The recent explosion at the port in Beirut has put a spotlight on the actions of everyday heroes.
Salam Dakkak is one of those heroes. When the founder of JLT restaurant Bait Maryam heard about the explosion – which has, to date, killed 158 and injured 6,000 – she was devastated. But she decided to take that emotion and channel it into a positive initiative.
"When we heard about the devastating news, my family and I were in a state of shock. We went through waves of sadness and helplessness," says Dakkak, who grew up in Jordan and was formerly a school owner and cooking teacher in Saudi Arabia. "But when I woke up on Wednesday morning, I realised I could spend the rest of my day feeling hopeless … or I could do something that may be helpful."
Dakkak put out a call on social media to say that the restaurant would be donating all of the day’s sales to help Lebanon. It was an idea spurred by a moment, which meant that they didn’t have enough time to prepare a proper campaign or hire extra drivers or staff.
“Personally, I thought because it was last minute, we might not be able to have the message reach many people on the day,” she says.
She was wrong though. Word of the initiative spread quickly on social media, with Dakkak's plea going viral.
“Word spread so fast that we were not ready for the overwhelming response we had. The phone was ringing off the hook and our online ordering platforms crashed because of the high number of orders.
"At a point there were 30 delivery drivers waiting outside and we went into factory mode to be able to fulfil all orders. It was one of our busiest days to date and as tiring as it was, it was the most rewarding day personally for me on the job."
Dakkak adds that she would like to support any country or cause that is in dire need, and already has another project in the pipeline.
“It is our duty as people or businesses to do whatever we can to help in a way possible,” she says.
“To be honest, the experience we had at Bait Maryam really restored our faith in humanity. It showed us how, when it is really needed, people are able to come together. I was also really thankful for social media because our message was able to reach so many people in a short period of time. It’s amazing the power people have when they come together.”
Brief scores
Barcelona 2
Pique 36', Alena 87'
Villarreal 0
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Day 3, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Lahiru Gamage, the Sri Lanka pace bowler, has had to play a lot of cricket to earn a shot at the top level. The 29-year-old debutant first played a first-class game 11 years ago. His first Test wicket was one to savour, bowling Pakistan opener Shan Masood through the gate. It set the rot in motion for Pakistan’s batting.
Stat of the day – 73 Haris Sohail took 73 balls to hit a boundary. Which is a peculiar quirk, given the aggressive intent he showed from the off. Pakistan’s batsmen were implored to attack Rangana Herath after their implosion against his left-arm spin in Abu Dhabi. Haris did his best to oblige, smacking the second ball he faced for a huge straight six.
The verdict One year ago, when Pakistan played their first day-night Test at this ground, they held a 222-run lead over West Indies on first innings. The away side still pushed their hosts relatively close on the final night. With the opposite almost exactly the case this time around, Pakistan still have to hope they can salvage a win from somewhere.
ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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