DUBAI // The cool, breezy days of what seemed like an endless winter are, sadly, a thing of the past.
Over the past week the temperatures have been nudging ever higher and the air getting heavier, meaning the inevitable, if rather late, start of summer is upon us.
Residents holding out hopes of another pleasant weekend were left disappointed as for the first time this year the mercury hit 40 degrees Celsius.
Forecasters at the National Centre of Metrology and Seismology (NCMS) said anyone planning a Friday at the beach could expect highs of 41 degrees, while those thinking of camping out in the desert would have to sweat it out in 44 degrees.
Julie Smith and her friends cancelled a picnic at Zabeel Park because of the midday heat.
“Yesterday was such a lovely cloudy evening that me and my friends decided to spend our holiday in the park and have some open air. But even at 10am it was not just possible to sit outside for 10 minutes in such an unexpected hot day.
“We therefore cancelled our picnic and will now go to the cinema instead,” said the 25-year Filipina who works as a sales representative.
S Ahmed said yesterday would be the last Friday he would be walking to the mosque for prayers.
“Now I have to take out my car, even for going to the mosque which is just five minutes away,” said 51-year-old engineer from Pakistan.
Krishna P said he almost fainted while walking to a metro station at noon.
“The last few months I used to walk to the station that is 15 minutes from my home. But today it became like an unending journey. I had to take a break under shade two times. I am feeling drained out despite that I am now inside the chilling metro station,” said 32-year-old Indian who was on the way to the airport to pick up a friend.
Although the temperatures dropped as the sun set, the humidity made the air muggy and uncomfortable.
The NCMS said the next 48 hours should see partly cloudy and dusty conditions with light to moderate winds across the country. The humidity is expected to increase in the evening and early morning with a chance of fog.
Despite the high temperatures the NCMS said there was a chance of showers over eastern regions.
akhaishgi@thenational.ae
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Profile of Whizkey
Date founded: 04 November 2017
Founders: Abdulaziz AlBlooshi and Harsh Hirani
Based: Dubai, UAE
Number of employees: 10
Sector: AI, software
Cashflow: Dh2.5 Million
Funding stage: Series A
Ammar 808:
Maghreb United
Sofyann Ben Youssef
Glitterbeat
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group H
Juventus v Valencia, Tuesday, midnight (UAE)
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Ibrahim's play list
Completed an electrical diploma at the Adnoc Technical Institute
Works as a public relations officer with Adnoc
Apart from the piano, he plays the accordion, oud and guitar
His favourite composer is Johann Sebastian Bach
Also enjoys listening to Mozart
Likes all genres of music including Arabic music and jazz
Enjoys rock groups Scorpions and Metallica
Other musicians he likes are Syrian-American pianist Malek Jandali and Lebanese oud player Rabih Abou Khalil
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
The biog
Alwyn Stephen says much of his success is a result of taking an educated chance on business decisions.
His advice to anyone starting out in business is to have no fear as life is about taking on challenges.
“If you have the ambition and dream of something, follow that dream, be positive, determined and set goals.
"Nothing and no-one can stop you from succeeding with the right work application, and a little bit of luck along the way.”
Mr Stephen sells his luxury fragrances at selected perfumeries around the UAE, including the House of Niche Boutique in Al Seef.
He relaxes by spending time with his family at home, and enjoying his wife’s India cooking.
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Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Defined benefit and defined contribution schemes explained
Defined Benefit Plan (DB)
A defined benefit plan is where the benefit is defined by a formula, typically length of service to and salary at date of leaving.
Defined Contribution Plan (DC)
A defined contribution plan is where the benefit depends on the amount of money put into the plan for an employee, and how much investment return is earned on those contributions.
