When it comes to infrastructure and development, the UAE certainly tops the rankings. However, one area that needs attention is the outskirts of cities. Anybody who travels frequently between the cities would have observed that there are not many public restrooms along the way except at petrol stations or mosques.
The country is witnessing a rapid growth in its population and the existing facilities are not sufficient to meet the growing needs. The issue of lack of public restrooms is not just limited to intercity commutes, but also within the cities. Travellers often have to drive down to the nearest malls or restaurants in case of urgency while away from home or stop by at petrol stations and mosques to use the washrooms.
Ideally, motorists should be provided with a proper area to rest with washrooms that can accommodate 30 to 40 people at a time.
Fatima Suhail, Sharjah
Let the world know about this Israeli behaviour
James Zogby's open letter (America must tell Israel to meet its obligations, August 16) should be sent to all American and western newspapers. What George Khoury and Habim Joudeh experienced is what every Arab goes through when trying to enter Israel through Ben Gurion Airport.
I have a German passport and partially German roots. When I was a teenager in the late 1970s, I stayed with my grandparents in the West Bank and went to school there for three years. I was never granted a proper visa, which is why I had to leave the place every couple of months for a visa run. Each time I left and re-entered, I was treated as a terrorist suspect. I was interrogated for hours by four to five different officials. My luggage was dissected piece by piece. The Israeli government never cared about public opinion and never will, but we must never give up making the world know and hopefully, one day, the support for this regime will stop.
Rita Amer, Dubai
Maternity leave is inadequate
With reference to the article Maternity leave is not enough, say mothers (August 16), we are very fortunate in Canada to get one year of paid maternity leave. The father can also take paternity leave.
Some couples split it in a way that works best for them. Perhaps she stays at home with the baby for nine months and then he takes three months as she slowly transitions back to her job starting with part time.
Karen Snihur Hinchey, Canada
Paid maternity leave is a privilege, one that means the company has to pay the employee to stay at home to care for a child the employee made the decision to have. There’s no guarantee that she won’t turn around at the end of six months and decide to stay at home with the baby, there’s no guarantee that she will work for them for years after either. So there are reasons why the length of maternity leave is as it is. A woman out on maternity leave is a fiscal burden that a business has to carry, even if she has only done one year of service. I can see why businesses lobby so hard to leave this issue as it is – they just don’t want to bear the cost and it’s understandable why.
Kate Bell, Dubai
Innovation is all about passion
I think it's important for entrepreneurs to strike a balance between academic and real life experiences (Seeds of entrepreneurial thinking sown early in life, August 16). Experience can't be replaced nor substituted.
I for one would like to have taken a course on entrepreneurship when I did my MBA. Education does a good job in teaching us “why” but falls short on teaching us “how”, which is required in the workplace. The likes of Bill Gates and Richard Branson have turned great ideas into multibillion-dollar businesses.
Being a successful entrepreneur is about taking risks. Not many text books will teach that. It takes thick skin, grit, a whole lot of passion and luck to become a self-made businessman.
Randall Mohammed, Dubai
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Takestep%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20March%202018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohamed%20Khashaba%2C%20Mohamed%20Abdallah%2C%20Mohamed%20Adel%20Wafiq%20and%20Ayman%20Taha%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cairo%2C%20Egypt%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20health%20technology%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EEmployees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2011%20full%20time%20and%2022%20part%20time%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20pre-Series%20A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.0%20twin-turbo%20inline%20six-cylinder%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eeight-speed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E503hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E600Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh450%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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.
WE%20NO%20LONGER%20PREFER%20MOUNTAINS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Inas%20Halabi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENijmeh%20Hamdan%2C%20Kamal%20Kayouf%2C%20Sheikh%20Najib%20Alou%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Sam Smith
Where: du Arena, Abu Dhabi
When: Saturday November 24
Rating: 4/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
When is VAR used?
• Goals
• Penalty decisions
• Direct red-card incidents
• Mistaken identity
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
