FUJAIRAH // The UAE will escape the worst of a punishing heatwave that is causing the heat index, or feels-like temperature, to soar to 72°C in Iran and 51°C in Iraq, forecasters say.
A ridge of high pressure has forced Iraqi officials to declare a four-day public holiday.
“The extension of the Indian monsoon trough will not affect the temperature in the UAE,” said Sufian Faraah, senior forecaster at the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology.
“The temperature is within the average. The highest recorded temperature yesterday over the country was 47.1°C in Al Gheweifat.”
The highest temperature recorded last year in Al Gheweifat was 47.7°C.
However, scattered heavy rainfall that caused flash floods over the weekend in wadis in the northern emirates could continue, especially in mountainous areas.
“The rainy weather will continue in the eastern and southern parts of the country until tomorrow, convective clouds associated with thunder and rain had begun to form above mountains and expected to last throughout the day,” Mr Faraah said.
Thunderstorms and heavy rain on Friday caused floods in Wadi May, Al Hayl in Fujairah, Wadi Al Hilw in Sharjah and Wadi Al Ojaili in RAK. Forecasters predicted more partly cloudy skies over the south and east of the country for the next three days.
Winds will be moderate to strong, with temperatures averaging at highs of 45°C during the day at coastal areas, dipping to 29°C at night.
Inland, daytime highs will be around 47°C and 27°C at night.
Conditions in the Arabian Gulf and Oman Sea will become rough over the next few days, with humidity increasing during the night and a chance of fog.
Motorists have been warned to be cautious, cut speed and leave enough distance between vehicles due to poor visibility caused by high winds whipping up sand and dust.
The centre warned of poor visibility accompanied by rainfall and winds, which will stir sand and dust in eastern and southern regions.
rhaza@thenational.ae
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan v Juventus
Saturday, 10.45pm (UAE)
Watch the match on BeIN Sports
The specs: 2018 BMW X2 and X3
Price, as tested: Dh255,150 (X2); Dh383,250 (X3)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder (X2); 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder (X3)
Power 192hp @ 5,000rpm (X2); 355hp @ 5,500rpm (X3)
Torque: 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (X2); 500Nm @ 1,520rpm (X3)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic (X2); Eight-speed automatic (X3)
Fuel consumption, combined: 5.7L / 100km (X2); 8.3L / 100km (X3)
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
Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance: the specs
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 plus rear-mounted electric motor
Power: 843hp at N/A rpm
Torque: 1470Nm N/A rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.6L/100km
On sale: October to December
Price: From Dh875,000 (estimate)
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
