Buses ferrying the faithful from Dubai to Abu Dhabi for next week’s Papal Mass will start setting off the day before the event, despite the venue being a 90-minute drive away.
Gates at the venue, Zayed Sports City Stadium, will open at 5am on Tuesday, more than five hours before the Mass starts at 10.30am.
According to information distributed to those who have already received their tickets for Mass, one Dubai access hub will open at 11.15pm on Monday. The first bus will then leave Dubai at 11.45pm – almost 11 hours before the event begins.
The first to arrive from the Dubai hubs will then face about a three hour wait until the gates open.
We'll probably get there about 4am but we are happy to wait. It's a privilege to be at a Mass said by The Pope
But those with tickets said they will not be put off by long waiting times.
“We’ll probably get there about 4am but we are happy to wait. It's a privilege to be at a Mass said by The Pope,” said Rudolph Pinto, from India.
"He is the head of our religion and is the representative of Jesus himself.”
Worshippers in Abu Dhabi still face an early start, albeit a shorter day.
People bussed in from a hub in Musaffah have been told parking will close at 5.30am, despite being just a 20 to 25-minute drive from the stadium.
There are several options for people travelling to the event, including walking to the venue.
Worshippers can also board free buses leaving from a number of transport hubs across the UAE ,which will take them directly to the venue, or they can drive to Yas Island, where they will leave their cars at Yas Gateway Park access hub before boarding shuttle buses to Zayed Sports City.
Organisers of the papal visit announced additional details regarding bus pick-up points on Tuesday.
There will be single pick-up points in Al Ain, Jebel Ali, Mussafah and Ruwais and the Yas Gateway park and ride facility on Yas Island, with other spots spread across other parts of Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Residents of Sharjah will use only one hub in Dubai, which is in the Muhaisnah district, said the report carried by state news agency, Wam.
Organisers are urging people to bring their own food and beverages for the trip.
Father Michael O’Sullivan, the UAE papal visit co-ordinator on behalf of the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia, said efforts have been made to ensure thousands of parishioners can attend the Mass.
"We have been working closely to ensure the most efficient way to help the tens of thousands of our parishioners who wish to participate in the Mass reach Abu Dhabi by buses," he said.
"Naturally the logistics behind something of this scale are hugely complex and the timings reflect the sheer numbers of people who are expected to travel and to ensure that everyone is able to reach the Zayed Sports Stadium area in plenty of time for the Mass.
"As the Mass will be taking place in the morning the timings are in place to ensure that there is a balanced flow of individuals coming to their designated pick-up point to benefit from the free transport the UAE Government has so generously provided."
According to the official UAE Papal Visit website, access hubs will be chosen upon collection of the tickets. They cannot be changed once selected and worshippers must arrange their own travel to the hub.
Those wishing to drive to Abu Dhabi should select the Yas Gateway Access Hub. The timing for free shuttle buses to the venue will be displayed on the transport ticket.
Each person must present both their entry ticket to the event and transport ticket to board a shuttle bus, with strict “no ticket, no travel” rules in place.
The transport ticket will display both the access hub and the departure time.
It is advisable for UAE residents to carry their Emirates ID along with their tickets, according to the Church.
About 135,000 people are expected to attend the event.
AWARDS
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Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Major honours
ARSENAL
BARCELONA
- La Liga - 2013
- Copa del Rey - 2012
- Fifa Club World Cup - 2011
CHELSEA
- Premier League - 2015, 2017
- FA Cup - 2018
- League Cup - 2015
SPAIN
- World Cup - 2010
- European Championship - 2008, 2012
Retirement funds heavily invested in equities at a risky time
Pension funds in growing economies in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East have a sharply higher percentage of assets parked in stocks, just at a time when trade tensions threaten to derail markets.
Retirement money managers in 14 geographies now allocate 40 per cent of their assets to equities, an 8 percentage-point climb over the past five years, according to a Mercer survey released last week that canvassed government, corporate and mandatory pension funds with almost $5 trillion in assets under management. That compares with about 25 per cent for pension funds in Europe.
The escalating trade spat between the US and China has heightened fears that stocks are ripe for a downturn. With tensions mounting and outcomes driven more by politics than economics, the S&P 500 Index will be on course for a “full-scale bear market” without Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts, Citigroup’s global macro strategy team said earlier this week.
The increased allocation to equities by growth-market pension funds has come at the expense of fixed-income investments, which declined 11 percentage points over the five years, according to the survey.
Hong Kong funds have the highest exposure to equities at 66 per cent, although that’s been relatively stable over the period. Japan’s equity allocation jumped 13 percentage points while South Korea’s increased 8 percentage points.
The money managers are also directing a higher portion of their funds to assets outside of their home countries. On average, foreign stocks now account for 49 per cent of respondents’ equity investments, 4 percentage points higher than five years ago, while foreign fixed-income exposure climbed 7 percentage points to 23 per cent. Funds in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan are among those seeking greater diversification in stocks and fixed income.
• Bloomberg
