"I bring them all together", says Shaikh Mohammed

April 2, 2012

kt


Dubai, April 2: Following the triumph of Monterosso, ridden by Mikael Barzalona, at the Dubai World Cup main event on Saturday night, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai — the founder of the Godolphin stables which owns Monterosso — spoke exclusively to CNN’s Winning Post prior to and after the Dubai World Cup at the Meydan horse race course the same night.

The Dubai World Cup returned to Godolphin hands after a memorable one-two for Shaikh Mohammed’s racing operation. Monterosso, ridden by Mikael Barzalona, pulled ahead of stablemate Capponi to capture the coveted trophy. Both horses are trained by Mahmood Al Zarooni.

Excerpts from CNN’s Winning Post interview with:

Q: On why he built Meydan and started the Dubai World Cup:

A: “Well we thought about it and it was the horse you know descended from the horse in UAE and the thoroughbred is fantastic, thoroughbreds descending from these horses. So we bring the horse back home.

So actually we race in England, we race in America, we race in Australia, we race in Japan but not all the best horses come together, the Japanese stay home, sometimes they come to England, the Australians stay home, the Americans mostly stay home and also the Europeans. And we thought it if we can make a big Meydan here we can invite them all here and they are – it’s near to them, you know – centralised, so they come and see the magnificent horse race here and compete with all the countries…

Well remember it is in our blood. An Arab with a horse and a falcon… Our love to the horses and that’s why we backed this.”

Q: On thinking the Dubai World Cup would ever become so big:

A: “You have to dream. And our dream, and my dream.”

Q: On his predictions for the outcome of the race:

A: “I feel a lot of competition will be there’s a lot of beautiful horses from America, Europe, Japan, Australia, so you cannot tell. But you know really I am to bring them all together and to see this big party tonight I am honoured.”

Q: On winning the race with Monterosso:

“Yes it is really we haven’t won this race for a few years so to win it really it’s great, great feeling. For me and this is so happy not only for me but for United Arab Emirates and all our people.”

Q: On getting first and second in the race with Monterosso and Capponi:

A: “One-two finish, I mean when they came to the straight I thought will we win or is somebody coming to catch us? But it’s great.”

Q: On Mikael Barzalona (the winning jockey) celebrating before he crossed the finish line:

A: “My heart was in my throat at that time and I didn’t know what to say but thank god we won it and everybody has won — all the country, Ireland won, France won and that’s the racing. I’m double happy now!”


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Agencies
April 27,2020

Riyad, Apr 27: The Saudi-led Arab Coalition supporting Yemen’s UN-recognized government on Monday urged all parties to end any escalation of hostilities and return to the status that existed before the Southern Transitional Council (STC) declared self-rule.

In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the coalition emphasized “the need to cancel any step that violates the Riyadh agreement and work to accelerate its implementation.” 

On Sunday, the United Arab Emirates-backed STC scrapped a peace deal with the internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

Accusing the government of corruption and mismanagement, the separatists said they would “self-govern” the key southern port city of Aden and other southern provinces.

Yemen’s Foreign Minister Mohammed Al-Hadhrami described the move as a “resumption of its (STC’s) armed insurgency and rejection and complete withdrawal from the Riyadh agreement.” 

Authorities in Yemen’s southern provinces of Hadramawt, Abyan, Shabwa, Al-Mahra and the remote island of Socotra also rejected the separatist group’s claim to self-rule.

The government said local and security authorities in the five provinces dismissed the move as a “clear and definite coup.” 

Some of the provinces issued their own statements condemning it.

The coalition appealed to all parties to “give priority to the interests of the Yemeni people over any other interests”. 

It also urged the parties involved not to lose their focus on working to achieve the goal of restoring the state, ending the Houthi “coup” and “countering terrorist organizations”.

“The Coalition has and will continue to undertake practical and systematic steps to implement the Riyadh Agreement between the parties to unite Yemeni ranks, restore state institutions and combat the scourge of terrorism,” the statement said. “The responsibility rests with the signatories to the Agreement to undertake national steps toward implementing its provisions, which were signed and agreed upon with a time matrix for implementation.”

The STC has been part of the coalition-backed forces fighting the Iran-backed Houthi militia, which seized control of the Yemeni capital Sanaa and other provinces in 2014.

The Houthi “coup” has led to the formation of the Saudi-led coalition, which had since driven away the Houthis from the south and other provinces. President Hadi’s government has made Aden as its temporary seat.

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News Network
May 31,2020

Dubai, May 31: As many as 84 beggars have been arrested in Dubai during the Eid Al Fitr holiday, the Dubai Police have said.

The arrests were carried out as part of their anti-begging campaign to prevent begging during the holy month of Ramadan.

Some illegal vendors, too, have been arrested in different areas of the emirate, the police added.

Colonel Ali Salem, Director of the Infiltrators Department at the Criminal Investigations Department of Dubai Police, said that the campaign aims to maintain the safety and security of the society, adding that the campaign was successful and helped reduce the number of beggars across the emirate.

He called on the public to report begging activities to the number 901 or the Dubai Police app.

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Agencies
May 2,2020

Doha, May 2: Twenty-three staff at a hospital in Qatar were injured when tents being used to boost capacity in response to coronavirus collapsed in a fierce storm, local media reported Friday.

Winds of up to 72 kilometres per hour (45 miles per hour) caused two temporary tent annexes at Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital in Qatar's Industrial Area to collapse on Thursday, the Gulf Times reported.

No patients were hurt and most injuries to staff at the facility, 20 kilometres south west of central Doha, were minor, the daily added, citing the health ministry.

During the gale-force winds on Thursday, a Qatar Airways Boeing 787 on the ground was blown into a nearby Airbus A350 at Doha's Hamad airport causing minor damage but no injuries, the airline said in a statement.

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عاصفة رعدية ورياح قوية تهدم المستشفى الميداني في قطر وأضرار أخرى في منطقة

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4:14 AM - May 1, 2020

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The Industrial Area is a gritty, densely-populated district that is home to mostly migrant labourers and has been the epicentre of Qatar's outbreak. 

Tens of thousands of residents were quarantined in the area after cases of the novel coronavirus were confirmed among the community in mid-March.

Qatar -- home to hundreds of thousands of foreign labourers working on projects linked to the 2022 World Cup -- has reported 12 deaths and 14,096 cases of the Covid-19 respiratory disease.

The hospital's executive director Hussein Ishaq said the incident was being treated "very seriously" and that an investigation had been launched.

Hospital staff had "helped ensure that no patients were injured and were safely transferred to other hospitals", he said, quoted in the Gulf Times.

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