.

But they have already had to make a replacement in the squad, bringing in a third Celtic, in Derrick White, to take the spot of Kawhi Leonard, who left training camp last Wednesday in Las Vegas.

The Americans are playing five friendly games in the build-up to Paris, the first of which saw them defeat Canada 86-72 on Wednesday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Joel Embiid, the 2023 NBA MVP, fouled out midway through the third quarter but Kerr is certain the Philadelphia 76ers centre will be up for the task of guarding all the bigs they come up against at the Olympics.

"Joel will be fine. He's going to get into the rhythm and the flow," he assured. "It always takes big guys a little bit longer to get into flow in training."

James is playing under Kerr for the first time in his career and described the Golden State Warriors coach as a "true leader and true student of the game".

Chasing a third Olympic gold medal and fourth overall, James, 39, is the oldest player on the roster.

Donning a USA jersey for the first time in 12 years, James is keen to share his experience with the younger players on the team, especially knowing that this will be his final Games.

"It's always a responsibility that you should hold with honour and being able to give back to the younger generation because they have to keep going when we're done," said James.

"So it's definitely a responsibility for myself, KD, and Steph to be able to just show them the ropes."

Boasting their most decorated and star-studded squad since the fabled 1992 "Dream Team", USA are gunning for a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal and 17th title at the Games overall.

After completing their exhibition games schedule in Abu Dhabi and London, the Americans will kick off their Olympics title defence against their Group C rivals Serbia in Lille on July 28 before facing South Sudan on July 31 and Puerto Rico on August 3.

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The specs: Rolls-Royce Cullinan

Price, base: Dh1 million (estimate)

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 563hp @ 5,000rpm

Torque: 850Nm @ 1,600rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 15L / 100km

The specs: Aston Martin DB11 V8 vs Ferrari GTC4Lusso T

Price, base: Dh840,000; Dh120,000

Engine: 4.0L V8 twin-turbo; 3.9L V8 turbo

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic; seven-speed automatic

Power: 509hp @ 6,000rpm; 601hp @ 7,500rpm

Torque: 695Nm @ 2,000rpm; 760Nm @ 3,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 9.9L / 100km; 11.6L / 100km

THE%C2%A0SPECS
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption. 

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks. 

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes. 

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion. 

8. Pillar 2 implementation 

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations. 

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity. 

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

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v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, header, from Trippier corner)

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One Free-Kick

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Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning. 

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Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.

The hotels

Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.

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Manchester United 1 (Fernandes pen 2') Tottenham Hotspur 6 (Ndombele 4', Son 7' & 37' Kane (30' & pen 79, Aurier 51')

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Rating: 1/5

The story in numbers

18

This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens

450,000

More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps

1.5 million

There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m

73

The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association

18,000

The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme

77,400

The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study

4,926

This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee

The biog

Name: Salem Alkarbi

Age: 32

Favourite Al Wasl player: Alexandre Oliveira

First started supporting Al Wasl: 7

Biggest rival: Al Nasr

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What is the FNC?

The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning. 
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval. 
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
 

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How Voiss turns words to speech

The device has a screen reader or software that monitors what happens on the screen

The screen reader sends the text to the speech synthesiser

This converts to audio whatever it receives from screen reader, so the person can hear what is happening on the screen

A VOISS computer costs between $200 and $250 depending on memory card capacity that ranges from 32GB to 128GB

The speech synthesisers VOISS develops are free

Subsequent computer versions will include improvements such as wireless keyboards

Arabic voice in affordable talking computer to be added next year to English, Portuguese, and Spanish synthesiser

Partnerships planned during Expo 2020 Dubai to add more languages

At least 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment or blindness

More than 90 per cent live in developing countries

The Long-term aim of VOISS to reach the technology to people in poor countries with workshops that teach them to build their own device

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

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Uefa Nations League

League A, Group 4
Spain v England, 10.45pm (UAE)

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHakbah%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENaif%20AbuSaida%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESaudi%20Arabia%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E22%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24200%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Epre-Series%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGlobal%20Ventures%20and%20Aditum%20Investment%20Management%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Updated: July 13, 2024, 6:21 PM