Hurricane Sally carries 160kph winds as it moves towards US Gulf coast


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Hurricane Sally drew closer to the US Gulf coast on Tuesday morning, taking heavy rain and surging water ahead of its expected landfall as a Category 2 hurricane, with the chance of strengthening possible.

The second strong storm in less than a month to threaten the region, Sally's winds increased to 160 kilometres per hour, and by late Monday it was 90 miles east of the mouth of the Mississippi River, the National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said.

It could hit the Mississippi and Alabama coasts on Tuesday with winds of up to 177kph, on the cusp of becoming a Category 3 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity, the NHC said.

Hurricanes are considered to have the potential for great damage when they carry sustained winds of more than 179kph.

Mississippi and Louisiana called for evacuations of low-lying areas. President Donald Trump issued an emergency disaster declaration for both states. Alabama closed the state's beaches and recommended residents be moved from low-lying areas.

Sandy Stimpson, the mayor of Mobile Alabama, told residents he expected a "tremendous amount of flooding" and said the city was barricading intersections that were likely to flood.

Ports, schools and businesses along the coast closed. The US Coast Guard restricted travel on the lower Mississippi at New Orleans to the Gulf, and closed the ports of Pascagoula and Gulfport in Mississippi, and Mobile.

Energy companies buttoned up or halted oil refineries and pulled workers from offshore oil and gas production platforms.

The hurricane was expected to drop between eight and 16 inches of rain on the coast, with isolated 24-inch downpours, and cause widespread river flooding.

Mississippi appears more likely for landfall, but Sally's biggest threat is that it will be a rainmaker across a wide part of the Gulf coast, with three to four inches in areas as far inland as Atlanta, Georgia, said Jim Foerster, chief meteorologist at DTN, an energy, agriculture and weather data provider.

Sally is the 18th named storm in the Atlantic this year and will be the eighth of tropical storm or hurricane strength to hit the US – something "very rare if not a record", said Dan Kottlowski, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, noting that accurate data on past tropical storms can be sketchy.

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Sunday's games

All times UAE:

Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace, 4pm

Manchester City v Arsenal, 6.15pm

Everton v Watford, 8.30pm

Chelsea v Manchester United, 8.30pm

Key figures in the life of the fort

Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.

Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.

Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.

Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae

What sanctions would be reimposed?

Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:

  • An arms embargo
  • A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
  • A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
  • A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
  • Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Boulder shooting victims

• Denny Strong, 20
• Neven Stanisic, 23
• Rikki Olds, 25
• Tralona Bartkowiak, 49
• Suzanne Fountain, 59
• Teri Leiker, 51
• Eric Talley, 51
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Company profile

Company: Rent Your Wardrobe 

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Nepotism is the name of the game

Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad. 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

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