ABU DHABI // Less than 24 hours after the Corniche was choked with decorated cars and dazzled with fireworks, most of the celebratory detritus had been scraped away yesterday as families flocked to the beachfront. Some people jogged, walked and rode bicycles, while others sat on the beach with their families as clean-up crews continued to collect rubbish.
Surendran Narikutty, 47, an Indian administrator at an oil and gas company, said he had been unable to see the fireworks where he was positioned on the other side of the Corniche, near the Chamber of Commerce building, but that he took in the rest of the festivities. "The roads were terrible early this morning when I went for a walk on the Corniche. They were strewn with trash, but now it's almost clean," he said.
He spent the day on the beach with his wife, Reetha, 47, and their triplets, Ankith, Amith and Akshat. "We just came here to spend some quiet time and enjoy the weather," he said. "The kids brought their scooter and bicycle but they love playing in the sand." Sooraj Mapparavallapil, 30, an Indian electrician at a government department, said he and his friends were at the Corniche between 6 and 11pm on Wednesday to watch the fireworks.
"Many people were throwing confetti and spraying foam from their cars last night," he said. Wilston Etienne, 54, a consultant at an engineering company in Abu Dhabi, said: "It is not surprising to see all this trash around following the National Day celebrations. I have lived in the US for about 20 years and this is a common sight after the Fourth of July celebrations." Piles of plastic bags filled with water bottles, soft-drink cans and food were dumped near rubbish bins.
"People need to be patient," said Mr Etienne, who is originally from Dominica. "It was a successful celebration last night and this can't be avoided. It requires a lot of area to clean up so I believe everything will be back to normal in a day or two." Ripon Mohammed Jalil, 26, and Nazhir Rashid, 27, both from Bangladesh, who work for the MBM cleaning company, said they had started working at 5am.
"There's too much litter, and we might end up working for 24 hours today," Mr Jalil said as he picked up soft drink cans, empty packets of crisps and water bottles. He said about 50 cleaners were assigned to pick up litter and empty rubbish bins on different areas of the Corniche yesterday. Scott Sloan, 32, a British secondary school teacher in Dubai, said: "The Corniche is beautiful. They've cleared up everything and it looks good."
"I've been here a few years before and we've been talking about how Dubai should have something like this." rruiz@thenational.ae
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was first created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
Haemoglobin disorders explained
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
Checks continue
A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.
World ranking (at month’s end)
Jan - 257
Feb - 198
Mar - 159
Apr - 161
May - 159
Jun – 162
Currently: 88
Year-end rank since turning pro
2016 - 279
2015 - 185
2014 - 143
2013 - 63
2012 - 384
2011 - 883
Without Remorse
Directed by: Stefano Sollima
Starring: Michael B Jordan
4/5
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
MATCH INFO
Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
