After the angst and the acrimony, Doha woke on Sunday to the opening day of a Fifa World Cup on home soil.
Less than 24 hours earlier, the president of football's world governing body, Gianni Infantino, gave a truly extraordinary address, where he rounded on critics, both of his organisation and the host nation.
Later that day, Doha felt, finally, like it served as stage to the world’s most high-profile single-sports event. It has been a slow burn, less boisterous than Brazil in 2014 on that final stretch of preparation, less riotous that Russia – even if the most recent host took a while to warm up, too.
Not long after 7pm on Saturday, a full day out from The Big Kick-Off between home hope Qatar and South America’s Ecuador at Al Bayt Stadium, fireworks and drones lit up the sky above the just-opened Fifa Fan Festival. “Welcome to Qatar” read the message.
Organisers crave that the football, comprising 64 matches across 29 days, will provide welcome respite from the controversy and the critics, the Middle East’s first World Cup and the most compact in competition history sure to offer plentiful highlights and hot debate on the pitch, even if Infantino’s insistence that it will be the “best in history” – wasn’t that uttered four years ago, also? – jarred somewhat.
For there have been issues, serious and sustained, from the award of the event to Qatar 12 years ago all the way through the Fifa president’s offensive on Saturday.
Qatar has had more than a decade and spent, reportedly, $200 billion in preparation. In 2018, Russia was estimated to have parted with $11bn to put on the whole jamboree. For that, the small, energy-rich Gulf state really should be ready.
A day out, it appeared to be getting there. As mentioned, the Fifa Fan Festival was at last awash with people, and by 8pm the endless line of volunteers and security guards on the trek through the landscaped Al Bidda Park declared through megaphones that it could not take anybody more. Full – its official capacity sits at 40,000 – thousands of fans were ushered towards other activation sites along the Corniche.
Most exciting young players to watch at 2022 World Cup
This World Cup certainly strikes a more family-friendly tone than Brazil or Russia. Perhaps that’s to do with the scarcity of alcohol. Maybe it’s that, until now, the majority of those making the most of the Fifa circus in town are those that reside in that town all year round.
Hefty groups of visiting fans are seemingly yet to flood Doha, although you are never far from an Argentina replica shirt, hugely popular, apparently, among the city’s many expatriates from the Middle East and Asia. Brazil, still some way back, sit second.
There are a few street hawkers, some flogging giant Portugal flags, some curly wigs in the host country’s maroon and white, some airhorns and some those omnipresent Argentina jerseys.
It would not surprise if they were all sourced at Souq Waqif. The traditional market, not far from the Corniche and the plush Downtown Doha where certain roads have been closed to cope with the arrival of an extra 1.2 million visitors over the next month, was alive with noise and national pride on Saturday night.
Brazil the last team to arrive in Qatar
Tunisians sang songs, chanted names and waved giant flags; Moroccans took residence outside the huge television studios that back onto the souq and witnessed the reverie through giant, hopefully soundproof, floor-to-ceiling windows. Saudi Arabians posed for pictures in their kanduras with those bedecked in Qatar’s colours. Remember, this represents the first World Cup held in the Arab world.
Elsewhere, a smattering of Argentines happily gave strangers a go on banging their blue and white drum; a similarly sized collection of Brazilians with plastic World Cup trophies and yellow and green face paint filed through the souq’s narrow alleyways, drawing smiles and iPhones from shop workers. Just out of view, a young Mexican had a ride on a camel in the temporary sand pit.
Still, it will be intriguing to see if Doha is dominated by the World Cup like hosts before them. Yes, hoardings and signage scream “Fifa World Cup”, “Qatar 2022”, and “Now Is All” – the official tournament slogan. Gleaming skyscrapers in the city centre and West Bay area display in neon the national flags of participating countries, or their facades are covered by colossal images of Manuel Neuer, Gareth Bale, Luis Suarez, Luka Modric, Lionel Messi and others.
It remains to be seen if the smallest country to stage a World Cup can cope with the influx – an estimated 60,000 fans from Mexico are anticipated, 40,000 from Argentina, not to mention many more from neighbouring Saudi.
During the weekend, the impressive metro’s carriages – the underground transport system’s construction was expedited because of the World Cup – were congested. From Tuesday, beginning with Argentina against Saudi at the 80,000-capacity Lusail Stadium, there will be four matches a day through until December 2.
On Sunday, though, there’s only one show in town. The buzz has been building, bunting frames the streets. Qataris are genuinely excited for the occasion. Twelve years in the making, they stage their first World Cup match.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Grand Slam Los Angeles results
Men:
56kg – Jorge Nakamura
62kg – Joao Gabriel de Sousa
69kg – Gianni Grippo
77kg – Caio Soares
85kg – Manuel Ribamar
94kg – Gustavo Batista
110kg – Erberth Santos
Women:
49kg – Mayssa Bastos
55kg – Nathalie Ribeiro
62kg – Gabrielle McComb
70kg – Thamara Silva
90kg – Gabrieli Pessanha
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UNpaid bills:
Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN budget in 2019
USA – $1.055 billion
Brazil – $143 million
Argentina – $52 million
Mexico – $36 million
Iran – $27 million
Israel – $18 million
Venezuela – $17 million
Korea – $10 million
Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN peacekeeping operations in 2019
USA – $2.38 billion
Brazil – $287 million
Spain – $110 million
France – $103 million
Ukraine – $100 million
RESULTS
Manchester United 2
Anthony Martial 30'
Scott McTominay 90 6'
Manchester City 0
Apple%20Mac%20through%20the%20years
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How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
The biog:
From: Wimbledon, London, UK
Education: Medical doctor
Hobbies: Travelling, meeting new people and cultures
Favourite animals: All of them
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.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
2019 Asian Cup final
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
BRIEF SCORES:
Toss: Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result: UAE won by 21 runs
Series: UAE lead 1-0
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
Result
2.15pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,950m; Winner: Majestic Thunder, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
2.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,800m; Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3.15pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,600m; Winner: Native Appeal, Adam McLean, Doug Watson.
3.45pm: Handicap Dh115,000 1,950m; Winner: Conclusion, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
4.15pm: Handicap Dh100,000 1,400m; Winner: Pilgrim’s Treasure, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
4.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,400m; Winner: Sanad Libya, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,000m; Winner: Midlander, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
Ponti
Sharlene Teo, Pan Macmillan
Champions League Last 16
Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) v Bayern Munich (GER)
Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Manchester City (ENG)
Benfica (POR) v Ajax (NED)
Chelsea (ENG) v Lille (FRA)
Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG)
Villarreal (ESP) v Juventus (ITA)
Inter Milan (ITA) v Liverpool (ENG)
Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (ESP)
