We wasted 50 chances, Queiroz



Portugal kept alive their World Cup qualifying hopes when they held Group One leaders Denmark to a 1-1 draw thanks to Liedson's 86th-minute equaliser on his international debut, but the problems that have dogged them throughout the campaign continued. Coach Carlos Queiroz said his team were too wasteful in front of goal and they have now won just two of their seven games.

Denmark top the group with 17 points, four ahead of second-placed Hungary who lost 2-1 at home to third-placed Sweden, who have 12 points. Portugal are fourth with 10. The hosts opened the scoring three minutes before half-time when Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner controlled a high ball from Michael Silberbauer in the middle of the penalty area and blasted it into the roof of the net.

Portugal had many chances to score, but Denmark goalkeeper Stephan Andersen made one save after another until Brazilian-born striker Liedson finally headed the ball in from inside the penalty area to equalise with four minutes to go. "Generally speaking, Portugal were the better team," Queiroz said. "We had more chances. We created chance after chance, but didn't score. "That's the main difference. Bendtner had one chance and did what we couldn't do with 50."

Denmark coach Morten Olsen said he was "both satisfied and disappointed" with the draw, which kept his team undefeated in the group and extended their lead over Hungary. "Now we need to regain power before [the qualifier away to] Albania on Wednesday. There were many good individual performances," he said. Georgia captain Kakha Kaladze has apologised for scoring two extraordinary own goals to give Italy a flattering 2-0 win in World Cup qualifying Group Eight.

The AC Milan defender, making his first competitive appearance in seven months following knee surgery, headed in Angelo Palombo's cross-come-shot on 56 minutes in Tbilisi before miskicking a clearance which also flew into the net. "My team did well and we showed our heart. I'm so sorry, it's my fault. It hurts me," he said. "I don't know what to say." Italy coach Marcello Lippi, whose team top the group by a point from Ireland, denied suggestions the two own goals meant strictly speaking his side had not now scored in four outings: "If you put the defence under pressure, it's a goal," he said.

* With agencies

Business Insights
  • As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses. 
  • SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income. 
  • Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Specs%3A%202024%20McLaren%20Artura%20Spider
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Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199

FIXTURES

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Saturday
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AC Milan v Bologna (10.45om)

Playing September 30

Benevento v Inter Milan (8pm)
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The bio

Favourite vegetable: Broccoli

Favourite food: Seafood

Favourite thing to cook: Duck l'orange

Favourite book: Give and Take by Adam Grant, one of his professors at University of Pennsylvania

Favourite place to travel: Home in Kuwait.

Favourite place in the UAE: Al Qudra lakes

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
RESULTS

1.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,400m
Winner: Dirilis Ertugrul, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Ismail Mohammed (trainer)
2.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,400m
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3.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,200m
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Winner: King’s Shadow, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

Business Insights
  • Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
  • The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
  • US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.

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: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo

Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000

Engine: 5.6-litre V8

Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm

Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km


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