NEW DELHI // India stepped up its mammoth relief effort in earthquake-hit Nepal on Sunday, dispatching planeloads of supplies and personnel as tremors continued to ripple through the region.
The Indian aid effort, dubbed Operation Maitri, meaning “amity”, began within hours after the 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck its northern neighbour.
Four Indian Air Force transport aircraft landed in Kathmandu on Saturday evening, carrying doctors as well as 450 members of India’s National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF).
Another six NDRF teams were shuttled to Nepal on Sunday, raising the total number of relief personnel to 720.
The Indian operation is part of an international effort to assist those affected by the earthquake, many of whom live in remote areas made more inaccessible by landslides and bad weather.
The United States announced an initial aid package of US$1 million (Dh3.67m) for relief efforts and its international assistance agency USAID sent disaster assistance and rescue teams to assess the situation, as well as medical experts to work with Nepal’s army.
The French government sent a team of 11 rescue workers and emergency supplies, while the International Search and Rescue Germany, a relief organisation, flew in 52 personnel and dog squads to search for people trapped under rubble.
India’s defence minister, Manohar Parrikar, stressed his country’s “long cultural and family ties” with Nepal, saying, “We are obligated to help the country in their hour of need.”
The home minister, Rajnath Singh, ordered camps to be set up along the border with Nepal to assist people crossing into India on foot.
On the home ministry’s direction, the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which border Nepal, will mobilise a fleet of ambulances and relief lorries to help with rescue efforts.
India’s health ministry flew a 34-member medical team to Kathmandu as well, as well as 15 tonnes of medical supplies.
“The team consists of 10 orthopaedic surgeons, four anaesthetists, 12 male nurses and eight [surgical] technicians to the earthquake-affected areas of Nepal to provide emergency medical relief,” the ministry said.
The Indian air force deployed a dozen helicopters to assist the Nepali government with its reconnaissance and rescue missions.
“The plan is to drop relief supplies in worst-affected valleys in case landing is not possible,” Sitanshu Kar, a defence ministry spokesperson, told the IANS news agency. “The helicopters are flying almost non-stop since this morning.”
Air force planes also ferried water, food, blankets, tents and teams of army engineers to Nepal.
New Delhi has also arranged to quickly provide visas free of charge to tourists stranded in Nepal and hoping to leave for India before flying to their home countries.
India began evacuating its own citizens on Saturday, with the first air force flight returning late on Saturday night with 55 people, including four babies. A second flight arrived early on Sunday, with 101 people.
And additional 546 Indians were flown out of Kathmandu by midday on Sunday.
Even so, people formed a line of a kilometre outside Kathmandu airport, hoping to take one of the infrequent flights out of the country. According to one estimate, more than 3,000 Indians were stranded at the airport as of Sunday evening, waiting for an evacuation.
Operation Maitri builds upon relief skills put into practice over the past year, first with the floods in the state of Jammu & Kashmir in September and then with the evacuation of Indians from strife-torn Yemen earlier this month.
"We have never operated in Nepal earlier," Sandeep Rathore, an NDRF official, told the Indian Express newspaper. "But the experience gained during flood operations in Jammu & Kashmir taught us lessons that can be implemented in Nepal."
More than 2,500 people were confirmed dead in the earthquake, the worst to hit Nepal in 80 years. Another 5,500 were estimated to be seriously injured.
More than 50 people died in India due to the earthquake.
ssubramanian@thenational.ae
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster with a decades-long career in TV. He has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others. Karam is also the founder of Takreem.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
LEAGUE CUP QUARTER-FINAL DRAW
Stoke City v Tottenham
Brentford v Newcastle United
Arsenal v Manchester City
Everton v Manchester United
All ties are to be played the week commencing December 21.
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Fernandes pen 2') Tottenham Hotspur 6 (Ndombele 4', Son 7' & 37' Kane (30' & pen 79, Aurier 51')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (Turf) 1,400m. Winner: Al Ajeeb W’Rsan, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Jaci Wickham (trainer).
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (T) 1,400m racing. Winner: Mujeeb, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 90,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Onward, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
6.30pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown Prep Rated Conditions (PA) Dh 125,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Somoud, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle.
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (T) 1,600m. Winner: AF Arrab, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 90,000 (T) 1,400m. Winner: Irish Freedom, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
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Read more from Johann Chacko
MATCH INFO
Bayern Munich 2 Borussia Monchengladbach 1
Bayern: Zirkzee (26'), Goretzka (86')
Gladbach: Pavard (37' og)
Man of the Match: Breel Embolo (Borussia Monchengladbach)
MATCH INFO
Southampton 0
Manchester City 1 (Sterling 16')
Man of the match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
Haircare resolutions 2021
From Beirut and Amman to London and now Dubai, hairstylist George Massoud has seen the same mistakes made by customers all over the world. In the chair or at-home hair care, here are the resolutions he wishes his customers would make for the year ahead.
1. 'I will seek consultation from professionals'
You may know what you want, but are you sure it’s going to suit you? Haircare professionals can tell you what will work best with your skin tone, hair texture and lifestyle.
2. 'I will tell my hairdresser when I’m not happy'
Massoud says it’s better to offer constructive criticism to work on in the future. Your hairdresser will learn, and you may discover how to communicate exactly what you want more effectively the next time.
3. ‘I will treat my hair better out of the chair’
Damage control is a big part of most hairstylists’ work right now, but it can be avoided. Steer clear of over-colouring at home, try and pursue one hair brand at a time and never, ever use a straightener on still drying hair, pleads Massoud.
The view from The National
RACE CARD
6.30pm: Madjani Stakes Group 2 (PA) Dh97,500 (Dirt) 1,900m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,400m
7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 2,200m
8.50pm: Dubai Creek Mile Listed (TB) Dh132,500 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,900m
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,400m
A Prayer Before Dawn
Director: Jean-Stephane Sauvaire
Starring: Joe Cole, Somluck Kamsing, Panya Yimmumphai
Three stars
The five pillars of Islam
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Brief scores:
Everton 0
Leicester City 1
Vardy 58'
Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test Thursday-Monday at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.6-litre turbo
Transmission: six-speed automatic
Power: 165hp
Torque: 240Nm
Price: From Dh89,000 (Enjoy), Dh99,900 (Innovation)
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