My favourite race of the year is just around the corner and I can’t wait to return home and build on the amazing momentum the team has from winning the Tour de France.
The Giro d’Italia has always been special to me as I get to head back to Italy and race in front of my own fans, friends and family. It will obviously be a little different this year with less spectators, but I am more motivated than ever to do well.
The Giro is well known for its long, high mountain stages in the Alps and Dolomites and, just like the Tour de France, spread over 21 gruelling stages.
We will start in Monreale on Saturday with a strong team and look to be as competitive as possible. Personally, I look forward to the hilly stages and climbs the most as they are well suited to my size and attributes. Being agile and using my savvy should help me in these stages.
This year we will face three-time trials, including one on the final day in Milan which could make a big difference in the GC standings, just like we saw in the Tour de France with Tadej Pogacar and Primoz Roglic.
My memories of the Giro are very satisfying and it always make me smile when thinking about it.
Last year I put in one of my most memorable performances since joining UAE Team Emirates and I hope to do the same this time. I managed to keep hold of the revered pink jersey for six days in some really tough weather.
It was not easy to keep the pink jersey for that long and it was a big achievement for the entire team at the time. Every stage is hard, so we had to be ready at our best every single day. Everything was thoroughly well-planned, and we got our tactics spot on. I think we took everyone by surprise - something that may not be the case this year.
After Tadej’s Tour de France win, teams will now be looking at us as one of the main teams to beat. The experience we gained last year puts us in good stead for the race and I feel prepared to do well.
Funnily enough, it was my teammate Jan Polanc who rose to the top of the GC and took the pink jersey from me last year and kept it for a further two days. I was of course delighted for Jan as he has done a lot of work for me in the past and I hope we can work together this year to bring the Maglia Rosa home.
I had a wonderful race last year but was I unfortunately forced to abandon early because of an injury that hampered my pedalling. This is not how I want my Giro to end. I will always remember the days I spent in pink and they will motivate me to go even further.
My goal this year is to help the team, to win stages and wear the pink jersey again. It has been a somewhat different year because of Covid but I am ecstatic the team did well during this year’s Tour the France.
It’s incredible to think that the team is only three years old and we’ve already got a Tour de France win under our belts. The future is very bright and we’re all very excited to be a part of such an incredible project.
Hopefully we can bring that team spirit to Italy. I am super proud of Pogacar, he was unstoppable during the Tour and I hope I can show my family and fans the same at the Giro.
We know it will be a difficult tour this year. We have a strict calendar with lots of races in a short time. I want to thank the team that has become a family. I have special gratitude for them; they have faith in me, and I will do my best.
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – UAE won by 36 runs
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Cologne v Hoffenheim (11.30pm)
Saturday
Hertha Berlin v RB Leipzig (6.30pm)
Schalke v Fortuna Dusseldof (6.30pm)
Mainz v Union Berlin (6.30pm)
Paderborn v Augsburg (6.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund (9.30pm)
Sunday
Borussia Monchengladbach v Werder Bremen (4.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Bayer Leverkusen (6.30pm)
SC Freiburg v Eintracht Frankfurt (9on)
'Saand Ki Aankh'
Produced by: Reliance Entertainment with Chalk and Cheese Films
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
The Lost Letters of William Woolf
Helen Cullen, Graydon House
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
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
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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1.
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United States
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2.
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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7.
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Singapore
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8.
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Australia
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9.
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Saudi Arabia
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10.
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South Korea
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