Muzmil Salah has been charging his mobile phone at a nearby grocery store, where the owner uses solar panels to generate electricity. When Mr Salah wants to call or text, he often runs to the roof of his Khartoum home to find signal.
But that is not the most difficult issue he has had to face since returning to his home two weeks ago from Kassala, in eastern Sudan. He and his family had fled there to escape the war between the country's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
"It's terrifying at night. Homes and streets are engulfed in total darkness. I never leave home after sunset," Mr Salah says.
He insists he will only bring his family back from Kassala once he repairs his war-damaged home, replaces his looted furniture and electrical appliances and, perhaps most importantly, feels that security has improved sufficiently.
A lack of state-supplied electricity is one of many hardships he has endured, alongside the tens of thousands of Sudanese who have returned to the capital after being displaced abroad or elsewhere in Sudan.
Other challenges include the absence of running water, sky-high food prices, scarce healthcare services and a precarious security situation. The RSF still holds positions on the fringes of the capital, from which long-range artillery is occasionally launched at the Nile-side city.
"I am not sure you will actually get this voice note. My battery is at 18 per cent and the signal is very bad. I may have to run up to the roof to send it," Mr Salah tells The National.
Of Sudan's estimated population of 50 million, at least 13 million have been displaced by the war, according to UN figures. These include about three million who have taken refuge abroad, mostly in neighbouring Egypt, Chad, the Central African Republic and South Sudan.
Recent battlefield victories restored the army's control of the capital's three sister cities – Khartoum, Bahri and Omdurman – and the central, agriculture-rich region of Al Jazirah, south of the capital.
The RSF continues to control all of the vast western region of Darfur, apart from the city of El Fasher, as well as parts of Kordofan to the south-west and the southern Blue Nile area.
There are no reliable figures for the number of displaced Sudanese who have returned home, but they are thought to be in the tens of thousands. In many cases, men return on their own to determine whether it is safe enough for their families to return.
They had fled to escape dangers including artillery and rocket fire, street battles and air strikes.
Since the war began in April 2023, the RSF has been accused of looting, assaulting civilians, torture and arbitrary arrests in the capital. In some cases, the paramilitary's fighters stand accused of killing civilians. Likewise, the army and its allied militias also face allegations of abuse or war crimes. They have been accused of execution-style killings of suspected RSF members or sympathisers in areas of the capital taken back from the RSF.
The US has imposed sanctions on both army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and RSF commander Gen Mohamed Dagalo.
Sudanese who returned to Khartoum have found a city that bears the scars of war, from the charred skeletons of cars, damaged buildings and streets strewn with debris.
"My home has been stripped of its windows, doors, water tank, furniture and the kitchen," says Ali Siddiq, a lecturer at Bahri university who has returned to his home in the Khartoum district of Burri. He lived in Egypt with his family for nearly two years.
"The house's walls need restoration, but it's financially difficult for me at the moment to do the repairs," he adds.
"Most markets in my area are shut and my neighbours haven't come back. The city is deserted, mostly damaged. It's terrifying to live here."
Others, including Ezzedeen Youssef from Khartoum's Al Qadissiya district, are so shocked by the conditions in the city that they have urged friends and family to stay away.
Mukhtar Mohammed, from Khartoum's Al Azhary district, says families with small children or elderly relatives should not return because of the lack of healthcare services.
"There's also the harassment we face at army checkpoints," Mr Ezzedeen adds. "They ask too many questions, many of them unnecessary."
Al Shafie Ahmed reported from Kampala, Uganda
The Uefa Awards winners
Uefa Men's Player of the Year: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Uefa Women's Player of the Year: Lucy Bronze (Lyon)
Best players of the 2018/19 Uefa Champions League
Goalkeeper: Alisson (Liverpool)
Defender: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Midfielder: Frenkie de Jong (Ajax)
Forward: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Uefa President's Award: Eric Cantona
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Scores in brief:
- New Medical Centre 129-5 in 17 overs bt Zayed Cricket Academy 125-6 in 20 overs.
- William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana 188-8 in 20 overs bt One Stop Tourism 184-8 in 20 overs
- Alubond Tigers 138-7 in 20 overs bt United Bank Limited 132-7 in 20 overs
- Multiplex 142-6 in 17 overs bt Xconcepts Automobili 140 all out in 20 overs
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
Key changes
Commission caps
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
World Cup final
Who: France v Croatia
When: Sunday, July 15, 7pm (UAE)
TV: Game will be shown live on BeIN Sports for viewers in the Mena region
