This picture taken on August 18, 2018 shows a view of a flooded area in the north part of Kochi, in the Indian state of Kerala. - Rescuers waded into submerged villages in southern India on August 19 in a desperate search for survivors cut off for days by floods that have already killed more than 350 people. (Photo by STR / AFP)
A flooded area in the north part of Kochi, in the Indian state of Kerala. AFP

UAE’s philanthropic attitude offers welcome relief



In response to your online story Kerala flooding death toll crosses 350 (August 19), Samanth Subramanian's article on the ongoing crisis in the Indian state of Kerala was saddening to read. Kerala has witnessed the heaviest rains and more damage this century than it has in decades.

The initiative of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa in ordering the formation of a committee to assist the relief work in Kerala was heartening. The UAE has more overseas workers from India than anywhere else and many of them are from Kerala. It is natural for the UAE’s leaders to offer a helping hand. The UAE is known for its philanthropic attitude towards countries around the world, irrespective of religion. This is an uplifting and appreciated gesture.

K Ragavan, Bengaluru

Every Indian is praying for our brothers and sisters in Kerala. Like everything, this too shall pass but the wounds of devastation will take time to heal. Heal they will nonetheless. We all are praying for you.

Shanti Kanaka, Thanjavur

Let the recording show Omarosa had an agenda

With reference to your story Omarosa saga: Trump labels former female White House aide a 'dog' (August 14), for a woman who claims to have resigned, she revealed her hand with her audio recordings. I believe she was fired politely, respectfully and definitely appropriately. When someone who knows you aren't supposed to have equipment and record conversations in the White House, they have an agenda and it's not a good one.

Sam Anderson, Dubai

You got a fast car but not a ticket to anywhere

In reference to your article Dubai tourist who racked up Dh175,000 in fines in rented Lamborghini finally pays speeding tickets (August 16), I fail to understand what the driver was thinking. The UAE roads are not a Formula One racetrack. I am certain that the driver is educated and had seen the cameras flashing while he was speeding on the highway.  This seems to me an utterly intentional negligence on his part. It is behaviour like this that means many motorists do not abide by the traffic laws and risk the lives of themselves as well as other innocent drivers.

Despite laws in place, some drivers simply do not think. If you need to have fun, the best place to head is Dubai Autodrome. The amount he racked up is not a small amount. I completely blame the driver and the rental car company for not taking preventive measures before handing over the car to the driver.

We live in a world where hi-tech systems are all connected.This should be an eye-opener for every rental company to learn from. Those who commit a mistake must pay the fines. For shame.

Mathew Litty, Dubai

SPECS

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

Specs: 2024 McLaren Artura Spider

Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 and electric motor
Max power: 700hp at 7,500rpm
Max torque: 720Nm at 2,250rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
0-100km/h: 3.0sec
Top speed: 330kph
Price: From Dh1.14 million ($311,000)
On sale: Now

COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Eco Way
Started: December 2023
Founder: Ivan Kroshnyi
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Electric vehicles
Investors: Bootstrapped with undisclosed funding. Looking to raise funds from outside

The Cockroach

 (Vintage)

Ian McEwan 
 

Herc's Adventures

Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5

UAE SQUAD

 

Goalkeepers: Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Adel Al Hosani

Defenders: Bandar Al Ahbabi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Mohammed Barghash, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Hassan Al Mahrami, Yousef Jaber, Mohammed Al Attas

Midfielders: Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Majed Hassan, Abdullah Hamad, Khalfan Mubarak, Khalil Al Hammadi, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Harib Abdallah, Mohammed Jumah

Forwards: Fabio De Lima, Caio Canedo, Ali Saleh, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue

Despacito's dominance in numbers

Released: 2017

Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon

Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube

Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification

Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.

Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards

MATA
Artist: M.I.A
Label: Island
Rating: 3.5/5

Getting there

The flights

Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.

The stay

Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.

Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com

World Cup 2023 ticket sales

August 25 – Non-India warm-up matches and all non-India event matches
August 30 – India matches at Guwahati and Trivandrum
August 31 – India matches at Chennai, Delhi and Pune
September 1 – India matches at Dharamsala, Lucknow and Mumbai
September 2 – India matches at Bengaluru and Kolkata
September 3 – India matches at Ahmedabad
September 15 – Semi-finals and Final

The specs

Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8

Transmission: seven-speed automatic

Power: 592bhp

Torque: 620Nm

Price: Dh980,000

On sale: now