Police have issued a stark road safety warning to motorists as the country gears up for the start of the new school year.
Thousands of extra vehicles will hit the roads on Sunday as parents across the UAE attempt to ferry their children to class on time.
The huge increase in volume of traffic often leads to major congestion as well as a spike in numbers of accidents.
But authorities warned patrolling officers would be on hand to target those choosing to ignore road safety, putting innocent lives in danger.
“Children are particularly at risk as they’re driven to school on Sunday,” said Major General Mohammed Saif Al Zafeen, assistant chief of Dubai Police.
“That’s why we’re launching this road safety campaign. We want to reach out to schools, bus drivers and parents to spread awareness about the type of bad driving which causes accidents.”
Across the Emirates this Sunday, more than half a million children will begin the new school year.
In Dubai, some 280,000 pupils from 182 nationalities will be dropped off at the school gates of close to 200 schools, while in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra, a further 241,000 children will make their way to class.
As part of efforts to police such a busy period, Maj Gen Mohammed Saif Al Zafeen revealed more officers would be drafted in to monitor road networks.
He urged parent drivers to be more aware of pedestrian crossings outside schools, and not to let young children sit in the front passenger seat of cars.
Additionally, he announced a ban on the use of minibuses to take children to school, citing concerns over their safety record.
“Minibuses have long been an issue due to their low safety standards,” he said. “Parents must also take responsibility on Sunday and avoid parking outside congested school entrances making it difficult to see pedestrians.
“This is a critical point and it’s highly important for their children’s safety.”
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Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Maj Gen Mohammed Saif Al Zafeen went on to outline efforts to improve the road safety record of school buses.
He also said the number of tickets issued to motorists for unsafe driving in school zones last year was far too high, as was the number of instances where young children had been found sitting in the front passenger seat.
Figures released by the Federal Traffic Council (FTC) showed 473 school bus drivers were fined for ignoring stop signs in 2017.
A further 87 were reported for failing to use the stop sign indicator attached to sides of vehicles to alert passing motorists and more than 2,600 fines were issued to drivers with children in the front seat. “Discipline is a must for school bus drivers,” he added.
As authorities unveiled plans to improve road safety, parents of school children in Sharjah said they were dreading Sunday’s school run due to major roadworks in the Muwaileh area.
They claimed ongoing construction work combined with the first day of term would inevitably lead to tailbacks, gridlock and long delays.
One exit on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed road, which leads to schools in Sharjah’s Industrial area 13, has been closed to traffic. Another, on Al Dhaid road, has also been shut.
“When schools start the delays caused by road closures can become intolerable,” said Jumana Ala, a mother of a first grader.
Shireen Younis, a mother-of-three, added that the closure of the exit at Al Dhaid had completely confused her recently, leaving her completely lost.
“I followed the detour but shortly after no signs were available and I found myself somewhere I didn’t know,” she said. “I had to turn on Sat Nav to find an alternative route.”
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.
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Duterte Harry: Fire and Fury in the Philippines
Jonathan Miller, Scribe Publications
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
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Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows
Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.
Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.
The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.
After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.
The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.
The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.
But the development of 732 villas and a shopping centre - which began in 2014 - is now in limbo as Sarot Group has sought bankruptcy protection.
It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
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