The latest WWE network special No Mercy, which took place on Sunday, is in the books and completed. Here are some talking points on what we learnt from the event and what to watch for in the coming weeks of WWE programming.
Reigns set for Intercontinental title
With Brock Lesnar still the WWE Universal champion after No Mercy, and not set to be on WWE programming anytime soon, the question is what next for Roman Reigns?
Reigns should be set for a title shot after beating John Cena, but that match appears to be clearly being held back until WrestleMania 34 next April in New Orleans.
So, six months is a lot of time to fill for Reigns, who is clearly the WWE's No 1 guy, even if he is not holding the title.
The fact he is appearing on Miz TV on Monday with Intercontinental champion the Miz is a clear pointer in where Reigns is heading.
He has never held the Intercontinental title, and a feud with Miz could carry him over until December at least if booked right.
Miz has done a cracking job as champion and as one of the best heels in the WWE will make for a good foil for Reigns.
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With Lesnar off TV, the Intercontinental title is the biggest belt on Raw, so it does make sense for Reigns to target it, especially if he is antagonised by Miz on Raw.
That would likely be the main event at TLC on October 22 and Reigns will almost certainly win the match there to become champion.
The only concern is that he and the WWE must treat the belt with more importance then when he won the United States title off Rusev this time last year.
Reigns barely defended it and it was treated as an afterthought and it was a relief when Chris Jericho pinned him in January to get it away from him.
Now, if Reigns is an active Intercontinental champion, duelling with Miz and the rest of the top of the card, until WrestleMania season kicks in early in 2018 then this could be good.
It also sets up the possibility of a Shield reunion with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins at Survivor Series if they wanted a 3x3 tag match with the Miz and his Miztourage of Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas.
Overall, it will raise the importance of the belt, keep Reigns busy, and add to a good narrative of him being ready to finally beat Lesnar in a singles match at WrestleMania.
It is a good story. A fourth world title reign coming after a year in which he beat the Undertaker and John Cena, and also won the Intercontinental title. It just needs to be booked correctly. Over to you WWE.
Strowman damaged
The WWE had a chance to do something new and give Braun Strowman his first world title reign.
He had been booked like the proverbial monster since WrestleMania, and was white hot going into his match with Lesnar at No Mercy.
A win would have kept that momentum going and would have given WWE the chance to see just how hard they could push him.
It would have also ensured the Universal title was on TV screens every week, rather than sporadically with Lesnar.
But, instead the WWE went with tried and tested and had Lesnar pin Strowman to retain.
The manner of the loss was particularly concerning. Yes, Strowman manhandled Lesnar a bit, but once he had been put in the kimura lock hold on his arm he was visibly struggling, and one F-5 was enough to put him down for the three count.
There were ways of Lesnar retaining without weakening Strowman and this was definitely not it.
The monster element to Strowman's character will take some rebuilding after this, and it was dispiriting that it was at the hands of a part-timer.
WWE needs new stars, and they have a lot of work to do now with Strowman, who like a lot of the Raw locker room is now facing a number of months staring at a glass ceiling with no world title to go after, with Lesnar reportedly not due to work again until January.
Best of the rest
Finn Balor's feud-ending win over Bray Wyatt should set him up for a good end to 2017. He looks right now the most likely man to face Lesnar at the Royal Rumble in January, unless WWE goes down the route of a rematch with Strowman.
Expect a strong performance at Survivor Series in November from the Demon to keep his momentum up.
With options limited as singles performers right now, expect Ambrose and Rollins to stay in the tag division as champions for the forseeable future.
It was the right call for Alexa Bliss to remain champion in the Raw Women's division after she retained following her 5-way match with Sasha Banks, Nia Jax, Bayley and Emma.
With Asuka debuting at TLC, it will be interesting to see if the woman who dominated the NXT women's division goes straight for the title, or whether she goes through someone else, like maybe Emma to start with.
Mickie James, Bayley and Sasha Banks are also other possible opponents she could face, and beat, before challenging for the gold.
It is vital she is kept unbeaten, as she was in NXT, so it may be best to have her build up to a title shot by going through the roster, and have her take the title from Bliss or Jax at Survivor Series.
The Intruder
Director: Deon Taylor
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy, Meagan Good
One star
Match info:
Portugal 1
Ronaldo (4')
Morocco 0
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.”
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
MATCH INFO
Red Star Belgrade v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight (Thursday), UAE
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
Liz%20Truss
%3Cp%3EMinisterial%20experience%3A%20Current%20Foreign%20Secretary.%0D%3Cbr%3E%0DWhat%20did%20she%20do%20before%20politics%3F%20Worked%20as%20an%20economist%20for%20Shell%20and%20Cable%20and%20Wireless%20and%20was%20then%20a%20deputy%20director%20for%20right-of-centre%20think%20tank%20Reform.%0D%3Cbr%3E%0DWhat%20does%20she%20say%20on%20tax%3F%20She%20has%20pledged%20to%20%22start%20cutting%20taxes%20from%20day%20one%22%2C%20reversing%20April's%20rise%20in%20National%20Insurance%20and%20promising%20to%20keep%20%22corporation%20tax%20competitive%22.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
RESULT
Al Hilal 4 Persepolis 0
Khribin (31', 54', 89'), Al Shahrani 40'
Red card: Otayf (Al Hilal, 49')
How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Key fixtures from January 5-7
Watford v Bristol City
Liverpool v Everton
Brighton v Crystal Palace
Bournemouth v AFC Fylde or Wigan
Coventry v Stoke City
Nottingham Forest v Arsenal
Manchester United v Derby
Forest Green or Exeter v West Brom
Tottenham v AFC Wimbledon
Fleetwood or Hereford v Leicester City
Manchester City v Burnley
Shrewsbury v West Ham United
Wolves v Swansea City
Newcastle United v Luton Town
Fulham v Southampton
Norwich City v Chelsea
Indoor Cricket World Cup
Venue Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE squad Saqib Nazir (captain), Aaqib Malik, Fahad Al Hashmi, Isuru Umesh, Nadir Hussain, Sachin Talwar, Nashwan Nasir, Prashath Kumara, Ramveer Rai, Sameer Nayyak, Umar Shah, Vikrant Shetty
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The biog
Prefers vegetables and fish to meat and would choose salad over pizza
Walks daily as part of regular exercise routine
France is her favourite country to visit
Has written books and manuals on women’s education, first aid and health for the family
Family: Husband, three sons and a daughter
Fathiya Nadhari's instructions to her children was to give back to the country
The children worked as young volunteers in social, education and health campaigns
Her motto is to never stop working for the country
Pieces of Her
Stars: Toni Collette, Bella Heathcote, David Wenham, Omari Hardwick
Director: Minkie Spiro
Rating:2/5
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
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