As a young boy of five or six, I remember climbing into a friend’s car and seeing on the speedometer two parallel rows of numbers increasing at different rates and wondering which applied to the legal speed limit.
Following the passage of the Metric Conversion Act in 1975, US car makers led the switch by introducing kilometres per hour alongside miles per hour, apparently thinking that if drivers could get their heads around it, so too could America.
This reasonable yet ultimately futile US conversion popped into my head last week after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu sent a letter to the UN requesting that the international body and all member states use “Türkiye as the new official name in English".
Unlike the American change, Turkey’s shift has nothing to do with its own people, who have called their homeland Türkiye since its 1923 founding. Instead, Ankara is attempting to alter the world’s view. It’s a bold move. Never before has a non-English-speaking country told the English-speaking world to say its name using characters with which that world is unfamiliar.
On the streets of Chicago, London, Mumbai, or Melbourne – global cities where English is an official language – only a vanishingly small number of locals would be able to explain what those two dots above the “u” in Türkiye mean or verbalise the sound they create. This will surely be an issue in terms of writing and printing the name. Already last week, a newspaper in New Zealand ran a story asserting that Turkey's new name was "Trkiye" – possibly because its printing press lacked an umlaut.
It’s also worth noting that Turkey is prone to taking linguistic liberties with other countries’ names. Did you know that, in Turkish, Greece is Yunanistan, Hungary is Macaristan, and Morocco is Fas?
Of course, the shift is far from unprecedented. In the past century, more than a dozen states have changed their names, usually as a shucking off of colonial influence: Persia to Iran; Siam to Thailand; Free Irish State to Ireland; Ceylon to Sri Lanka; Swaziland to Eswatini; Rhodesia to Zimbabwe and more.
Several states had their own unique reasons.
Macedonia became North Macedonia in 2019 to settle a dispute with its larger neighbour, Greece. In 2016, the Czech Republic shortened its name to Czechia for domestic and international usage. Even so, it hedged – Czechia is merely the shorter version; its official name remains Czech Republic.
Ukraine has not altered its country name, but since Russia annexed Crimea and initiated a conflict in the Donbas in 2014, its government has promoted the Ukrainian versions of its city names, such as Kyiv rather than Kiev, Odesa over Odessa and Lviv over Lvov. Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February, the world has more willingly embraced the change.
Two more recent name changes were, much like Turkey’s, about image. In early 2020, the Netherlands sought to move away from the seedy 1970s-90s Amsterdam the name Holland might evoke, and officially branded itself the Netherlands. Strangely enough, its official tourist website remains Holland.com.
A bit more dramatically, when Burma’s military junta changed the country’s name to Myanmar in 1989, it sought to wipe away the stain through which it had come to power – the brutal suppression of a pro-democracy movement – and gain international legitimacy. Much of the world has continued to use Burma.
That move, and Eswatini’s, were similar to Turkey’s in that they involved no change for native citizens. Additionally, foreigners often confused Swaziland with Switzerland. That’s one of the main things Turkey’s name change has going for it – confusion with the bird.
This is an annoyance with which Turkey watchers are all too familiar. Every November, my news updates are filled with innovations on turkey preparation, details on the wild turkey population of Pennsylvania, and which turkeys the American president plans to pardon.
In explaining the shift, Turkey’s state-run TRT cited the problem of the bird, though Turkish Airlines’ web editors apparently forgot about it when updating the mostly state-owned carrier’s online content. Last week, the description of an episode of Bob’s Burgers on THY’s in-flight entertainment had the animated family saving a country rather than a bird.
TRT also cited the Cambridge Dictionary’s definition of a turkey as “something that fails badly”, which seems another decent reason. The move, it should be noted, has not come out of the blue. It has been emerging, step by step, for some two and a half years, and dovetails with Turkey’s broader embrace of its centuries of civilisational achievement.
In January 2020, Turkish exporters announced that they would begin using “Made in Türkiye” on all their labels. Last December, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered that “Türkiye” be used much more broadly, to strengthen the country’s brand and preserve the values of the Turkish nation’s deep-rooted history.
OK, but does that matter if nobody knows how to say it?
The UN embraced the change upon receipt of last week’s letter, but it’s unlikely to be so swift and simple for the rest of the world. The government of Turkey has every right to tell foreigners how it would like them to say its country name. But getting the world to actually listen and implement the suggestion is a steeper mountain to climb.
The US faced a similar problem decades ago, as a movement sprang up against its embrace of the metric system. Congressman Charles Grassley said the forced conversion “goes against our democratic principles”, while author Tom Wolfe, at an anti-metric party, vowed that US measurements not be determined by the French.
In the early 1980s, after millions of dollars had been spent on promoting the switch, the effort was quietly abandoned. Today all that remains is a desolate stretch of highway from Tucson to the Mexican border with road signs in kilometres.
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
More from Neighbourhood Watch
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Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
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The five pillars of Islam
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 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 biog
Name: Atheja Ali Busaibah
Date of birth: 15 November, 1951
Favourite books: Ihsan Abdel Quddous books, such as “The Sun will Never Set”
Hobbies: Reading and writing poetry
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The biog
Favourite book: You Are the Placebo – Making your mind matter, by Dr Joe Dispenza
Hobby: Running and watching Welsh rugby
Travel destination: Cyprus in the summer
Life goals: To be an aspirational and passionate University educator, enjoy life, be healthy and be the best dad possible.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Tori Amos
Native Invader
Decca
SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net
The%20stats%20and%20facts
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Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
The specs: 2018 Maserati Levante S
Price, base / as tested: Dh409,000 / Dh467,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 430hp @ 5,750rpm
Torque: 580Nm @ 4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.9L / 100km
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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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
Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
Company%20Profile
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Europe wide
Some of French groups are threatening Friday to continue their journey to Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the European Union, and to meet up with drivers from other countries on Monday.
Belgian authorities joined French police in banning the threatened blockade. A similar lorry cavalcade was planned for Friday in Vienna but cancelled after authorities prohibited it.
WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
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AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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