Salem Al Dawsari paid tribute to Saudi Arabia’s leadership, Al Hilal and his family after he was named the Asian Football Confederation's Player of the Year on Tuesday night.
The Hilal winger, who scored Saudi Arabia’s winner in their shock 2-1 victory against Argentina at last year’s World Cup, was named the best male footballer on the continent at the awards ceremony in Doha.
Al Dawsari became the sixth player from the kingdom to capture the prize, and the fifth from Hilal. He pipped to the award Qatar striker Almoez Ali and Australia forward Mathew Leckie.
Speaking after collecting the trophy, Al Dawsari said: “I am very happy with this achievement, and I would like to thank the leadership in Saudi Arabia for their keen interest in athletes and support for sport.
“I also want to thank the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, Al Hilal, the Saudi national team as well as the fans. Of course, I am grateful to my parents and wife, who is my No 1 supporter.”
Al Dawsari, 32, enjoyed a fine past couple of seasons – the award covered all achievements from January 2022 to May 2023 – helping Hilal clinch both the 2021/22 Saudi Pro League and the 2022/23 King’s Cup.
Last season, he played a crucial run in the Riyadh club’s run to the finals of the Asian Champions League and the Fifa Club World Cup. Hilal, who eventually lost to Real Madrid, entered the record books as the first Saudi club to reach the showpiece.
Also on Tuesday, Australia forward Sam Kerr was named the continent’s Asian Women’s Player of the Year. Runner-up in Monday’s women’s Ballon d’Or, the Chelsea star became the third female to lift the award more than once following her other success in 2017.
Kerr, 30, became her country’s all-time top scorer – men or women – during last year’s Women’s Asian Cup, while she was instrumental for Chelsea last season, scoring 30 goals to fire the London club to a league and FA Cup double.
Kerr was in the running for this year’s award with China's Zhang Linyang and Japan’s Saki Kumagai.
Unable to attend the ceremony since she is on international duty with Australia, Kerr said via video: “I just want to say what an honour it is to win this award, especially up against some amazing finalists.
"It has been an amazing year for me and my team, and I just want to thank all my teammates, my coaches, my family and friends. Thank you very much again.”
Meanwhile, Japan national team manager Hajime Moriyasu picked up the trophy for best men's coach after leading his side to memorable wins against Germany and Spain at the 2022 World Cup. In doing so, Japan reached the last 16 in Qatar.
In the equivalent women’s category, Shui Qingxia was recognised for guiding China to the Women's Asian Cup early last year - the country's first continental title since 2006.
Elsewhere, South Korea and Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae claimed the International Player of the Year award after his starring role in Napoli’s long-awaited Serie A title success last season.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
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Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
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What is Diwali?
The Hindu festival is at once a celebration of the autumn harvest and the triumph of good over evil, as outlined in the Ramayana.
According to the Sanskrit epic, penned by the sage Valmiki, Diwali marks the time that the exiled king Rama – a mortal with superhuman powers – returned home to the city of Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after vanquishing the 10-headed demon Ravana and conquering his kingdom of Lanka. The people of Ayodhya are believed to have lit thousands of earthen lamps to illuminate the city and to guide the royal family home.
In its current iteration, Diwali is celebrated with a puja to welcome the goodness of prosperity Lakshmi (an incarnation of Sita) into the home, which is decorated with diyas (oil lamps) or fairy lights and rangoli designs with coloured powder. Fireworks light up the sky in some parts of the word, and sweetmeats are made (or bought) by most households. It is customary to get new clothes stitched, and visit friends and family to exchange gifts and greetings.
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows
Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.
Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.
The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.
After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.
The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.
The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.
But the development of 732 villas and a shopping centre - which began in 2014 - is now in limbo as Sarot Group has sought bankruptcy protection.
It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.
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