In the by-elections held for the Indian Parliament and a number of state assemblies across the nation, the results of which were declared last week, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party could only win one of the 11 seats it contested. This was a strident message from the Indian electorate to the ruling party. The BJP has to listen to the people with diligence and sincerity. Measures like demonetisation and the hasty introduction of the goods and services tax as well as high inflation, the widespread neglect of infrastructure and rising fuel prices have disillusioned the common man.
General elections are scheduled for 2019 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will face the possibility of electoral defeat. The BJP must pull up its socks, otherwise even the charisma and the oratory of Mr Modi might not lead the party to victory. I predict that the party will be marginalised and left to languish in opposition unless it starts listening to those who voted for it and who entrusted it with their futures.
Rajendra Aneja, Dubai
What Zinedine Zidane did next...is anyone’s guess
I am writing in response to the article Zinedine Zidane says 'time is right' for him to step down as Real Madrid manager (May 31): it will be interesting to see where Mr Zidane will be headed next.
Name withheld by request
A great player and great coach.
Habib Rahim Hazim, Abu Dhabi
To get good teachers, schools should pay quality wages
I refer to the article UAE British schools facing science and maths teacher recruitment crisis (May 30): teachers are simply not paid enough. Schools want experts and high quality teachers but are not willing to pay the sufficient rate. If they want good teachers, they need to pay good money.
Mary Smith, Dubai
A wonderful act of giving befitting of the holy month
I write in reference to your article 'It's good business': billionaire doctor Shamsheer Vayalil on giving half of his fortune to charity (June 1): this piece on the inspiring philanthropist doctor Shamsheer Vayalil was excellent. Having amassed a fortune of $1.5 billion in the space of a decade by establishing a network of 20 hospitals, Dr Vayalil is now ready, on his 41st birthday, to donate half of his wealth to charity.
It is a truly remarkable act inspired by The Giving Pledge, an initiative launched by Microsoft founder Bill Gates. Mr Vayalil becomes the 13th billionaire to do so. It is very fitting that this donation should fall on the Year of Zayed, when we celebrate the charity and tolerance advanced by the UAE’s Founding Father. It is also fitting that his donation should fall during the holy month. At a time of misery in much of the world, this gesture and story are wonderful.
Name withheld by request
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Result
Qualifier: Islamabad United beat Karachi Kings by eight wickets
Fixtures
Tuesday, Lahore: Eliminator 1 - Peshawar Zalmi v Quetta Gladiators
Wednesday, Lahore: Eliminator 2 – Karachi Kings v Winner of Eliminator 1
Sunday, Karachi: Final – Islamabad United v Winner of Eliminator 2
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
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.
One in four Americans don't plan to retire
Nearly a quarter of Americans say they never plan to retire, according to a poll that suggests a disconnection between individuals' retirement plans and the realities of ageing in the workforce.
Experts say illness, injury, layoffs and caregiving responsibilities often force older workers to leave their jobs sooner than they'd like.
According to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research, 23 per cent of workers, including nearly two in 10 of those over 50, don't expect to stop working. Roughly another quarter of Americans say they will continue working beyond their 65th birthday.
According to government data, about one in five people 65 and older was working or actively looking for a job in June. The study surveyed 1,423 adults in February this year.
For many, money has a lot to do with the decision to keep working.
"The average retirement age that we see in the data has gone up a little bit, but it hasn't gone up that much," says Anqi Chen, assistant director of savings research at the Centre for Retirement Research at Boston College. "So people have to live in retirement much longer, and they may not have enough assets to support themselves in retirement."
When asked how financially comfortable they feel about retirement, 14 per cent of Americans under the age of 50 and 29 per cent over 50 say they feel extremely or very prepared, according to the poll. About another four in 10 older adults say they do feel somewhat prepared, while just about one-third feel unprepared.
"One of the things about thinking about never retiring is that you didn't save a whole lot of money," says Ronni Bennett, 78, who was pushed out of her job as a New York City-based website editor at 63.
She searched for work in the immediate aftermath of her layoff, a process she describes as akin to "banging my head against a wall." Finding Manhattan too expensive without a steady stream of income, she eventually moved to Portland, Maine. A few years later, she moved again, to Lake Oswego, Oregon. "Sometimes I fantasise that if I win the lottery, I'd go back to New York," says Ms Bennett.
