A cow stands in a flooded field in the al-Qanaa village in Sudan's southern White Nile state on September 14, 2021. AFP
A cow stands in a flooded field in the al-Qanaa village in Sudan's southern White Nile state on September 14, 2021. AFP
A cow stands in a flooded field in the al-Qanaa village in Sudan's southern White Nile state on September 14, 2021. AFP
A cow stands in a flooded field in the al-Qanaa village in Sudan's southern White Nile state on September 14, 2021. AFP

Rainstorms near Nile damage thousands of Sudanese homes


Mina Aldroubi
  • English
  • Arabic

Five thousand Sudanese families face displacement after their homes were damaged due to torrential rain and flooding, local news reports said on Thursday.

Heavy rainstorms fell in various regions of the country; in the River Nile state, Khartoum, El Gezira and South Darfur. There was extensive damage to buildings, agricultural projects and main roads linking a number of villages to the capital were cut off.

The River Nile state Civil Defence Department said two female bodies had been found on Thursday after they were reported missing.

They were on a tourist bus that was swept away by the river north of Shendi as it travelled between Khartoum and Port Sudan on Tuesday.

Some of the passengers were rescued but there are still many people missing, the department said, adding that it expected to find more bodies in the coming days.

The United Nations estimates that at least six people have been killed and 28,000 have been affected by flooding in Central Darfur in the past week.

“The rainy season usually lasts up to September, with the peak of rains and flooding observed between August and September”, the UN office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan (OCHA) said.

“At least six people died, and an unconfirmed number of people were injured when their houses collapsed due to the heavy rains or were washed away by the flash floods,” OCHA said in a statement.

Approximately 2,800 houses were destroyed, and more than 1,620 houses were damaged, it said.

“Rains and floods also damaged 63 water sources, 73 wells, as well as an unconfirmed number of farms, affecting people’s livelihoods,” it said.

The UN agency said nearly 38,000 people across the country have been affected by heavy rains and flooding since the rainy season began in May.

Human rights activist Bakri Al Tom said people were living in difficult humanitarian and health conditions because there is limited access to the affected areas.

He said “the accumulation of water has led to the spread of harmful insects. More than 15 villages were affected around the city of Barir, 311km north of Khartoum, in addition to dozens of villages around the cities of Damer and Shendi.”

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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. 

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A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.

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Retirement funds heavily invested in equities at a risky time

Pension funds in growing economies in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East have a sharply higher percentage of assets parked in stocks, just at a time when trade tensions threaten to derail markets.

Retirement money managers in 14 geographies now allocate 40 per cent of their assets to equities, an 8 percentage-point climb over the past five years, according to a Mercer survey released last week that canvassed government, corporate and mandatory pension funds with almost $5 trillion in assets under management. That compares with about 25 per cent for pension funds in Europe.

The escalating trade spat between the US and China has heightened fears that stocks are ripe for a downturn. With tensions mounting and outcomes driven more by politics than economics, the S&P 500 Index will be on course for a “full-scale bear market” without Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts, Citigroup’s global macro strategy team said earlier this week.

The increased allocation to equities by growth-market pension funds has come at the expense of fixed-income investments, which declined 11 percentage points over the five years, according to the survey.

Hong Kong funds have the highest exposure to equities at 66 per cent, although that’s been relatively stable over the period. Japan’s equity allocation jumped 13 percentage points while South Korea’s increased 8 percentage points.

The money managers are also directing a higher portion of their funds to assets outside of their home countries. On average, foreign stocks now account for 49 per cent of respondents’ equity investments, 4 percentage points higher than five years ago, while foreign fixed-income exposure climbed 7 percentage points to 23 per cent. Funds in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan are among those seeking greater diversification in stocks and fixed income.

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Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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  • Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
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Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net

Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.

Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.

A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.

Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.

Updated: August 11, 2022, 1:48 PM