Malcolm Borwick, who is competing in the Royal Salute polo tournament at Dubai’s Desert Palm Resort this week, talks about life, work and play
The life he leads
“We follow the international circuit and aren’t based permanently anywhere. Through October, November and December we’re in Argentina; January to April in Miami; May to July in England and August in Spain.”
Glamour and hard graft
“Obviously the association with luxury and glamour is a big part of the sell of the sport, but the day-to-day is much more physical and work oriented. Like any professional sport, there’s no room for being overweight or slow.”
Average day
“We’ll work with the horses at least two to three hours every morning and afternoon. We also have daily gym workouts with personal trainers. Then we’ll have matches three times a week during peak seasons, which you’ll be prepping for with your teammates.”
Serious horseplay
“I started playing when I was 11 but only decided to take it up professionally after Durham University. I was travelling and playing polo before being made a member of the England team. I think Dubai will be my 30th country associated with polo –and I’m very much looking forward to it.”
New turf
“Dubai has been on my wish-list for a very long time. I know all the professionals playing there well and it’s a circuit that’s gaining momentum every year.”
Eye on the prize
“We play to win! Irrespective of the traditions and gentlemanly nature of the game, today it’s a very passionate, modern sport where winning is all-important.”
Teaching novices
“In about three hours, I’ll try to get you from zero to hero. From literally nothing, to riding a horse and hitting a ball.”
For more information, visit desertpalm.peraquum.com
rduane@thenational.ae
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THE DETAILS
Director: Milan Jhaveri
Producer: Emmay Entertainment and T-Series
Cast: John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee
Rating: 2/5
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
HAJJAN
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
