DUBAI // Late at night in the quiet neighbourhood of Rashidiya, a group of young Emirati men gather at the cafeteria outside Nad Shamma Park.
Sitting in modified cars and 4x4s waiting for their food to arrive, they show off to each other by revving their engines. The roaring noise, amplified through big, specially designed exhausts, echoes around the streets and villas.
This group of friends, who do not wish to be identified by their full names, take great pride in being able to take a standard car and give it the extra power and performance to rule the road.
“It is just for fun, we are young and just joking around,” said 20-year-old Abdulla. “We don’t come from very rich families, you won’t see us driving expensive sports cars. But what we can do is take a normal car and make it perform like a supercar.
“Most of us, as soon as we get our driving licence, we get a used Nissan Patrol. They are very versatile vehicles and easy to modify. I think the first thing everyone does is make the car sound louder and more intimidating.”
For Hamoud, 21, nothing beats the feeling of “overtaking a rich kid in a Ferrari and putting him to shame with a Nissan”.
However, for all their bravado, the friends say their intention is not to cause anyone any harm or disturb residents.
“We don’t mean any harm by it, we are just trying to have fun,” said Saif, 19. “In winter we take the cars out to the desert and challenge each other. I don’t see the harm.”
For residents, such as 57-year-old Humaid Al Suwaidi, the noise from these modified cars is a constant nuisance.
“It is non-stop, all night,” said the retired Armed Forces officer. “Every time one of these kids drives by they wake up the whole street, because they are always racing and showing off.
“My neighbour has a baby and he and his wife are suffering with these noisy cars. We’ve called the police but that doesn’t stop them.”
The noise is so loud, said Mr Al Suwaidi, that it can he heard throughout his house.
“It doesn’t matter if your doors and windows are shut, the noise comes through the walls and floor. I used to like to sit in my garden and relax, now it just aggravates me. I’ve managed to give them a piece of my mind, but it doesn’t seem to make a difference.”
Dubai Police said it was taking residents’ complaints seriously and was on the lookout for cars that had been modified.
“Vehicles modified to be louder are in violation of the law, not just those with engine modifications but even those blasting loud music,” said Col Saif Al Mazroui, acting director of the traffic department at Dubai Police.
Offenders face a Dh500 fine and having their vehicle impounded for a month, said Col Al Mazroui.
“After the impound period, the car will have to be towed to a mechanic and the modifications removed. The owner must submit a report from the Roads and Transport Authority certifying that the modifications have been removed and the vehicle is road legal, before we can reactivate his traffic file.”
He admitted that Rashidiya had a problem with loud vehicles. “Thankfully, we have seen that such violations are declining over the past few years. Residents who wish to complain can contact their local police station, a patrol will be sent to the area to investigate,” Col Al Mazroui said.
But for Mr Al Suwaidi, more needs to be done to return peace and quiet to his neighbourhood. “They should impose stricter rules ... not just impound the vehicle, suspend the driving licence too, and hand out a hefty fine as well, make them think twice.
“Yes they have to remove the modifications, but as soon as they get the car back they go and put the modifications back on again,” said Mr Al Suwaidi.
Col Al Mazroui said the law applied only to modified vehicles. “Vehicles that come from the dealer with loud engines, sports cars like Ferrari and Lamborghini, are not in violation of the law.”
He said that garages that make the modifications were also not in breach of the law. “These garages have the right, as per their business licence, to modify vehicles. However, these vehicles are then deemed not to be road legal and are used in sporting events and off-roading, they must be towed to the location, not driven.
“Everyone knows that this is almost exclusive to young drivers,” Col Al Mazroui said. “I urge parents to be more aware of their children’s activities and driving habits. Such modifications can cause the vehicle to be dangerously overpowered and, especially in the hands of young and inexperienced drivers, can risk the lives of everyone on the road.”
malkhan@thenational.ae
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
info-box
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Happy Tenant
Started: January 2019
Co-founders: Joe Moufarrej and Umar Rana
Based: Dubai
Sector: Technology, real-estate
Initial investment: Dh2.5 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 4,000
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Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Dubai Rugby Sevens
November 30-December 2, at The Sevens, Dubai
Gulf Under 19
Pool A – Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jumeirah College Tigers, Dubai English Speaking School 1, Gems World Academy
Pool B – British School Al Khubairat, Bahrain Colts, Jumeirah College Lions, Dubai English Speaking School 2
Pool C - Dubai College A, Dubai Sharks, Jumeirah English Speaking School, Al Yasmina
Pool D – Dubai Exiles, Dubai Hurricanes, Al Ain Amblers, Deira International School
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
Results
Men's finals
45kg:Duc Le Hoang (VIE) beat Zolfi Amirhossein (IRI) points 29-28. 48kg: Naruephon Chittra (THA) beat Joseph Vanlalhruaia (IND) TKO round 2.
51kg: Sakchai Chamchit (THA) beat Salam Al Suwaid (IRQ) TKO round 1. 54kg: Veerasak Senanue (THA) beat Huynh Hoang Phi (VIE) 30-25.
57kg: Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Tak Chuen Suen (MAC) RSC round 3. 60kg: Yerkanat Ospan (KAZ) beat Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) 30-27.
63.5kg: Abil Galiyev (KAZ) beat Nouredine Samir (UAE) 29-28. 67kg: Narin Wonglakhon (THA) beat Mohammed Mardi (UAE) 29-28.
71kg: Amine El Moatassime (UAE) w/o Shaker Al Tekreeti (IRQ). 75kg: Youssef Abboud (LBN) w/o Ayoob Saki (IRI).
81kg: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Khaled Tarraf (LBN) 29-28. 86kg: Ali Takaloo (IRI) beat Emil Umayev (KAZ) 30-27.
91kg: Hamid Reza Kordabadi (IRI) beat Mohamad Osaily (LBN) RSC round 1. 91-plus kg: Mohammadrezapoor Shirmohammad (IRI) beat Abdulla Hasan (IRQ) 30-27.
Women's finals
45kg: Somruethai Siripathum (THA) beat Ha Huu Huynh (VIE) 30-27. 48kg: Thanawan Thongduang (THA) beat Colleen Saddi (PHI) 30-27.
51kg: Wansawang Srila Or (THA) beat Thuy Phuong Trieu (VIE) 29-28. 54kg: Ruchira Wongsriwo (THA) beat Zeinab Khatoun (LBN) 30-26.
57kg: Sara Idriss (LBN) beat Zahra Nasiri Bargh (IRI) 30-27. 60kg: Kaewrudee Kamtakrapoom (THA) beat Sedigheh Hajivand (IRI) TKO round 2.
63.5kg: Nadiya Moghaddam (IRI) w/o Reem Al Issa (JOR).
THE BIO
Age: 33
Favourite quote: “If you’re going through hell, keep going” Winston Churchill
Favourite breed of dog: All of them. I can’t possibly pick a favourite.
Favourite place in the UAE: The Stray Dogs Centre in Umm Al Quwain. It sounds predictable, but it honestly is my favourite place to spend time. Surrounded by hundreds of dogs that love you - what could possibly be better than that?
Favourite colour: All the colours that dogs come in
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The%20Witcher%20-%20season%20three
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MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Greenwood 77')
Everton 1 (Lindelof 36' og)
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16. first leg
Atletico Madrid v Juventus, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Results
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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
KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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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.