The medal tallies are starting to soar as we reach the half-way point of the Paralympic programme. Here are the Mena para-athletes to watch out for on Monday.
Archery
Yumenoshima Ranking Field
Iran’s Farzaneh Asgari and Mohammedreza Zandi have made it through to the 1/8 elimination round of their respective competitions, Asgari in the women’s individual compound, Zandi in the men’s individual W1.
Athletics
Olympic Stadium
Emirati wheelchair sprinters Mohamed Al Hammadi and Ahmed Nawad will both be racing in the final of the 100m T34 class sprint. Tunisia’s Walid Ktila will be the favourite to pick up his third successive Paralympic gold.
Paralympic champion and record-holding wheelchair sprinter Ahmad AlMutairi of Kuwait is a firm medal favourite in the final of the men’s 100m T33 class.
Amir Khosravani of Iran will be leaping in the men’s long jump final T12 class. His all-time best is definitely within range of a medal position.
Tunisia’s Mohamad Chida and Ali Al-Rikabi of Iraq will be racing for their place in the final of the men’s 400m T38 class.
Boccia
Ariake Gymnastics Centre
If Nadav Levi of Israel beats Watcharaphon Vongsa of Thailand, he will top his pool, going into the final game.
Football 5-a-side
Aomi Urban Sport Park
Morocco’s men face Thailand today in their second group game.
Goalball
Makuhari Messe Hall
Egypt’s women take on Brazil today. Both teams will be hoping for their first win in the group stages.
Powerlifting
Tokyo International Forum
Once again a strong Mena contingent in the powerlifting, this time in the heaviest weight categories for both men and women.
Saman Razi of Iran just missed out on the podium five years ago in Rio, coming in 4th. He will be aiming for the podium, as will Abbas Naisan of Iraq in the men’s -107kg competition.
Jordan’s Tharwh AlHajaj and Egypt’s Amany Ali both won medals in Rio. Both could well get on to the podium in the women’s -86kg, however all eyes are likely to be on Nigeria’s Folashade Oluwafemiayo who broke the world record in this event in March. Look out too for Iraq’s Hanan Al Majidi making her first Paralympic appearance.
Randa Mahmoud’s Paralympic career for Egypt has been impressive, winning silver in Beijing in the -75kg class, silver in the -82.5kg in London and gold in the women’s -86kg in Rio. For the fourth successive games she has moved up weight classes and now will be wanting to add a +86kg medal to her collection. Egypt’s Huda Ali and Israel’s Polina Katsman are worth keeping an eye on too.
Half the field of the men’s +107kg class is packed with heavy-hitting rivalries from the Mena region. Expect some explosive competition between Jemil Eshebli of Jordan and Amr Mosaad of Egypt who placed third and second in Rio respectively, Mosaad taking the silver by 1kg. There will also be a battle between Mansour Pourmirzaei from Iran and Faris Al-Ageeli of Iraq, the former pipping the latter for the 2019 world championship silver by just 1kg as well.
Shooting
Asaka Shooting Range
The UAE’s Abdulla Sultan Al Aryani and Ayesha Al Mehairi get their Paralympic campaigns underway today in the 10m Air Rifle Standing competitions.
Al Aryani picked up silver in the mixed competition in Rio and will be undoubtedly shooting for gold in Tokyo in the men’s SH1, whereas this is the first Paralympic outing for Al Mehairi, looking to make her mark in the SH2 class.
Roghayeh Shojaei of Iran will also be competing in the women’s SH1 class.
Sitting Volleyball
Makuhari Messe Hall
Iran’s men will want to capitalise on the momentum from their first win when they take on Rio’s fourth place finishers Brazil, also off the back of a big win in the preliminary pool.
Swimming
Tokyo Aquatics Centre
Israel’s Mark Malyar’s campaign has opened up with a blast, bagging gold in the 200m Individual medley and 400m freestyle in the SM7 class, and he doesn’t look like slowing. On Monday he will look to continue his haul in the 100m backstroke and 400m freestyle.
Compatriot Ami Dadaon will want to add to his silver medal, as he takes to the pool in the men’s 200m freestyle in the S4 class along with Ariel Malyar, Mark’s twin.
Veronika Guirenko will also be racing for a place in the final of the women’s 100m freestyle s3 class.
Wheelchair Basketball
Various venues
Algeria’s men face the USA at the Ariake Arena.
The specs: 2019 Mini Cooper
Price, base: Dh141,740 (three-door) / Dh165,900 (five-door)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder (Cooper) / 2.0-litre four-cylinder (Cooper S)
Power: 136hp @ 4,500rpm (Cooper) / 192hp @ 5,000rpm (Cooper S)
Torque: 220Nm @ 1,480rpm (Cooper) / 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (Cooper S)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 4.8L to 5.4L / 100km
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.”
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German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Manchester City, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match is on BeIN Sports
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Youth YouTuber Programme
The programme will be presented over two weeks and will cover the following topics:
- Learning, scripting, storytelling and basic shots
- Master on-camera presence and advanced script writing
- Beating the algorithm and reaching your core audience
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Results
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,200m; Winner: Major Cinnamon, Fernando Jara, Mujeeb Rahman
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,900m; Winner: Al Mureib, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Remorse, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
8.15pm: Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Meshakel, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Desert Peace, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m; Winner: Sharamm, Ryan Curatlo, Satish Seemar
Bio
Born in Dubai in 1994
Her father is a retired Emirati police officer and her mother is originally from Kuwait
She Graduated from the American University of Sharjah in 2015 and is currently working on her Masters in Communication from the University of Sharjah.
Her favourite film is Pacific Rim, directed by Guillermo del Toro
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
