A reader says activities of some of the MPs in Indian parliament have brought shame to the country. Prakash Singh / AFP
A reader says activities of some of the MPs in Indian parliament have brought shame to the country. Prakash Singh / AFP

Rowdy MPs bring shame to India



Some of the recent events in the Indian parliament - when legislators resorted to physical violence and used pepper spray on colleagues - over the creation of a new state called Telangana marked a new low in the country's parliamentary democracy and etiquette. If the leaders behave in this manner, what can one expect from demonstrators on the street?
Rajendra K Aneja, Dubai
Don't spare those who drive under the influence
Drink driving should not be tolerated under any circumstance (Call for legal crackdown on drivers in UAE who kill, February 19).
However, the authorities should also understand that in some fatal accidents, the driver is not completely at fault. For instance, a pedestrian suddenly moves in front of a car and the driver hits him or her. In such cases, it is actually the driver who becomes a victim.
On the other hand, those who drink and drive, regardless of whether they cause an accident or not, should be punished. A driver needs to be focused and have responsibility.
Drink driving is a serious offence and should not be dealt with lightly.
Moreover, instead of safety campaigners and authorities asking for stiffer penalties to be imposed against traffic offenders, they should ban the consumption and sale of alcohol across the country.
Fatima Suhail, Abu Dhabi
In my humble opinion, a person who drives under the influence of alcohol is a criminal as he knows that by doing so he is breaking the law, but he chooses to do it anyway. That's like saying it is OK for shisha cafe owners to sell shisha even though a law has been passed banning it in certain areas.
Laws are made for a reason. They are there to protect the citizens and residents of a nation, but if the sentence is weak, those inclined to break the law will continue to do so knowing their sentence won't be long and when they are released, they are more than likely to repeat the same behaviour.
Name withheld by request
I wonder how many people have responded to the article while driving.
Drink driving is just a minority act compared to the habitual lane changing, using phones, speeding, having ill-maintained cars, lack of driver training and competence, arrogance shown by certain people, tailgating, having children running around inside and on the driver, lack of indicators, using hazard lights to stop where ever you want, double parking at corners, dropping people off on highways, school buses ignoring road rules, impatience and so on. Do I need to go on?
Mat Kennedy, Dubai
I am commenting on the news report FNC members have mixed reaction to lowering driving age in UAE (February 17).
I think age, to a degree, is irrelevant. It is ultimately the training and quality of the driver that matters.
There are more than enough older people who should not be allowed on the road.
Brett Pearson, Abu Dhabi
Rolling Stones gave their best
This concert was the best performance that has ever taken place at the du Arena (Rolling Stones show knowledge of UAE as they rock Yas Island arena, February 21). Those "wrinkly rockers" put musicians half their age to shame.
John Campbell, Abu Dhabi
The review of the concert, The Rolling Stones thrill Abu Dhabi (February 22), mentions some of the "glaring omissions". That's a bit harsh for a band that had so many hits to choose from that they couldn't possibly play them all.
If I'm half as fit as Mick Jagger when I reach 70, then I'll be a lucky woman indeed. It was outstanding.
The only sad part was the two merchandise stalls. They could have had rows of them and sold so much more.
Lesley Cully, Dubai
I was intrigued to read that 60-year-old Briton, John Francis of Al Ain, had "first watched The Rolling Stones in Richmond when they had not yet had their first hit record" (Rolling Stones show knowledge of UAE as they rock Yas Island arena, February 21).
That would have been in 1963, when Mr Francis was 10 years old. Interesting. Did he sneak into the Crawdaddy Club at that age, or did they play at his Primary School fete?
Gareth Jones, Abu Dhabi
The concert was great. But there was no proper arrangement for transportation.If Yas or the du Arena cannot manage and organise transportation for fans, then perhaps they should not go for such a big concert.
We waited for two hours and there wasn't one taxi in sight. This is unacceptable. How are we supposed to get home?
Homa Vafaie Farley, Abu Dhabi

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher:  Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5

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How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?

If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.

Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.

Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.

Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).

Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal. 

Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.

By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.

As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.

Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.

He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.” 

This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”

Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.

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

Company profile

Name: Fruitful Day

Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie

Based: Dubai, UAE

Founded: 2015

Number of employees: 30

Sector: F&B

Funding so far: Dh3 million

Future funding plans: None at present

Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries

Thank You for Banking with Us

Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
A new relationship with the old country

Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates

The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:

ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.

ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.

ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.

ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.

DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.

Signed

Geoffrey Arthur  Sheikh Zayed

APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

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Director: Shady Ali
Cast: Boumi Fouad , Mohamed Tharout and Hisham Ismael
Rating: 3/5

Company%20Profile
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Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

'Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole Superpower'
Michael Beckley, Cornell Press