With regards to your article, Air conditioning complaints go ignored by Abu Dhabi property bosses (July 28), I thought we were trying to cut down on energy consumption, going green and saving the environment. How is 18 degrees in an apartment environmentally conscious?
Our villa never goes below 25 degrees. In fact, we usually have only one AC unit cooling the entire place. And this is not because we can't afford otherwise. Rather, we got our bodies used to the warm temperatures.
Wear shorts and light cotton shirts, stay barefoot, drink lots of water, and accept being a little sweaty. There is nothing wrong with that, as long as you shower regularly. How do people from the tropical subcontinent cope? How did people here cope only a few decades ago when there was little air conditioning?
By the way, we also do not wash dishes under running water, do not use plastic bags when we go shopping, and try to recycle as much of our waste as possible. We all have to do our part to save the environment.
Rita Amer, Dubai
Better ways to get to school
Concerning your article, Illegal taxis make driving school access easier for Abu Dhabi students (July 28), many students who want to learn how to drive already pay top money for the lessons and often struggle to pay the fees.
When you add in the cost of taxis to the driving classes, the cost is prohibitive.
I think we need buses to help shuttle drivers to these lessons. We should help these honest driving school students who are genuinely trying their best to learn the rules of driving here.
Brigitte von Bulow, Abu Dhabi
The government should offer free buses to the training centre for the simple reason that people who are going to get their driving lessons can’t drive a car.
I always found it strange that the centre for learning driving is located far outside of the Abu Dhabi city centre. Could we not find a suitable location that is more convenient for most people?
Bara Reed, Abu Dhabi
Making public transport better
Your editorial, Carrot and stick approach to car use (July 28) got me thinking about how I use a car on a daily basis. The bottom line is that little would encourage me to get out of my car because public transport is not up to par.
It would take me three times longer to get around if I didn't have a car. Once the system becomes quicker and has more options, then I will be ready to make the switch to public transport.
John Paravalos, Dubai
I agree with the idea that public transport is more attractive but only if there are separate public transport lanes on all roads so that they don't sit stuck in the traffic.
I would love to sell my car and save the cash. Public transport also provides chances to meet others and socialise, something this city desperately needs as more and more folks come in and segregate themselves in their own communities. Additionally, I have time to read, watch a show or eat while commuting. A winning situation for all.
George Kuruvilla, Dubai
I use and like the Dubai metro but usually I require a cab at the other end to complete my journey. This costs money and I often don't understand the bus routes, which could provide a cheaper option.
As long as petrol is below 10 dirhams a litre I am saving money compared with the UK prices that I am used to. Above all else, the car is still more convenient for now.
Brett Pearson, Dubai
Food safety is still a concern
I have read your stimulating report UAE scientists join fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria (July 27) with great interest. I want to suggest that we closely look at food standards on a variety of imported foods.
The primary issue with frozen foods, especially shrimp, which are generally farmed in Thailand, Vietnam and Pakistan and are readily available in all supermarkets, is that they are full of antibiotics of questionable provenance.In the US, for example, these sorts of shrimp are not imported and inspections are made at the facilities to ensure the farmers don’t use harmful antibiotics because consumption leads to the issue described in your article.
Ultimately, this is an issue that extends far beyond shrimp and I am happy to see that scientists here are reviewing the matter because it affects us all.
Wael El Dasher, Abu Dhabi
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20CarbonSifr%3Cbr%3EStarted%3A%202022%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Onur%20Elgun%2C%20Mustafa%20Bosca%20and%20Muhammed%20Yildirim%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Climate%20tech%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%241%20million%20raised%20in%20seed%20funding%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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
Dubai World Cup nominations
UAE: Thunder Snow/Saeed bin Suroor (trainer), North America/Satish Seemar, Drafted/Doug Watson, New Trails/Ahmad bin Harmash, Capezzano, Gronkowski, Axelrod, all trained by Salem bin Ghadayer
USA: Seeking The Soul/Dallas Stewart, Imperial Hunt/Luis Carvajal Jr, Audible/Todd Pletcher, Roy H/Peter Miller, Yoshida/William Mott, Promises Fulfilled/Dale Romans, Gunnevera/Antonio Sano, XY Jet/Jorge Navarro, Pavel/Doug O’Neill, Switzerland/Steve Asmussen.
Japan: Matera Sky/Hideyuki Mori, KT Brace/Haruki Sugiyama. Bahrain: Nine Below Zero/Fawzi Nass. Ireland: Tato Key/David Marnane. Hong Kong: Fight Hero/Me Tsui. South Korea: Dolkong/Simon Foster.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Afro%20salons
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FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
SHAITTAN
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The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
AUSTRALIA SQUADS
ODI squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
Twenty20 squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
