Early detection benefits one and all

As Breast Cancer Awareness month kicks off, landmarks around the world are lit pink, while ribbons adorn malls, public buses and hospital walls, to help raise awareness and contribute to the early detection of one of the most deadly diseases affecting women around the world. In the UAE, considerable strides have been made towards increasing the number of screenings, by the public sector and by civil society.

Women around the UAE are now familiar with the Pink Caravan, on which riders carry out a 10-day awareness drive throughout the Northern Emirates, encouraging women to visit fixed clinics and a mobile clinic for screening. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Health dispatched mobile clinics throughout the months of May and June, to offer free screenings at shopping centres in the Northern Emirates. Similar campaigns undertaken by several public entities and civil institutions have attracted a growing number of women over the years.

As health authorities strive to reduce cancer fatalities in the UAE by 18 per cent before 2021, some insurance companies could do more in their contribution to this effort. Offering free screenings to every woman over 35 would be a good place to start.

But awareness is just the start. Since basic health insurance plans do not currently cover the costs of most cancer screenings and treatments, many women who cannot afford screening or the subsequent treatment should the diagnosis be confirmed are forced to seek affordable alternatives in other countries, as highlighted by The National.

Given this set of circumstances, the insurance companies and healthcare providers must make prevention and detection the most important part of their mission. It is imperative to catch and detect cancer, in all its forms, as early as possible to allow a complete set of options to those who are diagnosed.

The struggle cancer patients feel is both real and surreal. The physical pain and emotional strain are often exacerbated by the financial burden. Early detection can save lives. So let's get screening.

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Tips from the expert

Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.

Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.

It's Monty Python's Crashing Rocket Circus

To the theme tune of the famous zany British comedy TV show, SpaceX has shown exactly what can go wrong when you try to land a rocket.

The two minute video posted on YouTube is a compilation of crashes and explosion as the company, created by billionaire Elon Musk, refined the technique of reusable space flight.

SpaceX is able to land its rockets on land once they have completed the first stage of their mission, and is able to resuse them multiple times - a first for space flight.

But as the video, How Not to Land an Orbital Rocket Booster, demonstrates, it was a case if you fail, try and try again.

Scores in brief:

New Medical Centre 129-5 in 17 overs bt Zayed Cricket Academy 125-6 in 20 overs.
William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana 188-8 in 20 overs bt One Stop Tourism 184-8 in 20 overs
Alubond Tigers 138-7 in 20 overs bt United Bank Limited 132-7 in 20 overs
Multiplex 142-6 in 17 overs bt Xconcepts Automobili 140 all out in 20 overs

The specs

Price, base: Dh228,000 / Dh232,000 (est)
Engine: 5.7-litre Hemi V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 552Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.5L / 100km

Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history

- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon

- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.

- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater

- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.

- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.

- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.

-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.