DUBAI // The two-time UAE champion Mohammed Al Balooshi leads seven Emirati riders in vying to win the Arab Motocross Championship 2012.
More than 40 riders from nine countries across the Middle East will compete at the two-day event, which begins today at the DMX Motocross track in Jebel Ali.
The UAE riders have a distinct advantage over their counterparts this year, having already raced on the 1,600m DMX track three times this season.
Al Balooshi said that the tricky circuit suits him perfectly.
"I have ridden the DMX track many times since it opened in 2003 so I know it very well, even though it changes every season," he said.
"The turf wears out very quickly, making it an incredibly fun and demanding course to ride. The key is for riders to be mentally and physically fit and they need to approach the course with a big heart.
"From the get go, we will have to push hard right up to the chequered flag."
Other Emiratis set to compete include Ali Al Kubaisi, Sultan Al Balooshi and Saeed Al Shenqiti in the MX1 category, while Saif Al Kumiti, Anwar Khusaif, and Mubarek Al Ali will ride in the MX2 category.
Racing begins at 9am today, with seven hours of practice sessions across all three classes, followed by scrutineering at 4pm.
The motocross action begins in earnest tomorrow with a final practice session at 10am followed by two races for each category in the afternoon.
The Arab Motocross Championship 2012 is the first competitive racing series of the Arab Motorcycle Federation (AMF) following an overhaul in August this year at its headquarters in Riyadh.
Since being restructured, the AMF has been working toward developing a full calendar of motorcycle racing events in the Middle East that run to the international standards laid down by the International Motorcycling Federation, the sport's world governing body.
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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The biog
Alwyn Stephen says much of his success is a result of taking an educated chance on business decisions.
His advice to anyone starting out in business is to have no fear as life is about taking on challenges.
“If you have the ambition and dream of something, follow that dream, be positive, determined and set goals.
"Nothing and no-one can stop you from succeeding with the right work application, and a little bit of luck along the way.”
Mr Stephen sells his luxury fragrances at selected perfumeries around the UAE, including the House of Niche Boutique in Al Seef.
He relaxes by spending time with his family at home, and enjoying his wife’s India cooking.
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How Voiss turns words to speech
The device has a screen reader or software that monitors what happens on the screen
The screen reader sends the text to the speech synthesiser
This converts to audio whatever it receives from screen reader, so the person can hear what is happening on the screen
A VOISS computer costs between $200 and $250 depending on memory card capacity that ranges from 32GB to 128GB
The speech synthesisers VOISS develops are free
Subsequent computer versions will include improvements such as wireless keyboards
Arabic voice in affordable talking computer to be added next year to English, Portuguese, and Spanish synthesiser
Partnerships planned during Expo 2020 Dubai to add more languages
At least 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment or blindness
More than 90 per cent live in developing countries
The Long-term aim of VOISS to reach the technology to people in poor countries with workshops that teach them to build their own device
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
