Indian mechanical engineer Shahabaz, who lives in Qatar, won Dh1,000,000. Photo: Mahzooz
Indian mechanical engineer Shahabaz, who lives in Qatar, won Dh1,000,000. Photo: Mahzooz
Indian mechanical engineer Shahabaz, who lives in Qatar, won Dh1,000,000. Photo: Mahzooz
Indian mechanical engineer Shahabaz, who lives in Qatar, won Dh1,000,000. Photo: Mahzooz

Two winners in Qatar scoop Dh1 million each in Mahzooz draws


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Two Indians who live in Qatar were the latest winners in Mahzooz's weekly draws.

Mahzooz updated its prize structure in March so that one player each week is guaranteed to win Dh1,000,000 ($272,000). It also doubled the value of its top prize to Dh20,000,000.

In the most recent draw on March 6, mechanical engineer Shahabaz won Dh1,000,000.

He has played the game regularly for two years and was watching the draw live in Qatar when his name was drawn.

“I watched the live draw online along with my friends and was blown away when I saw my name on the screen,” he said.

His wife, who is studying for her master's degree in India, was the first to congratulate him by phone.

“Thank you, Mahzooz, for this great moment and for helping me secure my family’s future,” said Shahabaz.

Indian oil & gas supervisor Sumair, 36, Dh1,000,000 in the Mahzooz draw. Mahzooz
Indian oil & gas supervisor Sumair, 36, Dh1,000,000 in the Mahzooz draw. Mahzooz

Indian oil and gas supervisor Sumair won Dh1,000,000 in the previous week's draw.

Sumair lived in the UAE from 2014 until 2020. After being laid off from his consultancy job during the pandemic, he returned to India, before accepting a job in Qatar last year. He has taken part in the Mahzooz draw since 2021.

He frequently works at sea and adds Dh250 to his Mahzooz credit each week to make sure he is entered in the draw.

“This is awesome, really awesome and it comes at the right time, as I was seriously considering buying a property,” he said.

“When I informed my wife of my win, she was sceptical at first, but when I sent her a screenshot of my Mahzooz account balance, she believed me.”

He said he planned to donate Dh100,000 of his windfall to charity.

The weekly draw every Saturday consists of a draw with a chance to win the top prize of Dh20,000,000 ($5.4 million) and a weekly raffle draw that ensures one entrant will win at least Dh1,000,000.

In April, Nepali driver Padam Bahadur, 41, went from earning a monthly salary of Dh5,700 to winning the top prize.

He said he planned to use the money to pay for his 12-year-old daughter’s education, build a house and invest in a business in his home country, as well as pay off credit card debt.

In November, an Indian mechanical engineer who worked for a steel company in Kuwait went from earning 177 Kuwaiti dinars ($574) a month to being a multimillionaire overnight, after scooping the jackpot.

Dalip, 48, a father of three, said he planned to retire from his job in January this year.

Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How Voiss turns words to speech

The device has a screen reader or software that monitors what happens on the screen

The screen reader sends the text to the speech synthesiser

This converts to audio whatever it receives from screen reader, so the person can hear what is happening on the screen

A VOISS computer costs between $200 and $250 depending on memory card capacity that ranges from 32GB to 128GB

The speech synthesisers VOISS develops are free

Subsequent computer versions will include improvements such as wireless keyboards

Arabic voice in affordable talking computer to be added next year to English, Portuguese, and Spanish synthesiser

Partnerships planned during Expo 2020 Dubai to add more languages

At least 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment or blindness

More than 90 per cent live in developing countries

The Long-term aim of VOISS to reach the technology to people in poor countries with workshops that teach them to build their own device

SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202-litre%204-cylinder%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E268hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E380Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh208%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Audi RS5

Price, base: Dh359,200

Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm

Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km

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Play-off fixtures

Two-legged ties to be played November 9-11 and November 12-14

 

  • Northern Ireland v Switzerland
  • Croatia v Greece
  • Denmark v Ireland
  • Sweden v Italy
What are the main cyber security threats?

Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.

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

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2A)
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Water waste

In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.

Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.

A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.

The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net

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)
Company profile

Name: Infinite8

Based: Dubai

Launch year: 2017

Number of employees: 90

Sector: Online gaming industry

Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor

Find the right policy for you

Don’t wait until the week you fly to sign up for insurance – get it when you book your trip. Insurance covers you for cancellation and anything else that can go wrong before you leave.

Some insurers, such as World Nomads, allow you to book once you are travelling – but, as Mr Mohammed found out, pre-existing medical conditions are not covered.

Check your credit card before booking insurance to see if you have any travel insurance as a benefit – most UAE banks, such as Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, have cards that throw in insurance as part of their package. But read the fine print – they may only cover emergencies while you’re travelling, not cancellation before a trip.

Pre-existing medical conditions such as a heart condition, diabetes, epilepsy and even asthma may not be included as standard. Again, check the terms, exclusions and limitations of any insurance carefully.

If you want trip cancellation or curtailment, baggage loss or delay covered, you may need a higher-grade plan, says Ambareen Musa of Souqalmal.com. Decide how much coverage you need for emergency medical expenses or personal liability. Premium insurance packages give up to $1 million (Dh3.7m) in each category, Ms Musa adds.

Don’t wait for days to call your insurer if you need to make a claim. You may be required to notify them within 72 hours. Gather together all receipts, emails and reports to prove that you paid for something, that you didn’t use it and that you did not get reimbursed.

Finally, consider optional extras you may need, says Sarah Pickford of Travel Counsellors, such as a winter sports holiday. Also ensure all individuals can travel independently on that cover, she adds. And remember: “Cheap isn’t necessarily best.”

Updated: May 10, 2023, 10:21 AM`