There was a time when the thought of writing a large cheque would fill the chequebook holder with dread: would there be enough funds in their bank account to cover it? Even those with ample means have had a moment of hesitation and fear in handing over that tiny slip of paper, which could have meant all the difference between freedom and spending months behind bars before deportation. Courtrooms have in the past been crammed with defendants who have made genuine mistakes, been over-optimistic in estimating their bank balance or been afraid to admit they have fallen on hard times. The announcement by Dubai Courts to issue fines instead of jail terms for bounced cheques from December is therefore a step in the right direction and will alleviate thousands of the fear of being branded criminals.
There is, of course, a world of difference between those who make an honest mistake and fraudsters writing dud cheques to rip people off and the Dh200,000 cap on bouncing cheques which are punishable by fine will weed out those who seek to take advantage of the new law. It is often low-income workers falling behind on debt repayments or struggling to meet single-cheque payments for rent who are most likely to find themselves in trouble. A measure of leniency is a step in the right direction and a signal of a mature legislative procedure capable of recognising everyone has the potential to slip through the net. Sending debtors to prison for falling on hard times benefits no one; it causes the courts to become clogged with unnecessary paperwork, burdens overworked judges, whose time is taken up with needless cases and serves no purpose to the banks which are owed money, as they have no way of recouping their losses. The recognition that anyone can find themselves facing difficult circumstances or struggling to make ends meet is a welcome move which will alleviate the stress and burden on both individuals and the courts.
As judge Ayman Abdul Hakam has said, bouncing cheques made up 80 per cent of the 6,000 cases he dealt with in the first two months of Dubai's One Day Court opening, a workload which had him putting in 12-hour days to process cases swiftly and justly. The threat of going to prison has in the past caused debtors to flee the country or see the life they hoped to create for themselves in the UAE in tatters. For those already being punished by finding themselves mired in debt, a stiff fine is penalty enough. Giving them a sensible means of dealing with the crisis they find themselves in will ensure a lot more people in the UAE don't suffer sleepless nights – on both sides of the dock.
HOSTS
T20 WORLD CUP
2024: US and West Indies; 2026: India and Sri Lanka; 2028: Australia and New Zealand; 2030: England, Ireland and Scotland
ODI WORLD CUP
2027: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia; 2031: India and
Bangladesh
CHAMPIONS TROPHY
2025: Pakistan; 2029: India
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Company%20Profile
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The biog
Favourite pet: cats. She has two: Eva and Bito
Favourite city: Cape Town, South Africa
Hobby: Running. "I like to think I’m artsy but I’m not".
Favourite move: Romantic comedies, specifically Return to me. "I cry every time".
Favourite spot in Abu Dhabi: Saadiyat beach
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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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
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
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Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Energy Research Centre
Founded 50 years ago as a nuclear research institute, scientists at the centre believed nuclear would be the “solution for everything”.
Although they still do, they discovered in 1955 that the Netherlands had a lot of natural gas. “We still had the idea that, by 2000, it would all be nuclear,” said Harm Jeeninga, director of business and programme development at the centre.
"In the 1990s, we found out about global warming so we focused on energy savings and tackling the greenhouse gas effect.”
The energy centre’s research focuses on biomass, energy efficiency, the environment, wind and solar, as well as energy engineering and socio-economic research.
BRIEF SCORES
England 353 and 313-8 dec
(B Stokes 112, A Cook 88; M Morkel 3-70, K Rabada 3-85)
(J Bairstow 63, T Westley 59, J Root 50; K Maharaj 3-50)
South Africa 175 and 252
(T Bavuma 52; T Roland-Jones 5-57, J Anderson 3-25)
(D Elgar 136; M Ali 4-45, T Roland-Jones 3-72)
Result: England won by 239 runs
England lead four-match series 2-1
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The years Ramadan fell in May
TRAINING FOR TOKYO
A typical week's training for Sebastian, who is competing at the ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon on March 8-9:
- Four swim sessions (14km)
- Three bike sessions (200km)
- Four run sessions (45km)
- Two strength and conditioning session (two hours)
- One session therapy session at DISC Dubai
- Two-three hours of stretching and self-maintenance of the body
ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon
For more information go to www.abudhabi.triathlon.org.
