Referee Mike Dean's cool demeanor in the Tyne and Wear derby earns him a call as one of the best decisions made on the week.
Referee Mike Dean's cool demeanor in the Tyne and Wear derby earns him a call as one of the best decisions made on the week.

Referee's calm highlight of weekend Premier League action



Best decision - Mike Dean

There are plenty of reasons why Dean, the referee, might have opted not to give a penalty for Mike Williamson's sneaky pull on Michael Turner's shirt in Sunday's Tyne and Wear derby between Newcastle United and Sunderland.

Chief among them was the fact he was stood in front of a fevered Gallowgate End on derby day. It was never going to be the popular vote.

And then nobody else ever gives penalties for that sort of thing anyway, so why should he bother invoking the ire of the whole of Newcastle? And he could always claim he never saw it.

But, then, they are the rules, after all. Who decides which ones we should play by and which ones should routinely be ignored?

Dean was good on the rules in this game. Hands raised to strike an opponent: red card. Fouls in the box: penalties. No matter the colour of the shirt.

Even after he had blown the final whistle the official was still on the job and gave Lee Cattermole, the Sunderland captain, a straight red card for dissent.

Best owner - Tony Fernandes

When a chunky Cockney attempts to ingratiate himself to Newcastle United supporters by buying their club then sitting among them, it feels cheap, tawdry and wrong.

When a dinky Malaysian airline mogul invokes a similar PR stunt at his new plaything, Queens Park Rangers, it feels sweet and endearing.

Given that Fernandes now owns the ground and everything in it, he could have picked a better seat at Loftus Road than the one he had for the game against Everton.

There were advantages of being sat in the lower tier of The Loft, near the corner flag, though. The view may not have been a patch on that in the directors' box, but at least you can hurl abuse at the referee from close range.

Fernandes was baying for punishment when Royston Drenthe fouled Adel Taraabt just in front of him. He was like a kid at Christmas when Bobby Zamora scored not long after.

Newcastle's Mike Ashley should take note: that is the way to do it.

Now QPR's owner has his club's fans just where he wants them when he chooses to rename Loftus Road the Air Asia Arena.

Worst delusion - Bacary Sagna

The Arsenal right-back had given a passable impression of Alan Shearer when his thumping header started his side's revival in the north London derby the previous weekend.

However, that did not mean he had suddenly become the Premier League's most prolific striker reincarnate.

He seemed to think he was, though, when he lined up an ambitious shot from range in the first half against Liverpool at Anfield.

His side were shooting in the direction of The Kop.

His shot, admittedly with the left foot which he usually only uses for standing, ended up in the Centenary Stand.

He seemed sheepish after the woeful shank, but his shame turned to joy soon after when he landed a delicious assist on the head of Robin van Persie. He should stick to setting them up.

Best attempt - Darren Pratley

Opportunities were few and far between for Bolton Wanderers against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, but Pratley, their midfielder, at least managed one long-distance speculator.

The away side had barely had a kick of the ball in the second half against the Premier League leaders, before Pratley stealthily nipped in.

He dispossessed his opposite number and in one motion let fly with a 25-yard drive which clipped the crossbar, then bounced away to safety, with the goalkeeper well beaten.

It was just a pity it all happened at the wrong end of the field. Still, it would have made for a blinding own goal had it dipped under the bar.

Worst return - Roberto Di Matteo

Faithful No 2s rarely get much credit, but then it is not very often that they have to bear the full heat of the Premier League pressure cooker, either.

Di Matteo, the Chelsea assistant manager, might have suffered in the reflected glare of Andre Villas-Boas's misery at The Hawthorns on Saturday.

Having been axed as West Bromwich Albion's manager last year, the Italian must have headed back to the Midlands thinking revenge was assured with his new, cash-rich employers.

Chelsea are always a shoo-in against the Baggies.

Not so, and perhaps it was the wrong assumption to make, given the recent form.

While West Brom's players were buzzing after wins against Sunderland and their local rivals, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Chelsea's have seemingly been working on a plan to get rid their young Portuguese manager.

Finally, they succeeded.

"We got what we deserved," Villas-Boas said of Chelsea's trip to The Hawthorns. Namely him being dismissed Sunday - and a surprise promotion for Di Matteo.

Jewel of the Expo 2020

252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome

13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas

550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome

724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses

Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa

Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site

The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants

Al Wasl means connection in Arabic

World’s largest 360-degree projection surface

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDual%20synchronous%20electric%20motors%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C108hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C340Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20automatic%20(front%20axle)%3B%20two-speed%20transmission%20(rear%20axle)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E488-560km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh928%2C400%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOrders%20open%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

I Feel Pretty
Dir: Abby Kohn/Mark Silverstein
Starring: Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams, Emily Ratajkowski, Rory Scovel
 

MATCH INFO

West Ham United 2 (Antonio 73', Ogbonna 90 5')

Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 36', Moura 42', Kane 49')

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%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EFatigue%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3Enumbness%20and%20tingling%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ELoss%20of%20balance%20and%20dizziness%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EStiffness%20or%20spasms%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ETremor%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPain%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EBladder%20problems%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EBowel%20trouble%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EVision%20problems%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EProblems%20with%20memory%20and%20thinking%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
The biog

Hometown: Birchgrove, Sydney Australia
Age: 59
Favourite TV series: Outlander Netflix series
Favourite place in the UAE: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque / desert / Louvre Abu Dhabi
Favourite book: Father of our Nation: Collected Quotes of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Thing you will miss most about the UAE: My friends and family, Formula 1, having Friday's off, desert adventures, and Arabic culture and people
 

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Sanju

Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani

Director: Rajkumar Hirani

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani

Rating: 3.5 stars

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
The specs

Common to all models unless otherwise stated

Engine: 4-cylinder 2-litre T-GDi

0-100kph: 5.3 seconds (Elantra); 5.5 seconds (Kona); 6.1 seconds (Veloster)

Power: 276hp

Torque: 392Nm

Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/ 8-Speed Dual Clutch FWD

Price: TBC

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.”