The article Free zones drive Dubai's exports (November 7) was very informative.
One can see that the road to success is through hard work and patience and no one can predict its net results. This applies to Dubai as anywhere.
Dubai's free zones and its success has led to the commercialisation and industrialisation of the emirate and turned it into a city of festival. Working in Dubai I have seen and felt the effect of growth on the lives of people here.
I see Dubai emerging as a global hub for finance, logistics, hospitality and leisure.
Rathish Rajan, Dubai
With all due respect to the laws and those who are mentioned in the article I think we should understand the rationale behind creating the free zones.
The point is mainly to boost the UAE economy and to create a free market similar to those in the western countries.
No one should make comments that would intimidate investors especially when talking about the services sector.
Foreign investor are allowed to own 100 per cent of the share capital in many services sectors, such as consultancies, in the UAE local market. I do not believe that carrying out a service activity in a free zone would be a violation of the laws.
The point of the free zones is to add to the prosperity of UAE citizens, regardless whether there is a local partner in such an enterprise or not.
Bilal Snaineh, Dubai
Are hands-free devices any safer?
Messaging or reading while driving is dangerous, no doubt about that (BlackBerry cuts made roads safer, police say, October 15). However, I disagree with the general belief that talking on the phone while using an ear piece is safer than when using your hand to hold the phone against your ear.
On the contrary, I find it more distracting if I have to fiddle with the ear piece and press buttons on the phone. It's easier and less distracting if I just hold it to my ear.
Ziad Q, Abu Dhabi
Runner deserves due recognition
The article 100-year-old marathon competitor gives Dubai a run (November 8) tells of an amazing story and an inspiration.
The fact that Fauja Singh completed the Toronto Waterfront Marathon at 100 years old is a great achievement.
JG, Dubai
Careful thinking for school breaks
I refer to the article Eid Al Adha break for schools won't be extended, says Ministry (November 1). From my understanding, it was semantics that allowed or prevented schools taking the full week vacation. Schools that declared their holidays were "mid-term" breaks, instead of "Eid" breaks, did not change the vacation dates. These schools have a full week off. This is a lesson for schools to be more careful in their wording.
The second lesson is for government bodies who are in control of vacations.
It is likely a large percentage of students will not go to school on Wednesday and Thursday because most will have been away on vacation in the UAE or overseas.
In many countries, students come in to school on Saturdays to fill the gap left by an unexpected holiday. This may have been a viable option, but parents and children were never given a choice.
The only ones who will suffer are the students who will miss two days at school because their families had already planned (more than a week in advance) a joyous Eid vacation
Name withheld by request
Ways for shops to improve service
After living in the UAE for nearly three years, there are some things I should be used to but that still surprise me (Good customer service is a critical business element, September 24).
Like the rest of the region, shop assistants can at first seem overzealous to get your attention.
But as soon as any question of proper assistance is required, one might as well have become invisible as they immediately look to move you on. One would think, for example, that if a shop doesn't stock you size, the shopkeeper might recommend one of their other stores elsewhere in the emirate and arrange for that item to be kept for you or possibly arrange for it to be available for collection at the same store later.
Also, what is it about loose change, or more exactly the lack of it? I keep mine in my car as I need it to pay for parking. Why aren't shops similarly prepared? Perhaps the solution is to make all items divisible by Dh5 or Dh10. That would make life easier for everyone.
Ian Walker, Abu Dhabi
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20profile
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ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers Pickford (Everton), Pope (Burnley), Henderson (Manchester United)
Defenders Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Chilwell (Chelsea), Coady (Wolves), Dier (Tottenham), Gomez (Liverpool), James (Chelsea), Keane (Everton), Maguire (Manchester United), Maitland-Niles (Arsenal), Mings (Aston Villa), Saka (Arsenal), Trippier (Atletico Madrid), Walker (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Foden (Manchester City), Henderson (Liverpool), Grealish (Aston Villa), Mount (Chelsea), Rice (West Ham), Ward-Prowse (Southampton), Winks (Tottenham)
Forwards: Abraham (Chelsea), Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Kane (Tottenham), Rashford (Manchester United), Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Sterling (Manchester City)
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Know your cyber adversaries
Cryptojacking: Compromises a device or network to mine cryptocurrencies without an organisation's knowledge.
Distributed denial-of-service: Floods systems, servers or networks with information, effectively blocking them.
Man-in-the-middle attack: Intercepts two-way communication to obtain information, spy on participants or alter the outcome.
Malware: Installs itself in a network when a user clicks on a compromised link or email attachment.
Phishing: Aims to secure personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.
Ransomware: Encrypts user data, denying access and demands a payment to decrypt it.
Spyware: Collects information without the user's knowledge, which is then passed on to bad actors.
Trojans: Create a backdoor into systems, which becomes a point of entry for an attack.
Viruses: Infect applications in a system and replicate themselves as they go, just like their biological counterparts.
Worms: Send copies of themselves to other users or contacts. They don't attack the system, but they overload it.
Zero-day exploit: Exploits a vulnerability in software before a fix is found.
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.
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
CHELSEA'S NEXT FIVE GAMES
Mar 10: Norwich(A)
Mar 13: Newcastle(H)
Mar 16: Lille(A)
Mar 19: Middlesbrough(A)
Apr 2: Brentford(H)
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
RACE RESULTS
1. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 1hr 21min 48.527sec
2. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) at 0.658sec
3. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/Red Bull) 6.012
4. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 7.430
5. Kimi Räikkönen (FIN/Ferrari) 20.370
6. Romain Grosjean (FRA/Haas) 1:13.160
7. Sergio Pérez (MEX/Force India) 1 lap
8. Esteban Ocon (FRA/Force India) 1 lap
9. Felipe Massa (BRA/Williams) 1 lap
10. Lance Stroll (CAN/Williams) 1 lap
11. Jolyon Palmer (GBR/Renault) 1 lap
12. Stoffel Vandoorne (BEL/McLaren) 1 lap
13. Nico Hülkenberg (GER/Renault) 1 lap
14. Pascal Wehrlein (GER/Sauber) 1 lap
15. Marcus Ericsson (SWE/Sauber) 2 laps
16. Daniil Kvyat (RUS/Toro Rosso) 3 laps
'Laal Kaptaan'
Director: Navdeep Singh
Stars: Saif Ali Khan, Manav Vij, Deepak Dobriyal, Zoya Hussain
Rating: 2/5
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Results
2pm Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 1,800m
Winner AF Al Baher, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh75,000 1,400m
Winner Alla Mahlak, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
3pm Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner Davy Lamp, Adrie de Vries, Rashed Bouresly.
3.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 1,400m
Winner Ode To Autumn, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
4pm Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 1,950m
Winner Arch Gold, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
4.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh75,000 1,800m
Winner Meqdam, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
5pm Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,800m
Winner Native Appeal, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
5.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh75,000 1,400m
Winner Amani Pico, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
