A UAE humanitarian task force is supporting crucial rescue efforts in Myanmar after a devastating earthquake last week that killed thousands and caused widespread destruction.
The shallow 7.7-magnitude earthquake on Friday flattened buildings across the South-East Asian country, prompting the international community to come to its aid.
President Sheikh Mohamed on Monday directed a search and rescue team to be sent to the stricken nation, made up of Abu Dhabi Civil Defence, Abu Dhabi Police, the UAE National Guard and Joint Operations Command.
The initiative stems from “the UAE’s commitment to providing immediate relief to communities suffering from the aftermath of natural disasters anywhere in the world as a gesture of solidarity and brotherhood”, state news agency Wam reported.
The UAE rescue team is continuing to deliver assistance to those affected by the natural disaster. Search and rescue operations are being conducted across six locations in Myanmar, with teams working in rotating morning and evening shifts to boost response efforts and reach as many affected areas as possible.
Myanmar's military leaders have announced a temporary ceasefire in an effort to make relief operations easier.
The number of deaths rose to 3,085 on Thursday, with 4,715 injured and 341 missing, the junta said.
The military government said it would observe a ceasefire until April 22 after other armed groups fighting the country's four-year civil war made similar pledges. The junta said the ceasefire had “the aim of speeding up relief and reconstruction efforts, and maintaining peace and stability”.
Rights groups and several foreign governments had earlier condemned the leaders for continuing to carry out air strikes as the country dealt with the quake aftermath.
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
Premier League results
Saturday
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Arsenal 1
Bournemouth 0 Manchester City 1
Brighton & Hove Albion 1 Huddersfield Town 0
Burnley 1 Crystal Palace 3
Manchester United 3 Southampton 2
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Cardiff City 0
West Ham United 2 Newcastle United 0
Sunday
Watford 2 Leicester City 1
Fulham 1 Chelsea 2
Everton 0 Liverpool 0
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