Nada Ali was only nine months old when bombs landed near her home in Baghdad and changed her life for ever.
The devastating blasts in 2004, during fighting in the Iraqi capital, left her completely deaf.
“It was as if someone switched her from 'on' to 'off',” said Nada’s father, Ali Mohammed, describing the aftermath of the explosions.
Expert medical care in the UAE helped to partially restore her hearing – she became the first Arab child to receive cochlear implants – and enabled Nada to enjoy a full education.
My dad’s voice was very close to my ear and for the first time I heard it clearly
Nada Ali
But in the 17 years since Baghdad, the numerous treatments were unable to fully restore her hearing.
That was until Nada, 18, received a new implant that, she says, has changed her life completely.
The Dh85,000 ($23,145) Nucleus 7 sound processor – funded by Make-A-Wish Foundation through donations raised in the UAE – means she now hears sounds she had never heard before.
“When they put it in my ear, immediately I started feeling a lot of changes and hearing a lot of strange sounds that I have never heard in my life,” Nada said.
“My dad’s voice was very close to my ear and for the first time I heard it clearly.
“I told him I just wanted to keep walking a little bit outside. Although it was very hot, this was the first time I was hearing the birds’ voices. It was really magical.”
Everyday sounds, like water pouring from a tap and air blowing from an air-conditioning unit, bring her unexpected joy, as does the sound of her own voice.
“I used to hear it differently before. It wasn’t that clear and there were some words that I could not properly pronounce,” Nada said.
But it is in her dentistry studies at the University of Sharjah – she is in her second year – where she says the restoration of her hearing has transformed her life.
“Now when I attend lab class I can hear every single word the professor says,” Nada said.
“Before I used to miss some words and it was a big struggle for me because every single word he says is important.”
She used to record the sessions so she could listen to them closely at home afterwards.
“Now I literally don’t need it,” she said. “It used to consume so much time.”
She has a new appreciation for music, the lyrics to songs and the sound of a piano.
“There is a song called You and I that I could not hear the music playing in the background before, I just heard the lyrics.”
UAE's support for Nada
Mr Mohammed, 54, said the family noticed something different straight away, after the bombs struck.
“The doors were knocked down [from the bombs], and her tendons were torn,” Mr Mohammed said.
“We lived in what was known as the Officers’ City because my father was a major general in the army and my grandfather used to be chief of staff, and our area was heavily targeted.
“I am not sure when she lost her hearing exactly, but her mother and I noticed the difference."
At the time, UAE relief missions set up the Sheikh Zayed Hospital in Baghdad, and she was taken there for treatment.
But it was impossible to perform a cochlear implant in Iraq at the time.
“So they flew her and her mother in a military jet to Abu Dhabi to perform the procedure – they did not even have passports on them,” Mr Mohammed said.
The implant procedure was completed at the Zayed Military Hospital by a doctor who flew from Germany.
“She was first Arab child to receive a cochlear implant; the press wrote about it then,” he said.
Two months later, Nada and her mother returned to Iraq where they were told that she would need to attend regular programming sessions with a specialist every seven months to develop her hearing and speech skills.
“We realised that we had to move to Abu Dhabi because the programming was only available in Australia and the UAE,” Mr Mohammed said
Four months later, the family moved to Abu Dhabi where both parents found work.
“I used to be an engineer, but I managed to find a job at a maintenance company, and her mother is a gynaecologist and she found a job in her field.”
Make a wish come true
Up until fifth grade, Nada was equipped with a hearing device that came with a bag that she had to wear all the time.
“I had to wear it like a backpack and it was annoying for me. I was a kid and I wanted to run and play, but my mother didn’t let me play in case any damage happened to my head or the device itself,” Nada said.
“It was a difficult time for me but I could hear good.
“My parents struggled to help me learn and I had a trainer to help me speak – without him I couldn’t speak.”
Nada then shifted to smaller cochlear devices and upgraded to newer versions every few years.
“The Aounak health insurance card used to cover the costs of those devices,” Mr Mohammed said.
“But when we needed to upgrade to the N7 they had stopped covering it.”
Make-A-Wish Foundation stepped in and collected donations to cover the cost of the device through a campaign on Abu Dhabi’s Quran Kareem FM.
“The Covid-19 pandemic delayed granting Nada her wish last year, but that did not stop her from finishing her high school and entering medical school,” the foundation said.
“And today we made her wish come true so she can pursue her dreams without any obstacles.”
