Weather forecasters at the National Meteorology and Seismology Centre at Khalifa City in Abu Dhabi watch Cyclone Ashobaa approach the coast of Oman. Ravindranath K / The National
Weather forecasters at the National Meteorology and Seismology Centre at Khalifa City in Abu Dhabi watch Cyclone Ashobaa approach the coast of Oman. Ravindranath K / The National

Some Fujairah hotels unprepared for Cyclone Ashobaa



DUBAI // Some hotels on the UAE’s east coast are apparently ill-equipped for the arrival of Cyclone Ashobaa.

Two hotels in Fujairah on Tuesday said they were unaware of the tropical storm that was making its way across the Arabian Sea.

Radisson Blu and Le Meridien Al Aqah had taken no precautions.

But the Miramar Al Aqah and the Hilton Fujairah were aware of the storm, which was expected to travel north towards the coast of Oman. Angela Buchner, a spokeswoman for the Miramar hotel, said: “Our spa manager is aware of the potential situation and has instructed our team to remove all of the furniture as soon as the sun goes down.”

The general manager of the Fujairah Rotana, Mrad El Khoury, said: “We took the needed precautions, actions and safety measurements and are ready to handle this type of situation.

“We have been prepared for the risk for three days and arranged for sand bags, we emptied the beach area including residential blocks and are ready to evacuate if need be.”

Meteorologists have spent much of the past few days monitoring the progress of deep-lying weather patterns off the Indian coast ahead of Ashobaa’s anticipated arrival in Oman and then the UAE.

Winds approaching 150 kilometres an hour had been predicted in some areas, along with waves that could top 4.5 metres, although the unpredictable nature of tropical storms made its exact arrival and strength hard to determine.

The National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology in Abu Dhabi had been keeping a close eye on developments, and had said that the worst impact of the storm was likely to be felt in Pakistan.

A spokesman on Tuesay had said Ashobaa would intensify into a severe tropical storm over the next 24 hours.

He said the effect on the country was expected to be indirect, but that effect would rise over the east coast of the UAE by Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.

“An increase in the amount of clouds to the east are expected, especially on the eastern mountains,” the spokesman said.

“NCMS will keep monitoring this weather case because it is well known that such cases are quickly changeable and have high uncertainty.”

nwebster@thenational.ae

This article has been amended from its original form to reflect a response given by the Fujairah Rotana.

How will Gen Alpha invest?

Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.

“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.

Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.

He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.

Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross

Price, base / as tested: Dh101,140 / Dh113,800


Engine: Turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder


Power: 148hp @ 5,500rpm


Torque: 250Nm @ 2,000rpm


Transmission: Eight-speed CVT


Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km

What is hepatitis?

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, which can lead to fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis or liver cancer.

There are 5 main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E.

Hepatitis C is mostly transmitted through exposure to infective blood. This can occur through blood transfusions, contaminated injections during medical procedures, and through injecting drugs. Sexual transmission is also possible, but is much less common.

People infected with hepatitis C experience few or no symptoms, meaning they can live with the virus for years without being diagnosed. This delay in treatment can increase the risk of significant liver damage.

There are an estimated 170 million carriers of Hepatitis C around the world.

The virus causes approximately 399,000 fatalities each year worldwide, according to WHO.

 

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Sinopharm vaccine explained

The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades. 

“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.

"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."

This is then injected into the body.

"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.

"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."

The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.

Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.

“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.


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