Three solar-powered rest areas for delivery riders have been launched in Abu Dhabi to offer crucial respite from the intense summer heat.
The emirate's Joint Committee for Traffic Safety has joined forces with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation and food delivery company Talabat to provide shelter for workers while supporting the county's green goals, under the Summer Together campaign.
The shelters – built locally by Smart Energy Solutions – are air-conditioned and include seating, water dispensers and mobile charging facilities.
They operate 24 hours a day and are equipped with rechargeable batteries, aiming to reduce carbon emissions, as well as featuring a shaded parking area for bikes and an air pump to check tyre pressure.
Air-conditioned mobile buses offering transport to riders will also be rolled out under the scheme.
“The implementation of such initiatives that provide a safe and comfortable work environment for delivery riders positively impacts traffic safety for road users," said Abdulrahman Al Shizawi, head of the safety committee.
"We encourage community members to be patient and kind when dealing with delivery riders on the roads, especially during summer."
Susanne Stulemeijer, Vice President of Communications, Public Affairs and Corporate Responsibility at Talabat, said the partnership aimed to bolster rider safety while encouraging sustainable practices.
“With the UAE spearheading sustainability efforts in the region, we are grateful to build on our ongoing collaboration with the Joint Committee for Traffic Safety and become the first-movers to explore and adopt sustainable solutions for rider safety and wellbeing," Ms Stulemeijer said.
“It is through such joint efforts between the public and private sector that we can set the benchmark and introduce innovative and eco-friendly alternatives. At Talabat, we believe that creating shared value for our communities is a collective responsibility. That is why our rest areas and summer buses are open to all delivery riders.”
In March, Dubai announced plans to establish similar rest areas for delivery riders.
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) issued a tender for the construction of three integrated rest stops in the emirate.
The stations will be on Sheikh Zayed Road near the Festival Plaza at Jebel Ali Village, at Port Saeed next to Al Muraqabat Street 22, and at Ras Al Khor Industrial Area 2 near Al Manama Street.
The aim is to provide basic services for riders such as maintenance, refuelling, rest areas and restaurants.
The RTA will provide educational material about public safety and quality regulation at these sites, it said in a statement.
Boosting rider safety
In June, Abu Dhabi brought in new rules barring delivery bike riders from occupying the left-hand lane – often referred to as the fast lane – on some Abu Dhabi roads.
The Joint Committee for Traffic Safety said that riders must stick to the right-hand lanes on any roads with a speed limit of 100kph or higher, in an effort to boost safety.
In May, Dubai launched the Riders’ Corner Initiative, a welfare scheme to improve the working lives of delivery bikers, offering free periodic health check-ups at Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC).
In collaboration with Clemenceau Medical Centre, Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai and Al Manara Pharmacy, motorcycle delivery riders will be offered health screenings, eye tests and vitamin supplements.
Workers can call in to the Al Razi Medical Complex in Building 64 of DHCC to access the services, receive free water and charge their mobile devices.
Hundreds of riders were expected to use the service over the summer months.
The initiative follows a Dubai Roads and Transport Authority scheme to encourage riders to take regular breaks when on shift, particularly during the hot summer months.
Talabat launches food delivery robots in Dubai - in pictures
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
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Available: Now
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Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Power: 640hp at 8,000rpm
Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: From Dh1 million
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
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Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zayed Sustainability Prize
