'I take Apollo for walks ... he is a bit wild'


  • English
  • Arabic

DUBAI // Giordan Pierrepont, 15, shied away from making friends and preferred keeping to himself - until his parents brought home Apollo, the Golden Retriever.

The Greenfield Community School pupil, who has dyslexia, has been tasked with caring for the dog and working with a coach to train it.

"I feed him and take him for walks," said Giordan of his new best friend. "He is a bit wild."

Pamella Pierrepont, Giordan's mother, said the dog has taken Giordan out of a routine. "We have taken a step back and given Giordan the responsibility of working with the trainer," she said. "It is also a lesson in concentration because he has to pay attention for an hour."

Jackie Ratcliffe, chairwoman of K9 Friends, said she first noted the calming effect of trained dogs when they worked with special needs centres several years ago. "We have had a couple of families that have adopted dogs [for this reason], but it's not as popular as it is in the UK," she said.

In the United States, there are charities that provide such dogs, but the service has yet to reach here.

For Giordan, Apollo has become a confidant. "When I come home, he barks and forces me down. He is one of those evil geniuses, who has picked up on our brain power and has learnt to outsmart us," he said.

From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

Barings Bank

 Barings, one of Britain’s oldest investment banks, was
founded in 1762 and operated for 233 years before it went bust after a trading
scandal. 

Barings Bank collapsed in February 1995 following colossal
losses caused by rogue trader Nick Lesson. 

Leeson gambled more than $1 billion in speculative trades,
wiping out the venerable merchant bank’s cash reserves.  

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J%20Street%20Polling%20Results
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
SUZUME
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SPECS
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Pathaan
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UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid

When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

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The biog

First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974  
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work

Company%20profile
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Skewed figures

In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.