A few years ago, the wealthy aunt of a friend died and left all her money to a donkey charity – nothing to family or friends. Donkeys are sometimes abused by cruel owners and I am glad charities rescue them. I feel the same about other animal charities. But I remain puzzled that this elderly lady had no human being she cared for as her inheritor, and ever since I have observed the sometimes peculiar British relationship with animals.
I should say that as a dog owner I cannot bear to see animals mistreated. I agree with Oscar Wilde that fox hunting is "the unspeakable in full pursuit of the uneatable". But when I once chaired a TV programme about animal rights, some in the audience were actively prepared to engage in a kind of terrorism against those whom they believed acted cruelly. These activists were part of a movement that justified releasing mink from farms, freeing dogs used in scientific experiments, and vandalising places where animals were held.
Their criminal acts raise complex moral issues. Personally I cannot understand why anyone would wear a mink coat, but I do wear leather shoes. I don’t like the idea of scientific experiments on animals, but I accept that scientists may sometimes need to test drugs on animals before giving these drugs to humans.
Reasonable people may disagree, but on these issues sometimes reason disappears.
On the TV programme some animal rights activists proclaimed that they would never hurt or kill any animal of any species because all animals had an absolute right to a good life, although if they hurt another human in the process of "animal liberation", that was acceptable. “A mosquito,” I responded, “has landed on your arm and is about to suck your blood. Would you kill it or let it feed on you?”
One of the animal activists was outraged that I dared ask what he called such an unfair question. But I wanted to shake away absolute ideological positions to see if there was any common ground. I am sure most people would kill a mosquito or stinging insect. But a mouse? A dog or cat? A gorilla? Where do you draw the line?
In England in the past few days, lines have been drawn in an unpleasant way. A flight organised by British animal rights activists arrived in the UK from Kabul, rescuing 170 cats and dogs with, the activists claimed, great public support. Commentators and some MPs wondered if this was a good use of limited resources in a war zone, during one of the worst humanitarian crises of our lifetimes.
Around the world, there must be a sense of bewilderment about the priorities of animal rights activists at such a time
The pet rescue came amid the prospect of Afghan women being given as supposed war brides to Taliban fighters, girls denied an education, Afghan men who co-operated with American and British forces being murdered, and much more. But those sceptical about the cats and dogs airlift were deluged with negative and sometimes very hostile comments on social media.
To animal activists the rescue plan was not saving “either” animals “or” humans but a scheme to evacuate both pets and Afghan charity workers. Perhaps these activists confused Kabul airport under siege with Heathrow or Schiphol on a normal day, because – obviously – the Taliban did not allow Afghan workers to enter. None were rescued. Tom Tugendhat, a former soldier and now MP, quoted an Afghan he had worked with, saying that he was appalled that to some British people an Afghan life proved less valuable than a dog or cat.
What emerges is a series of cultural clashes. Animals should not suffer harm but around the world, and particularly in Afghanistan, there must be a sense of bewilderment about the priorities of animal rights activists at such a time. The activists claim that their hard work has been misrepresented and they did what they could. Yet what concerns me is whether that supposedly great deal of popular support for the animal rescue mission will be replicated when Afghan refugees try to enter Britain, including those who cross the English Channel in small boats from France.
I know charities that help these human victims. I also know their work is not always praised by some of our fellow citizens. Some are openly abusive. Last year, the British politician Nigel Farage spoke of migrants as a "shocking invasion on the Kent Coast". British government ministers once backed a “hostile environment” on undocumented migrants, although for now at least the British government appears more sympathetic.
Like the elderly lady who left her money to donkeys, not everyone shares the same moral priorities. For some, a sad-eyed dog or cat tugs the heart much more than an Afghan child. But when it comes to arguments over priorities, you may not have heard of the British parliamentary hearing on Afghanistan in which some MPs demanded to know whether a Kabul British embassy portrait of Queen Elizabeth II had been properly destroyed to prevent its capture by the Taliban. I doubt the queen – or most other people – would find the destruction or otherwise of an embassy portrait a truly important subject for parliamentary contemplation.
