British motorits have mixed feelings about the UK's new move to catch up with France and Germany's race to end the era of petrol and diesel cars over the next decades, as the environment agenda takes center stage in Europe.
The UK government recently announced the phasing out of all petrol and diesel cars by 2040. British energy firm BP followed suit and said last week
it plans to introduce charging points for electric vehicles across its global network of fuel service stations.
British motorists are split about the benefits of having electric charging stations, which may not help the environment, according to some.
One London motorist cut to the core of the issue: “If you’re producing electricity, you must be burning fossil fuels. Therefore, how does that help us save the environment? The other point, how efficient are they going to be? Because people don’t want to spend ten hours a week charging their vehicles.”
Others pointed out to the cost of buying electric cars, which are more expensive than those that run on diesel and petrol
“I’ve always had a diesel as a cabbie, and I bought a diesel car in 2001 [after then-chancellor Gordon Brown cut fuel duty to encourage their uptake for environmental reasons]. And they’re going to be bringing taxis out in electric from 2020 I think,” a black cab driver said.
“Well, if you can afford to buy them, because they’re going to be about 70-grand. The way it is at the moment, with Uber and all that, I don’t think many drivers are going to be buying them.”
An exception here may be Ben van Beurden, boss of BP's rival Shell, who stated last month that "my next car … will be an electric vehicle" while announcing an extra £1 billion investment in green energy.
“I can’t imagine that they are going to be able to get the power delivery system work,” the cabbie continued, “because the electric cars that I see at the moment, they’re usually parked up in bays, and hooked up overnight or for three to four hours. I can’t imagine how quick it’s going to be to charge them up.”
“In small forecourts, I can’t see how they are going to have the turnover to match the revenue that the petrol station currently makes. And then there’s going to be the investment in getting rid of the old batteries as well.”
One motorist pointed out that the charge points would be blocking spaces. But for a petrol station owner, his prime concern was green: "Well electric, that's good for the environment, isn't it? Especially compared to diesel cars.
“At the moment my concern is not about making more money, it’s about the environment, about what we are doing for the next generation. And electric cars will help them to live in a good environment.”
British motorists may not be enthusiastic about having electric vehicles, but in Germany
Europe's leading car producer, the picture is even gloomier.
While in Britain, the focus has been on seeking to accelerate the growth of greener driving, with the government committing to invest more than £800 million in driverless and zero-emission technologies, as well as £246m in research into producing more efficient batteries, the German government hosted a summit on Wednesday which sought to ‘save diesel’.
Wary of damaging the enormously powerful car industry, which is the country's biggest exporter and provides about 800,000 jobs, the national, regional and municipal governments have been forced to work with automobile-makers to resolve the environmental issues that have helped to tarnish the image of companies such as BMW, Daimler, Audi, Porsche and Mercedes. With national elections coming up in September, and the environment a key issue for German voters, Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrat party is trying to show its green teeth without angering the industrial sector.
Merkel, who is hoping to win a fourth consecutive national election next month, has been accused of doing too little, too late, about the Dieselgate scandal which flared up in 2015 when it was revealed that Volkswagen had deliberately cheated on American diesel emissions tests. With an estimated 15 million diesel vehicles on the roads of Germany, this is also a key demographic that ‘Mutti’ will not want to offend.
“We still need a strong auto industry. We want our carmakers to continue to be successful in the world and to carry on building the best cars,” said Armin Laschet, the premier of North-Rhine Westphalia, home to many car firms. “We need to save diesel ... but there must also be a new push into the electric era,” he added.
But public anger remains strong, with many Germans demanding politicians take action against air pollution caused by the car industry. There are also investigations by European authorities into whether many of the carmakers engaged in a cartel.
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Specs
Engine: 2-litre
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 255hp
Torque: 273Nm
Price: Dh240,000
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Tonight's Chat on The National
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Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
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The biog
Favourite car: Ferrari
Likes the colour: Black
Best movie: Avatar
Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
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PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
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TV: Match is shown on BeIN Sports
