• Construction is under way to transform Mina Zayed into a top tourist and commercial destination. This shows the fisherman's wharf with the new fish market. Courtesy: Department of Municipalities and Transport / Modon
    Construction is under way to transform Mina Zayed into a top tourist and commercial destination. This shows the fisherman's wharf with the new fish market. Courtesy: Department of Municipalities and Transport / Modon
  • The entrance to Mina Zayed's new fish market. Courtesy: Department of Municipalities and Transport / Modon
    The entrance to Mina Zayed's new fish market. Courtesy: Department of Municipalities and Transport / Modon
  • The new fish market is being built beside the old one. Courtesy: Department of Municipalities and Transport / Modon
    The new fish market is being built beside the old one. Courtesy: Department of Municipalities and Transport / Modon
  • Mina Plaza will be demolished on November 27, heralding the start of the redevelopment. Victor Besa / The National
    Mina Plaza will be demolished on November 27, heralding the start of the redevelopment. Victor Besa / The National
  • Existing markets will be retained. Victor Besa / The National
    Existing markets will be retained. Victor Besa / The National

Rescuers work to save cats from Mina Plaza before demolition on Friday


Gillian Duncan
  • English
  • Arabic

Latest: Abu Dhabi tears down skyscrapers in seconds ahead of port regeneration

Animal rescuers are working to save dozens of cats from a cluster of buildings scheduled for demolition later this week.

Mina Plaza, a group of three unfinished tower blocks, will be razed on Friday to make way for a major regeneration project in Abu Dhabi’s port area.

Rescuers say the buildings are home to up to 100 cats, which live in the basement, and they are concerned about what will happen to them.

Susan Aylott, a vet and partner in Animalia, a veterinary clinic in Al Bateen, said she had written to Modon Properties, the company overseeing the demolition, to find out if any plans are in place to protect the animals.

She wants permission to rescue the cats if Modon has not yet made arrangements.

Dr Susan Aylott is working to rescue dozens of cats that live in the towers due to be demolished this week. Reem Mohammed / The National
Dr Susan Aylott is working to rescue dozens of cats that live in the towers due to be demolished this week. Reem Mohammed / The National

“We have to try and get them out somehow, if they haven’t,” Dr Aylott said.

“We have treated and sterilised so many cats from Mina Port with community support,” she said.

“We know many of these cats that are probably living in and around the building. And we know for sure there are many cats living in the basement.”

Abu Dhabi resident Patrizia Dalbo, from Italy, feeds two colonies of cats at Mina Port, close to the demolition area.

“I feed the colony at Mina Port, but not the demolition site,” she said.

“Somebody told me there are colonies that live inside the tower. It’s very dangerous. I am really worried about these cats.”

Modon Properties was contacted for comment.

Construction on the 246,500 square metre development, comprising three apartment towers and an office block, began in 2007 but was halted twice before being abandoned in 2015.

The development was supposed to include luxuries such as a ­helipad sunbathing deck, a covered spa and wading pool, as well as a private medical centre.

But work was stopped in November 2012 after the project’s owners and builders became embroiled in a dispute.

Construction was due to begin again in October 2014, but the work was never completed.

In 2015, the Malaysian construction company appointed to build the towers announced it was pulling out.

The 144-storey buildings stood half-finished for years at the end of the Corniche, a rare eyesore on the Abu Dhabi skyline.

They will be demolished at 8am on Friday to make way for an ambitious 300-hectare project, which will overhaul existing souqs and build separate facilities for fish, fruit and vegetable markets.

UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

It Was Just an Accident

Director: Jafar Panahi

Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr

Rating: 4/5

THE SPECS

Cadillac XT6 2020 Premium Luxury

Engine:  3.6L V-6

Transmission: nine-speed automatic

Power: 310hp

Torque: 367Nm

Price: Dh280,000

If you go

The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes.


The car
Hertz offers compact car rental from about $300 (Dh1,100) per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.


The national park
Entry to Mount Rainier National Park costs $30 for one vehicle and passengers for up to seven days. Accommodation can be booked through mtrainierguestservices.com. Prices vary according to season. Rooms at the Holiday Inn Yakima cost from $125 per night, excluding breakfast.

TYPES%20OF%20ONLINE%20GIG%20WORK
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Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

Match info

Liverpool 3
Hoedt (10' og), Matip (21'), Salah (45 3')

Southampton 0

The schedule

December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club

December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq

December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm

December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition

December 13: Falcon beauty competition

December 14 and 20: Saluki races

December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm

December 16 - 19: Falconry competition

December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am

December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am

December 22: The best herd of 30 camels

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

SPEC SHEET

Display: 6.8" edge quad-HD  dynamic Amoled 2X, Infinity-O, 3088 x 1440, 500ppi, HDR10 , 120Hz

Processor: 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/Exynos 2200, 8-core

Memory: 8/12GB RAM

Storage: 128/256/512GB/1TB

Platform: Android 12

Main camera: quad 12MP ultra-wide f/2.2, 108MP wide f/1.8, 10MP telephoto f/4.9, 10MP telephoto 2.4; Space Zoom up to 100x, auto HDR, expert RAW

Video: 8K@24fps, 4K@60fps, full-HD@60fps, HD@30fps, super slo-mo@960fps

Front camera: 40MP f/2.2

Battery: 5000mAh, fast wireless charging 2.0 Wireless PowerShare

Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC

I/O: USB-C

SIM: single nano, or nano and SIM, nano and nano, eSIM/nano and nano

Colours: burgundy, green, phantom black, phantom white, graphite, sky blue, red

Price: Dh4,699 for 128GB, Dh5,099 for 256GB, Dh5,499 for 512GB; 1TB unavailable in the UAE

Indoor cricket in a nutshell

Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai

16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership

Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.

Zones

A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full

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.
The specs: 2017 Lotus Evora Sport 410

Price, base / as tested Dh395,000 / Dh420,000

Engine 3.5L V6

Transmission Six-speed manual

Power 410hp @ 7,000rpm

Torque 420Nm @ 3,500rpm

Fuel economy, combined 9.7L / 100km

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How to apply for a drone permit
  • Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
  • Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
  • Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
  • Submit their request
What are the regulations?
  • Fly it within visual line of sight
  • Never over populated areas
  • Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
  • Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
  • Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
  • Should have a live feed of the drone flight
  • Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
LOVE%20AGAIN
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets