Thank you for reporting on the Christmas celebrations of the Coptic Orthodox Church in St Anthony's Cathedral and in the country as a whole (January 6). Copts being the largest Christian denomination here is only true of the wider Mena region, including their home country Egypt.
In the Gulf region, the Catholic Church is by far the largest Christian community with more than 900,000 members in UAE alone. Deacon Haroun mentions 30,000 Egyptians in Abu Dhabi as being Coptic Christians. The Filipino Catholics attending St Joseph's Catholic Cathedral next door are more numerous.
My point is that it is not a contest of numbers; after all, we are all Christians, but reporting this helps readers understand the society they live in.
Fr Gandolf Wild, Bishop's House, St Joseph's Cathedral, Abu Dhabi
Trump should just get on with the day job instead of getting distracted
In reference to your story Trump's fire and fury reaction in trying to block an explosive new book is unprecedented (January 7), clearly Michael Wolff's book Fire and Fury has infuriated president Donald Trump. However, instead of trying to stop the publication of the book or get it banned, he should just ignore it. The more time he spends talking against the book, the higher the propensity to make it a bestseller. Controversy only fuels sales.
One of the key points made in the book is that Mr Trump did not expect to win and his wife was very upset with the victory. Frankly all this is irrelevant now. The American people democratically voted for Mr Trump to become their president in their collective wisdom. Granted, Mr Trump is a turbulent and unpredictable personality, yet the fact remains that he is an elected president, so he should just go ahead and do his job instead of getting distracted by every tweet or book that presents an opposite view to him.
Rajendra Aneja, Dubai
Even no-smoking areas are becoming no-go areas
In reference to your story about vaping, I had to walk into a cafe through a cloud of vape smoke. There was also a cloud of smoke while I walked behind someone in a no-smoking area at my beach club. Why do these people think it's okay? Ban vaping.
Kay Lancaster, Dubai
VAT has some of us counting the cost
In reference to your article UAE workers buy in bulk to beat VAT as small purchases prove too costly (January 6), many baqala stores are overcharging customers on this. They need to have a chart to show customers the exact price when asked for details.
Krish Nambiar, Abu Dhabi
Companies are taking advantage of the introduction of VAT and hiking up the price.
Nicholas Derbyshire, Dubai
This is not a big deal. Just spend less.
Matthew Litty, Dubai
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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
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
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Third-place play-off: New Zealand v Wales, Friday, 1pm
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
UAE SQUAD
Omar Abdulrahman (Al Hilal), Ali Khaseif, Ali Mabkhout, Salem Rashed, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Zayed Al Ameri, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Khalid Essa, Ahmed Barman, Ryan Yaslam, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmin (Al Wasl), Adel Al Hosani, Ali Hassan Saleh, Majed Suroor (Sharjah), Ahmed Khalil, Walid Abbas, Majed Hassan, Ismail Al Hammadi (Shabab Al Ahli), Hassan Al Muharrami, Fahad Al Dhahani (Bani Yas), Mohammed Al Shaker (Ajman)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Rest
(Because Music)
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Company%20profile
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