The power of the young and digitally savvy
With reference to Mustafa Alrawi's op-ed Can the Middle East build its own Silicon Valley? (February 23): Countries in the Middle East have achieved in a short time what some others have taken decades to do. As the writer points out, a young population is a great asset for any country. Harnessing their capabilities has been key for the growth of many Gulf nations. A young workforce that is comfortable with the digital way of doing things will be an important factor in any country's progress. A focus on education is crucial for the future. Other nations, regardless of their larger populations, could introspect and review their policies so that they too can give their people the opportunity to hone their talent and show their capabilities. Everyone deserves that.
Nazim Hasan Khan, Wayanad, India
UAE women taking the lead
With regard to Ramola Talwar Badam's piece How UAE's female engineers keep the lights on (March 8): It's good to see a decrease in gender bias in some fields at least, as demonstrated by the many talented women entering work avenues that were entirely male domains in the past. It was heartening to read about the young engineer Shaima Al Hammadi following in the footsteps of her sister, and also Noora Kheily, further along in her career and who has always been interested in physics. Women in Stem subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), make up 61 per cent of graduates in the UAE, as opposed to 57 per cent in the Arab World, according to Unesco. This is bound to inspire more women to become scientists and engineers. That more women are entering Stem fields is commendable. Kudos to the UAE for supporting them.
K Ragavan, Bengaluru, India
A good education is so empowering, as we see in the case of the growing number of Emirati women excelling in science and technology.
Orien C Fumes, Toronto, Canada
Every culture has its own taste
With regard to One Carlo Diaz's piece What is Filipino-style spaghetti and why is it named one of the worst dishes in the world? (February 18): I totally love it and I'm not Filipino.
Sandra Sharon Crompton Castres, Dubai
They love their spaghetti. Even McDonalds has it on their menu in the Philippines.
Carlos Andrade, Houston, Texas, US
I'm Brit and I love "hot dog spaghetti" and Filipino delicacies.
Phil Jones, Dubai
People shouldn't need the validation of others. I still prefer the Filipino style to Italian. We love our own versions of food. Every culture has its own taste and that's fine.
John S, Abu Dhabi
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
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
New schools in Dubai
The biog
Age: 46
Number of Children: Four
Hobby: Reading history books
Loves: Sports
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
