Readers debate the appropriate speed limits for motorways.
Readers debate the appropriate speed limits for motorways.

Is it right to cut the speed limit on motorways?



With regard to your report (Plan to cut motorway speed limit in UAE by 10 kph, March 28), this is not a clever solution to the problem of speeding. If everyone is obliged to drive at a minimum of 100 kph that means most people will end up driving faster than this speed. This could result in more accidents, not less.

Instead of going faster, the speed minimum should be lowered so that everyone on the roads can drive safely.

There are people who aren't comfortable racing on the motorway and would like to go a bit slower off to the side so that others can overtake if they so wish.

Brigitte von Bulow, Abu Dhabi

I find these official statements regarding rear-end collisions disturbing. We should maintain a safe distance from whoever is in front of us, it's as simple as that. If you do so, you have time to react to that driver's changes in speed.

Tailgating will still take place no matter what speed anyone else is doing – until that is dealt with, every journey will be dangerous.

Name withheld from request

International best practice allows for 10 per cent over the posted speed limit. This is set because of the inaccuracies in a car, around the speedometer as well as differences in tyre sizes and pressures.

This rule is also proportionate for lower speeds, rather than a blanket 10kph or 20kph over the posted limit.

As well as being a standard across the world, it is also used in other GCC countries such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar. So why not do it in the UAE? Speed is the biggest factor in road deaths and accidents in the UAE.

In addition, having average speed detection will make a bigger difference than reducing the speed limit and the authorities must look at this to save lives.

Paul Glover, Dubai

People on the motorway need to understand that the left lane is primarily an overtaking lane. If you are not overtaking then you should be as far to the right as possible. The first two left lanes should have a minimum 110 kph speed. Other lanes can be 60 kph to allow for slow driving lorries and those people on the roads who don't feel the need to drive fast or stay up with the flow of traffic.

Mary Robinson, Abu Dhabi

Motorways should have no speed limit. People would then focus on driving and not on radars.

Guglielmo Molteni, Italy

More men need to be teachers

I refer to your recent editorial, (Male teachers in short supply, March 29). What we have read last year and also in this article is that many young men would love to be teachers but are ridiculed by their own friends and family for choosing the profession.

This really needs to change. Young men as teachers, professors, educators are more than important, they are necessary for a good balance in schools. After the child's parents, teachers are the most important people in their lives. I hope that more men choose this beautiful profession.

Name withheld by request

Food safety starts with staff

I am very concerned after reading your report about food safety (Poor staff hygiene most common cause of food poisoning at restaurants, March 28). I have long suspected that not enough interest or attention is invested in this area of food safety. Not just in the UAE but around the world.

Simply giving lip service to the dangers of poor staff hygiene can only increase the dangers. The solution is better training for the staff from the beginning of their employment. It also means that staff might need to be vetted more before employment to make sure that they will maintain the highest standards.

Stan Amirhom, Abu Dhabi

How to react to Brussels

With regards to the opinion piece by Khaled Diab (Bombing ISIL will not end extremism in Brussels, March 29), the writer is absolutely correct. It's true. Bombs will not end anything. It's an immediate reaction to a horrific event, but all it will ultimately do is breed more hate. What is needed is education and communication.

Paul Martin, Al Ain

Parks gets a new name

I am happy that Mushrif Central Park will be renamed to honour Sheikha Fatima and her legacy.

John David, Abu Dhabi

TO A LAND UNKNOWN

Director: Mahdi Fleifel

Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa

Rating: 4.5/5

Tuesday's fixtures
Group A
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Iran v Uzbekistan, 8pm
N Korea v UAE, 10.15pm
NO OTHER LAND

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

Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

Rating: 3.5/5

Red Sparrow

Dir: Francis Lawrence

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Egerton, Charlotte Rampling, Jeremy Irons

Three stars

PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES

Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)

Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)

Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)

Wednesday

Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)

Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)

Norwich City v Everton (9pm)

Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)

Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)

Thursday

Burnley v Watford (9pm)

Southampton v Arsenal (9pm)

Chelsea v Manchester City (11.15pm)

How to help

Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:

2289 - Dh10

2252 - Dh50

6025 - Dh20

6027 - Dh100

6026 - Dh200

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 

Captain Marvel

Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck

Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law,  Ben Mendelsohn

4/5 stars

Biog

Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara

He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada

Father of two sons, grandfather of six

Plays golf once a week

Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family

Walks for an hour every morning

Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India

2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business

 

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
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20ASI%20(formerly%20DigestAI)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Quddus%20Pativada%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Artificial%20intelligence%2C%20education%20technology%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%243%20million-plus%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20GSV%20Ventures%2C%20Character%2C%20Mark%20Cuban%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
%3Cp%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%201.9km%20King%20Salman%20Boulevard%2C%20a%20Parisian%20Champs-Elysees-inspired%20avenue%2C%20is%20scheduled%20for%20completion%20in%202028%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20Royal%20Diriyah%20Opera%20House%20is%20expected%20to%20be%20completed%20in%20four%20years%3Cbr%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%20first%20of%2042%20hotels%2C%20the%20Bab%20Samhan%20hotel%2C%20will%20open%20in%20the%20first%20quarter%20of%202024%3Cbr%3E-%20On%20completion%20in%202030%2C%20the%20Diriyah%20project%20is%20forecast%20to%20accommodate%20more%20than%20100%2C000%20people%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20%2463.2%20billion%20Diriyah%20project%20will%20contribute%20%247.2%20billion%20to%20the%20kingdom%E2%80%99s%20GDP%3Cbr%3E-%20It%20will%20create%20more%20than%20178%2C000%20jobs%20and%20aims%20to%20attract%20more%20than%2050%20million%20visits%20a%20year%3Cbr%3E-%20About%202%2C000%20people%20work%20for%20the%20Diriyah%20Company%2C%20with%20more%20than%2086%20per%20cent%20being%20Saudi%20citizens%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

'Manmarziyaan' (Colour Yellow Productions, Phantom Films)
Director: Anurag Kashyap​​​​​​​
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal​​​​​​​
Rating: 3.5/5