As celebrations were prepared across the country to welcome Eid Al Fitr and the end of Ramadan, there was no let up for maternity staff on hospital wards in the UAE, who worked through the night to deliver healthy babies.
Parents shared their delight with medical staff to make this year's holy celebrations extra special up and down the country as new additions were welcomed into families.
Some were planned, others arrived by chance — but each was given the same loving welcome by parents, doctors and nurses as dawn broke on Eid Al Fitr.
Delivering a baby is always a special event, and to do so on a day as significant as Eid Al Fitr is truly a blessing
Dr Walid El-Sherbiny,
Medeor Hospital
A first child born to new parents is a life-changing time of joy and was experienced by Prisilla and Ruben Thomas, an Indian oil terminal worker, at NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain.
But it wasn’t an easy birth. Weighing 2.8kg, Ben arrived shortly after 3am by emergency Caesarean section after doctors found him to be in foetal distress.
Mother and son are doing well and will leave the ward in a few days after a short period of recovery.
“This is our firstborn child, so we're very delicate and particular with everything,” said Ms Thomas.
“The tender love and care of the nursing staff plus the doctor’s extra mile in handling my delivery made our experience more than we had expected.”
On a nearby ward, Huda Khadeer Mohammed was in labour and about to give birth to her third child, with husband Mohammed Nissar Ahmed, who is a mechanical engineer from India, close by.
At 5.29am, Mohammed Hamdan arrived by natural birth, weighing 3.75kg.
Elsewhere in the capital, a girl called Gazal was born at Medeor Hospital, moments after midnight.
Gazal was born to Moroccan mother Touria Kadouri and Egyptian father Ahmed Moheb.
“We are always happy to be a part of such joyous moments in people’s lives,” said Dr Walid El-Sherbiny, a consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology.
“Delivering a baby is always a special event, and to do so on a day as significant as Eid Al Fitr is truly a blessing.”
In Dubai, Syrian couple Eman Zarak and Nader Hanoun, an accountant, became parents for the fourth time when their daughter Kinda arrived at 6.20am.
The family were cared for at International Modern Hospital in Mankhool.
Meanwhile, at RAK Hospital in Ras Al Khaimah, Moroccan parents Fatima Zahra and Badr El Ammari were anxiously waiting to give birth to their first child in the hands of obstetrician Dr Lalitha Kamini.
Their wait was finally over at 3.40am when their son was born.
“My feeling was indescribable,” said first-time dad Mr El Ammari.
“The joy of Eid and the joy of Ramadan have mixed vitality. So we are both happy and fortunate to welcome our baby on this day.”
Their son Arbi weighed a healthy 2.6kg.
In Ajman, maternity staff had a busy few hours as mothers were prepared to give birth.
First-time parents Muzahir Ali, 31, and Isra Muneem, 22, from India, were some of the first to welcome a baby on Eid Al Fitr, as their daughter Isra was born at 12.10am.
“This is our first child and although the due date was around the time of the end of holy Ramadan, we were not expecting our bundle of joy to be born on the day of Eid,” said a very happy Mr Ali.
“This is truly a blessing of the Almighty and we are very thankful of the care and support given by the doctors and nurses at Thumbay University Hospital.”
When is VAR used?
• Goals
• Penalty decisions
• Direct red-card incidents
• Mistaken identity
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Brief scores:
QPR 0
Watford 1
Capoue 45' 1
ARSENAL IN 1977
Feb 05 Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland
Feb 12 Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal
Feb 15 Middlesbrough 3-0 Arsenal
Feb 19 Arsenal 2-3 West Ham
Feb 26 Middlesbrough 4-1 Arsenal (FA Cup)
Mar 01 Everton 2-1 Arsenal
Mar 05 Arsenal 1-4 ipswich
March 08 Arsenal 1-2 West Brom
Mar 12 QPR 2-1 Arsenal
Mar 23 Stoke 1-1 Arsenal
Apr 02 Arsenal 3-0 Leicester
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
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Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
The years Ramadan fell in May
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The specs
Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder
Transmission: 7-speed auto
0-100kmh 2.3 seconds
0-200kmh 5.5 seconds
0-300kmh 11.6 seconds
Power: 1500hp
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Price: Dh13,400,000
On sale: now
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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GROUPS AND FIXTURES
Group A
UAE, Italy, Japan, Spain
Group B
Egypt, Iran, Mexico, Russia
Tuesday
4.15pm: Italy v Japan
5.30pm: Spain v UAE
6.45pm: Egypt v Russia
8pm: Iran v Mexico
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Match info
Premier League
Manchester United 2 (Martial 30', Lingard 69')
Arsenal 2 (Mustafi 26', Rojo 68' OG)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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WHY%20AAYAN%20IS%20'PERFECT%20EXAMPLE'
%3Cp%3EDavid%20White%20might%20be%20new%20to%20the%20country%2C%20but%20he%20has%20clearly%20already%20built%20up%20an%20affinity%20with%20the%20place.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EAfter%20the%20UAE%20shocked%20Pakistan%20in%20the%20semi-final%20of%20the%20Under%2019%20Asia%20Cup%20last%20month%2C%20White%20was%20hugged%20on%20the%20field%20by%20Aayan%20Khan%2C%20the%20team%E2%80%99s%20captain.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EWhite%20suggests%20that%20was%20more%20a%20sign%20of%20Aayan%E2%80%99s%20amiability%20than%20anything%20else.%20But%20he%20believes%20the%20young%20all-rounder%2C%20who%20was%20part%20of%20the%20winning%20Gulf%20Giants%20team%20last%20year%2C%20is%20just%20the%20sort%20of%20player%20the%20country%20should%20be%20seeking%20to%20produce%20via%20the%20ILT20.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20is%20a%20delightful%20young%20man%2C%E2%80%9D%20White%20said.%20%E2%80%9CHe%20played%20in%20the%20competition%20last%20year%20at%2017%2C%20and%20look%20at%20his%20development%20from%20there%20till%20now%2C%20and%20where%20he%20is%20representing%20the%20UAE.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20was%20influential%20in%20the%20U19%20team%20which%20beat%20Pakistan.%20He%20is%20the%20perfect%20example%20of%20what%20we%20are%20all%20trying%20to%20achieve%20here.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CIt%20is%20about%20the%20development%20of%20players%20who%20are%20going%20to%20represent%20the%20UAE%20and%20go%20on%20to%20help%20make%20UAE%20a%20force%20in%20world%20cricket.%E2%80%9D%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).
The five pillars of Islam
