Gandhi family has no genetic lock on leadership
Is the Gandhi dynasty finally coming to an end? Your comment article The Gandhi brand loses its lustre in India's new politics (January 23) presents Rahul Gandhi as a young man who has few political gifts, being offered to the voters by cynical party bosses.
Leadership qualities, not to mention moral clarity and nobility of spirit, are not genetic and not automatically passed from one generation to the next. Mr Gandhi may be a fine person, but the voters in India are about ready to move beyond automatic support for anyone with that last name.
VJ Mehta, Dubai
Ask consumers about mortgages
Referring to UAE banks stick with Central Bank's old loan limits (January 23), I agree that the Government is responsible, through the Central Bank or other authority, for the policies and parameters guiding the mortgage and real estate markets.
But the Central Bank should find a way to consult consumers' representatives, as the banks are going to see and recommend only policies and parameters that are in their own interests.
It is impossible to make everyone happy, but at least broad consultation and consideration could result in compromise positions that reasonable people can accept.
Elan Fabbri, Dubai
It is surely a great relief to many people that the new mortgage rules are not yet in effect (Banks stick with old loan limits, January 23).
But many people, including my brother, have had a bad few weeks as they tried to refinance their homes during this uncertainty.
Regulatory agencies have a duty to be clear and to refrain from surprises which can upset markets and discourage transactions. I hope there will be no more such misunderstandings in future.
Mohammed Rasheed, Abu Dhabi
More packaging than we need
Your editorial Pitch in at every level of recycling (January 23) made sense.
It's not just supermarkets at fault. I recently went to buy a burger from a well-known chain, and was shocked at the amount of packaging.
The burger was wrapped in paper, then put inside a cardboard box that for some reason was then inserted into another cardboard box. Then the whole thing was put into a plastic bag.
In many other countries, the paper wrapping suffices, and it should be that way here, too.
Tim Mawson, Abu Dhabi
History will blame us all for Syria
We have become callous to the great suffering of Syria. History will be unkind to us for this.
Forget, Russia and China, we all need to act now in Syria. And we are already far too late.
G Kafantaris, US
Radical elements are true winners in Syria's stalemate (January 22) makes some good points.
The great fear is that Syria will descend into such an abyss that the minimal conditions for resisting extremism (simple welfare, peace, a chance for education and jobs) won't even exist.
Even before the Arab Spring, Syria was a poor country. The economic toll of the war must be astronomical. The more this war goes on, the further Syrians will be from a functioning civil society.
Name withheld by request
Taliban no judge of mental health
It is hilarious for the Taliban, with their own limited touch with reality, to say that someone else has mental problems (Prince Harry has 'a mental problem' for comparing killing with video games, Taliban says (January 23).
Frank Burkhardt, USA
Why recycle if it all becomes trash?
Unlike our neighbours in Al Bateen, we recycle, keeping our green bin in the garage to prevent others filling it with unsorted rubbish.
However, I don't know if it really matters since I have watched both green and black bins being emptied into the same rubbish lorry (Abu Dhabi residents not sure which bin is for recycling, January 20).
The same thing has been witnessed by several of our friends.
If you are going to educate the residents about recycling and sorting rubbish, perhaps you need to start with educating the collectors.
J Wilson, Abu Dhabi
Bloodshed was unpardonable
Victims executed in cold blood (January 22) brings out the brutal inhumanity of Mali's militants.
This was in no way an act of religion or faith. How can these militants roar in the name of Islam?
Jafar Nizami, Abu Dhabi
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Ejari
Based: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Founders: Yazeed Al Shamsi, Fahad Albedah, Mohammed Alkhelewy and Khalid Almunif
Sector: PropTech
Total funding: $1 million
Investors: Sanabil 500 Mena, Hambro Perks' Oryx Fund and angel investors
Number of employees: 8
MATCH INFO
World Cup qualifier
Thailand 2 (Dangda 26', Panya 51')
UAE 1 (Mabkhout 45+2')
If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
MORE ON TURKEY'S SYRIA OFFENCE
FIXTURES
All kick-off times UAE (+4 GMT)
Brackets denote aggregate score
Tuesday:
Roma (1) v Shakhtar Donetsk (2), 11.45pm
Manchester United (0) v Sevilla (0), 11.45pm
Wednesday:
Besiktas (0) v Bayern Munich (5), 9pm
Barcelona (1) v Chelsea (1), 11.45pm
Fight Night
FIGHT NIGHT
Four title fights:
Amir Khan v Billy Dib - WBC International title
Hughie Fury v Samuel Peter - Heavyweight co-main event
Dave Penalosa v Lerato Dlamini - WBC Silver title
Prince Patel v Michell Banquiz - IBO World title
Six undercard bouts:
Michael Hennessy Jr v Abdul Julaidan Fatah
Amandeep Singh v Shakhobidin Zoirov
Zuhayr Al Qahtani v Farhad Hazratzada
Lolito Sonsona v Isack Junior
Rodrigo Caraballo v Sajid Abid
Ali Kiydin v Hemi Ahio
What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying or online bullying could take many forms such as sending unkind or rude messages to someone, socially isolating people from groups, sharing embarrassing pictures of them, or spreading rumors about them.
Cyberbullying can take place on various platforms such as messages, on social media, on group chats, or games.
