ABU DHABI // Eid al Fitr celebrations begin on Thursday, following confirmation on Wednesday night of the sighting of the new moon which marked the end of Ramadan.
In line with Islamic tradition, teams are dispatched on the 29th day of Ramadan to try to catch a glimpse of the new crescent moon, which dictates the start of the feast of Eid al Fitr.
The UAE government’s moon-sighting committee announced the beginning of Eid from the Abu Dhabi Judiciary building at about 9pm.
The committee met after maghreb prayer on Wednesday to determine whether Ramadan had ended.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, took to Twitter to send his well wishes: "I congratulate the UAE people and all Muslims across the world on the occasion of Eid Al Fitr".
He also tweeted: "May this Eid be an occasion for tolerance and togetherness to prevail in the Arab and the Islamic world".
Families who have been fasting during daylight hours for the holy month were to gather at Abu Dhabi mosques tomorrow for the dawn prayer.
This is followed by the Eid prayer which, traditionally, takes place outdoors. Then families congregate for a day of feasts and celebration, as couples visit their parents and children receive gifts.
Ahmed Dallou, 33, a chef at a catering company in Abu Dhabi, and his friend and colleague Abdelfattah Abdulmajed, 35, were spotted on the Corniche breakwater near the giant flagpole.
“We’re here to enjoy the view,” Mr Dallou said. “It’s the last day of Ramadan and we’re all looking forward to Eid.”
They left the Corniche a few minutes before the muezzin’s call to maghrib prayer, bringing an end to the day’s fasting.
“We will go to the mosque early in the morning and spend the rest of the day with our relatives and friends,” Mr Dallou said.
Today’s weather is expected to be partly cloudy over some areas. The amount of clouds will increase over the eastern areas with a chance of some towering clouds.
There will be moderate winds in general, freshening at times, causing blowing dust and sand over internal areas that may lead to poor horizontal visibility, the NCMS forecast states.
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World Cup qualifier
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UAE 1 (Mabkhout 45 2')
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Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg and Rachel McAdams
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Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Profile of Tarabut Gateway
Founder: Abdulla Almoayed
Based: UAE
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 35
Sector: FinTech
Raised: $13 million
Backers: Berlin-based venture capital company Target Global, Kingsway, CE Ventures, Entrée Capital, Zamil Investment Group, Global Ventures, Almoayed Technologies and Mad’a Investment.
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
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South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
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Paraguay
Japan
Switzerland
USA
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Uruguay
Mexico
Italy
Tahiti
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Belarus
UAE
Senegal
Russia
Group D
Brazil
Oman
Portugal
Nigeria
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee