It is heartening to read about the kind gesture by these asylum seekers in Italy, who have decided to contribute their meagre allowances towards helping the victims of the earthquake that has claimed over 100 lives (Asylum seekers donate daily allowances to Italy quake survivors, August 26).
It is these acts of kindness and selflessness that help restore faith in humanity. It is generous and thoughtful of these refugees to have pitched in for help.
I hope the rescue teams can pull out more survivors from the debris. My sincere prayers with all those affected.
Fatima Suhail, Sharjah
This is an incredible gesture by peope who are often perceived as threats by an indigenous population.
These are some small things that go on to prove that humanity has not vanished from this world altogether and that, despite so many odds, humanity is likely to survive.
Amal Hassan, Dubai
We need more variety in education
Congratulations to all those who obtained superb results at A Level and GCSEs this year, and to the schools with such high pass rates (GCSE pupils in Dubai post record grades, August 26).
Let’s not forget, however, that schools in this country operate on an exclusive basis – they exclude children who don’t reach their high standards. While the education here is excellent, it is not for everyone. Our daughter left the UAE after GCSEs to pursue a Cache Diploma in the UK, and is now entering her third year at university in the UK studying criminal investigation with psychology.
It is doubtful that she would have achieved this if she had been forced to follow the A Level or IB curriculum offered in the UAE. Our son achieved results at A level adequate to gain a place at his chosen university in Australia, but he too would have achieved so much more if he had been able to study subjects other than the “standard” ones offered.
What the UAE needs is more variety in education – not more pressure and heartache for those families resident here with children who are not so academically blessed, and thus forced to leave when their children fail to reach the exacting standards required.
Caroline T, Dubai
As the summer vacation ends, school bells will chime again. I am also preparing myself to encounter tensed parents rushing from one shop to another to buy uniforms and stationery for their children. I wonder why they keep these things for the last moment.
It was great not to see school buses in Dubai for sometime. How quickly time flies by. But to some extent it will be good to see the streets busy and the city come back to life.
Mathew Litty, Dubai
Racism crushes athletes’ dreams
South Africa’s “bagful” of medals, and India’s dismal showing at the Rio Games show how sports dominate not only participants’ lives, but even for nations for whom medals mean so much.
Both nations have quotas based on race and religion. Naturally, many people vie for inclusion but are left out, with politicians playing judge and jury.
Despite a billion-plus population, India finds it difficult to field its best sportspeople in international games. It is often accused of sidelining minority groups.
South Africa was previously bedevilled by the architects of apartheid who ensured teams remained lily-white. The country still has a long way to go to achieve parity.
This year, however, it won more medals than in the past, and the two gold medalists were from previously disadvantaged groups.
All in all, sports still suffers from the complexity of race and religion, which creates difficulty for many talented sportspersons.
It’s unfortunate that so many aspiring athletes cannot achieve their dreams because of this.
AR Modak, South Africa
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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Teams
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
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Read more from Johann Chacko
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
The distance learning plan
Spring break will be from March 8 - 19
Public school pupils will undergo distance learning from March 22 - April 2. School hours will be 8.30am to 1.30pm
Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19
Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning
Pupils will return to school for normal lessons from April 5
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'I Want You Back'
Director:Jason Orley
Stars:Jenny Slate, Charlie Day
Rating:4/5
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Tenet
Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh
Rating: 5/5
SNAPSHOT
While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
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Company name: Farmin
Date started: March 2019
Founder: Dr Ali Al Hammadi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: AgriTech
Initial investment: None to date
Partners/Incubators: UAE Space Agency/Krypto Labs
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
The language of diplomacy in 1853
Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)
We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.
Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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