ADEN // Valentine’s Day came a little early this year for two Emirates Red Crescent workers in Yemen.
The romance between Ayat Husain Al Authali, 24, and Emad Wagdi Anwar, 27, began 11 months ago after they met while working on a campaign to provide food and medicines to resistance fighters defending their city, Aden, from anti-government rebels. It culminated with the anouncement of their engagement on February 6.
“Our relationship went deeper when we started to work with the ERC more than three months ago, as we were meeting every day, and then Emad told me on my birthday that he loves me,” said Ayat. “He gave me a cake at our work headquarters in the ERC in Aden, and written on the cake were the words ‘HBD [happy birthday] Mom Yoota,’ which is my favourite nickname.”
Ayat and Emad have been distributing humanitarian aid for the Red Crescent in the Bab Al Mandeb area of Taez province and got to know each other better during the daily four-hour journey there from Aden, along with fellow workers for the charity.
It was there that Emad announced their engagement to their colleagues.
“I did not plan with Emad about the celebration of our engagement and he surprised me with a small party with our colleagues in Bab Al Mandeb, and this has deepened our relationship,” Ayat said.
“I had thought that Emad would announce our engagement on Valentine’s Day, but he chose to surprise me. He usually likes to do new things, so he announced the engagement in the middle of work.
“I did not imagine before that I will choose my husband in this way, and I did not imagine that I will have my engagement party in public. Really, it was an unforgottable moment when he put on the engagement ring and our colleagues were clapping and trilling cries of joy.
“I was supposed to celebrate with my family, but also I celebrated with my other family here,” Ayat said, referring to her colleagues.
While the engagement was a little unorthodox, the couple have both recieved permission from their families to get married. Traditionally, the family of the suitor goes to the house of the girl to ask for her hand in marriage.
Emad said there were reasons for the way he announced their betrothal.
"I chose this kind of celebration to break the Yemeni traditions of engagement and to change the situation of war and fighting to love,'' he told The National.
“Emad was very romantic to put on my ring in front of our colleagues, with happiness showing in his eyes,” Ayat said. “Love is very beautiful when it leads to marriage.”
Since the couple’s engagement was in Bab Al Mandeb, Ayat wants to spend their honeymoon on Perim island, located in the strait at the southern approach to the Red Sea, after getting married next year.
The couple’s plan for this Valentine’s Day is to go together to distribute aid in Lahj province, Emad said.
“I want to say to my fiancee that you are an angel that came from the sky, and the big gift to me is that I am working shoulder to shoulder with you on Valentine’s Day,’’ he said.
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
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In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (all kick-offs UAE time)
Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (10.30pm)
Saturday
Freiburg v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayer Leverkusen (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Sunday
Schalke v Augsburg (3.30pm)
Mainz v RB Leipzig (5.30pm)
Cologne v Fortuna Dusseldorf (8pm)
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Company%20Profile
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
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Sector: E-commerce
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FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
MATCH INFO
Day 2 at Mount Maunganui
England 353
Stokes 91, Denly 74, Southee 4-88
New Zealand 144-4
Williamson 51, S Curran 2-28