A woman tries to shield herself from the rain with her shawl in Dubai on December 13, 2009. Heavy rainfalls wreaked havoc across the country.
A woman tries to shield herself from the rain with her shawl in Dubai on December 13, 2009. Heavy rainfalls wreaked havoc across the country.

Heavy rainfall continues across the UAE



Heavy rainfall continued to wreak havoc across the country today as at least four people were killed in road accidents. Steady drizzle and intermittent downpours throughout the day have brought flooding to many of the roads in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, while a thick blanket of black cloud cover has drastically reduced visibility. Two people died in a pile-up on the Dubai-Sharjah Road this morning while two more were killed and three critically injured in a collision on Emirates Road this afternoon.

In Abu Dhabi the director of traffic police, Col Hamad al Shamsi, said while most accidents were simple crashes due to heavy rain disturbing motorist's vision, around half a dozen had resulted in death and major injuries. "The flooded roads caused some cars to pile up," said Col al Shamsi. "As a result those who were not very careful got involved in minor crashes."

Abu Dhabi Police were not able to provide an exact figures for the number of accidents and casualties but said the major collisions happened on exterior roads off the island.

Police closed Al Mafraq bridge for a short period and diverted traffic to a different route due to pools of water gathering on the bridge. A deep puddle covered all lanes of Sheikh Zayed Road near Shahama, snarling the morning commute.

Brig Mohammad Saif al Zafien, director of the General Traffic Department of Dubai Police, said: "All drivers should drive at low speeds and be more cautious on the streets.

"Speed limits allow up to 120kph but under such conditions drivers should reduce their speeds significantly and exercise caution on the roads."

Brig al Zafien was unable to say if the poor conditions had so far caused more road traffic accidents than usual. Police in Ras al Khaimah also reported 86 accidents.

A spokesman for Etihad Airways said the rain had caused no flight delays and no delay in passengers checking in.

Mohammed al Abry, director of the Meteorological Department at The National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology, said there were chances of continuous rain over the following days, and that these chances were heightened at night.

A spokesperson for the Dubai Meteorological Office at the Dubai International Airport said today has been the wettest for the Emirate all week, with more than 18mm of rain falling by mid-afternoon.

Since record keeping began in 1967, the most precipitation dumped on Dubai in one day was 73 millimetres. At one point, Dubai saw 130 millimetres of rain during the month of December.

newsdesk@thenational.ae

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Two stars

Spain drain

CONVICTED

Lionel Messi Found guilty in 2016 of of using companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid paying €4.1m in taxes on income earned from image rights. Sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined more than €2m. But prison sentence has since been replaced by another fine of €252,000.

Javier Mascherano Accepted one-year suspended sentence in January 2016 for tax fraud after found guilty of failing to pay €1.5m in taxes for 2011 and 2012. Unlike Messi he avoided trial by admitting to tax evasion.

Angel di Maria Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain star Angel di Maria was fined and given a 16-month prison sentence for tax fraud during his time at Real Madrid. But he is unlikely to go to prison as is normal in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying sentence of less than two years.

 

SUSPECTED

Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid's star striker, accused of evading €14.7m in taxes, appears in court on Monday. Portuguese star faces four charges of fraud through offshore companies.

Jose Mourinho Manchester United manager accused of evading €3.3m in tax in 2011 and 2012, during time in charge at Real Madrid. But Gestifute, which represents him, says he has already settled matter with Spanish tax authorities.

Samuel Eto'o In November 2016, Spanish prosecutors sought jail sentence of 10 years and fines totalling €18m for Cameroonian, accused of failing to pay €3.9m in taxes during time at Barcelona from 2004 to 2009.

Radamel Falcao Colombian striker Falcao suspected of failing to correctly declare €7.4m of income earned from image rights between 2012 and 2013 while at Atletico Madrid. He has since paid €8.2m to Spanish tax authorities, a sum that includes interest on the original amount.

Jorge Mendes Portuguese super-agent put under official investigation last month by Spanish court investigating alleged tax evasion by Falcao, a client of his. He defended himself, telling closed-door hearing he "never" advised players in tax matters.

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What is double taxation?
  • Americans living abroad file taxes with the Internal Revenue Service, which can cost hundreds of dollars to complete even though about 60 per cent do not owe taxes, according to the Taxpayer Advocate Service
  • Those obligations apply to millions of Americans residing overseas – estimates range from 3.9 million to 5.5 million – including so-called "accidental Americans" who are unaware they hold dual citizenship
  • The double taxation policy has been a contentious issue for decades, with many overseas Americans feeling that it punishes them for pursuing opportunities abroad
  • Unlike most countries, the US follows a citizenship-based taxation system, meaning that Americans must file taxes annually, even if they do not earn any income in the US.
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.

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A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
  • 2018: Formal work begins
  • November 2021: First 17 volumes launched 
  • November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
  • October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
  • November 2024: All 127 volumes completed