Rescue teams in Oman helped dozens of people to leave their homes in coastal areas on Sunday as Cyclone Shaheen disrupted electricity and water supplies.
A child drowned in the rising waters on Sunday afternoon while authorities said a man previously reported missing had also drowned.
Oman's National Committee for Emergency Management also said that rescue teams pulled the bodies of two men from their home after it was hit by a landslide in the Rusayl industrial area of Muscat province.
In Iran, state television said rescuers found the body of one of five fishermen who went missing off Pasabandar, a fishing village near the Iran's border with Pakistan.
The storm made landfall on Sunday evening, the state news agency reported. Widespread flooding had already damaged commercial and residential properties.
“Cyclone Shaheen has moved away from Muscat and it is making a landfall in Batnah towns, with high wind speeds causing rough seas. People there are cautioned to stay at home unless it is necessary to go out,” Oman's Civil Aviation Authority said in an update broadcast on Oman TV.
People who are living in houses near the beach were being evacuated to shelters set up by the emergency services, the state broadcaster said.
But not everybody was willing to move out, with some choosing to stay in their residences.
“We are not going anyway. We are staying home. It is bad but we will be OK if we stay on the upper floor. The water will not rise up there,” Khamis Al Anboori, who lives in Khaboora, told The National.
Schools and shopping malls have been turned into shelters with evacuated people taking their mattresses and blankets.
“We get free food and drink here but hopefully we will be back home some time tomorrow,” said Ali Al Bahrani, in Sohar.
Oman declared a two-day national holiday on Sunday and Monday, urging people to stay indoors as waves hitting the coast rose to 12 metres and wind speeds reached 120 kilometres per hour.
Muscat International Airport said inbound and outbound flights were being put on hold.
“We are rescheduling flights, both departures and arrivals, according to the weather forecasts. Most of the scheduled flights have been suspended today because of the strong winds and rains” a spokesman for Oman Airports Management Company told The National.
“We are monitoring the situation and following the weather update from the Civil Aviation Authority to decide on the flight movements.”
Hospitals are receiving many injured people, officials said.
“The emergency facilities of hospitals are on high alert and medical staff are receiving many people who have been injured in the storm. The causes of the injuries range from a fall, car accidents, objects falling on victims and injuries caused in the floods,” Oman TV said.
Our labour camp is gone. The police evacuated us to shelters at two in the morning
Shaji Rajpur,
Indian worker
Swathi Suresh, a 28-year-old resident of Muscat, told The National the Omani authorities were much better prepared than they were before the 2007 Gonu cyclone — an extremely powerful storm that became the strongest cyclone on record in the Arabian Sea.
“The evacuation procedures were smooth. Timely updates and protocols also were implemented well,” she said. “Lots of relief centres and shelters popped up. Civilians are helping out too.”
Tourist resort of Muttrah hit hard by extreme weather
The popular tourist seafront town of Muttrah is one of the worst-affected areas so far.
Police have urged people living or holidaying there to flee to shelters set up by rescue services.
Omani television said about 120 people had been moved to shelters in the past 12 hours, with some flown by helicopter from their flooded homes.
“The roads in Muttrah are completely flooded with seawater and water which has moved into the shops. Cars are stranded and my cousin spent the whole night in his vehicle because the road was completely blocked with water,” Mohammed Ali Dharamsi, an Indian shopkeeper in Muttah, told The National.
The government has suspended bus services, closed seafront areas and asked all businesses to close until further notice.
Witnesses said wadis have overflowed, causing extensive damage to residential areas.
“Cars parked on the streets are covered with rain water, two electricity poles are down and the whole street has no lights. We called the emergency services but it is difficult for them to recover electricity because the rain has not stopped,” Said Al Hinawi, a resident of Barkah in the Batnah region, told The National.
Dozens more were evacuated from the flowing wadis in Sohar as strong currents swept away almost everything in their path.
“Our labour camp is gone. The police evacuated us to shelters at two in the morning. We have lost all our possessions when the wadi water came in flooding our camp,” Shaji Rajpur, an Indian construction worker in Sohar, told The National.
The health ministry has put the country on national alert, preparing all hospitals and medical workers for the worst-case scenario.
“The Ministry of Health has completed all the preparedness procedures of all health institutions to deal with the tropical conditions,” it said. “All our hospitals, clinics and medical workers are on high alert to deal with emergency situations.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Your Guide to the Home
- Level 1 has a valet service if you choose not to park in the basement level. This level houses all the kitchenware, including covetable brand French Bull, along with a wide array of outdoor furnishings, lamps and lighting solutions, textiles like curtains, towels, cushions and bedding, and plenty of other home accessories.
- Level 2 features curated inspiration zones and solutions for bedrooms, living rooms and dining spaces. This is also where you’d go to customise your sofas and beds, and pick and choose from more than a dozen mattress options.
- Level 3 features The Home’s “man cave” set-up and a display of industrial and rustic furnishings. This level also has a mother’s room, a play area for children with staff to watch over the kids, furniture for nurseries and children’s rooms, and the store’s design studio.
Scores in brief:
Boost Defenders 205-5 in 20 overs
(Colin Ingram 84 not out, Cameron Delport 36, William Somerville 2-28)
bt Auckland Aces 170 for 5 in 20 overs
(Rob O’Donnell 67 not out, Kyle Abbott 3-21).
2024%20Dubai%20Marathon%20Results
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
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ABU%20DHABI'S%20KEY%20TOURISM%20GOALS%3A%20BY%20THE%20NUMBERS
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Company%20Profile
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New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
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)
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
SPECS
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Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
Players Selected for La Liga Trials
U18 Age Group
Name: Ahmed Salam (Malaga)
Position: Right Wing
Nationality: Jordanian
Name: Yahia Iraqi (Malaga)
Position: Left Wing
Nationality: Morocco
Name: Mohammed Bouherrafa (Almeria)
Position: Centre-Midfield
Nationality: French
Name: Mohammed Rajeh (Cadiz)
Position: Striker
Nationality: Jordanian
U16 Age Group
Name: Mehdi Elkhamlichi (Malaga)
Position: Lead Striker
Nationality: Morocco
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20Z%20FOLD%204
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Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
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White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
The biog
Favourite car: Ferrari
Likes the colour: Black
Best movie: Avatar
Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy
