Benfica (Portugal)
How they qualified: Seventh-best team in Uefa four-year coefficient rankings.
Manager: Bruno Lage. Portuguese is in his second spell in charge having returned to Benfica following stints in England and Brazil. Won the Primeira Liga in his first season with Benfica (2018/19), then the League Cup in January after beating Sporting Club on penalties in the final.
Star player: Kerem Akturkoglu. Turkish left-winger has just enjoyed a sparkling first season in Portugal, scoring 18 goals and assisting a further 16 across competitions. Was a two-time title winner and Super Lig player of the season at previous club Galatasaray. Has notched 11 times in 30 appearances for his country – including a hat-trick against Iceland last September.
One to watch: Vangelis Pavlidis. Greece striker's 19 goals last season was only bettered by Viktor Gyokeres' 39 for Sporting in the Primeira Liga scoring charts. Joined Benfica last summer, following a prolific spell at Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, and ended his first campaign with 29 goals and 12 assists.
Domestic season record: Finished second in Primeira Liga, two points behind champions Sporting Club.
Fixtures:
- June 17 (2am kick-off UAE): Boca Juniors at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami.
- June 20 (8pm KO) Auckland City at Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando.
- June 24 (11pm KO) Bayern Munich at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte.
Auckland City (New Zealand)
How they qualified: Best OFC Champions League winner of the four-year ranking period.
Manager: Paul Posa. Previous manager Albert Riera had been a huge success but stepped aside with the club saying he was focusing on pursuing coaching qualifications and spending time with his family. Rosa was appointed in January for his second spell in charge, but the club have announced that he will not be with squad in US for the first two weeks of June “due to personal circumstances”. Posa was juggling coaching amateur side Auckland with working four days a week at his dentistry practice, according to New Zealand website Stuff.
Star player: Angus Kilkolly. New Zealand striker will be playing in his fifth Club World Cup; once with Team Wellington and the rest with Auckland whom he joined in 2020. “We're going there a little bit naive and going there for dreams and a bit of a hope that we can come back with our own special story,” said the 29-year-old.
One to watch: Myer Bevan. Home-grown striker, 28, arrives in US in good form having scored both goals in April's OFC Champions League final win over Hekari United – Auckland's fourth consecutive title and record-extending 13th crown overall.
Domestic season record: Currently second in the National League – North, one point behind leaders Birkenhead United.
Fixtures:
- June 15 (8pm kick-off UAE) Bayern Munich at TQL Cincinnati.
- June 20 (8pm KO) Benfica at Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando.
- June 24 (11pm KO) Boca Juniors at Geodis Park, Nashville.
Boca Juniors (Argentina)
How they qualified: Second-best team in the Conmebol four-year rankings.
Manager: Miguel Angel Russo. Appointed for third spell in charge just weeks before the tournament, replacing Fernando Gago. The 69-year-old won the 2007 Libertadores title in his first spell, followed by the 2019/20 Argentine Primera Division and 2020 Copa de la Liga Profesional in his second.
Star player: Miguel Merentiel. Uruguayan striker – nicknamed 'The Beast' – has 42 goals and 15 assists in 120 games for Boca. The 29-year-old made his international debut against Venezuela in 2024.
One to watch: Kevin Zenon. Versatile Argentine wingback has been linked with moves to Europe with the likes of Inter Milan, Newcastle United and Porto all reported to have taken an interest. The 23-year-old has goals and seven assists in 65 games for Boca.
Domestic season record: Finished first tournament of Argentine Primera Division season (Torneo Apertura) second in Group A, level on points with leaders Argentinos Juniors but behind on goal difference. Knocked out in quarter-finals 1-0 by Independiente. The second tournament (Torneo Clausura) begins on July 17.
Fixtures:
- June 17 (2am kick-off UAE): Benfica at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami.
- June 21 (5pm KO) Bayern Munich at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami.
- June 24 (11pm KO) Auckland City at Geodis Park, Nashville.
Bayern Munich (Germany)
How they qualified: Best team in the Uefa four-year coefficient rankings.
Manager: Vincent Kompany. Former Manchester City captain has just secured the Bundesliga title in his first season in charge of the Bavarian giants. Previously led English side Burnley to the Premier League via the Championship play-offs.
Star player: Harry Kane. England captain has been a relentless goal machine since moving to Germany in 2023, winning the Bundesliga top-scorer crown in successive seasons and has notched 82 times in 91 Bayern appearances – including 62 in 63 Bundesliga matches.
