Poor pay compels school teachers to explore options
I am not surprised that about 50 per cent of parents in Abu Dhabi hire tutors for their children (About half of Abu Dhabi parents hire tutors, survey finds, June 12).
In many schools, the classroom strength is high. So it is not possible for the teachers to pay individual attention.
Another problem is that a large number of new teachers join during each session. As a result, children need to continuously adjust to different methods of teaching. Pupils especially in higher standards find it very difficult.
It's a pity that even after paying high school fees, parents have to spend on private tuition. Extra classes for the children after school is a good idea, but that can be tiring for them, as well as for the teachers. If schools divide sections according to the learning capacity of a child, then it might prove to be beneficial.
However, teachers are burdened with pressure from multiple sources: school managements, parents and limited time to complete syllabuses. Even then, most Asian schools do not pay them well. So, I think expecting extra work from them is asking too much.
If schools pay their teachers well, then the quality of education will also improve. They will devote more time in their schools and will not need to look for private tuitions. Ultimately the children will benefit. Otherwise, we have no option but to depend on private tuitions.
Sneha Shruti, Abu Dhabi
Child protection law was necessary
I am responding to the news article Wadeema's Law redefines 'child protection' (June 13). I'm sure many mothers would like to hear this. Does the law say that it's illegal for a teacher to beat a child at school? If so, then what's the punishment?
Kristine Ann, Dubai
Workplace can be depressing
I refer to Asmaa Al Hameli's blog post Did you choose your career or did it choose you? (June 12).
I am in the same situation. I sit the whole day at my workplace practically doing nothing. Everyone is busy except me. I hate the feeling of not doing anything and taking my salary just because I am an Emirati.
I tell my dad that I am upset because they don't give me work to do. I am looking to change my job to a place where people will take me seriously and not only as an Emirati head count.
M Mazrooei, Dubai
Quitting smoking can be expensive
While the UAE Government is trying to curb smoking by initiating various measures (Smoking ban in cars when driving with children for UAE, June 4), the prices of chewing gums and lozenges that help to quit the deadly habit are rising.
The prices of Nicotinil chewing gum and lozenges, for instance, are extremely high.
Eman Sabet, Dubai
Recycle bins a good initiative
The recycling initiative undertaken by the Centre of Waste Management in Abu Dhabi is commendable (Abu Dhabi recycling initiative spreads, June 17). Different colours of the bins help people understand what should go where. That minimises wastage of recyclable materials.
Sometimes clothes, books and shoes are thrown into rubbish bins with other household waste.
It's heartening to know that the number of colourful bins is increasing in the city, especially near villas and community parks.
But what about rubbish bins outside the city? When I open the window of my apartment near Mohammed bin Zayed City, I see a huge metal bin.
Sometimes it overflows. The sight is awful. The atmosphere around many rubbish bins like this is filthy.
To add to our woes, these bins often occupy three or four parking spaces. In normal cases, finding parking spots is so difficult.
We hope to see covered bins everywhere, if not colourful ones in areas outside the city.
B Rex, Abu Dhabi
Economy taking toll on health
I refer to the article Fewer UAE job vacancies posted online (June 17).
Jobs are few, salaries are less than previous years, the economy is slow, but house rents are increasing because of news reports that all is well and the economy is galloping.
Naturally in this scenario, jobs in health care will increase because larger number of people are suffering from depression, blood pressure and other stress-related illnesses.
While it is OK to maintain an encouraging mood over the economy, there is no doubt that the reality bites people. This phenomenon is not unique to the UAE. The world economy is sluggish.
Vijaykumar, India
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
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If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh12 million
Engine 8.0-litre quad-turbo, W16
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch auto
Power 1479 @ 6,700rpm
Torque 1600Nm @ 2,000rpm 0-100kph: 2.6 seconds 0-200kph: 6.1 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
Results
4pm: Maiden; Dh165,000 (Dirt); 1,400m
Winner: Solar Shower; William Lee (jockey); Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
4.35pm: Handicap; Dh165,000 (D); 2,000m
Winner: Thaaqib; Antonio Fresu; Erwan Charpy.
5.10pm: Maiden; Dh165,000 (Turf); 1,800m
Winner: Bila Shak; Adrie de Vries; Fawzi Nass
5.45pm: Handicap; Dh175,000 (D); 1,200m
Winner: Beachcomber Bay; Richard Mullen; Satish Seemar
6.20pm: Handicap; Dh205,000 (T); 1,800m
Winner: Muzdawaj; Jim Crowley; Musabah Al Muhairi
6.55pm: Handicap; Dh185,000 (D); 1,600m
Winner: Mazeed; Tadhg O’Shea; Satish Seemar
7.30pm: Handicap; Dh205,000 (T); 1,200m
Winner: Riflescope; Tadhg O’Shea; Satish Seemar.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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THE%20SPECS
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
The specs: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor
Price, base / as tested Dh220,000 / Dh320,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission 10-speed automatic
Power 421hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 678Nm @ 3,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.1L / 100km
Company%20Profile
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The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
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RIDE%20ON
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