I refer to the business article True grit helps Dubai settle down (May 30) which reported on many areas of economic progress over the past 18 months following the financial crisis. I think the UAE and especially Dubai have done an outstanding job in diversifying its economy away from an oil-based economy. True, there has been too much focus on real estate during the last decade or so but it had to be done this way in order to boost "brand Dubai".
It's my belief that the next decade should focus on making the UAE an IT centre of global relevance. Then, the decade after, a centre for biotech. In parallel, the UAE should start supporting green energy now and try leveraging the complementary forces among those industries.
Marcus Gattol, UK
Cheetah joins two abused lions
What is this? I've read about large cats being injured, first the two lions (Savage acts on noble beasts, May 29) and now the cheetah (Cheetah with broken paw found on street, May 30).
I don't have any idea who's responsible for this. The owner of those cats or loose border security? How did those cats get in here without interference?
Those cats should be living free. Do people have any idea how magnificent those creatures are? They don't deserve to be mistreated by people who hold them in captivity for pleasure and boasting rights.
I'm totally bothered about this situation. I do love animals because they can survive in the natural world, unlike us. Now I understand why humans are on the top of the food chain: we are an environmental threat.
ME, Abu Dhabi
Losing a Bugatti is not the point
The business article Big deposits curb supercar dreams (May 29) reported that a new banking requirement means that would-be car buyers have to put 20 per cent down on the price of a car in order to secure financing.
But the story somehow spins this into how those poor rich people will have to put more down in order to buy a Ferrari or a Bugatti.
Somehow, I don't think that's going to be a problem for the person who can afford a Bugatti, which your newspaper recently test-drove and noted that the cost for check-up maintenance is roughly the same as for a new mid-size Japanese car.
Even the story says later on that the effect of the new requirement will be felt mostly on the lower end of the car buyer market. Accordingly, people complaining about the new requirements were more likely to be found at a Kia dealership, not at a Lamborghini lounge.
But somehow, readers were treated to a photograph of a Bugatti Veyron and fed this red herring about "deferring supercar dreams".
Suleman Din, Abu Dhabi
Shocking story demands action
I refer to the news article Sisters aged 12 and 16 forced to sell sex (May 26). The story reported that the two sisters had been entrusted by their German father to a Chinese female friend in Dubai, LY, who forced them into prostitution.
I believe that journalism isn't only about reporting news as picked up in the press office of Dubai courts.
Such a horrific story can't be merely reported without an opinion or a call for action. How can we be led to believe that this is just another incident in an otherwise virtuous city?
How could we not be shocked, outraged, and intrigued as to why the father sent them to LY? We should demand that the authorities close down all façades that cover such activities, and be sympathetic to these helpless young women.
Just as with the headlines we read in tabloids about love and lust or statistics on drownings off Jumeirah Beach, we have become so blasé with what is happening in this city that we don't seem to care anymore.
Raja Haddad, Dubai
Recycling food waste for fertiliser
In reference to Hotels keep a lid on food waste (May 30), food waste is a big problem in Korea as well where new laws require that food waste be dried. The dried waste is then used for compost and fertiliser. Recycling of buffets could become a big business.
Donald Glass, Abu Dhabi
There'll always be a Marmite jar
I loved reading Michael Simkins's opinion article Love it or hate it, it's more than just Marmite to the British (May 30). With the world at war with itself from terror attacks to football scandals, it was a pleasure reading about the Britishness of the Brits. I myself hate Marmite, but then again, isn't that the very point, to be one side or the other?
Anwar Khan, Dubai
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to get exposure to gold
Although you can buy gold easily on the Dubai markets, the problem with buying physical bars, coins or jewellery is that you then have storage, security and insurance issues.
A far easier option is to invest in a low-cost exchange traded fund (ETF) that invests in the precious metal instead, for example, ETFS Physical Gold (PHAU) and iShares Physical Gold (SGLN) both track physical gold. The VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF invests directly in mining companies.
Alternatively, BlackRock Gold & General seeks to achieve long-term capital growth primarily through an actively managed portfolio of gold mining, commodity and precious-metal related shares. Its largest portfolio holdings include gold miners Newcrest Mining, Barrick Gold Corp, Agnico Eagle Mines and the NewMont Goldcorp.
Brave investors could take on the added risk of buying individual gold mining stocks, many of which have performed wonderfully well lately.
London-listed Centamin is up more than 70 per cent in just three months, although in a sign of its volatility, it is down 5 per cent on two years ago. Trans-Siberian Gold, listed on London's alternative investment market (AIM) for small stocks, has seen its share price almost quadruple from 34p to 124p over the same period, but do not assume this kind of runaway growth can continue for long
However, buying individual equities like these is highly risky, as their share prices can crash just as quickly, which isn't what what you want from a supposedly safe haven.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The five pillars of Islam
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Company%20profile
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Jawan
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAtlee%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shah%20Rukh%20Khan%2C%20Nayanthara%2C%20Vijay%20Sethupathi%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The five pillars of Islam
Company%20profile
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The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm
Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh317,671
On sale: now
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The years Ramadan fell in May
About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
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Hachette Books
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
India cancels school-leaving examinations
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
What%20is%20Dungeons%20%26%20Dragons%3F%20
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Zayed Sustainability Prize
SPECS
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