PHILADELPHIA, United States // Lob City is undergoing renovations.
For the Los Angeles Clippers, it’s about half-court offence and defence to be successful these days.
Especially being so short-handed.
Blake Griffin scored 26 points, Chris Paul added 25 points and 13 assists, and the depleted Clippers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 94-83 Monday night.
DeAndre Jordan had 11 points and a season-high 21 rebounds, and Jared Dudley scored 10 points for the Clippers, who won their second straight. The Clippers are 2-1 on a season-high tying seven-game road trip.
“We’ve just got to keep grinding and can’t worry about anything,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said.
Los Angeles played without guards JJ Redick (injuries to right hand and wrist), Reggie Bullock (sprained left ankle) and Maalik Wayns (left knee). Forward Matt Barnes is out with a torn retina in his left eye. Help may be on the way for the Clippers, who are close to signing free agent forward Stephen Jackson.
“Ain’t nobody going to feel sorry for us,” Paul said. “We’ve got to go out there and compete.”
The Sixers were not at full strength, either, missing rookie point guard Michael Carter-Williams for the third consecutive game.
Carter-Williams was released from Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania on Sunday after a three-night stay because of a skin infection that caused soreness in his right knee.
Evan Turner scored 25 points and Thaddeus Young added 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Sixers, who struggled once again without their floor leader. The Sixers are 1-6 without Carter-Williams this season.
“The challenge, at times, keeps you up real late at night,” Sixers coach Brett Brown said.
Tony Wroten had nine points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in place of Carter-Williams.
The Sixers missed their first 13 3-pointers and trailed 44-36 at halftime, their lowest output in any half this season.
“We’ve been emphasising defence so much,” said Sixers center Spencer Hawes, who was limited to a season-low two points. “We’ve been playing a lot better in the last couple games there. Sometimes, it comes at the expense of some things on offence.”
The Clippers came out of the locker room and quickly extended their advantage to 57-36 following a 13-0 run.
Paul keyed the third-quarter surge with 12 points and five assists as Los Angeles went ahead 76-60.
The Sixers made a late push and got within 83-76 with 5:24 remaining.
But the Clippers made enough plays down the stretch to pull away. Paul knocked down a huge 3-pointer for an 88-77 lead with 3:10 left and it was enough of a cushion to seal the win.
“We’re still a work in progress,” Paul said. “We’ve just got to keep working.”
Rivers addressed Jackson’s situation before the game.
“It’s not done yet,” the coach said. “Nothing’s done in our league until it’s done, as you know. I just think he’s a veteran. We need him in a pinch, and we need him, like, now. That’s a guy you can bring in, and hopefully he can give you something right away.”
Jackson has been out of the league since being released by the San Antonio Spurs before the play-offs last season.
OTHER MONDAY RESULTS
Trail Blazers 105, Jazz 94
LaMarcus Aldridge scored a game-high 24 points hours after being named the Western Conference player of the week, lifting the Portland Trail Blazers to a victory over the Utah Jazz.
Utah, who lost 130-98 in Portland on Friday, made a game of it in the fourth quarter despite trailing by 15 points in the second half and playing without the injured Derrick Favors and Marvin Williams.
The Blazers (18-4) held off the Jazz (4-19) with late back-to-back three-pointers.
Point guard Damian Lillard added 18 points and grabbed five rebounds in the win.
Bobcats 115, Warriors 111
Kemba Walker scored 31 points, including 27 in the second half, as the Charlotte Bobcats beat the Golden State Warriors despite 43 points from Stephen Curry.
Walker put the game away with six free throws in the final minute, on a night when the Bobcats let a 15-point second-half lead slip away but were able to hold on in a frantic finish.
The win was Charlotte’s second straight and raised their record to 10-11, while Golden State fell to 12-10.
Nuggets 75, Wizards 74
Wilson Chandler scored 17 points and guard Nate Robinson had 16 as the Denver Nuggets outlasted the Washington Wizards.
With the Wizards failing to make a field goal in the final four minutes, the Nuggets (13-8) won despite scoring their fewest points of the season and committing 22 turnovers.
John Wall had 20 points and eight assists for the Wizards (9-11), but missed four shots inside the final 2:31 and committed a turnover on the final possession where he had the ball swiped away before he could attempt a shot.
Grizzlies 94, Magic 85
The Memphis Grizzlies shook off their home slump with a win over the Magic as power forward Zach Randolph scored 19 points with 12 rebounds.
Memphis (10-10) had lost four of five at home but they turned it around by pounding Orlando inside and outrebounding them 52-35.
Orlando (6-15) lost their sixth straight and their road record dropped to 1-10.
Andrew Nicholson and Jameer Nelson had 19 points each for the Magic.
Kings 112, Mavericks 97
On the day Sacramento (6-13) traded for Toronto swingman Rudy Gay, DeMarcus Cousins scored 32 with 19 rebounds and recently-acquired Derrick Williams had 31 in a victory over Dallas (13-9).
Along with Cousins, Isaiah Thomas also contributed a double-double by scoring 24 and distributing 12 assists. The trio accounted for 87 of the Kings’ 112 points.
Monta Ellis led the Mavericks with 21 points on 9-of-18 shooting.
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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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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
The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela
Edited by Sahm Venter
Published by Liveright
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
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
Haemoglobin disorders explained
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
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CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How Beautiful this world is!
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
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