Sudan has been hit by its worst flooding in decades, with heavier-than-usual rainfall causing the Blue and White Niles to breach their embankments in the capital Khartoum.
The flooding killed at least 100 people, affecting residential neighbourhoods, damaging homes and disrupting power and water supplies.
The rains, which began in late July, have steadily worsened across the country, hitting their peak last week. At the weekend, authorities declared the entire nation a natural disaster area, imposing a three-month state of emergency while thousands of volunteers joined civil defence personnel in rescue operations.
Authorities said that 50 people were also injured and 100,000 homes were damaged or destroyed across the country. As many as 500,000 people have been affected, as well as 43 schools and more than 2,000 health centres.
The destruction is a reminder of the potential devastation Sudan could face if there was a structural breach in the massive hydroelectric dam being built by neighbouring Ethiopia.
Sudan has repeatedly demanded that experts from Khartoum and the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa closely co-operate over the operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, or Gerd, which is just 19 kilometres away from its eastern border.
The Blue Nile, the river the Gerd sits on, contributes more than 80 per cent of the water to the Nile after it and the White Nile meet near Khartoum. The Nile provides water to the deserts of northern Sudan and to Egypt, where it joins the Mediterranean.
Egypt has managed to largely avoid flooding since it completed its own dam in the early 1970s.
Sudan, a nation of more 40 million people, is not new to flooding, but this year has been the worst since records began, with water levels that have not been seen before.
Images shared online show residents and volunteers trying to salvage belongings, and others attempting to free themselves after being stuck in mud.
Camps for displaced people and field hospitals were set up at schools near ravaged areas.
The United Nations said hundreds of drinking water sources had been contaminated, affecting access to clean water, a vital resource in fighting the coronavirus epidemic.
“The UN and humanitarian partners are supporting national response with emergency shelter and household supplies, together with water, sanitation and hygiene assistance, food and health services,” the world body said.
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
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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Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
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Game Of Thrones Season Seven: A Bluffers Guide
Want to sound on message about the biggest show on television without actually watching it? Best not to get locked into the labyrinthine tales of revenge and royalty: as Isaac Hempstead Wright put it, all you really need to know from now on is that there’s going to be a huge fight between humans and the armies of undead White Walkers.
The season ended with a dragon captured by the Night King blowing apart the huge wall of ice that separates the human world from its less appealing counterpart. Not that some of the humans in Westeros have been particularly appealing, either.
Anyway, the White Walkers are now free to cause any kind of havoc they wish, and as Liam Cunningham told us: “Westeros may be zombie land after the Night King has finished.” If the various human factions don’t put aside their differences in season 8, we could be looking at The Walking Dead: The Medieval Years.
INFO
Everton 0
Arsenal 0
Man of the Match: Djibril Sidibe (Everton)
Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
The specs: 2018 GMC Terrain
Price, base / as tested: Dh94,600 / Dh159,700
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Power: 252hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 353Nm @ 2,500rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.4L / 100km
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
