Volunteers from Emirates Red Crescent prepare parcels with humanitarian aid for Gaza. Reuters
Volunteers from Emirates Red Crescent prepare parcels with humanitarian aid for Gaza. Reuters

The UAE's necessary aid to Gaza



12 April, 2024

With reference to the report How the UAE is helping people in Gaza – in numbers (April 9): that's a great effort. Nothing can be better than a ceasefire and ending the killings, but it is still worthwhile to send aid on such a large scale. Good to read about the water desalination plants being set up and the bakeries to ease famine conditions. The hundred doctors and lab technicians and a floating hospital are all very necessary. Any help is good at this stage. People across the world are praying for the misery in Gaza to end.

Reshma Khan, Abu Dhabi

A chief minister in jail

With regard to Taniya Dutta's report Delhi leader Arvind Kejriwal to stay in jail after losing appeal over arrest (April 9): it's been a dramatic few weeks for the chief minister of Delhi and his Aam Aadmi Party that came to power with promises of no corruption, and development for the people of Delhi, and by providing free electricity. However, now the Delhi High Court has rejected Mr Kejriwal's plea and admitted that charges against him by the Enforcement Directorate have merit. Despite this verdict, he is going to appeal in the Supreme Court, which is the highest court in the land. We will have to wait and see whether or not he succeeds, and if he's granted bail before India's general election.

K Ragavan, Bengaluru, India

Non-stop flight on a leisure airline?

With regard to Hayley Skirka's report Travel Unpacked: All-business class airline takes flight and 101 things to do in Abu Dhabi (April 11): I found Hayley Skirka’s article about upstart airline Beond to be of interest. However, I found a line in it could be misconstrued: “Currently, Beond flies from Munich, Zurich and Riyadh to the Indian Ocean holiday haven.” As presently constituted, the airline’s small fleet of A319 and A321 aircraft do not have the range to fly to Male from Munich or Zurich, and it is not clear that they intend to fly Riyadh to Male non-stop, or rather route passengers through their Dubai hub. Passengers from Europe to Maldives should be aware that flights could involve re-fuelling stops and may not be “non-stop”. It is an important distinction in my opinion.

Mark Skoning, Dubai

A voice for the Palestinian people

With regards to the article UAE envoy to UN Lana Nusseibeh awarded Shield of Palestine (April 10): Ms Nussiebeh has been an outstanding voice for the great people of Palestine and a star ambassador for the UAE. Wishing her every success.

Shahameen Jehan, Abu Dhabi

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

RoboCop: Rogue City

Developer: Teyon
Publisher: Nacon
Console: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC
Rating: 3/5

About Takalam

Date started: early 2020

Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: HealthTech and wellness

Number of staff: 4

Funding to date: Bootstrapped

TWISTERS

Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung

Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos

Rating:+2.5/5

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

Company Profile

Name: Direct Debit System
Started: Sept 2017
Based: UAE with a subsidiary in the UK
Industry: FinTech
Funding: Undisclosed
Investors: Elaine Jones
Number of employees: 8

Company profile

Company name: Leap
Started: March 2021
Founders: Ziad Toqan and Jamil Khammu
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Funds raised: Undisclosed
Current number of staff: Seven

SPECS

Engine: Twin-turbocharged 4-litre V8
Power: 625 bhp
Torque: 630Nm
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh974,011

SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net

Getting there and where to stay

Fly with Etihad Airways from Abu Dhabi to New York’s JFK. There's 11 flights a week and economy fares start at around Dh5,000.
Stay at The Mark Hotel on the city’s Upper East Side. Overnight stays start from $1395 per night.
Visit NYC Go, the official destination resource for New York City for all the latest events, activites and openings.

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Haltia.ai
Started: 2023
Co-founders: Arto Bendiken and Talal Thabet
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: AI
Number of employees: 41
Funding: About $1.7 million
Investors: Self, family and friends

Fixtures

Wednesday, April 3

Arsenal v Luton Town, 10.30pm (UAE)

Manchester City v Aston Villa, 11.15pm (UAE)

Thursday, April 4

Liverpool v Sheffield United, 10.30pm (UAE)

Company Profile

Company name: Cargoz
Date started: January 2022
Founders: Premlal Pullisserry and Lijo Antony
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 30
Investment stage: Seed

BIRD BOX BARCELONA

Directors: David and Alex Pastor
Stars: Georgina Campbell, Mario Casas, Diego Calva
Rating: 2/5

Diriyah project at a glance

- Diriyah’s 1.9km King Salman Boulevard, a Parisian Champs-Elysees-inspired avenue, is scheduled for completion in 2028
- The Royal Diriyah Opera House is expected to be completed in four years
- Diriyah’s first of 42 hotels, the Bab Samhan hotel, will open in the first quarter of 2024
- On completion in 2030, the Diriyah project is forecast to accommodate more than 100,000 people
- The $63.2 billion Diriyah project will contribute $7.2 billion to the kingdom’s GDP
- It will create more than 178,000 jobs and aims to attract more than 50 million visits a year
- About 2,000 people work for the Diriyah Company, with more than 86 per cent being Saudi citizens

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Xpanceo

Started: 2018

Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov

Based: Dubai, UAE

Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality

Funding: $40 million

Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)

Updated: April 12, 2024, 3:00 AM