PROFILE
Name: Enhance Fitness
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 200
Amount raised: $3m
Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors
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Scoreline:
Cardiff City 0
Liverpool 2
Wijnaldum 57', Milner 81' (pen)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Everton v Tottenham, Sunday, 8.30pm (UAE)
Match is live on BeIN Sports
MATCH INFO
Karnatake Tuskers 114-1 (10 ovs)
Charles 57, Amla 47
Bangla Tigers 117-5 (8.5 ovs)
Fletcher 40, Moores 28 no, Lamichhane 2-9
Bangla Tiger win by five wickets
MATCH INFO
Day 2 at Mount Maunganui
England 353
Stokes 91, Denly 74, Southee 4-88
New Zealand 144-4
Williamson 51, S Curran 2-28
MATCH DETAILS
Barcelona 0
Slavia Prague 0
SEMI-FINAL
Monterrey 1
Funes Mori (14)
Liverpool 2
Keita (11), Firmino (90 1)
Genesis G80 2020 5.0-litre Royal Specs
Engine: 5-litre V8
Gearbox: eight-speed automatic
Power: 420hp
Torque: 505Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.4L/100km
Price: Dh260,500
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre supercharged V6
Power: 416hp at 7,000rpm
Torque: 410Nm at 3,500rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Fuel consumption: 10.2 l/100km
Price: Dh375,000
On sale: now
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
THE SPECS
Range Rover Sport Autobiography Dynamic
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 518bhp
Torque: 625Nm
Speed: 0-100kmh 5.3 seconds
Price: Dh633,435
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
The%20specs
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THE BIO: Mohammed Ashiq Ali
Proudest achievement: “I came to a new country and started this shop”
Favourite TV programme: the news
Favourite place in Dubai: Al Fahidi. “They started the metro in 2009 and I didn’t take it yet.”
Family: six sons in Dubai and a daughter in Faisalabad
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
RESULTS
6.30pm UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) US$100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Final Song, Christophe Soumillon (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (Turf) 1,000m
Winner Almanaara, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Grand Argentier, Brett Doyle, Doug Watson.
8.15pm Meydan Challenge Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Major Partnership, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.50pm Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Gladiator King, Mickael Barzalona, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
Winner Universal Order, Richard Mullen, David Simcock.
SPECS
Nissan 370z Nismo
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 363hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh184,500
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Brief scores
Toss India, chose to bat
India 281-7 in 50 ov (Pandya 83, Dhoni 79; Coulter-Nile 3-44)
Australia 137-9 in 21 ov (Maxwell 39, Warner 25; Chahal 3-30)
India won by 26 runs on Duckworth-Lewis Method
Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
DSC Eagles 23 Dubai Hurricanes 36
Eagles
Tries: Bright, O’Driscoll
Cons: Carey 2
Pens: Carey 3
Hurricanes
Tries: Knight 2, Lewis, Finck, Powell, Perry
Cons: Powell 3
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%20electric%20motors%20with%20102kW%20battery%20pack%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E570hp%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20890Nm%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERange%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Up%20to%20428km%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh1%2C700%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Fixtures
Wednesday January 8 –Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 – Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 – UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed PDK
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 820Nm
Price: Dh683,200
On sale: now
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: AF Al Moreeb, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: AF Makerah, Adrie de Vries, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap | Dh80,000 | 2,200m
Winner: Hazeme, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle
6.30pm: Handicap | Dh85,000 | 2,200m
Winner: AF Yatroq, Brett Doyle, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Shadwell Farm for Private Owners Handicap | Dh70,000 | 2,200m
Winner: Nawwaf KB, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) | Dh100,000 | 1,600m
Winner: Treasured Times, Bernardo Pinheiro, Rashed Bouresly
