Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s Azzam reached two milestones Tuesday, completing a 35,000-mile lap of the globe in 118 sailing days as they crossed the equator for the fourth time.
However, skipper Ian Walker said his team have plenty of work ahead of them, despite their holding a seven-point lead as Leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race unfolds.
“To circumnavigate the world by ocean puts you in an exclusive group of seafarers and one which the whole crew is proud to be part of,” Walker said.
“Returning to the north marks a change of pace for the race. From now on, the legs become rapid-fire. They get shorter and quicker and there’s a lot at stake before the race ends in Sweden.
“Forty-five per cent of the points are ahead of us. We’re in a strong overall race position but remain 100 per cent focused on the Leg 6 finish line in Newport, United States.”
Adil Khalid, the Emirati sailor aboard Azzam, said he was proud that the boat has circled the globe.
“The UAE flag has been flown high all around the world,” he said. “I know all our fans back home will be cheering us on as we try to bring the VOR trophy home to Abu Dhabi.”
Azzam had battled up to fourth position on Tuesday, after bringing up the rear of the six-boat fleet over the weekend. Walker conceded the team had erred in dealing with a cloud line off the coast of Brazil, dropping them to the back of the race.
“While I’m confident we’ll bounce back I suspect it will be at least a week before we get any sort of chance to do so,” Walker said. “In the meantime, we work non-stop on our speed and we wait and watch how the weather will play out.
“The leg is not over.”
Walker was referring to the decisions the skippers need to make in the coming days on the best way to go through the Doldrums just north of the equator.
The Dutch team, Brunel, led at midday Tuesday, followed by China's Dongfeng, Spain's Mapfre and Azzam, about seven miles behind the leaders. Around 3,000nm remain in Leg 6, which takes the fleet from Itajai, in Brazil, to Newport, one-time home of the America's Cup, which is north and east of New York.
Leg 7 takes the fleet back across the Atlantic, to Lisbon, Leg 8 is a short run to Lorient, France, and the concluding Leg 9 finishes in the Baltic Sea at Gothenburg, Sweden, in late June.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biogs
Name: Zinah Madi
Occupation: Co-founder of Dots and links
Nationality: Syrian
Family: Married, Mother of Tala, 18, Sharif, 14, Kareem, 2
Favourite Quote: “There is only one way to succeed in anything, and that is to give it everything.”
Name: Razan Nabulsi
Occupation: Co-founder of Dots and Links
Nationality: Jordanian
Family: Married, Mother of Yahya, 3.5
Favourite Quote: A Chinese proverb that says: “Be not afraid of moving slowly, be afraid only of standing still.”
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium, Malayisa
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia on October 10
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
How to increase your savings
- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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Scoreline
Swansea 2
Grimes 20' (pen), Celina, 29'
Man City 3
Silva 69', Nordfeldt 78' (og), Aguero 88'
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
More coverage from the Future Forum
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
In Search of Mary Shelley: The Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein
By Fiona Sampson
Profile
