Cafe terraces line a street in Istanbul. Bloomberg
Cafe terraces line a street in Istanbul. Bloomberg


An Istanbul cafe incident is hardly the norm



July 05, 2024

Istanbul cafe knife incident

With reference to Lizzie Porter's report Turkish man suspected of threatening Saudis with knife in Istanbul cafe (July 3): This is a very unfortunate incident. Our experience has been different though. When we visited, my family found Turkish hospitality to be outstanding and the majority of people lovely to interact with. There were some conversations with taxi drivers where they went on a rant but that can happen anywhere. A few angry voices don't represent the whole.

Mohammed A Ahmed, Dubai

There's no excuse for such behaviour, wielding knives at strangers for keeping him awake, he says. Too often it feels like the world is becoming an increasingly scary, hateful place. Thank goodness this didn't take a nastier turn.

Ayesha Sorrab, Edinburgh, Scotland

The compounding misery in Gaza

In reference to Adla Massoud's article 'Maelstrom of human misery': More than 80% of Gazans now displaced, UN official says (July 3): All one hears about is condemning Israel, but still no serious sanctions or any action against them. The tragedy for Gaza continues.

Barbara Lebar, Sharjah

The dangers of crowd mismanagement

With regard to Taniya Dutta's report 'My dead son was dropped in my lap': Indian woman recalls horror of crush at Hathras (July 3): How could this have been allowed to happen? It is not the first time that such a crush has taken lives. I feel terrible for these poor people for having been conned by a so-called god-man or religious preacher, who is now absconding, into attending this event. What devastating losses, 122 people dead in a tragedy that could have been avoided if there was better crowd management. The victims, mostly all women, could never have imagined the day would end like this. May the families of the victims have the strength to deal with this pain.

Shagufta Abrar, Jaipur, Rajasthan

India's Cricket World Cup glory after 2007

Regarding Ajit Vijaykumar's report Indian cricket set for transition after T20 World Cup glory (July 01): The Indian Cricket team winning the World Cup T20 was amazing to watch for millions of cricket lovers, including myself. Thankfully the match was before the hurricane in Barbados. The captaincy of Rohit Sharma was sharp and all team members contributed to this great, nail-biting match, and a historic victory after 17 years for India. Kudos to Indian Skipper Rohit Sharma and his men. As the article said, with this trophy in the bag, the time was perfect for Sharma and Kohli to announce their retirement from T20 Internationals and for Rahul Dravid to sign off as a World Cup winning coach now. Indeed it was the exit of dreams for the champions.

K Ragavan, Denver, US

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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Washmen Profile

Date Started: May 2015

Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Laundry

Employees: 170

Funding: about $8m

Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures

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The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

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Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage

Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid 

Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani

Rating: 4/5

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

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.
Updated: July 10, 2024, 5:19 AM