Some areas of Oman experienced flooding on Tuesday as heavy rain and hail fell, and authorities warned people to stay away from wadis and other areas prone to flooding.
Cars were swept away in at least two wadis as water filled the valleys and roads were covered with water. The Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority said it had rescued one person from a wadi in Rustaq in the north of the country.
“A team in the governorate of South Al Batinah managed to rescue a person after he became stuck in Wadi Al Ghashab stream in the wilayat of Rustaq, and he is in good health,” the agency said in a statement.
Oman's Civil Aviation Authority warned people to stay away from wadis and take sensible precautions due to the rainfall, which could reach up to 40 millimetres.
The agency said the bad weather is expected to continue until Wednesday.
Omanis living in Musandam, a region in the northern peninsula, and in the Batinah towns of Shinas and Saham said streets are deserted and roads are empty.
“The rain has started but not heavy at the moment and people are reacting from the television and radio warnings to stay indoors,” Taher Al Suwaidi, 37, a taxi driver from Khasab in Musandam, told The National.
“No one is on the streets and hardly any cars are on the roads. Everyone is taking precautions and expecting the worst.”
The inclement weather comes months after Cyclone Shaheen swept through Oman in early October, killing at least 11 people.
Following the storm, volunteers took to the streets to aid the clean-up process and businesses pledged more than $19.11 million to help those affected.
Tuesday's storm struck the same areas hit by Cyclone Shaheen, including the region of Batinah. In that area, no one is taking the Civil Aviation Authority’s warnings lightly.
“After what we went through in October, everybody here is taking it seriously,” said Abdullah Al Hilali, 29, a teacher in Shinas.
“All the shop shutters are down since the rain started in Shinas. No one is venturing outside, on foot or driving in the last six hours. We hope it will not be as devastating as it was last time.”
Some reported lightning, strong winds and thunder.
“The rain is not strong but the wind is quite strong at the moment,” Fahar Al Balushi, 33, a mechanical engineer in Saham, told The National.
“The lightning is frightening and the thunder is loud. We don’t know what will happen during the night,”
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Match info
Wolves 0
Arsenal 2 (Saka 43', Lacazette 85')
Man of the match: Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal)
Juliot Vinolia’s checklist for adopting alternate-day fasting
- Don’t do it more than once in three days
- Don’t go under 700 calories on fasting days
- Ensure there is sufficient water intake, as the body can go in dehydration mode
- Ensure there is enough roughage (fibre) in the food on fasting days as well
- Do not binge on processed or fatty foods on non-fasting days
- Complement fasting with plant-based foods, fruits, vegetables, seafood. Cut out processed meats and processed carbohydrates
- Manage your sleep
- People with existing gastric or mental health issues should avoid fasting
- Do not fast for prolonged periods without supervision by a qualified expert
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
Fifa%20World%20Cup%20Qatar%202022%20
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MATCH INFO
Newcastle United 2 (Willems 25', Shelvey 88')
Manchester City 2 (Sterling 22', De Bruyne 82')
The Equaliser 2
Director Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Denzel Washington, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo, Ashton Sanders
Three stars
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Racecard
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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