ABU DHABI // Families eased into the Eid Al Adha holiday break by packing into the capital's Corniche area, enjoying the sunshine and getting some hard-earned rest and relaxation.
“I will be going to see some of my family in Dubai this week,” said Allah Ditta, 39, a Pakistani engineer who has lived in Abu Dhabi for six years.
“I am hoping to maybe take a trip with them to Ras Al Khaimah. It is beautiful there and I would like to go to the waterpark.
“It is good to spend time with family during the Eid holidays. I think this is important for everybody.”
Spending time with family was high on the agenda for most people.
“I will be taking my wife and children to Dubai, and probably going to Yas Waterworld too,” said Thamer Al Ghorony, a father of four from Egypt.
Mr Al Ghorony, who works as a banker at the National Bank of Abu Dhabi, spent yesterday strolling with his wife and kids at the beach.
“We are all looking forward to the holiday, the weather has gotten much better and we will be able to spend more time outside. It is a great time for the children to go and play,” he added.
“I have been in the UAE for seven years and every year we try to spend time with family. You don’t need to go far away to have a great time.”
Many people down at the beach area made use of the bike-hire facilities on offer.
“We have had a lot of people renting bikes from us. I think there will be a lot more this week because of Eid holidays,” said Abdul, a 26-year-old Moroccan who has worked at the bike-hire stand for the past eight months.
“I think it will be a good time for us, a lot of business. The weather is very good right now,” he said.
Temperatures look set to stay below 34°C for the duration of the Eid break, as the harsh summer weather finally seems to be over.
But those still looking for a bit more shade yesterday made use of the parks at the beach-front, with many people breaking out barbeques and enjoying a picnic with friends and family.
“We have just been celebrating a friend’s birthday today,” said Vesper Grabato, 37, from the Philippines. “We are all really glad it is Eid now. It is great to have the time off from work.”
Mr Grabato works at least six days a week at a local perfume and accessories shop and welcomed the holiday.
“We all have been working very hard, I think we need a break, and it is good to be with my friends.
“I will be with my friends for most of the holiday, I think we are just staying in Abu Dhabi. There is lots to do, we go to the beach or just maybe visit the coffee shops, it is nice,” he said.
Some of the city’s workers weren’t so lucky however.
Muhammed Shah, a Pakistani taxi driver who has worked in the capital for five years, said he wouldn’t be taking any time off.
“I could maybe have taken a day off for Eid, but I must keep working to reach my target. I need this to get my salary,” he said.
“My son was born just over a month ago, in Pakistan, so I must make sure there is enough money. This is a hard job, but I must do it.”
ksinclair@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder MHEV
Power: 360bhp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh282,870
On sale: now
Match info
Australia 580
Pakistan 240 and 335
Result: Australia win by an innings and five runs
BLACKBERRY
Director: Matt Johnson
Stars: Jay Baruchel, Glenn Howerton, Matt Johnson
Rating: 4/5
Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
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MATCH INFO
Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90+4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
US federal gun reform since Sandy Hook
- April 17, 2013: A bipartisan-drafted bill to expand background checks and ban assault weapons fails in the Senate.
- July 2015: Bill to require background checks for all gun sales is introduced in House of Representatives. It is not brought to a vote.
- June 12, 2016: Orlando shooting. Barack Obama calls on Congress to renew law prohibiting sale of assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines.
- October 1, 2017: Las Vegas shooting. US lawmakers call for banning bump-fire stocks, and some renew call for assault weapons ban.
- February 14, 2018: Seventeen pupils are killed and 17 are wounded during a mass shooting in Parkland, Florida.
- December 18, 2018: Donald Trump announces a ban on bump-fire stocks.
- August 2019: US House passes law expanding background checks. It is not brought to a vote in the Senate.
- April 11, 2022: Joe Biden announces measures to crack down on hard-to-trace 'ghost guns'.
- May 24, 2022: Nineteen children and two teachers are killed at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
- June 25, 2022: Joe Biden signs into law the first federal gun-control bill in decades.
The Specs
Engine 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp (542bhp in GTS model)
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000 (Dh549,000 for GTS)
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