Approaching the final 300 metres in the Bredene Koksijde, I was just focused on victory. There was no panic, no cloudiness in my thought process, no second-guessing of my judgement, I was laser focused on the job in hand; a job that I’d managed to accomplish once in my career already, so this wasn’t a step into the unknown. Having attacked a little too late in the race in previous years, I saw my gap with 300m to go and launched my sprint with everything I had left and took home my first victory in UAE colours.
Granted, I had already won the Bredene Koksijde Classic once before, but getting the first win under my belt for UAE Team Emirates is something that I will treasure for the rest of my career. As a sprinter, you are always conscious of where your next victory might come from, so to do the job for the team early in my time here felt incredible and it’s a feeling that I am striving to repeat soon.
Having moved across from the Bora-Hansgrohe cycling team at the end of last season, I was eagerly anticipating our first training camp and to meet the team. In all honesty, I didn’t know many of the riders in the team on a personal level, other than interactions during and after races in past years. However, after only a few months, I can say that I – along with the other new riders for the 2022 season – have been welcomed into the UAE Team Emirates cycling family with open arms and been made to feel so welcome.
From the outside, the team always seemed to have such a strong bond and incredible feeling between riders, coaching staff, and support staff. Coupled with the trajectory the team was heading on, I felt this was the perfect opportunity to take this next step in my career. Being able to call myself a UAE Team Emirates rider and a part of this group is an honour, and I couldn’t have imagined it going any better.
The mood and the vibe within the group is always aided by successful performances to fall back on, and it’s fair to say we’ve had a brilliant start to the season. With 22 wins and 41 podiums on the board already, the atmosphere in the group is superb. From the top-down, we have engrained a winning culture that rubs off on every single member of the team. Heading into a busy period of the season, we are all unbelievably motivated to build upon this strong start.
Other than my personal race victory, my highlight of the campaign so far was in the Tirreno-Adriatico, ‘the race of the two seas’ in Italy. We really had to rally together as a team to put our leader – Tadej Pogacar – in the best possible position to take home the Trident for a second year in a row.
Being a power-rider, the high-mountains aren't my preferred choice of terrain whatsoever! But, as a team, we all had to play our part and I found myself pulling the peloton along across dozens of kilometres to defend our position. That feeling of togetherness and unity as we reached the finish line was really quite special and something that will stay with me for a long time.
Looking ahead to the remainder of the season, we have a number of goals, both from a personal and team perspective. Personally, winning the European Championships in my home country of Germany would be a dream come true. This is an event that is at the forefront of my mind, and one that I will be gearing my training towards and striving for another race win.
Pogacar wins back-to-back Tour de France titles
From a team perspective, defending the Tour De France is one of our key aims. Winning it two years in a row is an incredible achievement, so to make it a hat-trick of successive victories, in the world's hardest cycling race, would be unparalleled. We also have crucial Grand Tour events coming up with the Giro d’ Italia and Vuelta Espana, so it is all to play for and we’re all chomping at the bit to continue this amazing start to the season.
Since joining the team and spending some time in the UAE, I’ve been blown away by the fans with their passion for not only the team, but also cycling as a sport. This bond that we’re continually developing with the UAE inspires every single member of our team, and we’ll be doing everything we can to keep winning throughout the year for our Emirati based fans!
England squad
Joe Root (captain), Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Gary Ballance, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Ben Stokes (vice-captain), Moeen Ali, Liam Dawson, Toby Roland-Jones, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, James Anderson.
RACECARD
6pm Emaar Dubai Sprint – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (Turf) 1,200m
6.35pm Graduate Stakes – Conditions (TB) $100,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.10pm Al Khail Trophy – Listed (TB) $100,000 (T) 2,810m
7.45pm UAE 1000 Guineas – Listed (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
8.20pm Zabeel Turf – Listed (TB) $100,000 (T) 2,000m
8.55pm Downtown Dubai Cup – Rated Conditions (TB) $80,000 (D) 1,400m
9.30pm Zabeel Mile – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,600m
10.05pm Dubai Sprint – Listed (TB) $100,000 (T) 1,200m
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
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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No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
The 100 Best Novels in Translation
Boyd Tonkin, Galileo Press
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
Managing the separation process
- Choose your nursery carefully in the first place
- Relax – and hopefully your child will follow suit
- Inform the staff in advance of your child’s likes and dislikes.
- If you need some extra time to talk to the teachers, make an appointment a few days in advance, rather than attempting to chat on your child’s first day
- The longer you stay, the more upset your child will become. As difficult as it is, walk away. Say a proper goodbye and reassure your child that you will be back
- Be patient. Your child might love it one day and hate it the next
- Stick at it. Don’t give up after the first day or week. It takes time for children to settle into a new routine.And, finally, don’t feel guilty.
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
