Clean-up efforts are under way in Winterset, Iowa, after a tornado tore through an area south-west of town. AP
Clean-up efforts are under way in Winterset, Iowa, after a tornado tore through an area south-west of town. AP
Clean-up efforts are under way in Winterset, Iowa, after a tornado tore through an area south-west of town. AP
Clean-up efforts are under way in Winterset, Iowa, after a tornado tore through an area south-west of town. AP

Iowa tornadoes leave 7 dead and scores injured


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Seven people were killed, including two children, when several tornadoes swept through the US state of Iowa, destroying homes and knocking down trees and power lines in the state's deadliest storm in more than a decade, authorities said on Monday.

Emergency management officials in Madison County, Iowa, said four were injured and six were killed Saturday when one tornado touched down in the area south-west of Des Moines near the town of Winterset at about 4.30pm. Among those killed were two children under the age of 6 and four adults.

In Lucas County, about 87 kilometres south-east of Des Moines, officials confirmed one death and several reported injuries when a separate tornado struck less than an hour later.

Thunderstorms that spawned tornadoes moved through much of Iowa from the afternoon until Saturday night with storms also causing damage in the Des Moines suburb of Norwalk, areas east of Des Moines and other areas of eastern Iowa.

Officials reported a number of homes were damaged or destroyed, roads were blocked by downed lines and tree branches were shredded by the strong winds. At one point, power cuts affected more than 10,000 in the Des Moines area.

The storms are the deadliest to occur in Iowa since May 2008 when a tornado destroyed about 300 homes and killed nine people in the northern city of Parkersburg.

Scientists have said that extreme weather events and warmer temperatures are more likely to occur with climate change.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for Madison County, which allows state resources to be used to assist with response and recovery efforts. Madison County Emergency Management Director Diogenes Ayala said 52 homes were damaged or destroyed across about 23km.

The White House said President Joe Biden was briefed Sunday on the devastation in Iowa. Mr Biden reached out to Ms Reynolds and directed the leaders of the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency to remain in close contact with state and local officials as they assessed damage and determined what federal assistance was needed, the White House said in a statement.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds surveys the tornado-ravaged areas of Winterset. AP
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds surveys the tornado-ravaged areas of Winterset. AP

After touring the storm damage near Winterset, Ms Reynolds described “unimaginable destruction".

Ms Reynolds teared up as she described the hundreds of people who streamed into the area to volunteer to help clear debris that blocked roads and littered the hardest-hit areas.

“It’s just unbelievable. I tried to walk through and thank them and over and over [and] the response was, we’re Iowans and that’s what we do,” she said.

The foundation was all that was left of several homes. The tornado carved a path of destruction along a ridge while several hundred metres away, other homes were undamaged.

Officials identified the six people who were killed in Madison County as Melissa Bazley, 63; Rodney Clark, 64; Cecilia Lloyd, 72; Michael Bolger, 37; Kenley Bolger, 5; and Owen Bolger, 2. The victims came from three different households.

Lucas County officials didn't immediately identify the person who died there Sunday afternoon.

Six people hurt in Madison County, which is known for the Bridges of Madison County book and movie, were being treated for injuries on Sunday, but their conditions weren't immediately available.

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

FA Cup semi-finals

Saturday: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur, 8.15pm (UAE)
Sunday: Chelsea v Southampton, 6pm (UAE)

Matches on Bein Sports

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
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  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Fixtures

Friday Leganes v Alaves, 10.15pm; Valencia v Las Palmas, 12.15am

Saturday Celta Vigo v Real Sociedad, 8.15pm; Girona v Atletico Madrid, 10.15pm; Sevilla v Espanyol, 12.15am

Sunday Athletic Bilbao v Getafe, 8.15am; Barcelona v Real Betis, 10.15pm; Deportivo v Real Madrid, 12.15am

Monday Levante v Villarreal, 10.15pm; Malaga v Eibar, midnight

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

THE SPECS

Range Rover Sport Autobiography Dynamic

Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8

Transmission: six-speed manual

Power: 518bhp

Torque: 625Nm

Speed: 0-100kmh 5.3 seconds

Price: Dh633,435

On sale: now

What can victims do?

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

Awar Qalb

Director: Jamal Salem

Starring: Abdulla Zaid, Joma Ali, Neven Madi and Khadija Sleiman

Two stars

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
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Ferrari
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The biog

Mission to Seafarers is one of the largest port-based welfare operators in the world.

It provided services to around 200 ports across 50 countries.

They also provide port chaplains to help them deliver professional welfare services.

Kandahar%20
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Company profile

Name: Infinite8

Based: Dubai

Launch year: 2017

Number of employees: 90

Sector: Online gaming industry

Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor

Company Profile

Company name: Yeepeey

Started: Soft launch in November, 2020

Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani

Based: Dubai

Industry: E-grocery

Initial investment: $150,000

Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year

How to improve Arabic reading in early years

One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient

The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers

Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades

Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic

First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations

Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades

Improve the appearance of textbooks

Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings

Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught

Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar

Key findings
  • Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
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  • People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”. 
  • Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better. 
  • But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.
Updated: June 21, 2023, 7:57 AM`