Javier Mendez knew he was witnessing something special almost from the moment he saw him.
“The very first day he came into my gym. He destroyed everybody. He just smashed everybody,” the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) founder says, recounting the day, back in San Jose in 2012, when Khabib Nurmagomedov walked through his door.
“He didn't really understand any English whatsoever. The funniest thing is that people would ask, ‘How good is Khabib?’ I'd go, ‘Man, that guy's unbelievable. I just wish he'd listen. Because every time I tell him relax, relax, the guy goes crazy on me’.
“Well, later he comes back and goes, ‘Coach, I don't understand. I thought that meant go harder. So I used to go harder’."
Not that Nurmagomedov was particularly equipped for that - literally. At one point, some time in the early days, a fellow student brought to Mendez’s attention that Nurmagomedov didn’t wear a mouthpiece. The coach insisted always upon the use of protective gear, so the Russian resolved to add it. The same went for headgear.
“He didn't used to wear headgear, so I said, ‘You're a professional; you’ve got to wear this’. I gave him an Everlast one. Now he won't get rid of it. He won’t spar with anything but that.
“That’s going to retire with him. And I believe I’m probably correct when I say that headgear's worth a couple million dollars. But he won't sell it.”
At AKA, everyone bought into Nurmagomedov from the outset. Daniel Cormier remembers seeing him on that first day, impressed immediately by his desire for self-improvement. Like Mendez, he knew right away he was watching an extraordinary talent.
“He was just a really nice kid, by himself, that was there to learn,” Cormier says. “He was a sponge. He didn’t speak much English, but you could always tell he was processing and trying to understand and get better, and he had work to do.
“Now he has it so completely locked in and well trained that it makes him one of the best fighters in the world. He doesn’t take shortcuts. He is 100 per cent committed to everything he does.”
That much was evident from the early sparring sessions at AKA. Nurmagomedov was already a fighter of some repute – he had amassed an 18-0 run through the professional ranks - but he was intent on soaking up the knowledge and the cage know-how passed down from the likes of Cormier, Luke Rockhold and Cain Velasquez. All three became UFC champions; Cormier at two different weights.
Even as the new kid on the block, Nurmagomedov held his own. It has sustained until now, as the still-undefeated Dagestani, 28-0, gets set to defend his lightweight crown against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in Abu Dhabi.
“He’s never lost a sparring session,” Mendez says. “Never been choked out. He came close a couple of times. One of my guys, Kyle Crutchmer, who is a Division-One wrestler, almost had him choked.
“I was running to get my camera, thinking, ‘Man, I got to film this’, but he got out. I couldn't believe it. And Kyle was so upset.
“People don’t really understand when I tell him I’ve never seen him lose a sparring session. Everybody loses sparring sessions. Not him. You might win a round or so. I've had that happen, but they don't win the session. Either he'll tap them out later, or he'll dominate them to the point where he's a winner. That's unbelievable.
“That's why I always say, ‘If you can't stop the ground game, you're not beating this man’. I don't care who you are. You're done.”
And so it has proved. Through his UFC career; through the 12 fights and the 10 since he first stepped foot in AKA; through the challenges presented by Rafael dos Anjos, Michael Johnson, Edson Barboza, Al Iaquinta, Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.
Ranked: Khabib's top fights
To this point, Nurmagomedov has surrendered a solitary round in the promotion: the third against McGregor in their ill-tempered clash in October 2018. Even then, Mendez says Nurmagomedov went toe-to-toe with the Irishman simply to prove his stand-up, much underrated, could rival the best.
Cormier attended that night at the T-Mobile Arena with his son, unable to sit down, screaming and yelling throughout as Nurmagomedov railed against the notoriously contentious build-up to submit the Notorious in the fourth round. It exists still as the biggest bout in UFC history.
The event, though, was marred by a post-fight brawl, incited when Nurmagomedov scaled the cage and crashed down in the middle of McGregor’s team. Both camps became embroiled in the melee, with two of Nurmagomedov’s group, fellow fighters Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Zubaira Tukhugov, later suspended for a year. Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, was banned for nine months and fined $500,000.
For Cormier, Nurmagomedov’s reaction to his teammates’ punishment says everything about him.
“There’s a story out there about Khabib that the whole world has, and we need to focus on that,” he says. “Because it truly identifies who he is. I believe it’s in the bad is how you measure a man.
"When Zubaira and all these guys who got suspended and fined, they were acting in Khabib’s defence. They just wanted to protect their brother.
“After, he paid all their fines. And he sat on the sideline for as long they would sit on the sideline. They all got into that issue together, which was a bad situation. But he sat it out with them even when he didn’t need to. That pretty much exemplifies who he is. He’s that person to everybody who’s important to him.”
Speak to Cormier, or Mendez, or manager Ali Abdelaziz, and they all describe Nurmagomedov in the same way: fiercely loyal, unwaveringly protective, but with a kindness to everyone around him. He is a devout Muslim.
“Khabib is such a beautiful person,” Mendez says. “The things he does for all his guys; it's unbelievable how he takes care of all the fighters on his team, his family. You'll never meet another person that's as generous as him with his family. And he looks for jobs for them. He puts them on the payroll.
“He's never just about himself. For me, when you look at a Muslim man, the definition of what they stand for, look at Khabib. And it’s real."
Cormier sees that inherent good, as well.
“He’s a loyal guy,” he says. “He loves his family, very devout in his religion. All the boxes that you’d want checked in a person you want to be a friend with. He’s just one of those guys that you can look up to.
“Our relationship hasn’t changed. He came into AKA kind of like the little brother, man. Like the little brother that we all just loved: our little Russian brother. It’s the same now. I appreciate him. He’s a real good guy.”
That likeability extends to the top of the UFC.
“He’s a really nice kid,” Dana White, the promotion’s president, says. “I’ve never had a problem with Khabib. Ever. There’s never been any type of situation, business-wise or any of that. He’s just always been a real good guy and easy to deal with.”
It helps, of course, when you’ve grown into one of the UFC's most marketable athletes. Nurmagomedov has more than 23 million followers across Instagram and Twitter, while his net worth is estimated to fall somewhere in the vastly broad range between $30m and $100m.
Not that fame and fortune necessarily sits easy.
“When he blew up and became a huge superstar it was hard on him at first,” White recalls. “He couldn’t go anywhere, he couldn’t do anything.
“Even in the States, when he would show up in San Jose, there’d be so many people waiting outside the gym for him that it would take him 35-40 minutes just to get inside.
“Everybody thinks being famous is awesome, but it can be a huge pain in the ass too. Especially when you’re trying to live your life and do the things you like to do.”
Mendez has seen first-hand the clamour, both in San Jose and in Nurmagomedov’s native Dagestan. The former kickboxing champion has travelled there on numerous occasions, each time observing more the celebrity that has attached itself to the home hope made great.
“It's tough in Dagestan because he's so famous,” Mendez says. “Let's put it this way: I'm very famous there. If I walk down the street, I'm getting flagged down. People will stop their cars, come up, and take a photo with me. That's how popular I am, because of him.
“So imagine him. He's the national hero of all Russia, and then Dagestan, he's their beloved everything. He can't go anywhere.
“I talked to him, asked him how he deals with it, and he says it's hard. Khabib just likes having his people around; he doesn't thrive off the attention.”
With the success and the superstardom, the scrutiny has grown. Now 32, Nurmagomedov stands currently as the UFC's No 2 pound-for-pound fighter and, should he defeat interim-champion Gaethje on Saturday night at Flash Forum, White believes he will ascend the summit.
For the company’s chief, retaining that unblemished record, and the pressure that undoubtedly brings, says as much about Nurmagomedov’s mettle as it does his might inside the octagon.
“One hundred per cent,” White says. “Just like Jon Jones, if you look at what he’s done. They’re two of the greatest ever. What happened is Khabib's gone undefeated so long and at the level he’s been fighting at.
“Obviously beating a superstar like Conor the way that he beat him doesn’t hurt either. If you look at the lead-up to the Conor fight, the way the fight went down, the [stuff] that happened after, all that helped turn him into a huge superstar. It’s the same way Conor was built.”
McGregor and Nurmagomedov, forever entwined by that infamous match-up two years ago, appear polar opposites in personality. Yet they live together as the sport's two most high-profile athletes.
“It takes all different types,” White says. “If everybody acted like Conor, Conor wouldn’t be special, right? I think the appeal of Khabib is that he’s such a nice guy, he’s so respectful, and his relationship with his father.”
A father to his son
The connection with his father has been a constant narrative during Nurmagomedov’s rise. Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov was parent and coach, honing his son from an early age, instilling the discipline and determination that carried Khabib to the pinnacle. A revered trainer, Abdulmanap is responsible for a succession of Dagestani fighters graduating to the UFC.
The importance of that relationship with his son has only accentuated ahead of Gaethje, after Abdulmanap died in July from heart complications made worse by contracting Covid-19. He was 57.
How Nurmagomedov responds to the personal tragedy provides another intriguing subplot to Saturday.
“I think he's keeping a lot of that bottled inside,” Mendez says. “We didn't really talk about his father, but his father's in him, and his father's wishes are in him and all of us.
“I wish he was still here. He trained so many great up-and-coming guys who will become names in the world. He deserves to be in that scenario. He was way too young.”
In his father’s absence, Khabib has stepped up, taking a more prominent role in training.
“I would say almost everything Khabib is, he got from his father,” Mendez says. ‘His father was a disciplinarian; he was loyal; he had compassion for everybody; he always looked to help people.
“He was always building projects, and Khabib's doing the same thing. So he's following in his father's footsteps, carrying the legacy of what his father represented.”
Cormier sees that also.
“Khabib’s dad was the pillar of their household, obviously, but the entire Dagestan region,” he says. “He was almost like a godfather of that region. And him being gone will thrust Khabib into a different role, for sure in the house, but all the lessons he took from his dad will carry him through and on to being the same type of person.
“Khabib’s got a lot to give back, especially to the region: building his gym and being who he is and using that platform to help and uplift other people.
“I think that’s going to be his purpose. We do things as athletes and we try to leave our mark on the world, but I believe it’s what you do after, when the lights aren’t as bright. And I believe Khabib will elevate so many people from the Dagestan region, just as his dad started to.”
The conclusion to that career has crept more into view following his father’s passing. He and Nurmagomedov spoke often about reaching 30-0, culminating in a “legacy fight” with Georges St-Pierre. For his part, Nurmagomedov has remained largely non-committal as to what the future may hold. Gaethje, he says, forms his sole focus.
Cormier spent time with Nurmagomedov this week in Abu Dhabi – “he seems very ready to fight” - and concedes he will have a difficult time on Saturday, when in his role as ESPN’s colour commentator, he calls his close friend’s fight for the first time.
Instead, Cormier plans to celebrate with Nurmagomedov once he has climbed closer to that hallowed 30-mark.
If Nurmagomedov does eventually get there, perhaps next April against “GSP”, and then in fact calls it a day, Cormier believes he will be sorely missed. Even, that he could slip almost completely from view.
“I think that, if Khabib leaves when he says he’s going to leave, at 30-0, it’ll be like a whirlwind, like a tornado came and flipped the world up on its axis, and then just went away,” Cormier says. “That’s kind of the way it is with these guys from Dagestan.
“I know a lot of wrestlers who became Olympic champs and then just kind of disappeared. I think he would be with us, flip the world upside down and then be gone.
“It’s unsure times. You don’t want him to leave, but when he does he’ll leave with fond memories from all around the world.”
Irrespective of at which juncture Nurmagomedov departs, come through this weekend and then potentially one more test, and White says his place in the pantheon is cemented.
“Khabib needs to beat Gaethje,” he says, glancing through the lightweight rankings. “He’s got a couple more fights here to go; 30 and 0. Maybe he goes 31 and 0 or something.
“If he gets through these fights I’m talking about, he’ll be the greatest lightweight ever and one of the greatest mixed martial artists that’s ever lived.”
Mendez can see the finish line for Nurmagomedov, but only because of the conversations he was privy to between father and son. There were rumours Nurmagomedov considered retirement not long after Abdulmanap died.
“I didn't have concern because to me it's God's will,” Mendez says. “If that's what he wanted to do, I'd just move on. And him and I, doesn't change our relationship. I still love him. Whatever's good for him is good for me.
“But I never thought he would just stop. Because his father wanted him at 30-0. And they would talk about, ideally, the 30th guy being GSP. I look at him as achieving 30-0, then we'll see what happens. Could very well retire - great chance of that happening. "But there's a possibility he might want to prove more because, in all honesty, as a fighter, you impact more people when you're in the spotlight than when you're not.
But first we got to get to 29-0, and Justin Gaethje is an extremely tough opponent.”
Abdulmanap will not be there in person come Saturday night, like he was against Poirier at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi 13 months ago, but Mendez knows he will be in spirit. And that, he says, promises to push Nurmagomedov towards triumph; to thrust the unassuming guy with no English who walked through his door eight years ago and took away the breath, towards truly legendary status.
“Let me put it to you this way: a father's will, to please your father, can do so much for you,” Mendez says. “It can break you or make you. If I'm Khabib, I'm going to use what my father said to make him more proud of me.
“He’s going to use what his father wanted of him to propel him to victory. I genuinely believe that.”
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
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)
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Dubai Creek Open in numbers
- The Dubai Creek Open is the 10th tournament on this year's Mena Tour
- It is the first of five events before the season-concluding Mena Tour Championship
- This week's field comprises 120 players, 21 of which are amateurs
- 15 previous Mena Tour winners are competing at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EJuly%205%2C%201994%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jeff%20Bezos%20founds%20Cadabra%20Inc%2C%20which%20would%20later%20be%20renamed%20to%20Amazon.com%2C%20because%20his%20lawyer%20misheard%20the%20name%20as%20'cadaver'.%20In%20its%20earliest%20days%2C%20the%20bookstore%20operated%20out%20of%20a%20rented%20garage%20in%20Bellevue%2C%20Washington%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EJuly%2016%2C%201995%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amazon%20formally%20opens%20as%20an%20online%20bookseller.%20%3Cem%3EFluid%20Concepts%20and%20Creative%20Analogies%3A%20Computer%20Models%20of%20the%20Fundamental%20Mechanisms%20of%20Thought%3C%2Fem%3E%20becomes%20the%20first%20item%20sold%20on%20Amazon%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E1997%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amazon%20goes%20public%20at%20%2418%20a%20share%2C%20which%20has%20grown%20about%201%2C000%20per%20cent%20at%20present.%20Its%20highest%20closing%20price%20was%20%24197.85%20on%20June%2027%2C%202024%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E1998%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amazon%20acquires%20IMDb%2C%20its%20first%20major%20acquisition.%20It%20also%20starts%20selling%20CDs%20and%20DVDs%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E2000%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amazon%20Marketplace%20opens%2C%20allowing%20people%20to%20sell%20items%20on%20the%20website%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E2002%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amazon%20forms%20what%20would%20become%20Amazon%20Web%20Services%2C%20opening%20the%20Amazon.com%20platform%20to%20all%20developers.%20The%20cloud%20unit%20would%20follow%20in%202006%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E2003%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amazon%20turns%20in%20an%20annual%20profit%20of%20%2475%20million%2C%20the%20first%20time%20it%20ended%20a%20year%20in%20the%20black%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E2005%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amazon%20Prime%20is%20introduced%2C%20its%20first-ever%20subscription%20service%20that%20offered%20US%20customers%20free%20two-day%20shipping%20for%20%2479%20a%20year%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E2006%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amazon%20Unbox%20is%20unveiled%2C%20the%20company's%20video%20service%20that%20would%20later%20morph%20into%20Amazon%20Instant%20Video%20and%2C%20ultimately%2C%20Amazon%20Video%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E2007%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amazon's%20first%20hardware%20product%2C%20the%20Kindle%20e-reader%2C%20is%20introduced%3B%20the%20Fire%20TV%20and%20Fire%20Phone%20would%20come%20in%202014.%20Grocery%20service%20Amazon%20Fresh%20is%20also%20started%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E2009%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amazon%20introduces%20Amazon%20Basics%2C%20its%20in-house%20label%20for%20a%20variety%20of%20products%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E2010%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20The%20foundations%20for%20Amazon%20Studios%20were%20laid.%20Its%20first%20original%20streaming%20content%20debuted%20in%202013%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E2011%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20The%20Amazon%20Appstore%20for%20Google's%20Android%20is%20launched.%20It%20is%20still%20unavailable%20on%20Apple's%20iOS%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E2014%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20The%20Amazon%20Echo%20is%20launched%2C%20a%20speaker%20that%20acts%20as%20a%20personal%20digital%20assistant%20powered%20by%20Alexa%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E2017%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amazon%20acquires%20Whole%20Foods%20for%20%2413.7%20billion%2C%20its%20biggest%20acquisition%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E2018%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amazon's%20market%20cap%20briefly%20crosses%20the%20%241%20trillion%20mark%2C%20making%20it%2C%20at%20the%20time%2C%20only%20the%20third%20company%20to%20achieve%20that%20milestone%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)
Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)
Wednesday
Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)
Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)
Norwich City v Everton (9pm)
Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)
Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)
Thursday
Burnley v Watford (9pm)
Southampton v Arsenal (9pm)
Chelsea v Manchester City (11.15pm)
