Almost every weekend, little Tuna, a tabby kitty, gets a special visitor. Noura, a seven-year-old girl, likes to sit with Tuna, and talk to her for hours about her latest adventures. From a distance, they look like any cute child and cat. On a closer look, one can see the fatigue and the fragility of the two little ones.
The two have cancer, very different kinds, but of the relentless vicious kind.
And despite some warnings from specialists to be careful around animals due to weakened immunity, Noura’s mother has seen how happy her little girl is around Tuna, and how she communicates her fears and her hopes to the cat much more than she does to her family.
“We are not going to let cancer win, OK?” Noura says to Tuna, repeating what her mother has said to her whenever days were extra tough. While Noura is getting the best treatment available here in the UAE, there isn’t anything that can be done for Tuna, because of the lack of proper cancer-related facilities for animals.
Today, animals barely have their basic rights respected, but that shouldn’t prevent us from pushing for proper medical facilities for them.
Animals can get cancer just like us: from breast cancer to skin cancer and sadly, often for them, there is no means to help them.
For instance, there are no proper radiation facilities in the UAE for pets with cancer, although some chemotherapy is available. So caretakers of their beloved pets, who are loved as a member of the family, have to travel to Europe or the United States for treatment, and you can imagine how difficult that can be, as air travel for pets is risky and difficult.As a nation that has been a pioneer in many fields, why can’t the UAE be the first Arab nation with a full-scale cancer hospital for animals? It can have a research element to it, where it can improve on medicines for animals — some are so painful due to lack of funding to improve upon them.
All the pet lovers from around the region would come here for treatment as no one who truly loves their pet should be forced to put down their pet due to lack of options.
And looking back at this region’s history, having hospitals dedicated to animals and birds is actually nothing new. Looking through archival data from the region, particularly the Ottoman Empire, one is in awe of some of the information that emerges.
One discovers that the world’s first animal hospital was built sometime in the 19th century Bursa, Turkey, to look after the storks and migrating birds and was named “Gurabahane-I Laklakan” which translates as the “Helpless Stork House”. It slowly transformed into a proper animal hospital that took care of all kinds of disabled and sick creatures, from blind owls to sick cats to limping donkeys.
And what is more surprising is that the treatments were free, with the governing body then paying for the sustainability of the treatments, the staff and facility. The number of laws that were around then for the provision of animals and even trees was astounding.
Contrary to conventional wisdom asserting that animal welfare is a relatively new concept for the rest of the world, there were several accounts of similar clinic-like settings in 17th-century Damascus, where sick cats and dogs were taken care of.
Throughout the Islamic empire there were efforts made for animals, like water basins being set up around the mosques, which were designed specifically for birds and animals to drink from.
With all the other issues in the region, from refugees to orphans, animals and their plight are not a priority. However, their struggles should also not be forgotten. Noura wants her friend Tuna to have a fighting chance, in spite of how little she is.
rghazal@thenational.ae
On Twitter: @arabianmau
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Company%20Profile
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Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 3-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 424hp
Torque: 580 Nm
Price: From Dh399,000
On sale: Now
INDIA'S%20TOP%20INFLUENCERS
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Results
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Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.
Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.
"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."
The%20specs
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
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
