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Flights delayed as dense fog takes over UAE

KT
March 29, 2019

Dubai, Mar 29: Thick fog has disrupted several flights at Dubai International Airport on Friday morning.

"Fog has affected some flights from at Dubai International Airport," the Emirates said in a statement on Twitter.

Emirates has urged passengers to check their flight status on its website for the latest information regarding their flights.

Thick fog covered parts of the UAE , reducing visibility to less than 500 metres at several places.

Fog was reported in different parts to the country, including Al Dhafrah area, Al Shawamekh in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah,  Umm Al Quwain and in Abu Dhabi-Dubai road.

The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) cautioned commuters to be extra careful when travelling during these conditions.

The unstable weather the country has been experiencing in the past couple of days is due to a trough of low atmospheric pressure, resulting in rainfall of different intensities over scattered areas of the country, the NCM said in its forecast.

Meanwhile, the NCM said it will cloudy across the country today, with humidity increasing by the evening. Winds will be Light to moderate northeasterly to easterly winds, may become fresh during day time, with a speed of 20 - 30, reaching 38kmph. Sea will be Slight to moderate in the Arabian Gulf and in Oman Sea.

Rain to continue till weekend

If you have plans to spend some time outdoors this weekend, don't forget to pack your umbrellas and other protective gear as there is a chance of light to moderate showers until Saturday, according to the UAE weather bureau.

Following a night of thunderstorm and rain lashing most parts of the country on Wednesday, Dubai residents woke up to dark skies on Thursday. People going to work had to face light showers as they set out for the day.

On Wednesday, the Jumeirah area in Dubai recorded the second highest amount of rainfall at 11.6mm while Abu Dhabi's Ras Ghanada was the wettest after receiving 12mm of rain.

Heavy traffic was reported on major thoroughfares and the Dubai Police said that 110 traffic accidents were reported due to the heavy rain in the emirate from Wednesday 12 noon until 10am on Thursday.

The Dubai Police also received as many as 3,385 emergency calls but there were no serious injuries. "We have urged motorists to keep a safe distance between cars and adjust their speed to the weather conditions. They are also advised to allow extra time for their journey and check their planned route. It's also highly advisable to slow down as rain makes roads slippery," Colonel Turki bin Fares, director of command and control centre at the Dubai Police, said.

Based on Khaleej Times' monitoring, the country has been receiving rain since the last six months, with February's average rainfall of 9mm higher than the 5.6mm recorded in the same month last year.

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coastaldigest.com news network
May 12,2020

Riyadh, May 12: Saudi Arabia will impose a full-day lockdown and curfew across the Kingdom during the upcoming Eid holidays from May 23 until May 27, according to the Kingdom’s Interior Ministry.

Details are awaited

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News Network
June 30,2020

Dubai, June 30: The United Arab Emirates is all set to reopen mosques and other places of worship at 30 per cent capacity from July 1.

However, Friday prayers will remain suspended in the country, said Saif Al Dhaheri, Spokesperson for the National Crisis & Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA) during a virtual press briefing on Monday.

The official said certain mosques in industrial areas, labor residential areas, shopping malls and public parks will remain closed until further notice.

He said health authorities already conducted Covid-19 tests for Imams and workers serving at the mosque to ensure health and safety of the worshippers.

Al Dhaheri also spelt out guidelines that worship centres have to follow to welcome worshippers.

A distance of three metres should be observed between each worshippers and no handshakes are allowed. Worshippers will have to perform ablutions at home. People should bring their own personal copies of Holy Quran or read from digital copies. It is also mandatory for all worshippers to download and activate contract tracing app AlHosn.

"We urge the public to cooperate by following precautionary measures including social distancing. Children under 12 years old, the elderly as well as individuals with chronic diseases should avoid going to mosques," said the official.

The UAE first announced the suspension of public prayers in all places of worship on March 16, which was extended until further notice on April 9.

As Khaleej Times reported, places of worship had been preparing to reopen since the last few weeks by sanitizing parking lots and outdoor areas, entrances, main prayer halls and ablution areas.

The spokesperson also announced that the Private and commercial boat trips and water sports will be allowed to operate at reduced capacity of 50 per cent but by following precautionary measures.

The total number of recovered cases of Coronavirus (Covid-19) in the UAE has reached 37,076 with 665 cases recovered today after receiving treatment. Since the beginning of June, UAE has had a daily recovery average of 660 cases, said Dr. Amna Al Shamsi, Spokesperson for the UAE government.

Guidelines

1. Maintain a distance of 3 metres between worshippers.

2. No handshakes allowed.

3. Ablutions must be performed at home.

4. To read the Holy Quran, worshippers must bring their own copies.

5. All worshippers must download and activate contact tracing app AlHosn

6. People in vulnerable categories like those with chronic diseases and the elderly must not visit the mosques.

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Agencies
July 28,2020

Dubai, Jul 28: Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) (ADCB.AD) is letting go hundreds of employees, sources said, the latest in a round of lay-offs by regional banks as pressure mounts to cut costs amid lower oil prices and the coronavirus crisis.

The UAE’s third-biggest lender is laying off 400 employees, two sources familiar with the matter said, after it had committed to not cutting staff because of the crisis.

In a statement, a spokesman said ADCB had pursued efficiency over the last decade by managing out its lowest underachievers after regular reviews, while ensuring talent was deployed in high-growth areas, such as digital banking.

“A certain number of redundancies are therefore expected every year in the normal course of business,” the bank spokesman added.

The sources said the cuts would involve ADCB’s consumer business and several in top management were among those being let go. One source said the bank was looking to close 20 branches.

In March, ADCB had declared, “No employee will be made redundant during 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

UAE banks have been hit by government measures to rein in the spread of the virus, forcing many businesses to shut temporarily.

Last week, Dubai’s largest bank, Emirates NBD, reported a slump of 58% in profits. In June, sources told Reuters the bank started a new round of hundreds of lay-offs.

In May, ADCB reported a fall of 84% in first-quarter net profit as it took impairments of $292 million on debt exposure to troubled hospital operator NMC Health and payments group Finablr.

It was a major lender, with an exposure of about $981 million, to NMC Health, which went into administration this year after months of turmoil following questions over financial reporting.

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