Ahead of another weekend of football, we pick the five best must-see matches from around the world. All kick-off times UAE. Be sure to click through the arrows to get to the next match, or simply swipe if using a mobile device.
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CHELSEA v SUNDERLAND — BeIN Sports HD, Saturday (kick-off 7pm)
A relegation battle six-pointer, as the cliche goes? Well, not quite but to even suggest it seems almost unbelievable. The only problem for Chelsea is that it is very believable, which is one of the reasons why they sacked manager Jose Mourinho yesterday. Mourinho, who oversaw his team’s slump to 16th in the Premier League, blamed everything on his players. Defeat to Sunderland would a third successive loss and a 10th overall. Second-bottom Sunderland are also in dire straits, although the arrival of Sam Allardyce as provided a touch of stability to the team. In other words, despite their lowly league position, this will not be easy for Chelsea.
CLUB WORLD CUP FINAL - BeIN Sports HD 12, Sunday (kick-off 2.30pm)
The Fifa Club World Cup pits the champions of the six continental confederations against each other. Understandably, Europe’s representative Barcelona are overwhelming favourites to lift the trophy when they take on River Plate. The Argentines are a quality side and, if Barcelona are again without Lionel Messi, who missed yesterday’s semi-final win over Guangzhou Evergrande with illness, and Neymar then the final at International Stadium Yokohama in Japan will be very tough. In 2009 in Abu Dhabi, against another side from Argentina, Estudiantes, they trailed 1-0 with a minute left before eventually winning the trophy in extra time. Despite Barca’s strength, The National columnist Diego Forlan explains why River Plate can spring a surprise on their illustrious opponents given how much the Club World Cup means to South American clubs.
REAL MADRID v RAYO VALLECANO - BeIN Sports HD, Sunday (kick-off 7pm)
Not exactly a stellar tie in terms of the opponents squaring off, but given recent results, the Madrid faithful will accept nothing less than a heavy win against struggling Vallecano. Having lost three of their last five Primera Liga matches, Madrid are five points adrift of city rivals Atletico and fierce rivals Barcelona in the league table, and the pressure is cranking up on Rafa Benitez just 15 league games into his reign. If Cristiano Ronaldo and Co respond in the way they are capable of, this could be a thumping win. If there is some way 18th-placed Vallecano can claim something from this game, expect Real Madrid’s blip to upgrade to ‘crisis’ mode.
INTER MILAN v LAZIO - BeIN Sports HD, Sunday (11.45pm)
As Chelsea can attest, what a difference a few months can make. Last season, Lazio were pipped to second in Serie A by Roma while Inter Milan’s tough season resulted in an eighth-place finish. Fast-forward six months and Inter top the table by four points, while Lazio languish in 12th. The return of Roberto Mancini to the San Siro in November 2014 - 10 years after a first spell in charge that yielded three successive scudettos - is working wonders. Despite their struggles this season, Lazio will provide a stern test to Inter as the Milan club look to end Juventus’ four-year domination of Serie A.
ARSENAL v MANCHESTER CITY - BeIn Sports 11 HD, Monday (midnight)
A huge encounter between two teams tussling at the top end of the Premier League table. Heading into the match, second-placed Arsenal lead third-placed City by a single point, and recent form certainly favours the home team. Arsene Wenger’s side have won seven of their last 10 matches, losing once to West Brom and drawing against Norwich, while City’s form is patchy at best. Of their last 10 games, City have won five, losing three and drawing twice. As ever for Manuel Pellegrini’s side, the availability of captain Vincent Kompany and star striker Sergio Aguero could decide the outcome. For Arsenal, they could be without their own key men in Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla, although the mesmeric form of playmaker Mesut Ozil and a steady stream of goals from Olivier Giroud means the London club are well-positioned to extend their lead over their Premier League rivals.
MATCH RESULT
Liverpool 4 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Liverpool: Salah (26'), Lovren (40'), Solanke (53'), Robertson (85')
Company Profile
Founder: Omar Onsi
Launched: 2018
Employees: 35
Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)
Investors: B&Y, Phoenician Funds, M1 Group, Shorooq Partners
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
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In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
Credit Score explained
What is a credit score?
In the UAE your credit score is a number generated by the Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB), which represents your credit worthiness – in other words, your risk of defaulting on any debt repayments. In this country, the number is between 300 and 900. A low score indicates a higher risk of default, while a high score indicates you are a lower risk.
Why is it important?
Financial institutions will use it to decide whether or not you are a credit risk. Those with better scores may also receive preferential interest rates or terms on products such as loans, credit cards and mortgages.
How is it calculated?
The AECB collects information on your payment behaviour from banks as well as utilitiy and telecoms providers.
How can I improve my score?
By paying your bills on time and not missing any repayments, particularly your loan, credit card and mortgage payments. It is also wise to limit the number of credit card and loan applications you make and to reduce your outstanding balances.
How do I know if my score is low or high?
By checking it. Visit one of AECB’s Customer Happiness Centres with an original and valid Emirates ID, passport copy and valid email address. Liv. customers can also access the score directly from the banking app.
How much does it cost?
A credit report costs Dh100 while a report with the score included costs Dh150. Those only wanting the credit score pay Dh60. VAT is payable on top.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 6 (McTominay 2', 3'; Fernandes 20', 70' pen; Lindelof 37'; James 65')
Leeds United 2 (Cooper 41'; Dallas 73')
Man of the match: Scott McTominay (Manchester United)
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Levante v Real Mallorca (12am)
Leganes v Barcelona (4pm)
Real Betis v Valencia (7pm)
Granada v Atletico Madrid (9.30pm)
Sunday
Real Madrid v Real Sociedad (12am)
Espanyol v Getafe (3pm)
Osasuna v Athletic Bilbao (5pm)
Eibar v Alaves (7pm)
Villarreal v Celta Vigo (9.30pm)
Monday
Real Valladolid v Sevilla (12am)
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
The%20specs
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House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