One to watch: Michael Olise. Exciting French winger has just enjoyed a superb first season at Bayern after moving from English side Crystal Palace last summer, scoring 17 goals and providing 21 assists across competitions. The 23-year-old's 15 Bundesliga assists was also the best in the German top flight.
Domestic season record: Finished as Bundesliga champions, finishing 13 points clear of Bayer Leverkusen.
Fixtures:
- June 15 (8pm kick-off UAE) Auckland City at TQL Cincinnati.
- June 21 (5pm KO) Boca Juniors at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami.
- June 24 (11pm KO) Benfica at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte.
Read more:
Group A guide: Al Ahly, Porto, Palmerias, Inter Miami
Group B guide: Atletico Madrid, Seattle Sounders, Botafogo, PSG
Group C guide: Benfica, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Bayern Munich
Group D guide: Flamengo, Esperance, Chelsea, Los Angeles FC
Group E guide: River Plate, Urawa Red Diamonds, Monterrey, Inter Milan
Group F guide: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan HD, Mamelodi Sundowns
Group G guide: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus
Group H guide: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, RB Salzburg
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
If you go…
Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.
Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days.
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Greenwood 77')
Everton 1 (Lindelof 36' og)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Australia men's Test cricket fixtures 2021/22
One-off Test v Afghanistan:
Nov 27-Dec 1: Blundstone Arena, Hobart
The Ashes v England:
Dec 8-12: 1st Test, Gabba, Brisbane
Dec 16-20: 2nd Test, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide (day/night)
Dec 26-30: 3rd Test, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Jan 5-9, 2022: 4th Test, Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Jan 14-18: 5th Test, Optus Stadium, Perth
GULF MEN'S LEAGUE
Pool A Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Exiles, Dubai Tigers 2
Pool B Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jebel Ali Dragons, Dubai Knights Eagles, Dubai Tigers
Opening fixtures
Thursday, December 5
6.40pm, Pitch 8, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Knights Eagles
7pm, Pitch 2, Jebel Ali Dragons v Dubai Tigers
7pm, Pitch 4, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Exiles
7pm, Pitch 5, Bahrain v Dubai Eagles 2
Recent winners
2018 Dubai Hurricanes
2017 Dubai Exiles
2016 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2015 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2014 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Continental champions
Best Asian Player: Massaki Todokoro (Japan)
Best European Player: Adam Wardzinski (Poland)
Best North & Central American Player: DJ Jackson (United States)
Best African Player: Walter Dos Santos (Angola)
Best Oceanian Player: Lee Ting (Australia)
Best South American Player: Gabriel De Sousa (Brazil)
Best Asian Federation: Saudi Jiu-Jitsu Federation
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Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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The Way It Was: My Life with Frank Sinatra by Eliot Weisman and Jennifer Valoppi
Hachette Books
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
The major Hashd factions linked to Iran:
Badr Organisation: Seen as the most militarily capable faction in the Hashd. Iraqi Shiite exiles opposed to Saddam Hussein set up the group in Tehran in the early 1980s as the Badr Corps under the supervision of the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The militia exalts Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei but intermittently cooperated with the US military.
Saraya Al Salam (Peace Brigade): Comprised of former members of the officially defunct Mahdi Army, a militia that was commanded by Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr and fought US and Iraqi government and other forces between 2004 and 2008. As part of a political overhaul aimed as casting Mr Al Sadr as a more nationalist and less sectarian figure, the cleric formed Saraya Al Salam in 2014. The group’s relations with Iran has been volatile.
Kataeb Hezbollah: The group, which is fighting on behalf of the Bashar Al Assad government in Syria, traces its origins to attacks on US forces in Iraq in 2004 and adopts a tough stance against Washington, calling the United States “the enemy of humanity”.
Asaeb Ahl Al Haq: An offshoot of the Mahdi Army active in Syria. Asaeb Ahl Al Haq’s leader Qais al Khazali was a student of Mr Al Moqtada’s late father Mohammed Sadeq Al Sadr, a prominent Shiite cleric who was killed during Saddam Hussein’s rule.
Harakat Hezbollah Al Nujaba: Formed in 2013 to fight alongside Mr Al Assad’s loyalists in Syria before joining the Hashd. The group is seen as among the most ideological and sectarian-driven Hashd militias in Syria and is the major recruiter of foreign fighters to Syria.
Saraya Al Khorasani: The ICRG formed Saraya Al Khorasani in the mid-1990s and the group is seen as the most ideologically attached to Iran among Tehran’s satellites in Iraq.
(Source: The Wilson Centre, the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation)
Read more about the coronavirus
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
