Shisha banned in more public spaces



DUBAI // The municipality yesterday announced a ban on smoking shisha at beaches, parks and other family areas as part of moves to stamp out smoking in public places. The target forms part of Dubai's Strategic Plan for 2007 to 2015, which aims to protect public health and improve the quality of life for residents. Salem bin Mismar, the assistant director general of the municipality's Health, Safety and Environment Department said yesterday that children who visit the city's parks, beaches and other recreational areas with their families were more likely to be harmed by people smoking there.

Mr bin Mismar urged shisha smokers to abide by the decision and to co-operate with those in charge of the areas. Last year the authority banned shisha cafes from operating in neighbourhoods that have been classified as purely residential areas. In mixed commercial and residential areas, cafes had to move smoking indoors and make changes to their ventilation systems. Outdoor shisha cafes in other areas must have special licences.

Cafes caught flouting the rules faced heavy fines and even closure. News of the ban was welcomed by shisha smokers and non-smokers enjoying the fresh air at Jumeirah's public beach. Sabryali el Khouly, 42, a non-smoker from Sharjah who was enjoying a picnic with his family and two young grandsons, said: "We would prefer this, of course. It's a good thing, a very nice thing not to have smoke around the children."

Kevin Stedman, 51, a British expatriate who has been in Dubai for five years, echoed those sentiments, although he said he had never seen anybody smoking on the beach. "I don't think it's particularly nice when you are on a beach where there are a lot of children," Mr Stedman said. Anees Jibreen, a 26-year-old Palestinian born and raised in the UAE, felt the move would make going to the beach more enjoyable.

"I smoke shisha but only at cafes," Mr Jibreen said. "However I don't think that the move will harm the public image. If I'm a tourist and I don't know what shisha is, I may think people are smoking other things on the beaches, which is not good. "When you go to a beach you expect nice clean and fresh air and an environment which is relaxing. When you see people smoking shisha and you can smell it, then you don't feel relaxed.

"But people don't do it a lot any more. I would say only one in 50 for the past couple of years." loatway@thenational.ae

Sly%20Cooper%20and%20the%20Thievius%20Raccoonus
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sucker%20Punch%20Productions%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sony%20Computer%20Entertainment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlayStation%202%20to%205%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Five%20calorie-packed%20Ramadan%20drinks
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERooh%20Afza%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20contains%20414%20calories%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETang%20orange%20drink%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20serving%20contains%20300%20calories%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECarob%20beverage%20mix%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20serving%20contains%20about%20300%20calories%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EQamar%20Al%20Din%20apricot%20drink%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20saving%20contains%2061%20calories%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EVimto%20fruit%20squash%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20serving%20contains%2030%20calories%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The bio

Who inspires you?

I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist

How do you relax?

Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.

What is favourite book?

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times

What is your favourite Arabic film?

Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki

What is favourite English film?

Mamma Mia

Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?

If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.  

 

Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
​​​​​​​Bloomsbury Academic

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

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

SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%202-litre%20direct%20injection%20turbo%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%207-speed%20automatic%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20261hp%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20400Nm%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20From%20Dh134%2C999%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A