I am writing to you about Kamal Tabikha's report Egypt's Ramadan lantern-makers struggle to adapt to changing industry (April 5): this is a beautifully crafted, sensitively authored short documentary. Most impressive. Thank you.
Jim Buckingham, Muscat, Oman
I loved reading about the generations of craftsmen and their skill to mould these beautiful copper lanterns. Nicely reported.
Badriyah Solihin, Kendal, Jawa Timur, Indonesia
People need to learn that owning a pet is a commitment
With reference to Patrick Ryan's report Fujairah animal shelter overwhelmed by surge in abandoned pets (April 13): people need to be educated more so that they don’t buy pets without thinking of the lifetime responsibility it carries.
Rachael Ryder, Abu Dhabi
Macron's future as president rests on the French people
With reference to the editorial Macron could build a better France (April 13): this was a thought-provoking piece. As rightly mentioned, despite President Emmanuel Macron's limited contributions to his homeland, his efforts at the global level, especially in the Middle East, have been commendable. But we will have to wait and see what the voters in France think. Their displeasure might cost Mr Macron, but how much him staying in power will change French politics, that too remains to be seen. The alternatives are candidates too far to the right. And we can't yet rule out the scope of France electing a female president. Ultimately the French will have to weigh their options and decide on their leader.
K Ragavan, Bengaluru, India
Pakistan is divided about Imran Khan
This refers to Johann Chacko's op-ed Is Imran Khan's fight for a 'new Pakistan' only just beginning? (April 10): dislodging a sitting prime minister with about a 150 elected legislators of his own party and replacing him with a candidate who has only 83 legislators in the house (shored up by over a dozen smaller political parties with conflicting ideologies but a single agenda) has been rejected by the people, as seen by the number of Pakistanis and the Pakistani diaspora flooding out on to the streets across Pakistan and abroad on Sunday night itself.
Which country allows politicians facing corruption cases, who are out on bail, to sneak back into power? Imran Khan's party PTI has done well to immediately resign from the assembly, refusing to provide a fig leaf to the engineered farce. In my view, general elections should be called immediately. The will of the people must prevail if Pakistan is to not suffer the indignity of being labelled by many, a banana republic.
Mohammad Hamza, Dubai
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
More from our neighbourhood series:
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South Africa v India schedule
Tests: 1st Test Jan 5-9, Cape Town; 2nd Test Jan 13-17, Centurion; 3rd Test Jan 24-28, Johannesburg
ODIs: 1st ODI Feb 1, Durban; 2nd ODI Feb 4, Centurion; 3rd ODI Feb 7, Cape Town; 4th ODI Feb 10, Johannesburg; 5th ODI Feb 13, Port Elizabeth; 6th ODI Feb 16, Centurion
T20Is: 1st T20I Feb 18, Johannesburg; 2nd T20I Feb 21, Centurion; 3rd T20I Feb 24, Cape Town
Friday's schedule at the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
GP3 qualifying, 10:15am
Formula 2, practice 11:30am
Formula 1, first practice, 1pm
GP3 qualifying session, 3.10pm
Formula 1 second practice, 5pm
Formula 2 qualifying, 7pm
Bharat
Director: Ali Abbas Zafar
Starring: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sunil Grover
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh810,000
Abu Dhabi race card
5pm Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige | Dh110,000 | 1,400m
5.30pm Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige | Dh110,000 | 1,400m
6pm Abu Dhabi Championship Listed | Dh180,000 | 1,600m
6.30pm Maiden | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
7pm Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap | Dh80,000 | 1,400m
7.30pm Handicap (TB) |Dh100,000 | 2,400m
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 258hp at 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.4L/100km
Price, base: from D215,000 (Dh230,000 as tested)
On sale: now
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Cologne v Hoffenheim (11.30pm)
Saturday
Hertha Berlin v RB Leipzig (6.30pm)
Schalke v Fortuna Dusseldof (6.30pm)
Mainz v Union Berlin (6.30pm)
Paderborn v Augsburg (6.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund (9.30pm)
Sunday
Borussia Monchengladbach v Werder Bremen (4.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Bayer Leverkusen (6.30pm)
SC Freiburg v Eintracht Frankfurt (9on)