Parents should watch out for behavioural changes in their children.
When children are being bullied they they may be feel embarrassed and isolated, so parents should watch out for signs of signs of depression and anxiety
Match info
Deccan Gladiators 87-8
Asif Khan 25, Dwayne Bravo 2-16
Maratha Arabians 89-2
Chadwick Walton 51 not out
Arabians won the final by eight wickets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Haltia.ai
Started: 2023
Co-founders: Arto Bendiken and Talal Thabet
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: AI
Number of employees: 41
Funding: About $1.7 million
Investors: Self, family and friends
ROUTE TO TITLE
Round 1: Beat Leolia Jeanjean 6-1, 6-2
Round 2: Beat Naomi Osaka 7-6, 1-6, 7-5
Round 3: Beat Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-2
Round 4: Beat Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-0
Quarter-final: Beat Marketa Vondrousova 6-0, 6-2
Semi-final: Beat Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-4
Final: Beat Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-2
FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place playoff
Seven Winters in Tehran
Director : Steffi Niederzoll
Starring: Reyhaneh Jabbari, Shole Pakravan, Zar Amir Ebrahimi
Rating: 4/5
Dubai World Cup nominations
UAE: Thunder Snow/Saeed bin Suroor (trainer), North America/Satish Seemar, Drafted/Doug Watson, New Trails/Ahmad bin Harmash, Capezzano, Gronkowski, Axelrod, all trained by Salem bin Ghadayer
USA: Seeking The Soul/Dallas Stewart, Imperial Hunt/Luis Carvajal Jr, Audible/Todd Pletcher, Roy H/Peter Miller, Yoshida/William Mott, Promises Fulfilled/Dale Romans, Gunnevera/Antonio Sano, XY Jet/Jorge Navarro, Pavel/Doug O’Neill, Switzerland/Steve Asmussen.
Japan: Matera Sky/Hideyuki Mori, KT Brace/Haruki Sugiyama. Bahrain: Nine Below Zero/Fawzi Nass. Ireland: Tato Key/David Marnane. Hong Kong: Fight Hero/Me Tsui. South Korea: Dolkong/Simon Foster.
Maestro
Director: Bradley Cooper
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Maya Hawke
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
Yuval Noah Harari, Jonathan Cape
More on Quran memorisation:
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2014
Number of employees: 36
Sector: Logistics
Raised: $2.5 million
Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Cologne v Union Berlin (5.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Hertha Berlin v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Freiburg (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Borussia Monchengladbach (8.30pm)
Sunday
Mainz v Augsburg (5.30pm)
Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen (8pm)
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
SPEC SHEET: SAMSUNG GALAXY S23 ULTRA
Display: 6.8" edge quad-HD+ dynamic Amoled 2X, Infinity-O, 3088 x 1440, 500ppi, HDR10+, 120Hz
Processor: 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 64-bit octa-core
Memory: 8/12GB RAM
Storage: 128/256/512GB/1TB (only 128GB has an 8GB RAM option)
Platform: Android 13
Main camera: quad 12MP ultra-wide f/2.2 + 200MP wide f/1.7 + 10MP telephoto f/4.9 + 10MP telephoto 2.4; 3x/10x optical zoom, Space Zoom up to 100x; auto HDR, expert RAW
Video: 8K@24/30fps, 4K@60fps, full-HD@60fps, HD@30fps, full-HD super slo-mo@960fps
Front camera: 12MP f/2.2
Battery: 5000mAh, fast wireless charging 2.0, Wireless PowerShare
Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC
I/O: USB-C; built-in Galaxy S Pen
SIM: single nano / nano + eSIM / nano + nano + eSIM / nano + nano
Colours: cream, green, lavender, phantom black; online exclusives: graphite, lime, red, sky blue
Price: Dh4,949 for 256GB, Dh5,449 for 512GB, Dh6,449 for 1TB; 128GB unavailable in the UAE
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Aaron Finch, Matt Renshaw, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (captain), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle
Have you been targeted?
Tuan Phan of SimplyFI.org lists five signs you have been mis-sold to:
1. Your pension fund has been placed inside an offshore insurance wrapper with a hefty upfront commission.
2. The money has been transferred into a structured note. These products have high upfront, recurring commission and should never be in a pension account.
3. You have also been sold investment funds with an upfront initial charge of around 5 per cent. ETFs, for example, have no upfront charges.
4. The adviser charges a 1 per cent charge for managing your assets. They are being paid for doing nothing. They have already claimed massive amounts in hidden upfront commission.
5. Total annual management cost for your pension account is 2 per cent or more, including platform, underlying fund and advice charges.
Specs
Power train: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 and synchronous electric motor
Max power: 800hp
Max torque: 950Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Battery: 25.7kWh lithium-ion
0-100km/h: 3.4sec
0-200km/h: 11.4sec
Top speed: 312km/h
Max electric-only range: 60km (claimed)
On sale: Q3
Price: From Dh1.2m (estimate)
The specs: Taycan Turbo GT
Engine: Dual synchronous electric motors
Power: 1,108hp
Torque: 1,340Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic (front axle); two-speed transmission (rear axle)
Touring range: 488-560km
Price: From Dh928,400
On sale: Orders open
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kinetic 7
Started: 2018
Founder: Rick Parish
Based: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Industry: Clean cooking
Funding: $10 million
Investors: Self-funded