In regards to the article Coronavirus: Abu Dhabi motorists face Dh1,000 fine for dumping masks and gloves (June 6): the UAE takes great measures to keep the city clean by having the roads swept regularly. However, the public needs to be more mindful on the issue of littering.
Some people in the city seem to feel no shame in disposing face masks and gloves on the streets instead of using the bins. Further, discarding masks in water bodies is a risk to marine life.
We must instruct people to be more conscientious in their actions. They need to rely on themselves, not others, to fight not just the pandemic, but also pollution. Together we can roll out an improvement.
Delaine Ferns, Abu Dhabi
Children of medics with lower-paying jobs should be prioritised
With reference to your report Coronavirus: More than 1,800 children of medics get fee waiver in UAE public schools (Sept 16): nice gesture. The selection of the 1800 'eligibles', however, may create issues. Perhaps those frontline heroes who earn the least should be rewarded first.
Anne Poulton Van Binsbergen-Hope, Cape Town, South Africa
This is an exemplary act and demonstrates the right spirit.
Shabbir Jariwala, Pune, India
Will carbon emissions remain low when going to office resumes?
With reference to Jennifer Gnana's report Dubai reduced carbon emissions by 22% in 2019 (September 15): this is truly a great start. It's been better for the environment that people stopped going to the office and started working from home.
Angelo Turetta, Dubai
Friendship with Israel is the way to go
Regarding Hayley Skirka's report Etihad 'welcomes opportunity' for future flights between UAE and Israel (September 15): friendship is the way to go. The UAE will always be remembered in history as one of the pioneering Arab nations to have extended this hand of friendship.
Anwar Hasan, Karachi, Pakistan
The rules of social gathering must be respected
Regarding Salam Al Amir's report Dubai police arrest DJ and two others for organising party (September 14): well done, Dubai police. These law-breaking people just cannot understand rules. It is time that they are put on a curfew. It is because of people like these that others are paying the price. Older people, I think, are showing more respect for the rules.
Evon Rawlings, Ajman
Unbelievable. People put fun ahead of the community's well-being. Good job by the police.
Iffat Malik, Dubai
Uefa Nations League: How it Works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
The UN General Assembly President in quotes:
YEMEN: “The developments we have seen are promising. We really hope that the parties are going to respect the agreed ceasefire. I think that the sense of really having the political will to have a peace process is vital. There is a little bit of hope and the role that the UN has played is very important.”
PALESTINE: “There is no easy fix. We need to find the political will and comply with the resolutions that we have agreed upon.”
OMAN: “It is a very important country in our system. They have a very important role to play in terms of the balance and peace process of that particular part of the world, in that their position is neutral. That is why it is very important to have a dialogue with the Omani authorities.”
REFORM OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL: “This is complicated and it requires time. It is dependent on the effort that members want to put into the process. It is a process that has been going on for 25 years. That process is slow but the issue is huge. I really hope we will see some progress during my tenure.”
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Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
