Hundreds of motorists will be charged under Abu Dhabi's road toll system during their morning commutes on Sunday.
The four toll gates, at the entrances to the city, were activated on Saturday and are switched on during peak hours through the week, except on Fridays.
Between the hours of 7am to 9am and 5pm to 6pm, people driving through the gates on Sheikh Khalifa Bridge, Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Al Maqta Bridge and Musaffah Bridge will be charged Dh4. The maximum daily toll fee for a single car is Dh16.
More than 250,000 accounts have been registered for the toll gate system, known as Darb – the Arabic word for "the road that leads to your intended destination".
The number of vehicles on the roads each day has not yet reached its pre-pandemic peak with many people still partially working from home.
A mandatory requirement of a negative PCR test result to enter Abu Dhabi from any other emirate has also led to a decrease in commuters between the emirates.
Abu Dhabi motorists yet to register their vehicles have a grace period of 10 business days before being hit with a fine of Dh100. A Dh200 fine will be imposed for a second offence and Dh400 for a third.
Registration costs Dh100, of which Dh50 will count as credit on the toll gate account.
Abu Dhabi-registered cars that do not have sufficient balance in their accounts can pay their toll gate fee using a post-payment system when initiating any procedure related to vehicle licensing.
A non-Abu Dhabi vehicle with insufficient balance in their account will have five business days to recharge the account or risk being fined.
Motorcycles, school buses, taxis and public buses, civil defence vehicles, police cars, towed vehicles and buses containing 26 passengers or more are exempted from the road toll payments.
People with disabilities are also exempted from paying road tolls, as are UAE nationals aged 60 and above, retired Emiratis, and citizens who are in a limited income category.
The road tolls were introduced as part of government efforts to reduce congestion and encourage people to use public transport.
The system was initially due to start on October 15 last year but was delayed until the start of new year to give commuters more time to prepare for the emirate's first toll.
For more information on how to register or manage your account, visit darb.itc.gov.ae
On Saturday, a park-and-ride service began to give people an alternative way to enter the city.
People can park their cars in designated areas in the suburbs close to Abu Dhabi island and use free public buses to travel within the city.
Hundreds of parking spaces have been allocated in Al Shahama and Mohammed bin Zayed City for commuters.
Each person in a vehicle will be given a maximum of three park-and-ride tickets to use inside the city.
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Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Sheffield Wednesday v Manchester City
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Chelsea v Shrewsbury Town/Liverpool
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The Hindu festival is at once a celebration of the autumn harvest and the triumph of good over evil, as outlined in the Ramayana.
According to the Sanskrit epic, penned by the sage Valmiki, Diwali marks the time that the exiled king Rama – a mortal with superhuman powers – returned home to the city of Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after vanquishing the 10-headed demon Ravana and conquering his kingdom of Lanka. The people of Ayodhya are believed to have lit thousands of earthen lamps to illuminate the city and to guide the royal family home.
In its current iteration, Diwali is celebrated with a puja to welcome the goodness of prosperity Lakshmi (an incarnation of Sita) into the home, which is decorated with diyas (oil lamps) or fairy lights and rangoli designs with coloured powder. Fireworks light up the sky in some parts of the word, and sweetmeats are made (or bought) by most households. It is customary to get new clothes stitched, and visit friends and family to exchange gifts and greetings.
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Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
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Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
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Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 3
Danilo (16'), Bernardo Silva (34'), Fernandinho (72')
Brighton & Hove Albion 1
Ulloa (20')
