“My husband and I love riding our bikes, and so after we had our traditional wedding on Thursday with family and friends, we had this second wedding with our biker friends,” says Nadia Hussain. “We wanted to do something different.” Photos courtesyAmman Alyoum
“My husband and I love riding our bikes, and so after we had our traditional wedding on Thursday with family and friends, we had this second wedding with our biker friends,” says Nadia Hussain. “We waShow more

The bride and vroom: Abu Dhabi newlywed bikers roar off into the sunset



Some couples leave their wedding reception in a stretch limo. Others may opt for a more traditional horse-drawn carriage. Nadia Hussain and Salem Al Muraikhi chose something rather different — and caused a social media sensation in the process.

The newly-weds, who are members of the Emirates Riders biking community, climbed aboard Harley-Davidson motorcycles festooned with flowers and netting. They roared off from Al Raha Beach Hotel in Abu Dhabi with more than 60 bikers joining them in their celebration.

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Read more from our blog: Abu Dhabi couple celebrate biker wedding

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Nadia, 29, astride a Sportster Forty-Eight, was in an all-white outfit including a hijab, wedges and trousers under a tulle skirt, bedazzled gloves and an elaborate beaded jacket with spiked epaulettes. Salem, 32, was slightly less dramatic in wearing a neck scarf and black T-shirt with a skull motif. Road-safety campaigners will be pleased that the bride and groom wore helmets.

“My husband and I love riding our bikes, and so after we had our traditional wedding on Thursday with family and friends, we had this second wedding with our biker friends,” says Nadia. “We wanted to do something different.”

The couple invited the Jordanian website AmmanAlyoum to film the wedding, and video posted on YouTube on Sunday had been viewed about 800,000 times by yesterday. Not all the comments are positive, but the couple are unapologetic.

“I am fully covered, from head to toe, and I have nothing to apologise for,” Nadia says. “There were other women bikers with us, but they only picked on me because I was wearing a hijab.”

Salem agrees. “How did you expect my wife to ride the bike? In a long dress or thoub? That is not possible,” he says.

Such has been the internet attention that the couple have yet to manage to go on their honeymoon.

“Social media is a sword with two sharp edges,” Salem says. “It can make you famous and infamous at the same time.”

In the video, the couple celebrate with dozens of bikers from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, Jordan, Oman, Germany, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. They later lead them on a procession down Sheikh Zayed Road.

Nadia, who has been riding for four years to her husband’s two, says she has always dreamt about having a special — and very different — wedding.

“We had a lot of obstacles and difficulties to make it through this day, but thanks to God I did achieve my goal and had a successful biker wedding,” she says.

“I’m so happy that I’m the first who did a biker wedding, and I want to thank my husband who supported me all the way.”

The couple now want to be left alone.

“People will eventually lose interest and move on to the next viral video and forget about us,” Salem says. “So we just have to be patient and not let this ruin our special time.”

rghazal@thenational.ae

*With files from Fadwa Torbey

Spain drain

CONVICTED

Lionel Messi Found guilty in 2016 of of using companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid paying €4.1m in taxes on income earned from image rights. Sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined more than €2m. But prison sentence has since been replaced by another fine of €252,000.

Javier Mascherano Accepted one-year suspended sentence in January 2016 for tax fraud after found guilty of failing to pay €1.5m in taxes for 2011 and 2012. Unlike Messi he avoided trial by admitting to tax evasion.

Angel di Maria Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain star Angel di Maria was fined and given a 16-month prison sentence for tax fraud during his time at Real Madrid. But he is unlikely to go to prison as is normal in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying sentence of less than two years.

 

SUSPECTED

Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid's star striker, accused of evading €14.7m in taxes, appears in court on Monday. Portuguese star faces four charges of fraud through offshore companies.

Jose Mourinho Manchester United manager accused of evading €3.3m in tax in 2011 and 2012, during time in charge at Real Madrid. But Gestifute, which represents him, says he has already settled matter with Spanish tax authorities.

Samuel Eto'o In November 2016, Spanish prosecutors sought jail sentence of 10 years and fines totalling €18m for Cameroonian, accused of failing to pay €3.9m in taxes during time at Barcelona from 2004 to 2009.

Radamel Falcao Colombian striker Falcao suspected of failing to correctly declare €7.4m of income earned from image rights between 2012 and 2013 while at Atletico Madrid. He has since paid €8.2m to Spanish tax authorities, a sum that includes interest on the original amount.

Jorge Mendes Portuguese super-agent put under official investigation last month by Spanish court investigating alleged tax evasion by Falcao, a client of his. He defended himself, telling closed-door hearing he "never" advised players in tax matters.

Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company

The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.

He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.

“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.

“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.

HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon. 

With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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

Five famous companies founded by teens

There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:

  1. Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate. 
  2. Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc. 
  3. Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway. 
  4. Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
  5. Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
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Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
PROFILE OF INVYGO

Started: 2018

Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo

Based: Dubai

Sector: Transport

Size: 9 employees

Investment: $1,275,000

Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri

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Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher:  Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5

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Price: From Dh2,099

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Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

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