Emergency workers were on Monday searching for seven missing people including five children feared trapped in a mudslide caused by heavy rain in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu after Cyclone Fengal hit.
At least 19 people have been killed across India and Sri Lanka after the ferocious storm made landfall in Tamil Nadu state, where three people died. In Sri Lanka, 16 people were killed, with heavy rain affecting more than 130,000 families and nearly 470,000 people taking shelter in temporary relief camps, the Disaster Management Centre in Colombo said.
The cyclone had been brewing over the Bay of Bengal for the past week and moved further into the Indian Ocean, bringing intense rainfall in the southern state – up to 560mm – causing severe flooding.
The territory of Puducherry, a former French colony, was deluged with 460mm of rain, the heaviest rainfall in three decades, local government officials said, prompting the deployment of the army and disaster response force to evacuate stranded people from inundated streets.
Emergency workers were scouring the site of a mudslide after seven were reported missing when a huge rock and mud crashed on to a house in the foothills in Chidambaram Nagar, in the Tiruvannamalai district of Tamil Nadu late on Sunday.
The missing were identified as Rajkumar, 30, his wife, 24, their two young children and three children of their relatives.
"The heavy rain has loosened the soil, causing the boulder to fall. Rescue operations are continuing despite challenging weather conditions," said Bhaskar Pandian, senior district officer.
The cyclone weakened into a low pressure weather system as it moved further inland, bringing thunderstorms.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned of heavy rain in Tamil Nadu and the neighbouring states of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka for the next 48 hours.
Many roads and bridges were flooded and nearly 50 trains were disrupted or cancelled on Monday. Authorities in several districts in the southern states closed schools and educational institutions, as weather officials said flash flooding was a danger. Relief and restoration work was under way.
“The cyclone effect will continue as it moves from east to west, possibly reaching the Arabian Sea,” said Rajavel Manickam of the IMD. Similar conditions are expected all week, he added.
Cyclones are a regular feature in the Bay of Bengal and the northern Indian Ocean. Scientists warn that such storms are becoming more frequent and powerful as the world heats up due to climate change driven by burning fossil fuels.
Cyclone Fengal formed in the wake of Dana, which hit India’s east coast in October. It is the fourth cyclonic storm to hit India this year.
India’s coastline on the Bay of Bengal – the largest bay in the world – is a hotbed of tropical cyclones and is prone to extreme climatic events. Eight of the 10 deadliest cyclones on record have originated over the bay in the past two decades, according to Weather Underground.
However, recent advancements in weather forecasting and cyclone warning systems have helped authorities to carry out mass evacuations before storms make landfall.
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
- Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs
- Thursday 20 January: v England
- Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad:
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith
Tell Me Who I Am
Director: Ed Perkins
Stars: Alex and Marcus Lewis
Four stars
'Operation Mincemeat'
Director: John Madden
Cast: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfayden, Kelly Macdonald and Penelope Wilton
Rating: 4/5
Company name: Play:Date
Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day
Founder: Shamim Kassibawi
Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US
Sector: Tech
Size: 20 employees
Stage of funding: Seed
Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund
Recipe: Spirulina Coconut Brothie
Ingredients
1 tbsp Spirulina powder
1 banana
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (full fat preferable)
1 tbsp fresh turmeric or turmeric powder
½ cup fresh spinach leaves
½ cup vegan broth
2 crushed ice cubes (optional)
Method
Blend all the ingredients together on high in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Tomb%20Raider%20I%E2%80%93III%20Remastered
%3Cp%3EDeveloper%3A%20Aspyr%0D%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Aspyr%0D%3Cbr%3EConsole%3A%20Nintendo%20Switch%2C%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20series%20X%2FS%0D%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20Tabby%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%20August%202019%3B%20platform%20went%20live%20in%20February%202020%3Cbr%3EFounder%2FCEO%3A%20Hosam%20Arab%2C%20co-founder%3A%20Daniil%20Barkalov%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Payments%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%2040-50%20employees%3Cbr%3EStage%3A%20Series%20A%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Arbor%20Ventures%2C%20Mubadala%20Capital%2C%20Wamda%20Capital%2C%20STV%2C%20Raed%20Ventures%2C%20Global%20Founders%20Capital%2C%20JIMCO%2C%20Global%20Ventures%2C%20Venture%20Souq%2C%20Outliers%20VC%2C%20MSA%20Capital%2C%20HOF%20and%20AB%20Accelerator.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Burnley 0
Man City 3
Raheem Sterling 35', 49'
Ferran Torres 65'
