Gigantic fires ravaged eastern Algeria overnight on Monday and throughout Tuesday, killing at least 34 people in Kabylie, the centre of the disaster.
Fires were reported in 18 of the country’s 58 districts, ten of them near Tizi Ouzou, one of the most populous cities in Kabylie.
Major fires were also reported in Jijel, Bejaia, Bouira, Guelma, Khenchela and Setif.
Videos and photos shared online showed residents of towns fleeing as fire raged in nearby mountains.
An inhabitant of Larbaa Nath Iraten, a village near Tizi Ouzou, said the fire felt as if it came from nowhere during high winds.
"It took a couple of minutes for the small wildfire to grow and threaten the village," Mohand, who wished only to share his first name, said.
"We had a lot of issues with the evacuation, the army and firemen helped a lot."
Meteorologists said the temperature would reach 46ºC on Tuesday. The country is also struggling with severe water shortages.
No official death toll has been released, but hospital sources confirmed six civilians and three firefighters were dead.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said 25 members of the People's National Army had died while rescuing over 100 people in Bejaia and Tizi Ouzou.
He later tweeted: "As we have won in previous adversities, we will prevail in these, God willing. Our hearts are with everyone who contributed to putting out the fire, as we instructed to take all necessary measures to control and control the situation."
Colonel Farouk Achour, spokesman for Civil Protection, said his department had sent 12 fire engines and mobilised more than 900 men to help stem the fires and protect people and property.
“The Civil Protection has put in place a very significant contingency plan,” Mr Achour said.
“We went from 32 to 56 mobile columns [a type of fire engine], independently of the reinforcement of the capacities of the territorial units, and of the opening of new units on the entire territory. We reinforce this system from year to year,” he said.
Interior and Local Communities Minister Kamel Beldjoud blamed criminal elements for starting the blazes, made worse by a hot, dry summer.
“Only criminal hands can be behind the simultaneous outbreak of 50 fires across several localities in the wilaya (administrative region),” he said.
He noted the similarity of the fires to others recorded elsewhere in the country, such as Khenchela, in the north-east, a month ago.
The fires brought back memories of devastating blazes in Khenchela last year, which scorched several thousand hectares of forests and destroyed more than a third of the area’s apple production.
In Kabylie, a region 90 kilometres east of the capital Algiers, 19 fires broke out at almost the same time, a local Civil Protection official told The National.
Monday was marked by a heat wave exceeding 45°C and high winds, which are elements conducive to the spread of fires. Thick and dry vegetation cover can act as kindling for such fires.
The fires are expected to weaken the government’s fight against the Covid-19 and compound the scarcity of oxygen in hospitals.
In an TV interview on August 8, Mr Tebboune warned the population against rumours spread on social networks, accusing enemy countries and hidden entities of waging a “fourth-generation war against Algeria”.
At the beginning of November 2020, a series of bushfires had ravaged several regions in Algeria and the local press had pointed its finger at Morocco, but without any proof.
Neighbour Tunisia, also suffering from blazes, offered to deploy a helicopter to support firefighting in Algeria. This offer came after a phone call between the Tunisian President Kais Saied and his counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
RECORD%20BREAKER
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PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
The years Ramadan fell in May
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
What is Diwali?
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.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
