A delivery driver goes about his duties in Dubai as the country goes into lockdown for 2 weeks due to the corona virus. Wednesday, April 8th, 2020. Chris Whiteoak / The National
A delivery driver goes about his duties in Dubai as the country goes into lockdown for 2 weeks due to the corona virus. Wednesday, April 8th, 2020. Chris Whiteoak / The National
A delivery driver goes about his duties in Dubai as the country goes into lockdown for 2 weeks due to the corona virus. Wednesday, April 8th, 2020. Chris Whiteoak / The National
A delivery driver goes about his duties in Dubai as the country goes into lockdown for 2 weeks due to the corona virus. Wednesday, April 8th, 2020. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Coronavirus: Careem launches new donation fund for drivers


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Dar Al Ber Society and ride-hailing app Careem will raise funds for Careem drivers and others suffering due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Careem customers can donate to drivers using Careem Pay on the app. The first payments will be available from June and assist drivers with monthly car loan payments, groceries and food for families overseas.

“During these unusual times, and as we all reflect on what we value most, we at Careem are doubling down on our efforts to look out for our Captains while also finding new ways to serve our communities,” said Gheed El Makkaoui, general manager of Careem UAE, in a statement.

A contribution of Dh500 can provide essential needs for a month and Dh100 can provide food for a week, said Ms El Makkaoui.

Donations will be distributed based on several factors to employees who have applied for help with the company. A small portion goes to Dar Al Ber for administration costs.

Careem employees have also contributed to to help colleagues.

Mohammed Imran, a food delivery driver from Pakistan, said he had made a Dh20 donation. His own income has dropped by about 40 per cent since mid-March to Dh1,500 a month but he covers his living expenses by working 12 hour shifts. Additionally, many drivers no longer get tips since customers have stopped paying in cash.

“Just we survive," said Mr Imran. "What to do? We just manage because we don’t have another option.”

This month, Careem announced it will cut its workforce by 31 per cent after its ride-hailing businesses drop by as much as 90 per cent and its delivery business by 60 per cent.

Uber, which acquired Careem in a $3.1 billion (Dh11.4bn) deal last year, said it would cut 3,700 jobs.

Restaurant owners have also struggled due to the economic downturn and social distancing policies. Restaurant owners in Dubai came together to create their own food delivery platforms after food delivery aggregators refused to temporarily cut their commission rates of 25 to 35 per cent.

Careem reduced its commission by 15 per cent in March.

EA Sports FC 26

Publisher: EA Sports

Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S

Rating: 3/5

Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
  • George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
  • Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
  • Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
  • Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills. 
Hunting park to luxury living
  • Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
  • The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
  • Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds

 

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THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Price: From Dh1,350,000

On sale: Available for preorder now

Did you know?

Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.

SCHEDULE

Saturday, April 20: 11am to 7pm - Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Festival and Para jiu-jitsu.

Sunday, April 21: 11am to 6pm - Abu Dhabi World Youth (female) Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

Monday, April 22: 11am to 6pm - Abu Dhabi World Youth (male) Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

Tuesday, April 23: 11am-6pm Abu Dhabi World Masters Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

Wednesday, April 24: 11am-6pm Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

Thursday, April 25: 11am-5pm Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

Friday, April 26: 3pm to 6pm Finals of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

Saturday, April 27: 4pm and 8pm awards ceremony.

INDIA SQUAD

Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami

Karwaan

Producer: Ronnie Screwvala

Director: Akarsh Khurana

Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar

Rating: 4/5

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin

Director: Shawn Levy

Rating: 3/5

The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

The specs: 2018 Jaguar E-Pace First Edition

Price, base / as tested: Dh186,480 / Dh252,735

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder

Power: 246hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque: 365Nm @ 1,200rpm

Transmission: Nine-speed automatic

Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km

Company profile

Name: Thndr

Started: October 2020

Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: FinTech

Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000

Funding stage: series A; $20 million

Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC,  Rabacap and MSA Capital

We Weren’t Supposed to Survive But We Did

We weren’t supposed to survive but we did.      
We weren’t supposed to remember but we did.              
We weren’t supposed to write but we did.  
We weren’t supposed to fight but we did.              
We weren’t supposed to organise but we did.
We weren’t supposed to rap but we did.        
We weren’t supposed to find allies but we did.
We weren’t supposed to grow communities but we did.        
We weren’t supposed to return but WE ARE.
Amira Sakalla