FUJAIRAH // Shisha cafes in Fujairah will be asked to move permanently to the outskirts of the city before the World Cup finals kick off on Friday, in a move aimed at reducing noice nuisance. The municipality says now is the perfect time for shisha cafes to make the move - although owners who do not will not face penalties for the time being. The ban on shisha cafes in residential areas was part of the Federal National Tobacco Law issued this year, which also specified a two-year grace period.
"We will try to organise them to relocate to the beginning of Fujairah city where it will not bother any non-smokers," said Mohamed al Afkham, the head of the municipality. "The World Cup is coming and a lot of shisha cafes will be open in the day and late at night." Some in the city remained unaware today of the official encouragement to move. Fujairah Media is erecting a tent beside Fujairah Tower - which is located in the heart of the city - that will serve shisha and show World Cup matches.
"It will open from four o'clock in the afternoon until four o'clock in the morning," said Sufian al Aqrabawi, the company's chief engineer. "Noise won't be any problem. Everybody likes to to watch a football match or a movie with shisha," he said. "There are so many cafes here." A daily smoker of double apple-flavoured tobacco, Mr al Aqrabawi said he would continue his habit even if it was banned from the city centre. "In the end I will take it in my home," he said. Others welcomed the move. Major Ahmed Ibrahim, the managing director of the Fujairah International Marine Club, said it was "perfect". "It is a noise problem, number one. Number two, it is insecure for the family to have 50 or 60 bachelors sitting there," he said. "Women passing by don't feel comfortable, and besides, it's unhealthy to have the shisha. Smokers should have an area only for smoking." Noise from the cafes near his home is a constant problem during sporting events, he said. "They make a demonstration, they drive in the car, they make too much noise, they shout and scream at shisha," he said of customers. Fujairah's Arabian Drive-In Cinema, where shisha will delivered to customers' vehicles, will not be affected by the city ban because it is located out of doors. In January, the Ajman Municipality stopped issuing new licences for shisha cafes in residential areas. Cafes were given two years to relocate, as per the law. Shisha cafes in Ras al Khaimah expect business to double each night during the World Cup. "For Brazil and Egypt [matches] we always get more customers, but in the World Cup every seat will be taken, every table will be full," said Yassir Mahdi, 33, a worker at the Manhattan Cafe, which has more than 270 seats. Profits during the World Cup could leap from Dh750 a night to more than Dh4,000, he said. Shisha cafes in Ras al Khaimah will remain open at night as long as there are customers to serve, say their owners. Musaab al Mahi, 23, from Sudan, said there was no better place to watch football. "We go to shisha for football because we like to sit with our friends," he said. "It's better than sitting alone in my house." azacharias@thenational.ae
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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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
The biog
Fatima Al Darmaki is an Emirati widow with three children
She has received 46 certificates of appreciation and excellence throughout her career
She won the 'ideal mother' category at the Minister of Interior Awards for Excellence
Her favourite food is Harees, a slow-cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled wheat berries mixed with chicken
Bombshell
Director: Jay Roach
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie
Four out of five stars
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
RACECARD
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
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.
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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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
