Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli congratulates Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan at the end of the Cricket Twenty20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan in Dubai, UAE, on October 24. AP
Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli congratulates Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan at the end of the Cricket Twenty20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan in Dubai, UAE, on October 24. AP
Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli congratulates Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan at the end of the Cricket Twenty20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan in Dubai, UAE, on October 24. AP
Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli congratulates Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan at the end of the Cricket Twenty20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan in Dubai, UAE, on October 24. AP


Pakistan's T20 win was a class act


The National
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October 28, 2021

With reference to Paul Radley's report T20 World Cup: Pakistan stun India in Dubai as Mohammed Rizwan and Babar Azam sparkle (October 24): let us stay humble and learn from our mistakes. Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri could have pushed Ashwin, a world class bowler and a match winner, up the order. Giving up pride and arrogance is a sign of good captaincy. Heart-to-heart communication with the team and repair work can help in future matches. Let us congratulate Pakistan for their brilliant play.

Ignatius Jacob, London, UK

It looked like one team played with heart and the other with arrogance. Heart won out.

Wayne Hough, Mandurah, Australia

Well done, Pakistan. Nice to see the underdogs beat the favourites.

Ronald Saacks, Cape Town, South Africa

Pakistan played powerfully – what a masterclass in batting and patience. They will be the team to beat in this world cup. Can already see the influence of Matt Hayden and Big Vern. Keep it up, boys.

Charles Gilbert, Gauteng, South Africa

The war on drugs is universal

With regard to Nilanjana Gupta's report How Dubai Customs agents foil attempts to smuggle Captagon (October 25): authorities around the world must tighten laws against drug traffickers. These criminals harm society because of easy money. Countries must consistently track networks and clandestine laboratory operations. To protect young people from falling prey to drug dealers, schools must educate pupils about the dangers of addiction. The world needs to fight the drug curse together.

Vega Renghen, Curepipe, Mauritius

We need our fathers

With reference to Georgia Tolley's report 'Emirati Dads' exhibition at Expo 2020 shines spotlight on shared parenting (October 26): children need their fathers just like they do their mothers. And it gives us mothers a small break when dads spend time with the children.

Nadia Sarai Glasscock, Georgia, US

What could be better and more beautiful than harmony in a family. And it is both, the mother and the father, who make that happen. Congratulations on the exhibition.

Marcela Tiuca, Abu Dhabi

A vow for love over money

With reference to the report Japan’s Princess Mako loses royal status after marrying commoner (October 26): declining the $1.2 million dowry that she was entitled to after leaving the palace, she shows the world money isn't everything.

Salieu Zaal, Banjul, Gambia

That's true love – leaving all the freebies, title and privilege to be with the one she loves.

Leen L, Boracay, Philippines

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'Ghostbusters: From Beyond'

Director: Jason Reitman

Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace

Rating: 2/5

Zakat definitions

Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.

Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.

Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.

Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.

Haircare resolutions 2021

From Beirut and Amman to London and now Dubai, hairstylist George Massoud has seen the same mistakes made by customers all over the world. In the chair or at-home hair care, here are the resolutions he wishes his customers would make for the year ahead.

1. 'I will seek consultation from professionals'

You may know what you want, but are you sure it’s going to suit you? Haircare professionals can tell you what will work best with your skin tone, hair texture and lifestyle.

2. 'I will tell my hairdresser when I’m not happy'

Massoud says it’s better to offer constructive criticism to work on in the future. Your hairdresser will learn, and you may discover how to communicate exactly what you want more effectively the next time.

3. ‘I will treat my hair better out of the chair’

Damage control is a big part of most hairstylists’ work right now, but it can be avoided. Steer clear of over-colouring at home, try and pursue one hair brand at a time and never, ever use a straightener on still drying hair, pleads Massoud.

Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi

Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi

Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain

Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni

Rating: 2.5/5

What are NFTs?

Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.

You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”

However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.

This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”

This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.

Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'

Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.

Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.

"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.

"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.

"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."

Updated: October 28, 2021, 4:29 AM