Torrential rains across several north Indian states, including the capital Delhi, wreaked havoc on Friday, causing waterlogging and traffic jams, prompting several cities to shut schools and offices.
The capital and neighbouring cities have endured incessant monsoon rains since Thursday as the weather office predicts continued wet weather over the weekend.
A “yellow warning” — a colour coding system that indicates severely bad weather and rain measuring more than 64 millimetres — was issued by the meteorological office as the annual monsoon begins to fade from the region.
The critical monsoon season begins in June in the Indian sub-continent and starts withdrawing in September after more than three months of winds and rain that sustains India’s agricultural sector.
Authorities said several motorways and other roads were flooded and trees uprooted in parts of Delhi and adjoining cities, causing traffic woes for tens of thousands of commuters.
Water pumps were used to drain water from flooded areas.
“It took me three hours to reach home from work, more than double the usual time,” Neha Sharma, a Delhi resident, told The National.
In Gurgaon — a satellite city outside Delhi that is home to several Fortune 500 companies including Google and Microsoft — schools were closed and people advised to work from home because of heavy rains that have lashed parts of the city since Thursday.
Several motorways in the city had kilometres of traffic jams after 55mm of rain on Thursday triggered waterlogging and disrupted commuter movement.
"All corporate offices and private institutions in the district are advised to guide their employees to work from home so that traffic congestion can be avoided," the Gurugram disaster management authority said in its advisory.
The city, also known as India’s “millennium city”, suffers from chronic underdeveloped infrastructure, a flawed drainage network and often suffers flooding during the monsoon season.
Visuals posted by agitated commuters on social media showed people wading through knee-deep water and vehicles stuck in muddy waters.
Authorities in Noida near Delhi also closed schools while some offices also asked employees to work from home.
Twelve dead after rain and lightning
Incessant rains also wreaked havoc in several cities across the country’s most-populous Uttar Pradesh state where 12 people have been killed in rain-related incidents, including lightning, since Wednesday.
Authorities in Aligarh city closed schools until Saturday after rains brought life to a standstill.
Last week, nearly 25 people died in rain-related incidents in the state including 10 workers after a wall of a military command centre fell in the state capital Lucknow.
Heavy rains and landslides were also reported from Uttarakhand state.
Several Indian states and cities have borne the brunt of heavy rains in recent months, including in southern Bangalore city, where days of rains led to flooding.
India has recorded a 7 per cent excess in rainfall this monsoon season, but several regions suffered a deficit.
South Indian states experienced 26 per cent excess rain but states in the east and north-east suffered a 17 per cent deficit. States such as in Punjab, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh recorded 20 per cent to 33 per cent less rain.
Delhi recorded a 36 per cent deficit in rain during the monsoon, India's weather office reported.
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
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The biog
Name: Atheja Ali Busaibah
Date of birth: 15 November, 1951
Favourite books: Ihsan Abdel Quddous books, such as “The Sun will Never Set”
Hobbies: Reading and writing poetry
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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.
Ten10 Cricket League
Venue and schedule Sharjah Cricket Stadium, December 14 to 17
Teams
Maratha Arabians Leading player: Virender Sehwag; Top picks: Mohammed Amir, Imad Wasim; UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Zahoor Khan
Bengal Lions Leading player: Sarfraz Ahmed; Top picks: Sunil Narine, Mustafizur Rahman; UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Rameez Shahzad
Kerala Kings Leading player: Eoin Morgan; Top picks: Kieron Pollard, Sohail Tanvir; UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Imran Haider
Pakhtoons Leading player: Shahid Afridi; Top picks: Fakhar Zaman, Tamim Iqbal; UAE players: Amjad Javed, Saqlain Haider
Punjabi Legends Leading player: Shoaib Malik; Top picks: Hasan Ali, Chris Jordan; UAE players: Ghulam Shabber, Shareef Asadullah
Team Sri Lanka Cricket Will be made up of Colombo players who won island’s domestic limited-overs competition
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A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
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The specs
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Five films to watch
Castle in the Sky (1986)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Only Yesterday (1991)
Pom Poki (1994)
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)
