First rain hits Dubai, unstable weather ahead

November 18, 2013

First_rain

Dubai, Nov 18: Foggy conditions, low visibility caused by dust storms, and mild showers resulted in disruption of road traffic across the Emirates on Sunday, with incidences of mild to heavy showers in Sharjah, Fujairah, Ajman, Kalba, and neighbouring areas.

The UAE’s National Centre for Meteorology Seismology (NCMS) has confirmed that rains will continue on Monday, in Fujairah, Sharjah and Ajman, but rubbished rumours of a hurricane likely to hit.

An NCMS spokesperson said the weather would be unstable in the coming day or two, with flash floods likely.

Fujairah and Al Hamra also experienced thunderstorms and relatively heavy showers on Sunday. The waters of the Arabian Gulf and the Sea of Oman will be rough due to the storms over the coming days, and fishermen are advised to take precautions while out at sea.

The official Twitter account of NCMS tweeted: “It is expected that the rain clouds will affect different parts of the state in the coming hours, may be accompanied by floods in mountainous regions.”

Residents also reported dust storms from Dubai and Sharjah on Sunday afternoon, which caused low visibility and disruption to road traffic and motorists have been advised to exercise caution on the roads as the disruptive weather continues.

“It is expected to be partly cloudy at times over some of the northeasterly areas by noon. Slight to moderate winds in general and relative humidity will increase during night and early morning,” the spokesperson added.

Hurricanes or floods unlikely

However, NCMS has confirmed that a hurricane or major floods are unlikely to hit the UAE, but said the country should expect rains, with many areas remaining overcast.

The NCMS rebuffed rumours attributed to the US Navy about the existence of hurricanes and floods across the country, saying they were merely an ‘exaggeration’.

The NCMS said any news traded via social networking sites about this case should be referred to the centre. The centre also emphasised the country was currently under the influence of unstable weather conditions leading to a different intensity of rain over scattered parts of the country periodically.

“The centre is warning (against visiting the) Oman and Arabian Gulf sea and (has advised people to) stay away from running valleys, adding that precautions must be taken in case of rain on high roads,” the NCMS said in a statement.

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Agencies
July 22,2020

Riyadh, Jul 22: Saudi King Salman held a cabinet meeting via video call from hospital in the capital Riyadh on Tuesday, a day after the 84-year-old monarch was admitted with inflammation of the gall bladder.

Three Saudi sources said the king was in stable condition.

A video of the king chairing the meeting was broadcast on Saudi state TV on Tuesday evening. In the video, which has no sound, King Salman can be seen behind a desk, wordlessly reading and leafing through documents.

The king, who has ruled the world’s largest oil exporter and close US ally since 2015, was undergoing medical checks, state media on Monday cited a Royal Court statement as saying.

Three well-connnected Saudi sources who declined to be identified, two of whom were speaking late on Monday and one on Tuesday, said the king was “fine”.

An official in the region, who requested anonymity, said he spoke to one of King Salman’s sons on Monday who seemed “calm” and that there was no sense of panic about the monarch’s health.

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News Network
May 2,2020

Dubai, May 2: Saudi Arabia has confirmed 1,362 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of COVID-19 patients in the country to 25,459, the Ministry of Health reported Saturday.

In the daily media briefing, the ministry announced 7 more deaths and 210 new recoveries, raising the total number of fatalities and recoveries to 176 and 3,765, respectively.

Out of the 1,362 new cases reported today, 249 were confirmed in Medina, 245 in Jeddah, 244 in Mecca, 161 in Riyadh, in addition to 126 infections in Dammam, 81 in Khobar and 80 in Jubail.

Dr. Mohammed Al Abd Al Aly, spokesman for Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health reiterated that so far there was no evidence that hot weather will curtail the spread of coronavirus.

Authorities continue to urge people to stay at home unless necessary despite having relaxed some restrictions and curfews at the start of Ramadan.

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News Network
March 31,2020

Mar 30: the UAE Cabinet approved a series of new initiatives, foremost among which was the automatic extension of residence permits expiring from March 1.

The residence visas would be extended for a renewable period of three months without any fees to ease the economic impact of the Covid-19 crisis on residents, official news agency WAM reported.

The Cabinet has also waived the administrative fines associated with infractions on the services provided by the Federal Authority of Identity and Citizenship, starting April 1 and lasting for a renewable period of three months.

The initiatives also entail granting a temporary license to use digital solutions for remotely notarising and completing judicial transactions.

Government services expiring from March 1 will also be extended from April 1 for a renewable period of three months. The decision applies to all federal government services, including documents, permits, licenses and commercial registers.

The UAE has introduced a slew of initiatives to control the spread of the Covid-19 virus, including the online renewal of driving licences and vehicle’s registration cards.

The country’s telecom regulator, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), also issued a directive that no mobile service with expired ID documents will be disconnected or suspended in the UAE.

The UAE has reported a total of 611 Covid-19 infections and five related deaths in the country.

A national sterilisation programme is underway that will continue until Saturday April 4, concluding on the morning of Sunday, April 5.

Carried out daily from 8pm until 6am the following morning, the programme will include the disinfection of private and public facilities.

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