Academy Award picks look much more balanced

After a brief period of no black nominees for the Academy Awards, it's heartening to know that some of those thespians would be seen on the stage this year (A shift in the bias, January 26).

Coming at a time when racial tensions are high in the United States, courtesy of the new president, the diverse characters played by the stars are also well focused on life as struggling African-Americans in a polarised America.

While this debate on exclusion will continue, one important fact is lost. As far back as the 1930s, Hattie McDaniel was the first African-American to receive the statuette for Gone With the Wind, although she was barred from accepting it in the main auditorium.

Some of this year’s non-white nominees include Dev Patel (Lion) and Ruth Negga (Loving), as well as films such as Moonlight, Fences and Hidden Figures. The list is impressive.

AR Modak, South Africa

Is tipping necessary?

The questions you raised on tipping in your survey were interesting (The survey says: to tip or not to tip in the UAE, January 26).

I am in favour of tipping. Most of the people serving us are earning a great deal less than us and probably having a much harder time of it. A tip and a smile can considerably ease their daily burden.

Bob Myerscough, Dubai

Hotel and restaurant owners shouldn’t expect their employees to live on tips. A tip should be a bonus, not a main source of income. And I don’t trust the restaurant to give the “service charges” to the employees.

Abdalla Ali, Abu Dhabi

As long as you know servers are receiving the tip for themselves, you should tip.

Lynda Goggin Mowbray, Abu Dhabi

Care-cost relief is good news

Well done to all those who campaigned tirelessly for the overturning of the co-payment system (Care-cost relief for long-term Emirati patients, January 27).

This is another example of a government that listens to its people. This is great news.

William H Prinsloo, Dubai

Pet-dumping ought to end

I refer to the story Dubai dog shelter braced for rush of unwanted Christmas puppies (January 26).

Sadly not just dogs, but cats and rabbits are dumped every year. Six weeks after Easter, there is a mass dumping of rabbits into green areas where they become food for the stray cats and dogs, or die painfully from mange.

Daniella How, Abu Dhabi

Each dog owner should have to apply for a permit to buy a dog and be forced to report the microchip details of the dog to the authorities.

There should be a deposit system. If anyone abandons a dog or any other pet, it would be easier to find the owner in these cases.

Sari Sarome-Nykanen, Dubai

Questions over advert approval

Regarding your story Matchmaking advertising billboards taken down in Dubai (January 27), the authorities should find out who approved the advertisement.

I work in the advertising field and it’s well known among advertising professionals that it’s not allowed to do such averts.

Najla Daair, Dubai

I saw one of these adverts and I was surprised. Who would have approved such a thing, I wonder?

Michelle Grissa, Dubai