From left, second engineer Riasect Ali, 52, ordinary seamen Nirmal Singh-Bora, 22, and Monchand Sheikh, 26, on board the abandoned 'MT Iba'. Nick Webster
From left, second engineer Riasect Ali, 52, ordinary seamen Nirmal Singh-Bora, 22, and Monchand Sheikh, 26, on board the abandoned 'MT Iba'. Nick Webster
From left, second engineer Riasect Ali, 52, ordinary seamen Nirmal Singh-Bora, 22, and Monchand Sheikh, 26, on board the abandoned 'MT Iba'. Nick Webster
From left, second engineer Riasect Ali, 52, ordinary seamen Nirmal Singh-Bora, 22, and Monchand Sheikh, 26, on board the abandoned 'MT Iba'. Nick Webster

Plight of stranded crew touches a chord


  • English
  • Arabic

With reference to Nick Webster's report Tanker crew stranded off UAE coast tell of return to a changed world (January 27): Praying they get the much needed help to get back home.

Wanda Prock, Abu Dhabi

This is very upsetting, some owners are just heartless. I hope they receive their full pending wages soon.

Amina Karim, Dubai

This was very disturbing to learn. So many months without basic facilities and away from home – it's absolutely unthinkable. Is the vessel owner really too poor to pay them? This is torture and exploitation of the helpless in a foreign land.

Nandinni Banerrji, Sharjah

This story moved me to tears... 43 months is unimaginable. Am glad the reporter did this story. The concerned authorities will take notice now.

Tasneem A Majeed, Sharjah

You want to tell me 43 months lapsed and no one was able to do anything to help these unfortunate people? This is so upsetting.

Alex Waters, Dubai

I hope that they will be reunited with their families and loved ones soon now that their plight is known.

Benjie Santos, Abu Dhabi

A drive down memory lane

This is regarding James Langton's report UAE at 50: rolling back the years to discover Sheikh Zayed's magnificent lost limousine (January 26): this is a fascinating story. The large American car in the desert driving video looks like a '66 Chrysler Newport, wonder what became of that.

Michael Schron, Abu Dhabi

What some gamers will cough up for a PS5

With reference to Patrick Ryan's report UAE gamers angry as profiteers snap up PS5 stock and sell for up to Dh10,000 (January 26): If someone is paying Dh10,000 for a PS5, they need to give themselves a serious shake.

Andrew Ralston, Abu Dhabi

I got mine for $1010. Almost double the actual price.

Muhammad Zohair, Islamabad, Pakistan

I myself paid Dh9000 for this. A guy sold it to me at the Mall of the Emirates – he had pre-ordered it. It is foolishness to buy it at that price but I don't regret it as my son is super happy.

Ayesha Al Baloushi, Dubai

Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

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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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
MATCH INFO

Newcastle United 2 (Willems 25', Shelvey 88')

Manchester City 2 (Sterling 22', De Bruyne 82')

Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion

The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.

Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".

The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.

He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.

"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.

As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.

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