Related: Businesses in Fujairah pick up the pieces and count the cost
A major emergency response effort is well under way after large parts of the Northern Emirates were hit by heavy rain and flash floods.
A summer deluge across Fujairah, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah has brought traffic to a standstill, led to waterlogged roads and road closures, and forced people to leave homes damaged by widespread flooding.
In Fujairah, members of the Ministry of Defence have joined forces with police and civil defence teams to help those affected by the hazardous weather.
The operation also involved officers from Dubai Police playing a part in assisting members of the public caught up in challenging conditions.
In a televised broadcast on Thursday evening, officials said at least 870 people were rescued from flooding and more than 3,800 were placed temporary accommodation.
The weather is expected to stabilise in the coming days.
Footage released by the Ministry of Interior showed a civil defence officer carrying a young child to safety from a flooded property in Fujairah.
The emergency responder is seen placing the child into a rubber dinghy floating in a large pool of standing water outside the family home during the rescue mission.
Hundreds rescued in RAK
Police in Ras Al Khaimah came to the aid of more than 200 motorists stranded in mountains and wadis due to rising water levels.
More than 70 police patrols were on hand to support rescue teams on Thursday.
“More than 200 people whose cars were stuck in high mountains and in valleys and who were trapped by water have been rescued and provided support,” said Maj Gen Ali Al Nuaimi, chief of Ras Al Khaimah Police.
The police's air wing unit flew some caught in flooded areas to safety while police helped others to drive safely out of mountainous areas.
Crews are still working to reach families whose homes were damaged by floods.
“Our teams continue to respond to the rest of the reports that were filed by people to the police’s operations room,” said Maj Gen Al Nuaimi.
“Logistic support in terms of food, water and necessary medical supplies is also provided to those who need them.”
He said more than 1,800 calls had been received by the police operations room since the latest bout of wet weather began.
The National Centre of Meteorology issued a safety alert to those in flood-hit areas of Sharjah and Fujairah.
“Be extremely vigilant: hazardous weather events of exceptional severity are forecast,” it said.
The NCM, the National Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, and the Ministry of Interior will hold a special briefing on the adverse weather at 4.30pm on Thursday.
Double a year's rainfall in days
Parts of Fujairah have already received more than double the UAE's typical annual rainfall so far this week.
The highest amount of rain was recorded at a National Centre of Meteorology rain gauge in Fujairah Port where 234.9mm of rain fell from 10:30pm on July 25 to 9:18am on Thursday.
The second highest was Masafi — 209.7mm — with the third highest recorded in Fujairah Airport with 187.9mm.
Considering the UAE gets average annual rainfall of about 100mm a year, the statistics underline the severity of the weather.
The NCM forecast the unsettled weather last weekend and told The National on Thursday that similar conditions could be expected for the next few days but probably not to the intensity seen on Wednesday.
“The general situation today [Thursday] is better,” an NCM forecaster said.
“The low pressure systems are slightly weaker with rainfall expected to be of less intensity,” he said. “But we still have low pressure, convective clouds and a chance of rain across the country including Abu Dhabi and Dubai.”
The Ministry of Defence shared images of families being rescued from flooding in Khor Fakkan in the early hours of Thursday.
The government said non-essential public and private sector workers can work from home on Thursday and Friday in flood-affected areas in Fujairah, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah.
The decision excludes civil defence, police and emergency responders and those involved in community support to deal with damage to properties.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, said nearby hotels should provide accommodation for people who have had to leave their homes.
The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure will draw up a report of the damage caused by the heavy rainfall so that work could start to protect people and property, he added.
In Fujairah, teams used pumps to clear flood waters from main roads to allow traffic to flow, and workers sought to clear blocked drains. The Suhaila Al-Sharjah road to the city of Al Dhaid has been closed until further notice, due to the high level of running water, to ensure the safety of lives and property.
The Ministry of Interior said the safety of people and property is its “top priority” and urged families in flooded areas to stay at home. If they must leave home and drive out of necessity they should “take extreme caution”.
The Ministry of Community Development has also been given the task of accommodating those who have been displaced from their homes by the heavy rains, including those living in high-risk areas.
Those affected will be transferred to temporary shelters and nearby hotels until the weather clears.
Residents seek shelter at hotels
The City Plaza Hotel in Fujairah City received a surge in demand for rooms from residents affected by the floods.
Mohammed Irfan, the receptionist at the hotel, said the property reached maximum occupancy on Wednesday night.
“We had a lot of walk-in customers last night at 9pm to 10pm, when it was raining heavily and the floods became worse,” he said.
“We have 37 rooms and now we are fully booked. Last night, there was a lot of flooding in our area too and a lot of the ways were closed, but now it’s clearer around our hotel.”
Prodyut Sinha, who is in charge of the front office at the Sandy Beach Hotel and Resort in Fujairah, said they received a handful of walk-in customers on Wednesday night.
“People came last night because they needed a place to stay,” he said.
“It was a messy situation yesterday because of the rain. There were also plenty of people who left the hotel yesterday because they couldn’t do any activities.
“It’s more manageable in hotel buildings, but we’re a resort and with this kind of weather it gets difficult.
Hotels in Ras Al Khaimah that spoke to The National said they were operating as normal.
Flooding has affected the Al Nakheel district, a suburb in the emirate, which has only a few hotels.
Workers in civil defence, policy, security services or those involved in responding to crises or emergency services are to work as normal.
Sharjah was hit by flash floods for a second day on Wednesday, with drivers in the emirate battling challenging road conditions.
Large pools of standing water formed on roads in Khor Fakkan after similar scenes the previous day.
The east coast enclave has been lashed by torrential rain that has hit much of the country this week.
On Thursday morning, Sharjah's Roads and Transport Authority urged motorists to avoid using a road in the Daftah area leading to Khor Fakkan except in cases of “extreme necessity”.
It said rocks which had fallen on the road after wadis overflowed were being removed.
The authority later revealed two bus services — the 116 and 611 — which connect the emirate to Fujairah would suspend travel to the eastern regions due to road closures.
Rescue operation in Oman
An air rescue operation was launched in Oman to help more than 130 people left stranded after wadis were flooded during intense rainfall.
Footage shared by Royal Oman Police showed people being taken to safety by helicopter in the Madha area of the country.
Police said all 134 people were in good health and had been transferred to the local airport.
The force said it was continuing to support relief efforts during the hazardous weather.
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Tank warfare
Lt Gen Erik Petersen, deputy chief of programs, US Army, has argued it took a “three decade holiday” on modernising tanks.
“There clearly remains a significant armoured heavy ground manoeuvre threat in this world and maintaining a world class armoured force is absolutely vital,” the general said in London last week.
“We are developing next generation capabilities to compete with and deter adversaries to prevent opportunism or miscalculation, and, if necessary, defeat any foe decisively.”
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Manchester City, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match is on BeIN Sports
Friday's schedule at the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
GP3 qualifying, 10:15am
Formula 2, practice 11:30am
Formula 1, first practice, 1pm
GP3 qualifying session, 3.10pm
Formula 1 second practice, 5pm
Formula 2 qualifying, 7pm
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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25%20Days%20to%20Aden
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Uefa Champions League play-off
First leg: Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Ajax v Dynamo Kiev
Second leg: Tuesday, August 28, 11pm (UAE)
Dynamo Kiev v Ajax
MWTC info
Tickets to the MWTC range from Dh100 and can be purchased from www.ticketmaster.ae or by calling 800 86 823 from within the UAE or 971 4 366 2289 from outside the country and all Virgin Megastores. Fans looking to attend all three days of the MWTC can avail of a special 20 percent discount on ticket prices.
Results
1. New Zealand Daniel Meech – Fine (name of horse), Richard Gardner – Calisto, Bruce Goodin - Backatorps Danny V, Samantha McIntosh – Check In. Team total First round: 200.22; Second round: 201.75 – Penalties 12 (jump-off 40.16 seconds) Prize €64,000
2. Ireland Cameron Hanley – Aiyetoro, David Simpson – Keoki, Paul Kennedy – Cartown Danger Mouse, Shane Breen – Laith. Team total 200.25/202.84 – P 12 (jump-off 51.79 – P17) Prize €40,000
3. Italy Luca Maria Moneta – Connery, Luca Coata – Crandessa, Simone Coata – Dardonge, Natale Chiaudani – Almero. Team total 130.82/198.-4 – P20. Prize €32,000
Asia Cup Qualifier
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6: Final
Asia Cup
Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Schedule: Sep 15-28
Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
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Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Aayan%E2%80%99s%20records
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LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
