When Mall of the Emirates opened in September 2005, many believed its 7,000 parking spaces would never be filled.
When Mall of the Emirates opened in September 2005, many believed its 7,000 parking spaces would never be filled.

Mall carves out space as parking problems mount



DUBAI // Queues of traffic stretching as far as the eye can see, impatient drivers beeping their horns loudly as cars stop in the middle of the road, blocking their path while families slowly pile out. The first day of January sales? No, just another weekend at the Middle East's largest shopping centre, Mall of the Emirates (MoE). When the mall first opened in Al Barsha in September 2005, many sceptical residents shook their heads smugly, believing its 7,000 car parking spaces would never be filled.

But, three years later, despite new shopping venues - including the Dubai Mall, due for completion next year - springing up across the emirate, the mall's management team plans to increase the number of parking spaces as more and more drivers pour through its cream-coloured entrances. A spokesman for MoE said moves had already been made to increase space. "During this year's Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS), Mall of the Emirates added 200 parking spaces on level two, keeping in mind the increase of foot traffic during these times," she said. "These spaces are opened up during busy weekends and will help visitors during DSS as well. In addition, the mall also provides valet parking services at three different locations."

The mall's 24 entrances were convenient for the customers, she said, but further plans were afoot to ease congestion. "The mall management is reviewing some short- and long-term solutions to increase parking spaces, which will be shared with the media once finalised," she added. News of the plans have been greeted with relief by the mall's customers who spend up to 30 minutes - sometimes more - looking for a space at peak times at the weekends.

"Until recently, I lived in Al Barsha 1," said Charlie Irving, 30. "My apartment was only a 10-minute walk away from MoE, but in the summer the walk would be terrible and most days I would drive. "On Fridays, though, despite the heat, I used to opt for getting soaked with sweat and feel faint because to try to find a parking space used to get me totally worked up. "It makes sense to do something about it. Personally, I would like to see patrol people stopping cars that are creating jams by dropping people at the doors inside the car park."

Vanessa Thompson, 38, from Zimbabwe, recalled being reduced to tears after a traumatic parking experience at the mall. "Every year I go to Dubai Film festival, I love it," she said. "But this year I missed a film I had been looking forward to, which was at the Mall of the Emirates' cinema, because there was nowhere to park. I drove round and round every level of the car park until I reached the top and still there was nothing. I just sat crying in my car."

Ms Thompson said she avoided the mall at weekends. "I live in that area, but I don't go near the place on a Friday. If I absolutely have to then I go very early, when I know it's not going to be too busy. My only concern is any measure to help parking could attract even more traffic to the area." On average, the mall attracts between 70,000 to 80,000 visitors a day during the week and between 100,000 and 110,000 on weekends.

And with DSS now under way, and soaring temperatures outside making the air-conditioned shops, 14-screen cinema, gaming arena, drama theatre and ski slope even more popular, the mall is expecting an 11 per cent increase in "foot traffic" on last year's DSS figures and a 40 per cent increase in sales. The busiest day recorded at MoE was Oct 13 2007, when 135,000 visitors passed through its doors.

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Libya's Gold

UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves. 

The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.

Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.

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Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE

Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:

• Buy second hand stuff

 They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.

• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres

 Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.

• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.

Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.

• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home

Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.

Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters

The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.

 Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.

A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.

The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.

The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.

Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.

Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment

But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.

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