I write in reference to your article Dubai shoppers call for plastic bag charge (April 6): as an 18-year-old student, I am more concerned than ever about our environmental situation and especially about plastic pollution. A plastic bag charge should not only be under consideration, it should have been introduced years ago. In this day and age, I would rather see a law that bans the usage of plastic bags. New Zealand, for example, has banned plastic bags entirely and sets a great precedent for such a law. Alternatives to plastic are paper bags or banana leaves like Thailand and Vietnam. I recently read that a Thai grocery store is using banana leaves instead of plastic to package fruit and vegetables. This should be an example for every government that it is not impossible to ban plastic bags or plastic packaging. However, there are other variables that play a key role in how efficient and environmentally friendly paper bags are. Among other factors is how often we actually reuse the bag. Therefore, a plastic bag ban should exist but there must be a shift in the way people think. Bags should not only be used once but several times.
Charlotte Hoppe, Germany
No one can predict who will win the Israeli elections
I write to you in reference to Miriam Berger's article Divided Israeli electorate denies Benjamin Netanyahu clear win (April 10). This was a good read that helped me understand the Israeli elections.
Even though the winner, Benjamin Netanyahu, is unpleasant in his approach to the Palestinians, he has made use of his charisma and smooth talking to secure international backing. It is remarkable that he has secured a record fifth term this time around, as allegations of corruption and cronyism have weighed on him and his wife.
K Ragavan, Bengaluru
After Gaddafi’s despotic rule, Libyans get no respite
I write to you in reference to Raghida Dergham's article Libya's future is caught between diplomacy and a military solution (April 6). Muammar Qaddafi was a ruthless and crooked leader who ruled Libya with an iron fist. But the nation remains deeply troubled. I am saddened to see that the Libyan conflict has been allowed to endure in the absence of a political solution.
Civilians are caught between the corrupt yet internationally recognised government of Fayez Al Sarraj and Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army. American intervention did not help Libyans in 2011, just as it did not help Iraqis back in 2003. The US would be better off intervening in countries that have been accused of conducting ethnic cleansing, such as Myanmar.
Nazim Hasan Khan, India
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
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The lowdown
Bohemian Rhapsody
Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee
Rating: 3/5
Results
Stage 7:
1. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal - 3:18:29
2. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - same time
3. Phil Bauhaus (GER) Bahrain Victorious
4. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep
5. Cees Bol (NED) Team DSM
General Classification:
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 24:00:28
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:35
3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:02
4. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:01:42
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo - 0:01:45
Five personal finance podcasts from The National
To help you get started, tune into these Pocketful of Dirham episodes
·
Balance is essential to happiness, health and wealth
·
What is a portfolio stress test?
·
What are NFTs and why are auction houses interested?
·
How gamers are getting rich by earning cryptocurrencies
·
Should you buy or rent a home in the UAE?
Past winners of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
2016 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2014 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2012 Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)
2011 Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2010 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2009 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
