One of the most discussed topics on Twitter last week was Marib, the Yemeni district in the west of Aden, which was freed from Houthi rebels by Saudi-led coalition forces. Tweeters were also excited about David Beckham, whose recent visit to Mall of the Emirates in Dubai to open an Adidas store attracted a large number of fans.
Then there was Ahlam, the Emirati singer who seldom fails to stay away from the centre of attention. This was evident in the way she was discussed following her interview on the MBC news channel.
The victory
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed’s vows to liberate Marib in Yemen were fulfilled on Thursday when flags of the Saudi-led coalition were raised over the Marib dam, signalling success in defeating the Houthis there.
Khaled @aboolojain shared Al Arabiya’s news on how the coalition caught a ship carrying weapons in the Arabian Sea. “Houthis failed,” he said. “May Allah protect our troops.” @ashq_uae shared a photo to show how tough the job was to free Marib.
Appreciating the efforts of the soldiers, Yousif @yousifbinsaif wrote: “Sons of Zayed, sons of Salman, sons of Hamad – you made a promise and fulfilled that promise.”
Photographer Abdullah @aha7111 shared a picture that showed soldiers taking control over Houthi rebels.
@al_3bdi shared an old photograph of Sheikh Zayed and quoted him: “I did for Yemeni people what they needed and I did what I had to do to fulfil the will of Allah.”
Star-studded Dubai
The crowd that turned out to greet football superstar David Beckham at Mall of the Emirates in Dubai was an indicator of his continuing popularity.
Those who missed the occasion could see him on television. In case anyone did not know, @GrahamClews made the announcement that people could tune in to radio and television channels to learn more about their idol.
@OKMiddleEast went online to ask whether anyone had actually met Beckham in person rather than just seen him on television. As usual, Twitter responded.
@Ayesha_ZaYain shared a photo of Beckham in Dubai with the remark: “A gem of a person.”
@AmrishVasdev had no idea that Beckham was visiting the UAE and said he was pleasantly surprised to see the superstar at the mall.
Katrina @_kitkatx said she was almost dumbstruck to see her favourite player up close.
Ahlam on The Maze
There was an energetic discussion about Ahlam, who appeared on the MBC show The Maze. Her fans commented on how the show was able to project the real personality of the Emirati artist.
@smaher5435 was speechless. “I can talk about everything, but I can never describe you in words, even if I wrote books.”
@hinda_m show said that Ahlam came across as “strong, spontaneous, honest and confident”. “She appeared to be emotional, but smart.”
Citing the example of Ahlam, @AAnakreh explained what it takes to be successful and confident. “We love you,” she wrote to the singer.
@RorRaya underscored what she thought was a fact pointed out by Ahlam, which is: “There are friends who are enemies in disguise.”
But for Maha @mahaelhajj, the strongest sentence uttered by the singer was this: “I’m the queen to those who try to step on me and modest with the ones who love me.”
@aas_119 described Ahlam as a very spontaneous person who never kept anything in her heart.
The tweeter noted that the superstar appeared sad that so many people seemed to misjudge her because of her straightforwardness.
skhamis@thenational.ae
On Twitter: @SarahKhamisUAE
