• The Expo 2020 station that will open up in June on the Expo 2020 Metro Red Line. All photos courtesy RTA
    The Expo 2020 station that will open up in June on the Expo 2020 Metro Red Line. All photos courtesy RTA
  • The Dubai Investment Park Station is the second to open.
    The Dubai Investment Park Station is the second to open.
  • Both stations can be used by all metro users once the Expo officially opens.
    Both stations can be used by all metro users once the Expo officially opens.

Two stations on Dubai Metro Expo 2020 route to open on June 1


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  • Arabic

Dubai Investments Park and Expo 2020 metro stations will be open on Route 2020 of the Metro Red Line from June 1.

The long-awaited move means trains will shuttle directly between Al Rashidiya metro station and the Expo 2020 station from this date.

Jebel Ali Station will be an interchange station for those heading to or coming from UAE Exchange Station – the last stop on the Red Line, the Roads and Transport Authority said.

But only those with clearance to access the Expo site in Dubai South will be permitted to use the two until the official opening of the World Fair in October.

The RTA announced the move on Saturday and said the underground Jumeirah Golf Estates station on the Expo route will open to coincide with the event’s launch in October.

“The opening of the two stations on Route 2020 concurs with the start of the countdown of Dubai’s hosting of Expo 2020,” said Mattar Al Tayer, director general of the RTA.

“It follows the successful completion of all tests relating to the performance efficiency and safety of the rail systems.”

Travel time between Al Rashidiya and Expo 2020 stations will be an hour and 14 minutes.

The frequency of trains will be two minutes and 28 seconds during peak hours on the main line between the Al Rashidiya and Expo 2020 route.

The new route serves districts populated by 270,000 people.

  • Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed touring the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
    Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed touring the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
  • Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed visited the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
    Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed visited the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
  • Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed snapped a few pictures in Al Wasl Plaza, the Expo’s central hub. Courtesy, WAM
    Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed snapped a few pictures in Al Wasl Plaza, the Expo’s central hub. Courtesy, WAM
  • Marjan Faraidooni, Chief Experience Officer of Expo 2020 Dubai, briefed Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed on the event as they toured the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
    Marjan Faraidooni, Chief Experience Officer of Expo 2020 Dubai, briefed Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed on the event as they toured the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
  • Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed admiring one of the displays inside Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion on his tour of the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
    Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed admiring one of the displays inside Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion on his tour of the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
  • Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed touring the Terra - Sustainabilitiy Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
    Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed touring the Terra - Sustainabilitiy Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
  • Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed touring Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
    Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed touring Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
  • Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed touring Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
    Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed touring Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
  • Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed touring Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
    Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed touring Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
  • Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion at Expo 2020. Courtesy, WAM
    Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion at Expo 2020. Courtesy, WAM
  • Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
    Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
  • Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM
    Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site. Courtesy, WAM

The two new stations were launched six months after the opening of Route 2020. The seven stations on the route are: Jebel Ali Station; The Gardens Station; Discovery Gardens Station; Al Furjan Station; Jumeirah Golf Estates Station; Dubai Investments Park Station; and Expo Station.

Only Jebel Ali; The Gardens; Discovery Gardens; and Al Furjan are open to the public for now.

Twenty-four trains with a capacity of 16,000 passengers will ply every hour in each direction during peak hours between Al Rashidiya and the Expo stations.

RTA studies show the Expo station will record about 35,000 daily visitors to the World Fair during weekdays with the numbers rising to 47,000 daily visitors at the weekend.

Travellers on the metro will account for 29 per cent of the expected daily visitors.

Route 2020. Ramon Peñas / The National
Route 2020. Ramon Peñas / The National

The Expo 2020 Station has a design resembling the wings of a plane to symbolise Dubai's innovation drive.

With three boarding platforms, the station will serve 29,000 passengers every hour during the peak hours and about 522,000 people per day.

It is linked with six bus stops, 20 taxi stands and four parking slots for people of determination.

The Dubai Investments Park station is underground with two platforms, four bus spots, 20 taxi stands and two parking slots for people with special needs.

It can accommodate 13,899 travellers per hour during the peak and 250,000 riders per day.

Jumeirah Golf Estates station is the biggest underground metro station across the metro network.

It has the capacity to handle 11,555 people an hour during peak travel and about 250,000 riders a day.

The RTA also announced the schedule for services from June, with the first train leaving Al Rashidiya and the Expo 2020 stations at 5am from Saturday to Wednesday and the last journey will be at midnight.

On Thursday, the first train will leave at 5am and the last at 1.30am the next day. The schedule for Friday is from 10am to 1.30am the next day.

The Green line service will begin at 5am with a frequency of five minutes during peak hours.

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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg

Ajax v Real Madrid, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

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%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3ENever%20click%20on%20links%20provided%20via%20app%20or%20SMS%2C%20even%20if%20they%20seem%20to%20come%20from%20authorised%20senders%20at%20first%20glance%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EAlways%20double-check%20the%20authenticity%20of%20websites%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EEnable%20Two-Factor%20Authentication%20(2FA)%20for%20all%20your%20working%20and%20personal%20services%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EOnly%20use%20official%20links%20published%20by%20the%20respective%20entity%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EDouble-check%20the%20web%20addresses%20to%20reduce%20exposure%20to%20fake%20sites%20created%20with%20domain%20names%20containing%20spelling%20errors%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
Countries recognising Palestine

France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra

 

Dhadak 2

Director: Shazia Iqbal

Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri 

Rating: 1/5

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

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Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

Company Profile

Company name: NutriCal

Started: 2019

Founder: Soniya Ashar

Based: Dubai

Industry: Food Technology

Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount

Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia

Total Clients: Over 50

Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites

The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.

It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.

“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.

The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

Skoda Superb Specs

Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol

Power: 190hp

Torque: 320Nm

Price: From Dh147,000

Available: Now

The Lowdown

Us

Director: Jordan Peele

Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseqph, Evan Alex and Elisabeth Moss

Rating: 4/5

PROFILE OF INVYGO

Started: 2018

Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo

Based: Dubai

Sector: Transport

Size: 9 employees

Investment: $1,275,000

Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri

MOTHER%20OF%20STRANGERS
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Suad%20Amiry%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Pantheon%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20304%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

The Breadwinner

Director: Nora Twomey

Starring: Saara Chaudry,  Soma Chhaya,  Laara Sadiq 

Three stars

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Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20Tabby%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%20August%202019%3B%20platform%20went%20live%20in%20February%202020%3Cbr%3EFounder%2FCEO%3A%20Hosam%20Arab%2C%20co-founder%3A%20Daniil%20Barkalov%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Payments%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%2040-50%20employees%3Cbr%3EStage%3A%20Series%20A%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Arbor%20Ventures%2C%20Mubadala%20Capital%2C%20Wamda%20Capital%2C%20STV%2C%20Raed%20Ventures%2C%20Global%20Founders%20Capital%2C%20JIMCO%2C%20Global%20Ventures%2C%20Venture%20Souq%2C%20Outliers%20VC%2C%20MSA%20Capital%2C%20HOF%20and%20AB%20Accelerator.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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

ESSENTIALS

The flights 
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes. 
Where to stay 
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.

THE%20HOLDOVERS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlexander%20Payne%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Paul%20Giamatti%2C%20Da'Vine%20Joy%20Randolph%2C%20Dominic%20Sessa%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Baby Driver

Director: Edgar Wright

Starring: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Lily James

Three and a half stars

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alex%20Garland%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Kirsten%20Dunst%2C%20Cailee%20Spaeny%2C%20Wagner%20Moura%2C%20Nick%20Offerman%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
It's up to you to go green

Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.

“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”

When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.

He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.

“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.

One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.  

The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.

Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.

But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”