A man receives food, distributed by army troops in the flood-hit area of Rajanpur in Punjab, Pakistan, on August 27. AP
A man receives food, distributed by army troops in the flood-hit area of Rajanpur in Punjab, Pakistan, on August 27. AP
A man receives food, distributed by army troops in the flood-hit area of Rajanpur in Punjab, Pakistan, on August 27. AP
A man receives food, distributed by army troops in the flood-hit area of Rajanpur in Punjab, Pakistan, on August 27. AP


Countries need better infrastructure for climate disasters


  • English
  • Arabic

August 29, 2022

Around the world, the indiscriminate effects of climate change and erratic weather events have been sharply felt over the years. The past few months have been particularly significant. Over the summer, these events have continued to take a devastating, if unequal, toll on human lives. Countries with very different climatic conditions and topographies are bearing a similar burden: the damage control caused by extensive weather-related destruction.

There is a regularity to the reports of deaths and economic and humanitarian distress to people in all four hemispheres of the world. Just this year, the list has included: drought in England, heatwaves in mainland Europe, wildfires over the past two months in Spain, France, Portugal; the floods in parts of Australia; in India and Bangladesh leaving millions homeless; storms and fatal landslides in Brazil; tropical storms in the northern Philippines this month. America witnessed a "once-in-200-years" meteorological event of the Texas floods amid drought; and just in the past few days, the enormity of climate disaster in Sudan and Pakistan is becoming all too clear, where floods have completely upended people's lives and indeed, taken away many.

Dealing with flooding in six states, Sudan has had to declare a state of emergency. According to the UN, the floods have affected 136,000 people, killing 89 people and injuring 40. Drone footage shows villages partially submerged in water. Like many other parts of the world, last year too, Sudan saw similar tragic scenes. Given the regularity of such weather events, be it wild fires or storms, it would seem prudent that individual countries boost their climate preparedness. Stronger infrastructure built to cope with extraordinary weather events can be a critical to save lives and curtail damage.

For the moment, however, responding with the required urgency, the UAE has despatched aid to both the stricken nations that need supplies. President Sheikh Mohamed ordered humanitarian aid worth Dh25 million to be delivered to Sudan and 30 tonnes and 10,000 tents have already been sent, which will be followed by more as a humanitarian air bridge has been declared by the UAE. And like with Sudan, Sheikh Mohamed has ordered 3,000 tonnes of food supplies and other humanitarian aid to be delivered to Pakistan.

The trauma such devastation causes has no easy fix. Indeed, where lives are lost, families are left asunder and often permanently scarred. But despite the magnitude of trauma, rescue operations are greatly benefitted when wealthier nations step up to help nations in need. It is the only appropriate moral response. It was a widely-applauded point made last year at the UN General Assembly by the Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, who in her speech advocated strongly for assistance to developing countries vulnerable to climate change.

In any affected part of the world, aid parcels of food and medical supplies are a lifeline to people whose homes have been washed away and who, in many cases, are effectively without shelter until the airplanes of aid arrive with the crucial cargo of tents.

The gravity of the situation in Pakistan's Sindh province is encapsulated in its rising death toll, which has reached 1,033, due to the breached water levels of the Indus River, Pakistan's longest and most important river. In just the past 24 hours, 119 people in Pakistan have lost their lives and 33 million people – almost 15 per cent of they country's population – have been affected.

As unavoidable as natural calamities are, the images of people struggling to cope with the aftermath of such events should lead countries to not only meet their climate targets – as is likely to be reiterated at the climate summit Cop27 in Egypt in November – but also to allocate more resources to bolster disaster management strategies. This would help countries, no matter in which hemisphere, to be better positioned to effectively respond to inevitable climate disasters. Floods and fires cannot in themselves be prevented. But in a planet growing warmer, the cost of countries being inadequately prepared could, in the years to come, be too high a price to pay.

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

UAE players with central contracts

Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.

ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS

- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns 

- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;

- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces

- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,

- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES

All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated

Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid

Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona

RESULT

Australia 3 (0) Honduras 1 (0)
Australia: Jedinak (53', 72' pen, 85' pen)
Honduras: Elis (90 4)

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Key developments in maritime dispute

2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier. 

2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus

2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.

2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.

2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.

In Search of Mary Shelley: The Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein
By Fiona Sampson
Profile

The biog

Name: Gul Raziq

From: Charsadda, Pakistan

Family: Wife and six children

Favourite holes at Al Ghazal: 15 and 8

Golf Handicap: 6

Childhood sport: cricket 

Don't get fined

The UAE FTA requires following to be kept:

  • Records of all supplies and imports of goods and services
  • All tax invoices and tax credit notes
  • Alternative documents related to receiving goods or services
  • All tax invoices and tax credit notes
  • Alternative documents issued
  • Records of goods and services that have been disposed of or used for matters not related to business
MATCH INFO

Europa League final

Marseille 0

Atletico Madrid 3
Greizmann (21', 49'), Gabi (89')

The Baghdad Clock

Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld

The biog

Favourite Emirati dish: Fish machboos

Favourite spice: Cumin

Family: mother, three sisters, three brothers and a two-year-old daughter

The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders
Stuart Kells, Counterpoint Press

RESULT

Uruguay 3 Russia 0
Uruguay:
 Suárez (10'), Cheryshev (23' og), Cavani (90')
Russia: Smolnikov (Red card: 36')

Man of the match: Diego Godin (Uruguay)

How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Bugatti Chiron Super Sport - the specs:

Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16 

Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto 

Power: 1,600hp

Torque: 1,600Nm

0-100kph in 2.4seconds

0-200kph in 5.8 seconds

0-300kph in 12.1 seconds

Top speed: 440kph

Price: Dh13,200,000

Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport - the specs:

Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16 

Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto 

Power: 1,500hp

Torque: 1,600Nm

0-100kph in 2.3 seconds

0-200kph in 5.5 seconds

0-300kph in 11.8 seconds

Top speed: 350kph

Price: Dh13,600,000

Barings Bank

 Barings, one of Britain’s oldest investment banks, was
founded in 1762 and operated for 233 years before it went bust after a trading
scandal. 

Barings Bank collapsed in February 1995 following colossal
losses caused by rogue trader Nick Lesson. 

Leeson gambled more than $1 billion in speculative trades,
wiping out the venerable merchant bank’s cash reserves.  

'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'

Rating: 1 out of 4

Running time: 81 minutes

Director: David Blue Garcia

Starring: Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Mark Burnham

Results

2.30pm: Dubai Creek Tower – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m; Winner: Marmara Xm, Gary Sanchez (jockey), Abdelkhir Adam (trainer)

3pm: Al Yasmeen – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: AS Hajez, Jesus Rosales, Khalifa Al Neyadi

3.30pm: Al Ferdous – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: Soukainah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout

4pm: The Crown Prince Of Sharjah – Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: AF Thayer, Ray Dawson, Ernst Oertel

4.30pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup – Handicap (TB) Dh200,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: George Villiers, Antonio Fresu, Bhupat Seemar

5pm: Palma Spring – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Es Abu Mousa, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud

Abramovich London

A Kensington Palace Gardens house with 15 bedrooms is valued at more than £150 million.

A three-storey penthouse at Chelsea Waterfront bought for £22 million.

Steel company Evraz drops more than 10 per cent in trading after UK officials said it was potentially supplying the Russian military.

Sale of Chelsea Football Club is now impossible.

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Bullet%20Train
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Updated: August 29, 2022, 2:00 AM`