Authorities in India’s western Gujarat state have evacuated more than 44,000 people from coastal areas and moved them to temporary shelters as the state braces for Cyclone Biparjoy.
The storm in the east-central Arabian Sea, about 350km south-west of Porbanda, was expected to make landfall on Thursday, bringing with it heavy rainfall, gusty winds and a coastal storm surge in parts of India and Pakistan.
The Indian Meteorological Department said the cyclone was likely to move north-eastwards and cross Saurashtra and Kutch districts in Gujarat and adjoining coasts of Pakistan on Thursday.
“It is likely to move as a very severe cyclonic storm with maximum sustained wind speed of 125-135kph gusting to 150kph,” the department said on Wednesday.
The federal weather agency said that a storm surge of two to three metres could inundate the low-lying areas of districts during the time of landfall.
Extremely heavy rainfall and strong winds in the region have been predicted and people have been advised to stay indoors.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday spoke to the military commanders and reviewed the preparedness of the Armed Forces for the landfall.
“The armed forces are ready to provide every possible assistance to civil authorities in tackling any situation or contingency due to the cyclone,” Mr Singh said.
As many as 17 teams from the National Disaster Response Force and a dozen teams of state disaster forces, 115 teams of state road and building department workers and 397 teams from the state electricity department have been stationed in eight districts across the state.
At least 69 trains have been cancelled and 32 trains were terminated short of their destination because of the inclement weather.
At least seven people, three in Kutch, including two children, and four others in Mumbai in neighbouring Maharashtra state, have drowned due to rough seas caused by the brewing cyclone.
In Pakistan's Sindh province, 64,000 people have been evacuated.
Sharjeel Inam Memon, the province's information minister, said about 86 per cent of those requiring evacuation had been relocated to safer areas.
The minister from the Pakistan People's Party stated that the provincial government was continuing efforts to evacuate additional citizens, with elected representatives from his party actively present on the ground, working in co-ordination with the provincial administration.
"We have left everything in our houses and came out to save lives," Ghulam Rehman, from the Keti Bandar port area, told The National.
"Most of our villagers are daily wage earners, and we used to go to the sea for fishing, but it has been banned for a few days, which has made our lives worse."
"We have been at the camp for the last two days, and we are worried about our houses because they will be destroyed in the cyclone," added Mr Raheem.
Sardar Sarfraz, chief meteorologist at the Pakistan Meteorological Department, told The National that the cyclone had moved north-northwestward over the past six hours and is located about 340km south-southwest of Karachi, 355km south-southwest of Thatta and 275km south-southwest of Keti Bandar.
“Widespread wind-dust storms, thunderstorms and rainfall” are expected in several districts of Sindh, including Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Tharparker, Mirpurkhas and Umerkot, during the period of June 14 to 17, he added.
The Pakistani Navy in a statement said that troops had evacuated 700 people from various villages in Shah Bandar and 64 fishermen had been rescued from the sea.
“A cyclone monitoring cell is activated at Headquarters Commander Karachi whereas PN Joint Maritime Information Co-ordination Centre is relaying information at regular intervals to all stakeholders especially fishermen community,” it said in a statement.
Naval emergency response and medical teams have been deployed in coastal areas of Balochistan and rural areas of Sindh, including Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sukkur and Sanghar, while naval ships were maintaining vigilance in the open sea, it added.
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Company profile
Name: Thndr
Started: October 2020
Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000
Funding stage: series A; $20 million
Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC, Rabacap and MSA Capital
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The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
RESULT
Bayern Munich 3 Chelsea 2
Bayern: Rafinha (6'), Muller (12', 27')
Chelsea: Alonso (45' 3), Batshuayi (85')
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
RESULTS
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Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
