Thirteen members of a Thai soccer team, including their coach, were rescued from Tham Luang cave after being trapped for nearly two weeks. EPA
Thirteen members of a Thai soccer team, including their coach, were rescued from Tham Luang cave after being trapped for nearly two weeks. EPA

Thai boys need support to accelerate their recovery



I write in reference to your moving editorial The boys rescued from the Thai cave should be given long-term care and support (July 11): the Thai cave survivors are children whose entire lives lie ahead of them. If books are written and films made about them, as reports have already suggested, a portion of the proceeds should go towards their education and rehabilitation. It transpires that three of the children and the coach are in fact stateless, without Thai citizenship.  The Thai government should be generous and grant them citizenship.

Moreover the young coach should not face trial for having walked into the cave with the children. The coach himself is a youngster at 25, an orphan and a former Buddhist monk. He too has suffered enough and should be spared any further pain. He did not even eat his tiny food ration in the cave, instead giving it to the children to keep them strong. He also taught them meditation, which helped the children to survive a macabre ordeal.

You have rightly compared the Thai cave saga with the Chilean miners’ crisis in 2010. Some of the miners have complained that although they inspired a book and a film, they received meagre remuneration.

Manchester United football club has done well to invite the children to Old Trafford, because such visits can accelerate rehabilitation. Others should follow suit.

Rajendra Aneja, Dubai

Kudos to Asia’s richest tycoon, Mukesh Ambani

I refer to your online article India's Mukesh Ambani to overtake Jack Ma as Asia's richest tycoon (July 14): the recent revelation that Reliance Industries chief executive Mukesh Ambani is overtaking Jack Ma as Asia's richest person, with more than $44 billion to his name is undeniably good news for India. Reliance Industries is known for its work in the oil and gas sector and telecommunications, which are strategic industries for India.

Built by his father Dhirubhai Ambani, the company’s tremendous recent growth is inspiring. Kudos to Mukesh Ambani.

K Ragavan, Denver

The story of the abandoned baby was heartbreaking

With reference to Ramola Talwar Badam's article Baby abandoned at birth in Dubai is reunited with mother in the Philippines (July 10),  I hope the mother, in leaving the child, found a a safe place at least where she would not be harmed until discovered.

It’s rather tragic that the mother had no other option, but to abandon the infant. It reminds me of a sad story from the 1920s. Poor child.

Chris Ryan, Abu Dhabi

A brilliant article cutting through the nonsense

I refer to Peter Hellyer's article Iceberg project belongs firmly in the realm of fiction (July 9): Mr Hellyer's was a brilliant piece and contained the most sense I've heard so far regarding this off-beat subject.

Name withheld by request

The specs

Price: From Dh529,000

Engine: 5-litre V8

Transmission: Eight-speed auto

Power: 520hp

Torque: 625Nm

Fuel economy, combined: 12.8L/100km

In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

NO OTHER LAND

Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal

Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

Rating: 3.5/5

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Lamsa

Founder: Badr Ward

Launched: 2014

Employees: 60

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: EdTech

Funding to date: $15 million

Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELeap%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ziad%20Toqan%20and%20Jamil%20Khammu%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Undisclosed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Profile

Company: Justmop.com

Date started: December 2015

Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan

Sector: Technology and home services

Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai

Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month

Funding:  The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups. 

The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

  • be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
  • not be younger than 25 years old
  • not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
  • be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
  • have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
  • undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
  • A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Price: From Dh1,350,000

On sale: Available for preorder now

Biography

Favourite book: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Holiday choice: Anything Disney-related

Proudest achievement: Receiving a presidential award for foreign services.

Family: Wife and three children.

Like motto: You always get what you ask for, the universe listens.