DUBAI // Three people died and there were more than 600 car crashes yesterday on the blackest day on the nation's roads.
The three victims, two men from Pakistan and one from Bangaldesh, were killed when a speeding 4x4 driven by a 22-year-old man veered off the road and hit their saloon car, which was stationary on the hard shoulder.
The accident happened on Emirates Road near Al Waraqa interchange in Dubai at about 2.45pm.
It was one of 330 crashes in Dubai and 300 in Abu Dhabi amid continuous light drizzle during the day, with hazardous pools of water forming on the roads.
The temperature plunged to 16°C degrees and there are forecasts of further drops to 7°C in mountain areas and 9°C in the interior.
There was widespread fog and some landmark buildings, including the Emirates Towers, were only partially visible as late as 9.30 yesterday morning.
At about 6.45am an accident on Al Khaleej Road towards Al Shandigha caused a large tailback, as did another on Sheikh Zayed Road. "We urge motorists to be careful when driving in changing weather conditions," said Brigadier Omar Al Shamsi, director of the Dubai Police command and control room.
Brig Hussein Al Harethi, head of Abu Dhabi Traffic and Patrols Directorate, said that out of the 306 accidents only two resulted in minor injuries.
"These were minor accidents in the city, Al Rahba and Al Shahama," he said. "The crashes were mostly due to tailgating."
There were serious traffic jams in Sharjah, though a police spokesman for the emirate said only a few accidents were reported. The emirate escaped the worst of yesterday morning's showers with most roads drying out in a few hours.
A number of people took to Twitter to post rain and fog pictures and comment on the havoc the unusual weather conditions had caused in their areas.
The Roads and Transport Authority used its electronic boards across Dubai's roads to urge motorists to drive carefully and watch out for water.
Lt Col Shuaib Kajol, director of the traffic department in Ajman, said only a few accidents were reported, and the number was nothing out of the ordinary.
The National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology said a low-pressure area that approached on Sunday had caused weather instability and towering clouds.
Rain fell on most parts of the country with the highest rainfall of 25 millimetres recorded over Jebal Jais in the late afternoon.
Many fishermen stayed on land because of warnings of rough seas. Tides reached three metres with wind speeds of 60kph in the morning and 48kph in the afternoon. The centre said winds were expected to be moderate today. Despite this, some fishermen said they would not venture out until the weekend.
"We haven't gone to sea in four days," said Sarvanan, an expatriate fisherman from Jumeirah 3. "The winds are too strong and the waves are extremely high. There is no guarantee for our lives at this time. Our boat cannot withstand the waves.
"Also, there are not too many fish to catch because of the bad conditions. We have been told the weather will be back to normal only after December 21. Even if fishermen do go, they don't go too far but stay close to shore."
The Dubai fishermen's cooperative manager, Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, said: "Because of the rains, fishermen aren't going much to sea now. We are getting more fish from Oman at the fish market now."
But another expatriate fisherman said he and his colleagues continued to fish despite the weather. "We went on Sunday evening and returned at 2am," said Balaswamy, also from Jumeirah 3.
"There is a lot of wind but we have to go when the boat owner requires us. We will go again tonight. Of course, it is scary to go to sea at this time but we have to go as this is our job."
However, the rain was good news for farmers. "It is now the growing season so any rain is good. It helps our fruits to grow," said Khalid Habib, who owns two farms in Dubai and Fujairah.
He said more was always welcome. "It is still small quantities, and the earth has been very dry due to little rainfall in the previous years."
Forecasters said the weather would be mainly sunny today as clouds ease gradually. "The chances of rain are very weak tomorrow," said the meteorology centre spokesperson, although increased humidity is also expected.
wissa@thenational.ae
pkannan@thenational.ae
* Additional reporting by Ramona Ruiz and Yasin Kakande
For more on the UAE weather forecast, visit our page.
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
NO OTHER LAND
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Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
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Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
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4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hoopla%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jacqueline%20Perrottet%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20required%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24500%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
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Al Jazira 3 Persepolis 2
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England squad
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The five types of long-term residential visas
Obed Suhail of ServiceMarket, an online home services marketplace, outlines the five types of long-term residential visas:
Investors:
A 10-year residency visa can be obtained by investors who invest Dh10 million, out of which 60 per cent should not be in real estate. It can be a public investment through a deposit or in a business. Those who invest Dh5 million or more in property are eligible for a five-year residency visa. The invested amount should be completely owned by the investors, not loaned, and retained for at least three years.
Entrepreneurs:
A five-year multiple entry visa is available to entrepreneurs with a previous project worth Dh0.5m or those with the approval of an accredited business incubator in the UAE.
Specialists
Expats with specialised talents, including doctors, specialists, scientists, inventors, and creative individuals working in the field of culture and art are eligible for a 10-year visa, given that they have a valid employment contract in one of these fields in the country.
Outstanding students:
A five-year visa will be granted to outstanding students who have a grade of 95 per cent or higher in a secondary school, or those who graduate with a GPA of 3.75 from a university.
Retirees:
Expats who are at least 55 years old can obtain a five-year retirement visa if they invest Dh2m in property, have savings of Dh1m or more, or have a monthly income of at least Dh20,000.
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Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
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