Two British army soldiers who lost limbs in Afghanistan were in great spirits when they skydived in Dubai yesterday.
Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson, 27, and Rifleman Jake Partlett, 21, were brought to Dubai by the British charity Pilgrim Bandits to raise awareness about its work and help them regain their confidence.
L/Bdr Parkinson lost both legs after his vehicle was blown up by an improvised explosive device, while Jake lost a leg after stepping on a landmine during a routine patrol.
The men jumped in tandem with instructors from an airplane at just under 4,000 metres at Skydive Dubai. "It's a brilliant feeling," said Rfmn Partlett afterwards. "Dubai looks great from above. There were no clouds and the sky was clear. It's amazing. I am planning to come here again and do one more skydive."
Rfmn Partlett said his life slowed down a bit after the accident but he is doing fine. "I go to the gym every day to keep myself fit. I am also planning to study further and do other activities. It's difficult to lead a normal life but everything happens for a reason and I am all right with it," he said.
L/Bdr Parkinson, who also fought in Iraq and Kosovo, was wounded in Helmand province in 2006.
As well as losing both legs, he suffered brain injuries that caused him to have speech difficulties. His stepfather, Andrew Dernie, accompanied him on the trip to Dubai.
Mr Dernie said he was proud of his stepson. "The way he is fighting back makes us feel proud about him," said Mr Dernie. "He was in the army all his life and still misses it. He is a great soldier."
Mike Witt, one of the founders of the Pilgrim Bandits, said they were enjoying their trip to Dubai. "We went to watch the cricket match on Friday and also went to the Rugby Sevens in the evening," he said. "It was great."
He said the group wanted to create something tougher and more challenging for amputees returning from conflicts.
"By taking them on adventure training expeditions where the conditions are similar to those in the forces, they don't get any sympathy, but instead they are pushed and their confidence in their ability to achieve slowly returns.
"This in turn then strengthens their self-belief, which enables them to compete in events like the Paralympics."
frahman@thenational.ae
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft Toronto
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: Playstation 4, Xbox One, Windows
Release Date: April 10
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The biog
Born: near Sialkot, Pakistan, 1981
Profession: Driver
Family: wife, son (11), daughter (8)
Favourite drink: chai karak
Favourite place in Dubai: The neighbourhood of Khawaneej. “When I see the old houses over there, near the date palms, I can be reminded of my old times. If I don’t go down I cannot recall my old times.”
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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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE 12 BREAKAWAY CLUBS
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees
Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.
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BRIEF SCORES
England 353 and 313-8 dec
(B Stokes 112, A Cook 88; M Morkel 3-70, K Rabada 3-85)
(J Bairstow 63, T Westley 59, J Root 50; K Maharaj 3-50)
South Africa 175 and 252
(T Bavuma 52; T Roland-Jones 5-57, J Anderson 3-25)
(D Elgar 136; M Ali 4-45, T Roland-Jones 3-72)
Result: England won by 239 runs
England lead four-match series 2-1
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
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One in four Americans don't plan to retire
Nearly a quarter of Americans say they never plan to retire, according to a poll that suggests a disconnection between individuals' retirement plans and the realities of ageing in the workforce.
Experts say illness, injury, layoffs and caregiving responsibilities often force older workers to leave their jobs sooner than they'd like.
According to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research, 23 per cent of workers, including nearly two in 10 of those over 50, don't expect to stop working. Roughly another quarter of Americans say they will continue working beyond their 65th birthday.
According to government data, about one in five people 65 and older was working or actively looking for a job in June. The study surveyed 1,423 adults in February this year.
For many, money has a lot to do with the decision to keep working.
"The average retirement age that we see in the data has gone up a little bit, but it hasn't gone up that much," says Anqi Chen, assistant director of savings research at the Centre for Retirement Research at Boston College. "So people have to live in retirement much longer, and they may not have enough assets to support themselves in retirement."
When asked how financially comfortable they feel about retirement, 14 per cent of Americans under the age of 50 and 29 per cent over 50 say they feel extremely or very prepared, according to the poll. About another four in 10 older adults say they do feel somewhat prepared, while just about one-third feel unprepared.
"One of the things about thinking about never retiring is that you didn't save a whole lot of money," says Ronni Bennett, 78, who was pushed out of her job as a New York City-based website editor at 63.
She searched for work in the immediate aftermath of her layoff, a process she describes as akin to "banging my head against a wall." Finding Manhattan too expensive without a steady stream of income, she eventually moved to Portland, Maine. A few years later, she moved again, to Lake Oswego, Oregon. "Sometimes I fantasise that if I win the lottery, I'd go back to New York," says Ms Bennett.
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