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Gulf region hit by unstable weather conditions

Arab News
November 20, 2019

Dubai, Nov 20: After long summer months of dry spells, the Gulf region now faces unstable weather, with rain storms predicted this week.

Schools in the United Arab Emirates were to be shut on Wednesday due to bad weather and poor road conditions, the UAE Ministry of Education earlier announced on Tuesday.

Images of flooded roads and lighting bloats were shared on social media by affected residents in different areas in the UAE.

Police also took to social media to warn motorists of possible hazards and advised them to drive safely.

The UAE’s National Centre of Meteorology said there will be continued convective clouds – which bring rainshowers – formed over the sea and other parts of the country, accompanied by strong winds.

Unstable weather in coastal and northern areas of the UAE will spread to the mainland, weather forecaster Amna Al-Zaabi told Arab News. Temperatures at sea are expected to drop to five degrees Celsius, she added.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia witnessed heavy rain, thunderstorms, lightning and a substantial drop in temperature in the capital, Riyadh on Tuesday.

Organizers postponed the launch of entertainment festival Diriyah Season to Wednesday, from the previous day, due to heavy rainfall.

The Saudi General Authority for Meteorology and Environmental Protection issued an alert on Wednesday for further thunderstorms, accompanied by active dusty wind in the province of Makkah, and also warned residents of low visibility.

Saudi civil defense advised residents in other parts of the Kingdom to avoid flooded areas and valleys.

In Oman, the Directorate General of Meteorology told Arab News that the weather is partly cloudy with rainfalls over the northern provinces of the Sultanate. It is expected for the rain to extend to Hajar Mountains and coastal areas this evening.

“In the event of thunderstorms, the wave may be rough and therefore I advise people not to come near the sea at that time,” Weather Forecaster to the Directorate General of Meteorology told Arab News.

“Recent weather and satellite radar images illustrate the flow of clouds on the Hajar Mountains with varying rainfall and heavy thunderstorms, sometimes on the Western Hajar Mountains and adjacent areas,” the Public Authority for Civil Aviation said in a statement.

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KT
April 14,2020

Dubai, Apr 14: Saudi Arabia reported 435 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 5369, the Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday.

According to the ministry of health the number of recoveries today are 84 cases, making total of recoveries in the kingdom 889.

The ministry also confirmed 8 deaths bringing the total number of deaths in the kingdom to 73.

Saudi Arabia imposed a 24-hour curfew and lockdown on the cities of Riyadh, Tabuk, Dammam, Dhahran and Hofuf and throughout the governorates of Jeddah, Taif, Qatif and Khobar. This week the curfew was extended until further notice.

Containment efforts
Saudi authorities are racing to contain an outbreak of coronavirus in the Islamic holy city of Mecca.

The total number of coronavirus cases reported in Mecca, home to 2 million people, reached 1,050 on Monday compared to 1,422 in the capital of Riyadh, a city more than three times the size. Mecca’s large number of undocumented immigrants and cramped housing for migrant workers have made it more difficult to slow the infection rate.

Saudi Arabia has reported one of the lowest rates of infection in the region, with around 5,000 cases in a population of over 30 million.

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News Network
May 21,2020

May 21: Mosques across the UAE will remain closed during Eid Al Fitr, a top official has said. The Takbeer, which is chanted before the special prayers performed on Eid, will be broadcast from mosques 10 minutes before the prayer time.

During the virtual press briefing held on Wednesday, Dr Farida Al Hosani, official spokesperson of the UAE health sector, reminded citizens and expats about the importance of adhering to the safety measures as laid out by the authorities.

Contact tracing process

"Before we began to use Al Hosn app to trace the contacts of Covid-19 cases, the tracking process used to take more than 48 hours. It also depended on the memory and honesty of people. The app is an AI-enabled methodological way to trace individuals who came in contact with Covid-19 cases so that they are isolated. It has proven to be an efficient way to stop the spread of the coronavirus," Dr Farida said.

Install the app

She called on all the public to install the app on their smart phones. "The success of the tracing system via Al Hosn app relies on its use. We hope 50 to 70 per cent of people in the UAE instal and use the app in an effective way."

No sermon

Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al Shamsi, Spokesperson for the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments, said there will be no sermon for the Eid prayers.

He called on everyone to welcome Eid with joy and positivity and to stay connected with their loved ones via social media.

Mass testing

Dr Amna Al Dahhak Al Shamsi, the official spokesperson of the UAE Government, said mass testing continues across the country.

She stressed on the importance of adhering to precautionary measures and cooperating with the authorities.

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Agencies
February 5,2020

Paris, Feb 5: Saudi Arabia has reported an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N8 bird flu virus on a poultry farm, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Tuesday, February 4.

The outbreak, which occurred in the central Sudair region, killed 22,700 birds, the OIE said, citing a report from the Saudi agriculture ministry.

The other 385,300 birds in the flock were slaughtered, it said.

The case was the first outbreak of the H5N8 virus in Saudi Arabia since July 2018.

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