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinFlx%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202021%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amr%20Yussif%20(co-founder%20and%20CEO)%2C%20Mattieu%20Capelle%20(co-founder%20and%20CTO)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%20in%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20size%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%241.5m%20pre-seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Venture%20capital%20-%20Y%20Combinator%2C%20500%20Global%2C%20Dubai%20Future%20District%20Fund%2C%20Fox%20Ventures%2C%20Vector%20Fintech.%20Also%20a%20number%20of%20angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Barcelona v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
About Seez
Company name/date started: Seez, set up in September 2015 and the app was released in August 2017
Founder/CEO name(s): Tarek Kabrit, co-founder and chief executive, and Andrew Kabrit, co-founder and chief operating officer
Based in: Dubai, with operations also in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon
Sector: Search engine for car buying, selling and leasing
Size: (employees/revenue): 11; undisclosed
Stage of funding: $1.8 million in seed funding; followed by another $1.5m bridge round - in the process of closing Series A
Investors: Wamda Capital, B&Y and Phoenician Funds
RESULTS
6.30pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 – Group 1 (PA) $49,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner RB Frynchh Dude, Pat Cosgrave (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
7.05pm Al Bastakiya Trial – Conditions (TB) $50,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner El Patriota, Vagner Leal, Antonio Cintra
7.40pm Zabeel Turf – Listed (TB) $88,000 (Turf) 2,000m
Winner Ya Hayati, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby
8.15pm Cape Verdi – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Althiqa, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
8.50pm UAE 1000 Guineas – Listed (TB) $125,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Soft Whisper, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
9.25pm Handicap (TB) $68,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Bedouin’s Story, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
'Manmarziyaan' (Colour Yellow Productions, Phantom Films)
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal
Rating: 3.5/5
Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
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
On racial profiling at airports
The biog
Name: Mariam Ketait
Emirate: Dubai
Hobbies: I enjoy travelling, experiencing new things, painting, reading, flying, and the French language
Favourite quote: "Be the change you wish to see" - unknown
Favourite activity: Connecting with different cultures
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
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The specs: Audi e-tron
Price, base: From Dh325,000 (estimate)
Engine: Twin electric motors and 95kWh battery pack
Transmission: Single-speed auto
Power: 408hp
Torque: 664Nm
Range: 400 kilometres
Gully Boy
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi
Rating: 4/5 stars
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
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.”
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
Day 4, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Not much was expected – on Sunday or ever – of Hasan Ali as a batsman. And yet he lit up the late overs of the Pakistan innings with a happy cameo of 29 from 25 balls. The highlight was when he launched a six right on top of the netting above the Pakistan players’ viewing area. He was out next ball.
Stat of the day – 1,358 There were 1,358 days between Haris Sohail’s previous first-class match and his Test debut for Pakistan. The lack of practice in the multi-day format did not show, though, as the left-hander made an assured half-century to guide his side through a potentially damaging collapse.
The verdict As is the fashion of Test matches in this country, the draw feels like a dead-cert, before a clatter of wickets on the fourth afternoon puts either side on red alert. With Yasir Shah finding prodigious turn now, Pakistan will be confident of bowling Sri Lanka out. Whether they have enough time to do so and chase the runs required remains to be seen.
Fixtures (all times UAE)
Saturday
Brescia v Atalanta (6pm)
Genoa v Torino (9pm)
Fiorentina v Lecce (11.45pm)
Sunday
Juventus v Sassuolo (3.30pm)
Inter Milan v SPAL (6pm)
Lazio v Udinese (6pm)
Parma v AC Milan (6pm)
Napoli v Bologna (9pm)
Verona v AS Roma (11.45pm)
Monday
Cagliari v Sampdoria (11.45pm)
MATCH INFO
Liverpool v Manchester City, Sunday, 8.30pm UAE
MATCH INFO
Everton 0
Manchester City 2 (Laporte 45 2', Jesus 90 7')
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The biog
Birthday: February 22, 1956
Born: Madahha near Chittagong, Bangladesh
Arrived in UAE: 1978
Exercise: At least one hour a day on the Corniche, from 5.30-6am and 7pm to 8pm.
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi? “Everywhere. Wherever you go, you can relax.”
World Sevens Series standing after Dubai
1. South Africa
2. New Zealand
3. England
4. Fiji
5. Australia
6. Samoa
7. Kenya
8. Scotland
9. France
10. Spain
11. Argentina
12. Canada
13. Wales
14. Uganda
15. United States
16. Russia
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Results:
CSIL 2-star 145cm One Round with Jump-Off
1. Alice Debany Clero (USA) on Amareusa S 38.83 seconds
2. Anikka Sande (NOR) For Cash 2 39.09
3. Georgia Tame (GBR) Cash Up 39.42
4. Nadia Taryam (UAE) Askaria 3 39.63
5. Miriam Schneider (GER) Fidelius G 47.74
