Reflections on UAE statistics
I refer to the statistics provided in the Business article Snapshots of the Emirates … the numbers tell the story (September 13). Looking closely, the details give interesting insights. An average of 106 million barrels of crude oil is consumed per day for internal use in the UAE. A subsequent online review showed that the UAE ranks number two in terms of per capita oil consumption. This shows a heavy reliance on oil consumption and measures by authorities should be made to educate residents to resort to mass transport options, whenever possible.
Another interesting figure observed is the number of BlackBerry users within the country, which stands at number one in per capita use of mobile phones. Imagine the scenario if the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority puts a brake on BlackBerry usage here.
A US$10 billion reserve set aside by UAE banks against a rise in bad loans is an eye opener and shows that it is time for massive reforms by the Central Bank to stop excessive interest charges for bank customers which are directly increasing the alarming rise in the bad loans ratio here.
A total of 182 GCC newspapers and magazines closed since the start of last year. This is a sad note for the print media industry, which is shrinking each day, either due to cost factors or interest generated by online media. A realistic attempt should be made at school levels to initiate daily reading of news from printed sources.
Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi
To read it in original, please visit THE NATIONAL online.
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