Sudan's troubles are far from over
With reference to the report Sudan could send ousted president Omar Al Bashir to The Hague (February 18): even though justice is being served by trying Bashir possibly at The Hague for the atrocities he has committed and for the long list of war crimes, Sudan's problems have not been fully solved. They need a good, committed administration for the development of the country and people. Only then will the country change.
K Ragavan, Benguluru
Wage underpayment is not acceptable anywhere in the world
With reference to Alice Haine's The Debt Panel: 'I'm being chased for a Dh7,000 credit card bill I can't afford to pay' (February 18): while the Abu Dhabi resident's employer has not paid him for eight months, here in Australia and almost certainly in most countries, there have been stories of wage underpayment in mainly the food and hospitality industries.
A restaurant group underpaid their staff by $8 million dollars in total and today a supermarket chain admitted an underpayment of $20m. Both have or will backpay the lost earnings.
There are many reasons underpayments could happen and yet there is no equivalent massive overpayments, although people may be slower to report any such cases.
People deserve to be paid for their work and paid fully including for overtime. It has been suggested that this "theft" would be a criminal offence and jailable.
Next time you go to a restaurant, check that the smiling people serving you are being fully paid and if there is any doubt, suggest to the owner that you are only going to pay part of the cost. Eat well, pay well.
Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne
A robot at a restaurant is fine but can I have one around the house?
With reference to Hikmat Noori's report Meet Timea, the robot waitress taking Kabul by storm (February 17): this is all awesome but after AI takes over, I just wonder what jobs are people going to be doing. Tanya Milbourne, Dubai
This is so impressive. I need this badly – not at a restaurant as much as to help me around the home.
Sajida Wali, Lahore
With regard to Anam Rizvi's report UAE working to cut food waste by half by 2030, says minister (February 18): a programme to turn compost into biofuel could be something to consider to tackle the problem of food waste.
Saif Omar Al Suwaidi, Abu Dhabi
McIlroy's struggles in 2016/17
European Tour: 6 events, 16 rounds, 5 cuts, 0 wins, 3 top-10s, 4 top-25s, 72,5567 points, ranked 16th
PGA Tour: 8 events, 26 rounds, 6 cuts, 0 wins, 4 top-10s, 5 top-25s, 526 points, ranked 71st
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
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
COPA DEL REY
Semi-final, first leg
Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
Real Madrid (Vazquez 6')
Second leg, February 27
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.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
Bareilly Ki Barfi
Directed by: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring: Kriti Sanon, Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao
Three and a half stars
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Coming 2 America
Directed by: Craig Brewer
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones
3/5 stars
