The legacy of Pope Francis
With reference to Ramola Talwar Badam's article Gulf Christians pay tribute to late Pope Francis: 'Teachings will remain forever' (April 21): We were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis. A shepherd to the world, he inspired millions with his humility, compassion and unwavering commitment to justice and peace. His legacy as a voice for the voiceless and a true servant of God will endure for generations.
May his soul rest in eternal peace and may the church be comforted and guided as it mourns the loss of a remarkable spiritual leader.
Jacob Matthews, Sharjah
Rest in peace, Papa Francesco. Your spirit will live on in the hearts of those you touched with your message of love and hope.
David Borg, Dubai
Thank you, Pope Francis, for always advocating for peace and love.
Youusef Haddad, Abu Dhabi
He was a well-respected Pope and a very humble person. The first Pope in 100 years to not live in the Pope residence but in a modest suite in the Vatican guesthouse where he received visitors.
Giovanni Dilon, Dubai
Rest in peace, Pope Francis. You were the best we ever had.
Gisele Guiducci, Porto Alegre, Brazil
May his soul rest in peace. He was a good man.
Sofia Fonseca, Abu Dhabi
Rest in peace, Pope Francis. Let's hope his successor cares as much for peace and justice in Palestine.
Rabia M, Manchester, UK
Rules to prevent misrepresentation on social media
With regard to The National's social media post Emirati dialect ban applies only to advertisements on social media, says UAE source (April 20): Well done. No more funny looks and funny accents and a lot of money wasted.
Ahmed AlQedrah, Dubai
It is so that Emirati authenticity is preserved, and cultural appropriation is limited. There tends to be a lot of this sort of thing when non-local residents attempt to adopt the Emirati attire or dialect.
Nadine Wahbi, Beirut
This applies specifically to misrepresentation. It isn't about jobs. The government already ensures employment for locals. This law safeguards Emirati culture from exploitation and misrepresentation by non-locals who pose as locals to attract clients. We've seen too many cases of our culture being distorted and disrespected by outsiders overstepping the line.
M Qutami, Dubai
Opening doors for Egyptian swimmers
With reference to Reem Abulleil's report Egyptian swimmers Osman and Elaraby handed Olympics boost after 50m butterfly included for LA 2028 (April 21): Thank you for featuring me.
Abdelrahman Elaraby, Olympian, Cairo, Egypt
The bio
Favourite book: Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer
Favourite quote: “The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist
Favourite Authors: Arab poet Abu At-Tayyib Al-Mutanabbi
Favourite Emirati food: Luqaimat, a deep-fried dough soaked in date syrup
Hobbies: Reading and drawing
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
