William Buick has been named among the 12 jockeys announced in the line-up for the Meydan Masters Challenge that opens the Dubai World Cup Carnival on January 5.
The 23-year-old Briton, who will ride for Dhruba Selvaratnam during the Carnival, will touch down in the region only two days before the contest is staged at Meydan Racecourse. He failed to partner a winner in last year's jockey challenge, won by Calvin Borel.
Buick's experience in previous contests should, however, put him in good stead against his rival jockeys, who boast 50 Group 1 wins among them.
Buick said the jockey challenges are "fantastic incentives" and added: "It is good of the Dubai Racing Club to put the horses on. To participate at a top track like Meydan is all the better."
Buick will be joined by Ryan Moore, Britain's three-time champion jockey, Colm O'Donoghue, who rides for Aidan O'Brien in Ireland; and Tom Queally, who has been setting Europe alight with his rides on Frankel.
France will have three representatives: Maxime Guyon, Christophe Lemaire and Mickael Barzalona. Frankie Dettori and Mirco Demuro, who won this year's Dubai World Cup aboard Victoire Pisa, will also participate.
The field is completed by Kenichi Ikezoe, who partnered Orfevre to Japan's Triple Crown, Australia's Craig Williams and Andrasch Starke, the German who won this year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on Danedream.
Points are accumulated based on the riders' finishes in a race, and the winner is determined by the highest points total secured in those races.
"To have such illustrious names competing in the Meydan Masters further advances horse racing in Dubai on the world's stage," said Saeed Al Tayer, the Meydan chairman.
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Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
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Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
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- Add tint to windows
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'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
Prophets of Rage
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