The UAE has opened three major new roads that cut travel times, improve traffic flow and enhance safety at a cost of Dh1.9 billion.
They include a road linking Mleiha in Sharjah with Al Shuwaib in Abu Dhabi and another connecting Hatta in Dubai with Masfout in Ajman and on to Ras Al Khaimah.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, announced the initiatives on Monday and toured the projects with Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.
Planes from Al Forsan, the UAE Airforce’s aerobatic display team, soared overhead as they inspected the developments in Sheikh Mohammed's striking Mercedes G-wagen.
"Our mega projects aim to connect our cities and shorten distances across the country," said Sheikh Mohammed.
“[They also] aim to strengthen the country’s status as a global model for sustainable development and provide its people with a quality of life that rivals the world’s best."
Video posted to Sheikh Mohammed's social media showed the epic extent of the cross-emirate road networks that aim to cut journey times, improve safety and streamline the flow of vehicles on the road. Crews of workers can be seen adding lanes, and laying down new tarmac.
The first of the three is an extension of the E84 Sheikh Khalifa Road. It now runs from the intersection of the E84 with the E101 Sharjah to Kalba Road to the Mleiha area of Sharjah and ends at Abu Dhabi's Al Shuwaib. The 52-kilometre route has three lanes in each direction and is designed to handle speeds of up to 140km per hour.
The second is the E64 Al Watan Road, which connects Dubai's Hatta area to Masfout in Ajman before progressing to Wadi Al Qor in Ras Al Khaimah. It also connects to the first route in Mleiha. The 42km road will cut the distance between Al Madam roundabout in Sharjah and Hatta, while reducing travel time by half an hour.
And the third part of the project is the development of the Dubai to Hatta road. The 18km stretch around Sharjah's Al Madam now has three lanes in each direction rather than two. Several pedestrian bridges have also been built.
The projects were supervised by the Ministry of Presidential Affairs in co-operation with the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure and the Etihad Water and Electricity company.
Sheikh Mansour said infrastructure projects were key to "opening new horizons for economic growth and development" and were a high priority for the UAE leadership.
"The country aims to create infrastructure that is among the world’s best and our strategic projects are designed to further enhance the UAE’s high global ranking in economic, social and quality of life indicators," said Sheikh Mansour.
Abu Dhabi infrastructure projects
Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi's Department of Municipal Affairs (DMT) said it completed more than 150 infrastructure projects in 2020. despite the challenges brought by Covid-19.
In a report listing the DMT's achievements and published by the Abu Dhabi Media Office on Monday, it said the projects were undertaken across the emirate in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
They included tunnels, streets, bridges and designated car parks, and also included the construction, development and rehabilitation of parks, development of pedestrian paths and bicycle paths. The work also included landscaping and adding greenery to public areas.
The authority also issued 8,900 construction permits in 2020 – an increase of 13 per cent on the previous year, while the volume of property transactions increased to Dh74bn, compared with Dh58bn in 2019.
Popular mode of transport
The report said the number of passengers who used taxis reached 56 million through about 31 million trips made by 6,390 taxis. There were also 42 million rides on buses, while the DMT in 2020 provided Wifi in 520 of the buses.
The numbers of ferry users reached 106,069, an increase of 17 per cent on 2019. In addition, 367 berths were developed in the emirate at a cost of Dh100m.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
The biog
Marital status: Separated with two young daughters
Education: Master's degree from American Univeristy of Cairo
Favourite book: That Is How They Defeat Despair by Salwa Aladian
Favourite Motto: Their happiness is your happiness
Goal: For Nefsy to become his legacy long after he is gon
Profile of Foodics
Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani
Based: Riyadh
Sector: Software
Employees: 150
Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing
Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
BIO
Favourite holiday destination: Turkey - because the government look after animals so well there.
Favourite film: I love scary movies. I have so many favourites but The Ring stands out.
Favourite book: The Lord of the Rings. I didn’t like the movies but I loved the books.
Favourite colour: Black.
Favourite music: Hard rock. I actually also perform as a rock DJ in Dubai.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Results
6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: Barack Beach, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Way Of Wisdom, Connor Beasley, Satish Seemar.
7.40pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Woodditton, Connor Beasley, Ahmad bin Harmash.
8.15pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Secret Trade, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.50pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Mark Of Approval, Antonio Fresu, Mahmood Hussain.
9.25pm: Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Tradesman, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
MATCH INFO
FA Cup final
Chelsea 1
Hazard (22' pen)
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
