Dr Robert Erasmus is a specialist in family medicine and medical director at the Welcare Hospital in Garhoud, Dubai. He lives in Dubai with his wife.
I was born on April Fool's Day, 1949, in a small town in South Africa called Brakpan, just east of Johannesburg. I'm not quite sure why I came to the UAE. But because I worked in Saudi Arabia for five years, we used to travel from Johannesburg via Dubai to Saudi Arabia. Dubai was, at that stage, an interesting place. We started travelling in 1996, and we came to Dubai in August 2003. The Welcare Hospital offered me a challenging position to start a department of family medicine.
Dubai has changed quickly. Especially with the increase in traffic. The positive aspect is that I think the roads have improved tremendously. We were away for a year in 2006, and on our return it was amazing to see what had happened, building-wise. But what impressed me the most was the movement in the road system. Now it's an absolute pleasure to go over Business Bay. When they started building it, I went there often to do some photography. I thought, what are these guys doing, they'll never build this bridge. But I was very pleasantly surprised.
Having grown up in South Africa, with all the wildlife and scenery, bird photography became my main interest. Later on - especially when we lived in Indonesia - I developed an appetite for insect photography. The best place I found was the desert. Early in the morning, I go to see how the dunes have changed. And the insects in the desert are amazing. So are the little animals and reptiles. I look at their footprints in the sand.
I get up at about a quarter to six in the morning. For many years - my wife and I have been married now for almost 37 years - I would get up and wake my wife with an orange juice. I would have a shower and she would prepare what I will wear that day. She decides on my shirt, trousers, socks and shoes - and I dare not disagree with her. We always have breakfast together, that's one of our rules. I like Weetabix with skimmed milk and a bit of honey, and a cup of coffee. My wife prepares my sandwiches and I come to the hospital, where I work an average of 10 hours a day.
In accident and emergency, what keeps me motivated is that I don't know what I'm going to see every day. If I was a cardiologist I would look at and listen to hearts all day. Recently I've been appointed medical director of the hospital, so I'm less involved in patient care and much more in administration, to look after the almost 100 doctors that work in the hospital.
I'm very seldom unhappy, I'm a very content and happy person. I've been blessed with achieving all the goals in my life that I set for myself and my family. Happiness is to walk in the African bush, to go "hunting" with a camera. I enjoy fishing - the tranquillity of sitting next to a lake or a dam and waiting for a fish to come. I have few regrets - for the last 12 years I have been travelling, so maybe I neglected my family, or my two kids, but they are now well established. But there's nothing that I haven't done yet that I still want to do.
When I retire, I'm going back to Pretoria. That's still home. I don't really care where I'm buried - that would be the problem of the people I leave behind.
Who are the Sacklers?
The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty that owns Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the centre of America's opioids crisis. The family is well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate in Britain, Yale University and the Serpentine Gallery, to name a few. Two branches of the family control Purdue Pharma.
Isaac Sackler and Sophie Greenberg were Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York before the First World War. They had three sons. The first, Arthur, died before OxyContin was invented. The second, Mortimer, who died aged 93 in 2010, was a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. The third, Raymond, died aged 97 in 2017 and was also a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma.
It was Arthur, a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical marketeer, who started the family business dynasty. He and his brothers bought a small company called Purdue Frederick; among their first products were laxatives and prescription earwax remover.
Arthur's branch of the family has not been involved in Purdue for many years and his daughter, Elizabeth, has spoken out against it, saying the company's role in America's drugs crisis is "morally abhorrent".
The lawsuits that were brought by the attorneys general of New York and Massachussetts named eight Sacklers. This includes Kathe, Mortimer, Richard, Jonathan and Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, who are all the children of either Mortimer or Raymond. Then there's Theresa Sackler, who is Mortimer senior's widow; Beverly, Raymond's widow; and David Sackler, Raymond's grandson.
Members of the Sackler family are rarely seen in public.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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The five pillars of Islam
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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2.15pm: Al Marwan Group Holding – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: SS Jalmod, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
2.45pm: Sharjah Equine Hospital – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Ghallieah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout
3.15pm: Al Marwan Group Holding – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Inthar, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
3.45pm: Al Ain Stud Emirates Breeders Trophy – Conditions (PA) Dh50,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: MH Rahal, Richard Mullen, Elise Jeanne
4.25pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Cup – Prestige Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: JAP Aneed, Ray Dawson, Irfan Ellahi
4.45pm: Sharjah Equine Hospital – Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Edaraat, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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UAE - India ties
The UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner after the US and China
Annual bilateral trade between India and the UAE has crossed US$ 60 billion
The UAE is the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil for India
Indians comprise the largest community with 3.3 million residents in the UAE
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first visited the UAE in August 2015
His visit on August 23-24 will be the third in four years
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, visited India in February 2016
Sheikh Mohamed was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2017
Modi will visit Bahrain on August 24-25
Top 10 in the F1 drivers' standings
1. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 202 points
2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-GP 188
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes-GP 169
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing 117
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 116
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing 67
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 56
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 45
9. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso 35
10. Nico Hulkenberg, Renault 26
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
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