Lightning, we common folks usually believe, never strikes the same place twice. Facts, however, state otherwise.
According to myth-busting storm chasers, lightning can strike any location twice, or even more times. It is actually inevitable over time.
Time, then, is the chief element. Father Time in the context of Serena Williams, who will be celebrating her 35th birthday in less than three months. Still, the odds for Angelique Kerber in Saturday's Wimbledon final are pretty long.
• More: Serena, Kerber dominant | Federer, Murray and the old order
The German did well to protect Steffi Graf’s Open-era record of 22 grand slam titles earlier this year in the Australian Open final by stopping Williams, nay stunning her with some fearless tennis and audacious drop shots.
Kerber played the part of Cinderella then, living a fairy tale that started in the first round. She was a point away from defeat in her opening match against Misaki Doi, but survived and reached the final.
It was her first grand slam final and, considering her opponent in that match, Kerber had nothing to lose. Williams, on the other hand, had everything to lose. She was chasing Graf’s record and trying her best to exorcise the demons of her loss to Roberta Vinci in the semi-final of the US Open, when she was a mere two wins away from becoming only the sixth player in tennis history, man or woman, to win all four grand slams in a calendar year.
Pressure does funny things, and even a 21-time grand slam winner is not immune. Williams’s serve, usually her greatest weapon, was erratic in that final, her movement indecisive, and her volleying wayward.
This time, however, Williams seems at peace. She has accepted the setbacks in her quest to equal Graf’s record after also losing in the final of the French Open, then to a stunning performance from Garbine Muguruza.
“I felt great in other tournaments as well, but I feel a little different,” Williams said after her 48-minute romp past Elena Vesnina in the semis. “I just feel relaxed. I feel more at peace than maybe I have been in the past.”
Williams had a bit of a slip when she was seeking grand slam No 18 as well, a number that eventually put her level with legends Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. Returning empty-handed from three majors after her 17th, she finally reached that mark on herfourth attempt. And guess what – this is her fourth attempt at No 22.
There is another number that Williams can boast: She has featured in 27 grand slam finals with six losses, and only one person has managed to beat her a second time – her elder sister Venus (2001 US Open and 2008 Wimbledon).
In fact, very few opponents can claim more than one win over Williams at grand slams, and she has played 345 matches across 64 majors with 42 losses since making her debut at the Australian Open in 1998. Only five names feature in that select group: Venus with five, Justine Henin and Jennifer Capriati with four, and Samantha Stosur and Muguruza with two.
You might notice names like Lindsay Davenport, Amelie Mauresmo, Kim Clijsters and Maria Sharapova are missing from that list, so you can only imagine the odds Kerber is up against today. Williams who is at her most dangerous when she is calm.
And calm, of course, does not mean Williams is content only reaching the final, which, by the way, is her seventh final in eight majors since grand slam No 18 at the 2014 US Open.
“For anyone else in this whole planet, it would be a wonderful accomplishment,” Williams said. “For me it’s about, obviously, holding the trophy and winning, which would make it a better accomplishment for me. For me, it’s not enough. But I think that’s what makes me different. That’s what makes me Serena.”
Now that sounded like a clear warning to her opponent. Or a challenge. At the Australian Open, Kerber managed to create the perfect storm. Can she do it again? Can lightning strike twice?
It can, but if Williams’s warning is any indication, expect a raging storm to show up on Centre Court today, probably a Category 22 cyclone.
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Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
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Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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 specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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The specs: 2018 GMC Terrain
Price, base / as tested: Dh94,600 / Dh159,700
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Power: 252hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 353Nm @ 2,500rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.4L / 100km
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Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
