Aguirre's daunting Barca trip



MADRID // After three defeats in a week and calls from fans for coach Javier Aguirre to be sacked, Atletico Madrid face a daunting trip to Barcelona for tonight's King's Cup last 16 second leg needing to overturn a 3-1 deficit. Barca humbled Atletico in the first leg last Tuesday thanks to a superb hat-trick from Lionel Messi and the Argentine forward was on target again on Sunday, hitting the winner in the 3-2 Primera Liga win at Osasuna.

The Atletico players have rallied around Aguirre. The goalkeeper Leo Franco said criticism from fans after Sunday's 3-2 home loss to Athletic Bilbao was unfair while the defender Antonio Lopez called for patience. "The players are the ones who are to blame because he [Aguirre] is not out there on the pitch," Franco said. "We need to try to get back on the winning trail and then I am sure the cat calls directed at the coach will stop."

Atletico's task of stopping Messi and Barca's other prolific forwards, including the league's top scorer Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry, will be complicated by the absence of banned defender John Heitinga. Sevilla travel to Deportivo La Coruna with a 2-1 lead from the first leg. Holders Valencia host Racing Santander level at 1-1 and Real Valladolid need to reverse a 3-1 loss at Sporting Gijon.

Struggling Real Mallorca will be defending a 3-1 advantage at Almeria. Osasuna, currently bottom of the league, and Athletic Bilbao are tied at 1-1. There are two non-Primera Liga teams left in the competition, Segunda B sides Poli Ejido and Real Union, conquerors of Real Madrid in the previous round. Ejido travel to Barcelona looking to defend a 3-2 advantage over Espanyol while Union play Real Betis trailing 1-0.

* Reuters

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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Profile

Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari

Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.

Number of employees: Over 50

Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised

Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital 

Sector of operation: Transport

Napoleon
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The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Power: 268bhp / 536bhp
Torque: 343Nm / 686Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
On sale: Later this year
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Company profile

Name: Steppi

Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic

Launched: February 2020

Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year

Employees: Five

Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai

Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings

Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year

Water waste

In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.

Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.

A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.

The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20profile
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Thank You for Banking with Us

Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

Landfill in numbers

• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane

• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming

• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi

• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year

• 20,000 litres of cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi’s cafeterias and restaurants every day is thrown away

• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition

Pad Man

Dir: R Balki

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte

Three-and-a-half stars

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.


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