Watching Khalil Abdullah Al Shahid write, his letters neat and beautifully formed, it is easy to believe that nothing is impossible.
Born without arms to a poor family in southern Yemen, the 34-year-old has taught himself to not only write with his feet and his mouth, but also to dress and groom himself and do repairs around the house.
"I started feeling the impact of my disability early. I wasn't able to do any simple task without my mother's help. But as I grew up, I realised that nobody can help me forever," Khalil told The National from his home in a small village in Al Azarik district of Dhalea province.
Instead of arms, Khalil’s upper limbs are two short stumps that end in hands with four fingers each, so he decided to learn to use his feet.
“I started to write with my toes, draw and paint with my toes, comb my hair with my toes, pick up things with my toes,” he says.
“I believed in myself and didn’t allow frustration to dominate my mind. I never thought that I am sick or handicapped. I worked hard to convince myself that I am equal to the others and I can do smart things much better than them … this was the secret which pushed me ahead until I defeated my disability.”
His determination got him through university, despite being laughed at by classmates when he began attending school.
“Attending school for the first time was the worst day in my life,” Khalil recalls.
“I remember the way my classmates bullied me, watching me trying to write with my leg. They laughed at me because of my shape and my old clothes.”
Pushing the limits
Khalil, who cites the noted blind Egyptian writer Taha Hussein as his inspiration, also credits a kindly teacher for encouraging him to persevere with his education.
“The mistreatment I was exposed to in my first days at school forced me to drop out of school and go back to herding goats until a good, human teacher called Ali Abbas – he has passed away – came to run the primary school.
“He changed my life. He encouraged me to go back to school and kept cheering me until I became the first one in my class,” Khalil says, his eyes tearing up.
I want to tell the world how the handicapped people suffer in Yemen and I need to inspire and motivate those who battle with disabilities to keep up and never surrender
After completing high school in his village, Khalil decided to go to college. He registered and started attending the classes at the Faculty of Education in Al Dhalea city, 20 kilometres away from his home.
“The friendly environment at college helped me finish my degree. My classmates were really friendly and helpful. Everybody looked proudly at me as a disabled person who was struggling to study. The only problem I faced was money. My father died while I still in secondary school and I had nobody to support me financially while studying at college,” Khalil says.
“I had to cut meals to save money. I remember I had to do my exam again because I couldn’t buy the course book.”
Khalil is married and has five children – three daughters, Dalia 8, Ruaa 6, Lina 5, and two sons, Mohammed 2, and Ahmed who is five months old.
While Mohammed has inherited his father disability, Khalil says he also has his smartness.
Khalil is the family’s breadwinner, supporting his wife and children working as a secretary for the education department of Al Dhalea governorate earning around 40,000 Yemeni rials a month (Dh1,836).
“We live on a tight budget because I haven’t got the promotion I deserve for holding a university degree,” he says.
One more dream
Now he is a well-known activist on Facebook where he writes political commentary about the ongoing situation in Yemen as well as short stories about his life to inspire the other disabled people to push themselves to overcome the odds.
Although proud of what he has achieved, Khalil says he has one more goal.
“I want to study psychology. Being a psychiatrist is such a dream for me. I want to tell the world how the handicapped people suffer in Yemen and I need to inspire and motivate those who battle with disabilities to keep up and never surrender,” he explains.
Khalil’s other wish is for peace in Yemen, saying the needs of thousands of disabled Yemenis have been pushed to the background amid the war between the government and Iran backed Houthi rebels that began in 2015.
“The world knows nothing about our suffering as people with special needs caught up in war. Nobody cares about us or fights for our forgotten rights,” he says.
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Director: Daniel Espinosa
Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona
Rating: 2/5
The Matrix Resurrections
Director: Lana Wachowski
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick
Rating:****
The%20Sandman
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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
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The finalists
Player of the Century, 2001-2020: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Ronaldinho
Coach of the Century, 2001-2020: Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Jose Mourinho (Tottenham Hotspur), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid), Sir Alex Ferguson
Club of the Century, 2001-2020: Al Ahly (Egypt), Bayern Munich (Germany), Barcelona (Spain), Real Madrid (Spain)
Player of the Year: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Club of the Year: Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Real Madrid
Coach of the Year: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta), Hans-Dieter Flick (Bayern Munich), Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Agent of the Century, 2001-2020: Giovanni Branchini, Jorge Mendes, Mino Raiola
Dhadak 2
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Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar
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Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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SRI LANKA SQUAD
Upul Tharanga (captain), Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella
Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis, Milinda Siriwardana
Chamara Kapugedara, Thisara Perera, Seekuge Prasanna
Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera
Vishwa Fernando, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
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How to turn your property into a holiday home
- Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
- Research equivalent Airbnb homes in your location to ensure competitiveness.
- Post on all relevant platforms to reach the widest audience; whether you let personally or via an agency know your potential guest profile – aiming for the wrong demographic may leave your property empty.
- Factor in costs when working out if holiday letting is beneficial. The annual DCTM fee runs from Dh370 for a one-bedroom flat to Dh1,200. Tourism tax is Dh10-15 per bedroom, per night.
- Check your management company has a physical office, a valid DTCM licence and is licencing your property and paying tourism taxes. For transparency, regularly view your booking calendar.
STAGE 4 RESULTS
1 Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 4:51:51
2 David Dekker (NED) Team Jumbo-Visma
3 Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal
4 Elia Viviani (ITA) Cofidis
5 Matteo Moschetti (ITA) Trek-Segafredo
General Classification
1 Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 12:50:21
2 Adam Yates (GBR) Teamn Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:43
3 Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:03
4 Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:01:43
5 Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo - 0:01:45
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
