It’s almost a year since the remodelled Rolla Square Park reopened in Sharjah after a multi-million dirham facelift.
The centre piece of the park is a half-size copper replica of a tree, its foliage cleverly simulated by a cut-out in concrete that completes the sculpture. But why a tree?
This photograph supplies the answer. It was taken in 1977 for Al Ittihad newspaper and shows the original tree that gave the square its name; a rolla or banyan tree. The area, the newspaper noted, had been in use as a public space for 150 years, with the original rolla planted by the Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Sultan Bin Saqer Al Qasimi, in the 19th century.
Down the years, the square became a regular meeting and a place to hang out where you might see everything from falcons to wresters. It was where people gathered to mark the funeral of Egypt’s president Gamel Abdel Nasser in 1970.
In it’s native India, the banyan can live for up to a thousand years, but while Sharjah rolla has long passed on to the great woodpile in the sky, its memory is honoured in a statue and in the spirit of the park.
* James Langton
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
UAE rugby in numbers
5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons
700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams
Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams
Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season
Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season
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