ABU DHABI // About 2,000 Egyptians flocked to their embassy and consulate in Abu Dhabi on Friday to be among the first to vote in Egypt's presidential election. About the same number of people were expected to turn out in Dubai.
Sixty-one thousand Egyptians in the UAE have registered to vote, almost double the number who registered to vote during elections for the shura council, the upper house of parliament.
According to the Egyptian Ambassador to the UAE, Tamer Mansour, more than 320,000 Egyptians reside in the Emirates.
He expected about 32,000 of the registered voters to cast ballots in Dubai in the week-long vote, and 29,000 in Abu Dhabi.
He expected the busiest times to be mostly at the weekend, and that all 40 embassy staff would be on hand throughout the week to ensure the voting runs flawlessly.
The voting in the Emirates is to end at 8pm on Thursday. The voting in Egypt itself will be on May 23 and 24.
"This is the most important event in history," Mr Mansour said. "This is a result of the January 25 revolution."
Even before the doors opened yesterday, a handful of Egyptians were waiting from 8am outside the embassy in Abu Dhabi, eager to be the first ones let in.
Until noon, a steady flow of people arrived, some wearing the red, black and white of the national flag. Children appeared waving large Egyptian flags and others with the flag painted on their face.
"I came early because this is a historic event," Ahmed Farouk said as he filled his paper ballot. "I have never voted before; I have been living here for 17 years, outside of Egypt."
Ahmed Ezza, on his way to vote with a friend, said they had "dreamt of this day since the revolution started".
"That is why we came here so early," Mr Ezza said, who voted for Amr Moussa. "We voted for him, because he is the only one we know."
MH, a manager from Dubai, said he voted for Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, who left the Muslim Brotherhood last year after deciding to run for president.
He chose the candidate "because he seems the most realistic," he said, adding that he was reassured of his choice after Thursday night's first ever presidential debate in the history of the Arab world.
"Amr Moussa is a fragment of the old regime; we do not want anyone from the old regime to be in power again," he said. "Aboul Fotouh seems reasonable, and he treats all members of society equally. He does not side with one segment in society."
A voter who requested anonymity said he voted for Mr Moussa for fear of the Muslim Brotherhood ruling Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood has the largest number of seats in the lower house of parliament.
"And I feel he is from my generation and he is the right person who can start up Egypt again," the Moussa supporter said. He added that if Mr Moussa did not win, he hoped Hamdeen Sabahi, the leader of the Dignity Party, would.
MM and his wife, WM, voted for Mr Sabahi "because he is neutral, a true Egyptian," MM said. "He is not with the old regime or the Islamists."
An old couple leaving the embassy said they voted for Mohamed Morsy, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate.
"He has a programme that I hope the president would have," he said. "I also wanted the president's views to be in line with the parliament, so there are no clashes."
He said if he had not voted for Mr Morsy, he would have chosen Mr Aboul Fotouh.
"He was convincing in the debate [Thursday night]," he said. "But Morsy has a party supporting him, he is not independent. All we care about is that the new president has nothing to do with the old regime."
Even with differing political views, Egyptians were keen to stick around and turn the voting into a social gathering.
"Pride filled Egyptians today," Mr Mansour said. "They are really proud to pick their own president. This is something not usual for them. Everyone is looking at us to see what happens."
Mohamed Ahmed said that he and his family came to the embassy to "fulfill their duties as Egyptians".
"Just because we are out of Egypt, does not mean we should not vote," he said. "When we come to the embassy, it is as if we are in Egypt. In the end, we are Egyptians."
Mr Mansour said it was hard to guess who would win. He said votes abroad usually did not clash with voting in the country.
Some people who were turned down at the embassy for not registering online beforehand said they might head to Egypt to vote during the election days.
The embassy's head of communications said the UAE had the third-highest number of Egyptians registered to vote, after Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
osalem@thenational.ae
The biog
Born: High Wycombe, England
Favourite vehicle: One with solid axels
Favourite camping spot: Anywhere I can get to.
Favourite road trip: My first trip to Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan. The desert they have over there is different and the language made it a bit more challenging.
Favourite spot in the UAE: Al Dhafra. It’s unique, natural, inaccessible, unspoilt.
What is an ETF?
An exchange traded fund is a type of investment fund that can be traded quickly and easily, just like stocks and shares. They come with no upfront costs aside from your brokerage's dealing charges and annual fees, which are far lower than on traditional mutual investment funds. Charges are as low as 0.03 per cent on one of the very cheapest (and most popular), Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, with the maximum around 0.75 per cent.
There is no fund manager deciding which stocks and other assets to invest in, instead they passively track their chosen index, country, region or commodity, regardless of whether it goes up or down.
The first ETF was launched as recently as 1993, but the sector boasted $5.78 billion in assets under management at the end of September as inflows hit record highs, according to the latest figures from ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five largest providers BlackRock’s iShares, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisers, Deutsche Bank X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
While the best-known track major indices such as MSCI World, the S&P 500 and FTSE 100, you can also invest in specific countries or regions, large, medium or small companies, government bonds, gold, crude oil, cocoa, water, carbon, cattle, corn futures, currency shifts or even a stock market crash.
From Conquest to Deportation
Jeronim Perovic, Hurst
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Student Of The Year 2
Director: Punit Malhotra
Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
1.5 stars
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Meydan race card
6.30pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
7.05pm: Handicap Dh 185,000 2,000m
7.40pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap Dh 190,000 1,400m
8.50pm: Handicap Dh 175,000 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap Dh 175,000 1,200m
10pm: Handicap Dh 165,000 1,600m
Company%20profile
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
UAE squad
Ali Kashief, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdelrahman, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Mohmmed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammad Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Eisa, Mohammed Shakir, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Adel Al Hosani, Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah), Waleed Abbas, Ismail Al Hammadi, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai) Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Mahrami (Baniyas)
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
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One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia