Traffic grinds to a halt as power cuts put out signals in Sharjah



SHARJAH // Electrical power was lost to several residential and commercial areas of Sharjah yesterday morning, darkening traffic lights and causing concern that the rolling blackouts of summer had returned. Rolla, Al Khan, Buhairah and Industrial Areas 1 and 14 were without electricity from 9am until about midday. Many traffic lights stopped working, causing extensive traffic jams during a busy shopping weekend.

Teams of police were deployed in the affected areas to maintain traffic flow and prevent accidents. A traffic police representative said several accidents had been reported, including one that sent two people to Al Qassimi Hospital's emergency centre. "We are stuck in this traffic jam for more than one hour," said Shaban, 30, a Palestinian motorist who was at a blacked-out junction near Ansar Mall.

"Drivers have got to negotiate it between themselves, and as you can see on the sides, many have bumped into the other, and as they wait for police to settle them down, they are worsening the traffic jam." A few minutes later, a police patrol car arrived and closed some other roads leading to the interchange. Officers then helped sort out a few minor accidents. There were no reports of people getting stuck in elevators, but the lack of power forced many residents outside. In the Buhairah area, groups of families could be seen on the corniche escaping the heat of their apartments.

Sammii Mohammed, 35, an Egyptian resident of the Crescent Tower in Buhairah, said his family was lucky that heat had subsided, and they could now stay outside. "We will be here until it gets really hot and try the malls if power is not yet back to our home," he said. "It has recently become meaningless to stay in Sharjah with all these power cuts and expensive tariffs." Other families struggled to use the staircases in their high-rise blocks.

Mohammad, 40, an Egyptian resident of Babeel Tower opposite Al Qasba, said: "It was a big problem for me and my children as we could not stay in our apartment on the 11th floor in a building in Al Majaz. We had to use the stairs to leave the house. We spent three hours in a neighbouring park." Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (Sewa) officials declined to comment on the blackout. For more than two months over the summer, Sharjah residents suffered repeated power cuts. In September, Sewa decided to raise its charges by 50 per cent. The increases were made to meet rising production costs, officials said.

Customers in the industrial sector will have to pay 40 fils per kilowatt hour (kWh) and those in commercial and residential sectors will pay 30 fils per kWh. Previously, the charge was 20 fils per kWh in all areas. Speaking on a local radio talk show after the increases, Ibrahim bin Dimas, the director of Sewa, said only the private homes of Emiratis would be unaffected by the increases. Government subsidies mean they continue to pay 7.5 fils per kWh.

Residents have already started feeling the pinch, with many households complaining that their spending on electricity in Sharjah was almost equalling their monthly rent. In the first month of the new charges, up to 15 households were disconnected for failing to pay their bills. ykakande@thenational.ae

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Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
If you go

The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Luang Prabang via Bangkok, with a return flight from Chiang Rai via Bangkok for about Dh3,000, including taxes. Emirates and Thai Airways cover the same route, also via Bangkok in both directions, from about Dh2,700.
The cruise
The Gypsy by Mekong Kingdoms has two cruising options: a three-night, four-day trip upstream cruise or a two-night, three-day downstream journey, from US$5,940 (Dh21,814), including meals, selected drinks, excursions and transfers.
The hotels
Accommodation is available in Luang Prabang at the Avani, from $290 (Dh1,065) per night, and at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from $1,080 (Dh3,967) per night, including meals, an activity and transfers.

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Director: Shankar 

Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram

Rating: 2/5

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BULKWHIZ PROFILE

Date started: February 2017

Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: E-commerce 

Size: 50 employees

Funding: approximately $6m

Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait

Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
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  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
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  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

The biog

Favourite book: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Favourite holiday destination: Spain

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Favourite place to visit in the UAE: The beach or Satwa

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MATCH INFO

Manchester City 1 Chelsea 0
De Bruyne (70')

Man of the Match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)

Australia tour of Pakistan

March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi

March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi

March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore

March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
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UAE v United States, T20 International Series

Both matches at ICC Academy, Dubai. Admission is free.

1st match: Friday, 2pm

2nd match: Saturday, 2pm

UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Rameez Shahzad, Amjad Gul, CP Rizwan, Mohammed Boota, Abdul Shakoor, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat

USA squad: Saurabh Netravalkar (captain), Jaskaran Malhotra, Elmore Hutchinson, Aaron Jones, Nosthush Kenjige, Ali Khan, Jannisar Khan, Xavier Marshall, Monank Patel, Timil Patel, Roy Silva, Jessy Singh, Steven Taylor, Hayden Walsh

Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

The specs: 2018 BMW X2 and X3

Price, as tested: Dh255,150 (X2); Dh383,250 (X3)

Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder (X2); 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder (X3)

Power 192hp @ 5,000rpm (X2); 355hp @ 5,500rpm (X3)

Torque: 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (X2); 500Nm @ 1,520rpm (X3)

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic (X2); Eight-speed automatic (X3)

Fuel consumption, combined: 5.7L / 100km (X2); 8.3L / 100km (X3)

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Ammar 808:
Maghreb United

Sofyann Ben Youssef
Glitterbeat 

Racecard

6pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 1 (PA) $55,000 (Dirt) 1,900m  

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7.10pm: Jumeirah Classic Listed (TB) $150,000 (Turf) 1,600m  

7.45pm: Firebreak Stakes Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m  

8.20pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 2 (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,900m  

8.55pm: Al Bastakiya Trial Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,900m  

9.30pm: Balanchine Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m   

COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Bidzi

● Started: 2024

● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid

● Based: Dubai, UAE

● Industry: M&A

● Funding size: Bootstrapped

● No of employees: Nine