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2 (Benzema 13', Kroos 28')
Barcelona 1 (Mingueza 60')
Red card: Casemiro (Real Madrid)
Points about the fast fashion industry Celine Hajjar wants everyone to know
- Fast fashion is responsible for up to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions
- Fast fashion is responsible for 24 per cent of the world's insecticides
- Synthetic fibres that make up the average garment can take hundreds of years to biodegrade
- Fast fashion labour workers make 80 per cent less than the required salary to live
- 27 million fast fashion workers worldwide suffer from work-related illnesses and diseases
- Hundreds of thousands of fast fashion labourers work without rights or protection and 80 per cent of them are women
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
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
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
What should do investors do now?
What does the S&P 500's new all-time high mean for the average investor?
Should I be euphoric?
No. It's fine to be pleased about hearty returns on your investments. But it's not a good idea to tie your emotions closely to the ups and downs of the stock market. You'll get tired fast. This market moment comes on the heels of last year's nosedive. And it's not the first or last time the stock market will make a dramatic move.
So what happened?
It's more about what happened last year. Many of the concerns that triggered that plunge towards the end of last have largely been quelled. The US and China are slowly moving toward a trade agreement. The Federal Reserve has indicated it likely will not raise rates at all in 2019 after seven recent increases. And those changes, along with some strong earnings reports and broader healthy economic indicators, have fueled some optimism in stock markets.
"The panic in the fourth quarter was based mostly on fears," says Brent Schutte, chief investment strategist for Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company. "The fundamentals have mostly held up, while the fears have gone away and the fears were based mostly on emotion."
Should I buy? Should I sell?
Maybe. It depends on what your long-term investment plan is. The best advice is usually the same no matter the day — determine your financial goals, make a plan to reach them and stick to it.
"I would encourage (investors) not to overreact to highs, just as I would encourage them not to overreact to the lows of December," Mr Schutte says.
All the same, there are some situations in which you should consider taking action. If you think you can't live through another low like last year, the time to get out is now. If the balance of assets in your portfolio is out of whack thanks to the rise of the stock market, make adjustments. And if you need your money in the next five to 10 years, it shouldn't be in stocks anyhow. But for most people, it's also a good time to just leave things be.
Resist the urge to abandon the diversification of your portfolio, Mr Schutte cautions. It may be tempting to shed other investments that aren't performing as well, such as some international stocks, but diversification is designed to help steady your performance over time.
Will the rally last?
No one knows for sure. But David Bailin, chief investment officer at Citi Private Bank, expects the US market could move up 5 per cent to 7 per cent more over the next nine to 12 months, provided the Fed doesn't raise rates and earnings growth exceeds current expectations. We are in a late cycle market, a period when US equities have historically done very well, but volatility also rises, he says.
"This phase can last six months to several years, but it's important clients remain invested and not try to prematurely position for a contraction of the market," Mr Bailin says. "Doing so would risk missing out on important portfolio returns."
Brief scores:
Toss: Kerala Knights, opted to fielf
Pakhtoons 109-5 (10 ov)
Fletcher 32; Lamichhane 3-17
Kerala Knights 110-2 (7.5 ov)
Morgan 46 not out, Stirling 40
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m. Winner: Majd Al Megirat, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Ahmed Al Shehhi (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m. Winner: Dassan Da, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
6pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m. Winner: Heba Al Wathba, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m. Winner: Hameem, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Richard Mullen, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Harbour Spirit, Adrie de Vries, Jaber Ramadhan.
MATCH INFO
UAE Division 1
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 12-24 Abu Dhabi Saracens
Brief scoreline:
Manchester United 0
Manchester City 2
Bernardo Silva 54', Sane 66'
Destroyer
Director: Karyn Kusama
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Sebastian Stan
Rating: 3/5
UAE release: January 31
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Medicus AI
Started: 2016
Founder(s): Dr Baher Al Hakim, Dr Nadine Nehme and Makram Saleh
Based: Vienna, Austria; started in Dubai
Sector: Health Tech
Staff: 119
Funding: €7.7 million (Dh31m)
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
Switching%20sides
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%3Cp%3EMATA%0D%3Cbr%3EArtist%3A%20M.I.A%0D%3Cbr%3ELabel%3A%20Island%0D%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
THREE
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SPECS
Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR
Engine: 5.7-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 362hp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh329,000 (base model 4.0L EXR Dh215,900)
