• Axar Patel celebrates after claiming the wicket of England captain Joe Root during India's 317-run victory in the second Test in Chennai on February 16. All images courtesy of Sportzpics for BCCI
    Axar Patel celebrates after claiming the wicket of England captain Joe Root during India's 317-run victory in the second Test in Chennai on February 16. All images courtesy of Sportzpics for BCCI
  • Ishant Sharma of India bowling during Day 4 of the second Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
    Ishant Sharma of India bowling during Day 4 of the second Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
  • England's Ben Stokes plays a shot in Chennai.
    England's Ben Stokes plays a shot in Chennai.
  • India's Kuldeep Yadav celebrates the wicket of Ben Foakes for two.
    India's Kuldeep Yadav celebrates the wicket of Ben Foakes for two.
  • England captain Joe Root scored 33 from 92 balls in the second innings.
    England captain Joe Root scored 33 from 92 balls in the second innings.
  • India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and Virat Kohli celebrate taking the wicket of England all-rounder Ben Stokes.
    India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and Virat Kohli celebrate taking the wicket of England all-rounder Ben Stokes.
  • England batsman Dan Lawrence is stumped by Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant for 26.
    England batsman Dan Lawrence is stumped by Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant for 26.
  • Ravichandran Ashwin celebrates the wicket of Dan Lawrence with India teammates.
    Ravichandran Ashwin celebrates the wicket of Dan Lawrence with India teammates.
  • Ben Stokes of England plays a shot. The all-rounder managed just eight runs in the second innings.
    Ben Stokes of England plays a shot. The all-rounder managed just eight runs in the second innings.
  • England's Joe Root plays a shot.
    England's Joe Root plays a shot.
  • Moeen Ali top-scored for England after smashing 43 runs off 18 balls, including three fours and five sixes.
    Moeen Ali top-scored for England after smashing 43 runs off 18 balls, including three fours and five sixes.
  • Ben Stokes of England plays a shot.
    Ben Stokes of England plays a shot.
  • England's Ben Foakes takes a single during Day 4.
    England's Ben Foakes takes a single during Day 4.

Virat Kohli insists India not worried by pink-ball threat ahead of third Test against England


  • English
  • Arabic

India captain Virat Kohli insisted his side are unfazed by the possibility of extra assistance for England's seamers with the pink ball in the third Test at Ahmedabad.

The tourists have been encouraged by what they have seen in net practice for the day-night affair at the newly-rebuilt Motera Stadium at Ahmedabad.

While any seam-friendly conditions would be expected to give England a boost after they failed their trial by spin in Chennai last week as India levelled the four-match series, Kohli is contented by the options he has available.

In Jasprit Bumrah, India have one of the world's best pacemen while Ishant Sharma, who is set to make his 100th Test appearance on Wednesday, took nine wickets in the only previous day-night contest to be held in the country.

On that occasion in Kolkata, in November 2019, all of India's wickets against Bangladesh were taken by fast-bowlers, but even if the tourists get their wish, Kohli is not concerned.

"We're not really bothered about what the strengths and weaknesses of the English team are," Kohli said. "We have beaten them on their home as well where the ball does way more and bowled them out every time.

"There are many, many weaknesses in the opposition side as well if you are keen to exploit them. If the seamer-friendly track is for them it's for us as well.

"And we probably have, among other teams the best bowling attack in the world so we're not really bothered by what the ball might bring differently to the table. We're ready for anything that comes out of it."

Both teams have had painful experiences of pink-ball cricket. India were bowled out for 36 by Australia in Adelaide in December and New Zealand skittled England in Auckland for 58 in 2018.

____________________________________________________________________

Gallery: England clinch victory in first Test

  • England seamer James Anderson after bowling Ajinkya Rahane of India during Day 5 of the first Test in Chennai on February 9. England would go on to win the Test by 227 runs. All pics courtesy of Sportzpics / BCCI
    England seamer James Anderson after bowling Ajinkya Rahane of India during Day 5 of the first Test in Chennai on February 9. England would go on to win the Test by 227 runs. All pics courtesy of Sportzpics / BCCI
  • England spinner Jack Leach celebrates taking the wicket of Ravichandran Ashwin at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
    England spinner Jack Leach celebrates taking the wicket of Ravichandran Ashwin at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
  • Seamer James Anderson rattles the stumps of Shubman Gill.
    Seamer James Anderson rattles the stumps of Shubman Gill.
  • England seamer James Anderson celebrates the wicket of Rishabh Pant.
    England seamer James Anderson celebrates the wicket of Rishabh Pant.
  • Virat Kohli, right, top-scored for India with 72 on Day 5.
    Virat Kohli, right, top-scored for India with 72 on Day 5.
  • Virat Kohli congratulates England captain Joe Root after the match.
    Virat Kohli congratulates England captain Joe Root after the match.
  • England celebrates the wicket of Shahbaz Nadeem.
    England celebrates the wicket of Shahbaz Nadeem.
  • England celebrate victory in Chennai.
    England celebrate victory in Chennai.
  • Ravichandran Ashwin batting in Chennai.
    Ravichandran Ashwin batting in Chennai.
  • Jack Leach, left, picked up four wickets on Day 5.
    Jack Leach, left, picked up four wickets on Day 5.
  • England after completing a 227-run win.
    England after completing a 227-run win.

____________________________________________________________________

"Both are bizarre experiences for two quality sides," Kohli said. "Barring that 45 minutes of bad cricket [in Adelaide] we dominated the Test match. We are very confident in how we play the pink ball."

Root agreed that batsmen need to careful – and not just in the evening when the lights come on the ball can start swinging.

"I think there's been a trend in all the pink-ball Test matches of collapses on occasion," Root said. "It seems to be a trend and it's something as a batting group you need to make sure you stop.

"It's sometimes been right at the start of the game, you know the morning session, late on in Day 4, that this strange sort of passages of play has happened."

The Ahmedabad stadium has a capacity of 110,000 people and authorities have allowed 55,000 tickets to go on sale each day.

Each side has had a convincing win in the first two Tests. England won the first by 227 runs, while India claimed the second by 317 runs. Both need a win to keep alive their hopes of reaching the World Test Championship final.

%3Cp%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenationalnews.com%2Fbusiness%2Feconomy%2Fislamic-economy-consumer-spending-to-increase-45-to-3-2tn-by-2024-1.936583%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3EGlobal%20Islamic%20economy%20to%20grow%203.1%25%20to%20touch%20%242.4%20trillion%20by%202024%3C%2Fa%3E%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenationalnews.com%2Fbusiness%2Feconomy%2Fuk-economy-plunges-into-worst-ever-recession-after-record-20-4-contraction-1.1062560%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3EUK%20economy%20plunges%20into%20worst-ever%20recession%20after%20record%2020.4%25%20contraction%3C%2Fa%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenationalnews.com%2Fbusiness%2Feconomy%2Fislamic-economy-consumer-spending-to-increase-45-to-3-2tn-by-2024-1.936583%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3EIslamic%20economy%20consumer%20spending%20to%20increase%2045%25%20to%20%243.2tn%20by%202024%3C%2Fa%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

Top%2010%20most%20competitive%20economies
%3Cp%3E1.%20Singapore%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Switzerland%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20Denmark%0D%3Cbr%3E4.%20Ireland%0D%3Cbr%3E5.%20Hong%20Kong%0D%3Cbr%3E6.%20Sweden%0D%3Cbr%3E7.%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E8.%20Taiwan%0D%3Cbr%3E9.%20Netherlands%0D%3Cbr%3E10.%20Norway%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Rocketman

Director: Dexter Fletcher

Starring: Taron Egerton, Richard Madden, Jamie Bell

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars 

Classification of skills

A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation. 

A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.

The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000. 

Five personal finance podcasts from The National

 

To help you get started, tune into these Pocketful of Dirham episodes 

·

Balance is essential to happiness, health and wealth 

·

What is a portfolio stress test? 

·

What are NFTs and why are auction houses interested? 

·

How gamers are getting rich by earning cryptocurrencies 

·

Should you buy or rent a home in the UAE?  

The specs

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Transmission: seven-speed auto

Power: 420 bhp

Torque: 624Nm

Price: from Dh293,200

On sale: now

The specs

Price, base: Dh228,000 / Dh232,000 (est)
Engine: 5.7-litre Hemi V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 552Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.5L / 100km

The%C2%A0specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4.4-litre%2C%20twin-turbo%20V8%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eeight-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E617hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E750Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh630%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

GOLF’S RAHMBO

- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)

How to apply for a drone permit
  • Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
  • Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
  • Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
  • Submit their request
What are the regulations?
  • Fly it within visual line of sight
  • Never over populated areas
  • Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
  • Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
  • Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
  • Should have a live feed of the drone flight
  • Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Roll of honour

Who has won what so far in the West Asia Premiership season?

Western Clubs Champions League - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Bahrain

Dubai Rugby Sevens - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons

West Asia Premiership - Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins

UAE Premiership Cup - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Dubai Exiles

West Asia Cup - Winners: Bahrain; Runners up: Dubai Exiles

West Asia Trophy - Winners: Dubai Hurricanes; Runners up: DSC Eagles

Final West Asia Premiership standings - 1. Jebel Ali Dragons; 2. Abu Dhabi Harlequins; 3. Bahrain; 4. Dubai Exiles; 5. Dubai Hurricanes; 6. DSC Eagles; 7. Abu Dhabi Saracens

Fixture (UAE Premiership final) - Friday, April 13, Al Ain – Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins

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.”

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20Znap%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarted%3A%202017%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EFounder%3A%20Uday%20Rathod%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIndustry%3A%20FinTech%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EFunding%20size%3A%20%241m%2B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EInvestors%3A%20Family%2C%20friends%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood

Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.

 

 

Copa del Rey

Semi-final, first leg

Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
Real Madrid (Vazquez 6')

Second leg, February 27

Juvenile arthritis

Along with doctors, families and teachers can help pick up cases of arthritis in children.
Most types of childhood arthritis are known as juvenile idiopathic arthritis. JIA causes pain and inflammation in one or more joints for at least six weeks.
Dr Betina Rogalski said "The younger the child the more difficult it into pick up the symptoms. If the child is small, it may just be a bit grumpy or pull its leg a way or not feel like walking,” she said.
According to The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases in US, the most common symptoms of juvenile arthritis are joint swelling, pain, and stiffness that doesn’t go away. Usually it affects the knees, hands, and feet, and it’s worse in the morning or after a nap.
Limping in the morning because of a stiff knee, excessive clumsiness, having a high fever and skin rash are other symptoms. Children may also have swelling in lymph nodes in the neck and other parts of the body.
Arthritis in children can cause eye inflammation and growth problems and can cause bones and joints to grow unevenly.
In the UK, about 15,000 children and young people are affected by arthritis.

ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
%3Cp%3ECreator%3A%20Tima%20Shomali%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0Tara%20Abboud%2C%C2%A0Kira%20Yaghnam%2C%20Tara%20Atalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

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