DUBAI // Commuters heading in and out of the city were faced with heavy congestion on a number of roads on Thursday morning.
Motorists travelling on Dubai-Al Ain Road experienced bumper-to-bumper traffic from Dubai Silicon Oasis to Nad Al Sheba 1 as well as on the Ras Al Khor Road merging into the Dubai-Al Ain Road, coming into the city.
An accident was reported on the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road around Dubai Silicon Oasis causing backlog next to Liwan before the Dubai-Al Ain Road junction.
Another accident was reported on Sheikh Zayed Road Dubai-bound near Al Quoz Industrial Area 3 and Al Safa 2.
Traffic stopped entirely on Al Wahda Street leading onto the Dubai - Sharjah Road, south-bound, between the Al Taawun interchange and the exit for Al Wuheida Street.
Traffic at a standstill on Al Wahda Street leading onto Duba-Sharjah Road. Courtesy Google Maps
Financial Centre Road experienced heavy traffic going into the city from the Dubai-Hatta Road exit all the way into the Dubai Mall.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road was also heavily congested Abu Dhabi-bound from Sharjah’s industrial area all the way to Dubai’s Al Rashidiya area, next to Dubai International Airport, as well as Al Wahda Street Dubai-bound from Al Taawun area near the Sharjah Expo Centre to Deira, by Dubai’s airport.
Manama Street from Ras Al Khor Industrial Area 3 to the Al Aweer Sewage Plant beyond International City was at a virtual standstill while the Ras Al Khor Road was reportedly heavily congested going into the city from DragonMart to Ras Al Khor Industrial 2, close to the Dubai Creek and Nad Al Hammar.
The service road parallel to Sheikh Zayed Road Abu Dhabi-bound going into Dubai Internet City was also congested while the Business Bay exit in the opposite direction on the highway also witnessed heavy traffic.
South-bound motorists on Sheikh Zayed Road also experienced some traffic from Dubai Canal around Safa Park to Al Safa
Congestion was reported on the Dubai-Hatta Road at the junction between Warsan 3 and Al Warqa 5 while Maliha Road close inbound into Sharjah from the Muwailih Commercial Area to the emirate’s Industrial Area was also bumper-to-bumper.
In Abu Dhabi, heavy traffic was reported on Salam Street going into the capital from the Eastern Mangrove Area to Al Rayhan Area near the Abu Dhabi Police College.
An accident was reported in the same area on the service road parallel to Salam Street as well as on the Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Highway towards the Mina Zayed Port towards the city.
cmalek@thenational.ae
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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May 9, v Malaysia
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May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Samaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
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Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
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MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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Developer: Big Ape Productions
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Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
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England's Ashes squad
Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.
Arabian Gulf League fixtures:
Friday:
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“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
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“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
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Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
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1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
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4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
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The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
