Little Obaida Al Aqrabawi was "the son of every man and woman", his mother Zaineb Sharif said. Her husband said he could never forgive the man who raped and murdered his eight-year-old son in a crime which sent shockwaves across the country. The scale of their devastation over the heinous actions of Nedal Issa Abdullah was matched only by the wave of nationwide revulsion which culminated in the murderer's execution last Thursday.
Obaida’s parents will never again get to cuddle their beloved son. They will never wave him off to school, see him graduate, watch him getting married or cradle their grandchildren by him. All that was taken away from them in the few seconds they took their eyes off him.
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Read more on Obaida case:
■ Obaida's case: a timeline
■ 'Now justice has been served', say family of murdered Obaida
■ Lawyer speaks of his duty to defend Obaida killer
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But Child Protection Association member Moza Al Shoomi says we all have a duty to be nosy neighbours to protect our children from coming to the same harm. At last week's Arab regional conference on the prevention of child abuse and neglect, she encouraged everyone to be a busybody and, against all cultural taboos, to interfere – despite sensitivities dictating otherwise. The conference heard how a culture of silence in the Arab world is now being broken, thanks to child protection laws invoked by the UAE's leadership. Known colloquially as Wadeema's Law after the eight-year-old girl who died after being kept locked in a bathroom in inhumane circumstances by her father and his girlfriend, it followed the orders of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the Ruler of Dubai and Vice President of the UAE, who said at the time: "Wadeema may have lost her life but her story and her memory are still alive among us through this law." Since it was passed by federal government in June 2016, the law is already changing the way public institutions look at child protection. Doctors, social workers and teachers are all duty bound to report any signs of abuse but it should not fall to them alone. Every member of society has an obligation to report and act on suspicions of physical or emotional abuse.
It is too late to help Obaida, Wadeema and four-year-old Moosa Mukhtiar Ahmed, raped and murdered in a mosque just yards from his home. It is too late for four-year-old Mariam, tortured to death by her mother in the name of "trying to teach her manners". These are extreme, rare cases in a nation which holds family values dear – but just one of these horrific tales is a case too many. We all have a part to play in preventing them happening.
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Bridgerton%20season%20three%20-%20part%20one
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Persuasion
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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In numbers
Number of Chinese tourists coming to UAE in 2017 was... 1.3m
Alibaba’s new ‘Tech Town’ in Dubai is worth... $600m
China’s investment in the MIddle East in 2016 was... $29.5bn
The world’s most valuable start-up in 2018, TikTok, is valued at... $75bn
Boost to the UAE economy of 5G connectivity will be... $269bn
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
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
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Company%20Profile
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Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
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
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
The%20specs
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