A reader expresses shock at some employers’ disregard for safety regulations. Courtesy Ramesh Menon
A reader expresses shock at some employers’ disregard for safety regulations. Courtesy Ramesh Menon

When will people learn about safety?



Pictures speak a thousand words, they say. If you look at the photo I took, you will know how some companies jeopardise the lives of their employees.

It was shocking. Can we care less about human lives?

Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi

Countless people have reasons to thank the UAE

I refer to the article Indian labourers see rewards of life in UAE back at home (February 24). The UAE is an amazing country which embraces every one, irrespective of their religion, nationality and creed, with open arms.

The country not only helps hundreds of thousands of people to build their lives back home and take care of their families, but it gives so many people a new lease on life within its territory. And when it comes to getting back what you give, there is no better example than the UAE. It’s so wealthy and can hold its head high largely because it gives to others with an open heart.

There are countless people all over the world who are ever grateful to the UAE for what they have got from the country.

Abbas Naqvi, Ras Al Khaimah

Festival showcased UAE’s strengths

The Qasr Al Hosn festival was a great experience for me (Qasr Al Hosn Cavalia debut a roaring success, February 23).

We went on Saturday to Qasr Al Hosn and fell so much in love with this truly amazing and superbly organised event.

It was so exquisitely set up, with so much to do and see, to learn and enjoy.

As for the Cavalia show, I had tears in my eyes when I saw it. The beauty and enormous attention to details to show UAE’s history, (pearlfishing and Emirati tunes played by musicians behind the curtains), and the strength of the horses and riders, acrobats and everyone involved, was mind boggling. It was an event we shall never forget.

It was so stunning that we are still talking about it. Probably we will go to see the show again this week.

As always, UAE, you simply are the best, you never do anything by half.

Brigitte von Bulow, Abu Dhabi

Does revolution solve problems?

The Arabic News Digest item, The Arabs struggle to resist a good conspiracy theory (February 23), points out what has been happening in the region for the past several years.

In fact, I could not see anything in the revolution. Instead, traditional beliefs and principles are on the verge of extinction. Many leaders of the region have disappeared, and along with them they seem to have taken all of our values and ethics. Revolutions often destroy what people create over decades, not to speak of the loss of innocent lives.

The problem is that the root cause of revolution remains open for a long time, thus leading to fresh conflicts of ideology and thinking.

The so-called conspiracy theories are very much part of every fight in which both sides gain, but in different ways. It’s right that “conspiracy theories are a comfortable pillow for those who want to justify their failure or inability”. The truth is, when there is a will there is always a way and nothing could stand in our way if we decide to make something happen.

Ramachandran Nair, Oman

Rolling Stones continue to shine

In July 1964, aged 16, I was at a girls’ boarding school in England. Our music master took us to London for the BBC radio recording of the Joe Loss Pop Show. The Rolling Stones were the star guests that week.

We were not allowed to shout, scream or applaud until a “clap” sign was shown after each of the six songs. It was magical then and true perfection on Friday, 50 years later.

Judi Ashcroft, Dubai

Pictures prove skills of photographer

The pictures of Dubai taken by Daniel Cheong that I saw in the blogpost Daniel Cheong: capturing the majesty of Dubai's architecture (February 15), are really amazing. It seems to me that the Dubai I see and the Dubai presented in those photographs are entirely different. These pictures show the level of skills Cheong has: he knows how and when to take a picture. These are the most important things in photography. For me, Cheong is a master photographer.

Rajkumar, Dubai

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.

Day 1 results:

Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)

Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)

Essentials

The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Los Angeles, from Dh4,975 return, including taxes. The flight time is 16 hours. Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Aeromexico and Southwest all fly direct from Los Angeles to San Jose del Cabo from Dh1,243 return, including taxes. The flight time is two-and-a-half hours.

The trip
Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic’s eight-day Whales Wilderness itinerary costs from US$6,190 (Dh22,736) per person, twin share, including meals, accommodation and excursions, with departures in March and April 2018.

 

UAE squad

Ali Kashief, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdelrahman, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Mohmmed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammad Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Eisa, Mohammed Shakir, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Adel Al Hosani, Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah), Waleed Abbas, Ismail Al Hammadi, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai) Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Mahrami (Baniyas)

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Major matches on Manic Monday

Andy Murray (GBR) v Benoit Paire (FRA)

Grigor Dimitrov (BGR) v Roger Federer (SUI)

Rafael Nadal (ESP) v Gilles Muller (LUX)

Adrian Mannarino (FRA) Novak Djokovic (SRB)

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Airev
Started: September 2023
Founder: Muhammad Khalid
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Generative AI
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
 

Padmaavat

Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh

3.5/5

Persuasion
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