A woman watches an episode of the newly released Netflix docuseries 'Harry and Meghan' in London on Thursday. AFP
A woman watches an episode of the newly released Netflix docuseries 'Harry and Meghan' in London on Thursday. AFP


Hopefully a time of healing for the UK royal family will come soon



December 09, 2022

I write in reference to Gillian Duncan's article King Charles 'trapped' by Prince Harry's 'lies' (December 7): what a terrible war it is, but it happens in many a home. Hopefully a time of healing will come soon. I am sure King Charles did the best he could and that there were times he just couldn't cope himself. As a mother, I have experienced this and I am sure I have failed, but there were good times too. I apologised for my failures then, and I do so even now. It is up to Prince Harry to forgive and move forward. It must have been hard to follow Prince William.

Mary Anne Larivee, Fall River, US

Narcotics has no place in any society

I belatedly write in reference to Taniya Dutta's article Indian border force 'shoot down drone carrying drugs from Pakistan' (November 29): what the Indian Border Security Force personnel did that day was laudable. Narcotics do not have a place in any society or country. Whatever be the source of these drugs, it needs to be identified and whoever is behind it needs to be punished in a court of law. If this is indeed a cross-border problem, then both countries need to deal with it in collaboration.

K Ragavan, Bengaluru, India

The US must push for a two-state solution

I write in reference to David Tusing's article Nadeen Ayoub says she went to Miss Earth to be a voice for Palestinians (December 7): now that the US Senate races are over and the Democratic Party has a majority in the upper house of Congress, it must be more aggressive in pushing for a two-state solution between Palestine and Israel. One suggestion would be for President Joe Biden to entrust Vice President Kamala Harris with the task of reviving diplomacy between the two entities. This is particularly as a 51-49 Senate majority means that Ms Harris will be relieved from some of her duties on the Senate floor. It's worth remembering that the two-state solution is mandated by international law. There must be a way to implement it.

Name withheld by request

Zelenskyy is the bravest hero, and may God bless him always

I write in reference to The National’s Facebook post about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy being named Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” (December 7): I am genuinely surprised about the way he has proved that he cannot be intimated. The man is really brave.

David Orowua, Makurdi, Nigeria

President Zelenskyy, you are the bravest hero protecting the Ukrainian people. May God bless you always. Stay safe and healthy.

Name withheld by request

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

What is graphene?

Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.

It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.

It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.

It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.

Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.

The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.

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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

Empire of Enchantment: The Story of Indian Magic

John Zubrzycki, Hurst Publishers

Retail gloom

Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.

It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.

The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Cricket World Cup League 2

UAE squad

Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind

Fixtures

Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE

Essentials

The flights

Etihad (etihad.ae) and flydubai (flydubai.com) fly direct to Baku three times a week from Dh1,250 return, including taxes. 
 

The stay

A seven-night “Fundamental Detox” programme at the Chenot Palace (chenotpalace.com/en) costs from €3,000 (Dh13,197) per person, including taxes, accommodation, 3 medical consultations, 2 nutritional consultations, a detox diet, a body composition analysis, a bio-energetic check-up, four Chenot bio-energetic treatments, six Chenot energetic massages, six hydro-aromatherapy treatments, six phyto-mud treatments, six hydro-jet treatments and access to the gym, indoor pool, sauna and steam room. Additional tests and treatments cost extra.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Updated: December 13, 2022, 1:12 PM