Thank you for your online guide, Arabic Language Day: Learn your alifs, baas and taas (December 18).
I feel so ashamed for not being able to speak Arabic even though I’ve lived in the UAE for almost eight years.
This is a great initiative. I wish there were English subtitles on Arabic television for the purpose of learning.
You can learn a lot from movies and TV shows. More initiatives like this would be welcome.
S Gartvigsen, Dubai
I have lived in the UAE for 30-plus years and I am still struggling to learn Arabic.
Why? Because when native speakers realise that I am not an Arab, they start to speak in English.
Name withheld by request
I learnt some Arabic in 1980, then I started to learn again in 2004, at the age of 47.
My first Arab teacher was a Syrian, and I later had Moroccan, Tunisian and Egyptian teachers. I am so glad to have learnt the language as I am now able to talk to Arabic-speaking migrants in my home country.
Ingrid Zirpel, Germany
I still remember my Arabic words and the lessons we were taught in school. It is a very beautiful language to speak and to write.
Kalpana Rajusth, Mumbai
Girl’s death was a real tragedy
I was saddened by your report, Emirati family mourns for 'sweet, smiling and loving' daughter crushed by iron gate (December 19).
This is an extremely tragic event. It must be devastating for the family to have lost their beautiful daughter who had her entire life ahead of her.
I sincerely hope that no other parent has to endure the pain of losing their beloved child.
Fatima Suhail, Sharjah
Many young children play unsupervised in their gardens. I would be asking questions about the gate’s installation.
Belinda Wallington, Dubai
Doubts about demonetisation
I am writing in reference to Kapil Komireddi's opinion article, Modi is an unstoppable force – and that's India's great modern tragedy, (December 18).
Komireddi has done well to underscore the need for debate and even dissent in a democratic country such as India before vital decisions are taken or implemented.
It is increasingly evident that most of the illicit money in India was laundered or converted into assets such as gold within a few weeks of the demonetisation announcement in early November. However, small-factory workers and other low-wage earners have lost their jobs en masse.
The demonetisation decision had not been thought through, and it has caused immense and unprecedented hardship for the entire nation.
Unfortunately, the basic reason for demonetisation – that is, flushing out illicit money – has been whittled away in the process.
Rajendra Aneja, Dubai
The writer of the article appears to be living in the long-dead global dream of utopian socialism.
The narrative painted by the governing party in India is looking to drive transformation.
India’s painfully slow progress in contrast with other large economies is due to this overly subservient mindset of worship of democracy.
Transformative change is painful and it hurts large segments of society. Komireddi fails to mention the pain that citizens of Europe faced for six to eight months during its currency transformation.
Name withheld by request
Terror strikes in a peaceful land
The incident described in Gunmen kill seven people – including a tourist and two civilians – in southern Jordan (December 19) was tragic.
This kind of thing used to be unheard of in a country as peaceful as Jordan.
It’s heartbreaking that innocent civilians lost their lives in this act of violence.
Name withheld by request
Extradition may not be worth it
I am writing in reference to UAE legal Q&As: Can I be extradited to UAE over unpaid credit card debt? (December 18)
It probably depends on the amount involved, because extradition is expensive.
H Horsfall, Dubai
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder MHEV
Power: 360bhp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh282,870
On sale: now
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.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Honeymoonish
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BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
