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.
Company Profile
Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
Initial investment: $150,000
Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Adele%20Lim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAshley%20Park%2C%20Sherry%20Cola%2C%20Stephanie%20Hsu%2C%20Sabrina%20Wu%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Fixture: Liechtenstein v Italy, Tuesday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match is shown on BeIN Sports
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
More from Mohammed Alardhi
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
The most expensive investment mistake you will ever make
When is the best time to start saving in a pension? The answer is simple – at the earliest possible moment. The first pound, euro, dollar or dirham you invest is the most valuable, as it has so much longer to grow in value. If you start in your twenties, it could be invested for 40 years or more, which means you have decades for compound interest to work its magic.
“You get growth upon growth upon growth, followed by more growth. The earlier you start the process, the more it will all roll up,” says Chris Davies, chartered financial planner at The Fry Group in Dubai.
This table shows how much you would have in your pension at age 65, depending on when you start and how much you pay in (it assumes your investments grow 7 per cent a year after charges and you have no other savings).
|
Age
|
$250 a month
|
$500 a month
|
$1,000 a month
|
|
25
|
$640,829
|
$1,281,657
|
$2,563,315
|
|
35
|
$303,219
|
$606,439
|
$1,212,877
|
|
45
|
$131,596
|
$263,191
|
$526,382
|
|
55
|
$44,351
|
$88,702
|
$177,403
|
'Ghostbusters: From Beyond'
Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace
Rating: 2/5
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
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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more from Janine di Giovanni
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
