Kedy de Felix, centre, a waiter at Hoi An restaurant dressed as an 80's rock star to welcome guests at the New Year's Eve party in Shangri-La hotel, Abu Dhabi. Ravindranath K / The National
Kedy de Felix, centre, a waiter at Hoi An restaurant dressed as an 80's rock star to welcome guests at the New Year's Eve party in Shangri-La hotel, Abu Dhabi. Ravindranath K / The National

Revellers celebrate at parties in Abu Dhabi



ABU DHABI// While the city may not have had the huge parties and fireworks displays of Dubai, there was still plenty of revelry to mark New Year's Eve.
One popular venue was the Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri Hotel, which hosted the Back to the '80s night to mark the occasion.
The hotel invited people to don their most outlandish 1980s outfits. Only a few dressed up in the spirit of the decade, but the dress standard in general was a pretty smart turnout.
"People like to dress up in evening gowns, but I guarantee you they will be dancing like it's the 1980s," said Patrice Cornee, the executive assistant manager for food and beverage for the hotel.
As guests arrived to the sounds of classic tunes by the likes of Whitney Houston and the Pointer Sisters, they were also greeted by hotel employee Kedy DeFelix in an incredibly tasteless 1980s outfit.
By researching the style of the decade on YouTube, he turned up wearing a large dark-haired wig, oversized guitar-shaped sunglasses and a suede vest.
He was one of several hotel employees who dressed up to celebrate the decade though Mr DeFelix, 26, said many people had mistakenly thought he was dressed as Elvis Presley.
"Everyone likes my hair," he said.
About 650 people were expected to attend the party, held in the Shangri-La's Sofra bld, Hoi An and Shang Palace venues, Mr Cornee said.
As well as a live covers band, they were also entertained by fireworks at midnight – albeit much smaller than the world's largest display in Dubai.
One of the guests was Egyptian Yasser Zaki and his Tunisian wife, Yousra Hosni, a supervisor at a family health clinic.
He said that their wish for 2014 was to have a child, though they differed on which gender – he wanted a baby girl, she hoped for a boy.
Mr Zaki, a legal translator, said he'd also like more money so that he can relax and "not have to do anything".
"My plan for the New Year is no plan," he said. "I want to be a millionaire."
Mr DeFelix said he hoped for good health, more blessings to come "and to be successful".
Elsewhere, many Abu Dhabi residents had their plans cancelled when Red Line Media and Marketing entertainment company suddenly announced to hotels that a line-up of concert events at several venues would not take place.
The InterContinental in turn announced that it would host a free party for ticket holders who had had their plans cancelled.
A popular Arab musician had been scheduled to perform at each hotel before the company notified the hotels via email that the event was cancelled. The company did not respond to inquiries.
lcarroll@thenational.ae

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Bantamweight 56.4kg
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Light heavyweight 81.4kg
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Light heavyweight 81.4kg
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

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Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B

PROFILE OF INVYGO

Started: 2018

Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo

Based: Dubai

Sector: Transport

Size: 9 employees

Investment: $1,275,000

Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri

Election pledges on migration

CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections" 

SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom" 

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

The biog

Family: wife, four children, 11 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren

Reads: Newspapers, historical, religious books and biographies

Education: High school in Thatta, a city now in Pakistan

Regrets: Not completing college in Karachi when universities were shut down following protests by freedom fighters for the British to quit India 

 

Happiness: Work on creative ideas, you will also need ideals to make people happy

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Know before you go
  • Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
  • If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
  • By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
  • Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
  • Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.

 

Expert advice

“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”

Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles

“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”

Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre 

“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”

Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
 

The biog

Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia

Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins

Favourite dish: Grilled fish

Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.

The biog

Favourite colour: Brown

Favourite Movie: Resident Evil

Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices

Favourite food: Pizza

Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

Key facilities
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'O'
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Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.

It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.

There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.

In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.

In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.

It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.

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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

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David Haye record

Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4

The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

  • be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
  • not be younger than 25 years old
  • not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
  • be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
  • have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
  • undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
  • A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially