The Arabian peninsula was hit by unprecedented rainfall and floods, shutting colleges and grounding flights on Wednesday, with elements of the desert nation United Arab Emirates receiving 10 inches of rain in 24 hours.

In Oman, not less than 18 individuals have died in current days due to the extreme climate, the nation’s Nationwide Committee for Emergency Administration stated.

The storms swamped roadways and created harmful situations throughout the area, a usually arid a part of the world that’s unaccustomed to intense rain and flash flooding.

Dubai’s airport suggested passengers early Wednesday to not journey to the airport until “completely mandatory.” Main airline Emirates stated in a post on X it was suspending check-in for all passengers at Dubai till midnight Wednesday (3 p.m. ET).

The Nationwide Heart of Meteorology in Abu Dhabi stated the rain within the UAE surpassed something since data started in 1949, when the world was nonetheless a British protectorate and earlier than the invention of oil.

The Khatm Al Shakla space outdoors town of Al Ain, close to the border with Oman, acquired 10 inches of rain in lower than 24 hours.

The meteorology heart known as it “an distinctive occasion within the UAE’s local weather historical past for the reason that begin of recording local weather knowledge, and it’s anticipated that the approaching hours will witness the recording of bigger quantities of rainfall.”

TAMPA — Nikita Kucherov grew to become the fifth participant in NHL historical past, and the second this season, to have 100 assists in a season Wednesday.

The Tampa Bay Lightning ahead reached the milestone when he arrange Brayden Level’s power-play aim at 17:05 of the second interval in a 6-4 victory towards the Toronto Maple Leafs at Amalie Enviornment. Kucherov faked a one-timer from the correct circle and handed to Level, who scored on a wrist shot from the slot to provide the Lightning a 4-1 lead.

“It is a particular second,” Kucherov stated. “Because of my teammates and training employees for placing me in place to have success. I am lucky to play with nice gamers. It is a good second.”

Kucherov joins Wayne Gretzky (11 instances), Mario Lemieux (1988-89), Bobby Orr (1970-71) and Connor McDavid (2023-24) as gamers to have finished it. McDavid hit the mark Monday with an help for the Edmonton Oilers towards the San Jose Sharks.

Earlier than that, Gretzky was the final participant to do it when he had 122 assists within the 1991-92 season.

The one different time two gamers had 100 assists in the identical season was 1988-89, when Gretzky and Lemieux every had 114.

Lightning coach Jon Cooper stated Gretzky despatched him a textual content message after the sport.

“The primary textual content message I bought once I checked after the sport,” Cooper stated. “The category act that [Gretzky] is … simply glowing feedback about Nikita Kucherov. It was fairly cool.”

It was Kucherov’s fortieth help on the facility play and Level’s fifteenth power-play aim this season.

“That is a play that he likes to make,” Level stated. “I simply caught it and shot it and hoped it went in. He gave me two seems to be within the slot earlier within the interval that [Martin] Jones made good saves on. I used to be a bit nervous. I used to be actually joyful to see it go in.”

Kucherov additionally scored within the first interval Wednesday and leads the NHL with 144 factors (44 targets, 100 assists). The five-time All-Star gained the Hart Trophy in 2019 and helped the Lightning win the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021.

This season, Kucherov additionally set NHL information for many assists by a wing and most factors by a Russia-born participant, breaking his personal file of 128 set in 2018-19.

“Forty-four targets this 12 months for himself to associate with 100 assists,” Level stated. “It is outstanding. Simply watching ‘Kuch’ day by day and seeing how he works, it is a tremendous quantity, nevertheless it’s not shocking with how exhausting and the way sensible he works.”

Dubai, United Arab Emirates — The desert nation of the United Arab Emirates tried to dry out Wednesday from the heaviest rain ever recorded there after a deluge flooded out Dubai Worldwide Airport, disrupting journey by way of the world’s busiest airfield for worldwide journey. The state-run WAM information company known as the rain Tuesday “a historic climate occasion” that surpassed “something documented because the begin of knowledge assortment in 1949.” 

The rains started late Monday, soaking the sands and roadways of Dubai with some 0.79 inches of rain, in response to meteorological knowledge collected at Dubai Worldwide Airport. The storms intensified round 9 a.m. native time Tuesday and continued all through the day, dumping extra rain and hail onto the overwhelmed metropolis.

Flooding impacts Dubai Worldwide Airport

By the top of Tuesday, greater than 5.59 inches of rainfall had soaked Dubai over 24 hours. A median 12 months sees simply 3.73 inches of rain fall at Dubai Worldwide Airport, a hub for the long-haul service Emirates.

On the airport, standing water lapped on taxiways as plane landed. Arrivals have been halted Tuesday evening and passengers struggled to achieve terminals by way of the floodwater overlaying surrounding roads.

The airport stated in a series of social media posts that each one operations have been halted for about 25 minutes on Tuesday afternoon and that each one arrivals could be diverted after that “till the climate situations enhance.” Late Wednesday morning, the airport and the flagship service Emirates have been nonetheless warning vacationers to not come to the airport until completely mandatory, saying all flight check-in was nonetheless suspended.

“Flights proceed to be delayed and diverted. Please examine your flight standing instantly along with your airline,” the airport stated in a tweet. “We’re working arduous to recuperate operations as shortly as doable in very difficult situations.” 

One couple, who spoke to The Related Press on situation of anonymity in a rustic with strict legal guidelines that criminalize crucial speech, known as the scenario on the airport “absolute carnage.”

“You can not get a taxi. There’s folks sleeping within the Metro station. There’s folks sleeping within the airport,” the person stated Wednesday.

They ended up getting a taxi to close their house some 18 miles away, however floodwater on the street stopped them. A bystander helped them over a freeway barrier with their carry-on baggage, the bottles of gin they picked up from a duty-free retailer clinking away.

Paul Griffiths, the airport’s CEO, acknowledged continued points with flooding Wednesday morning, saying each place an plane may very well be safely parked was taken. Some plane had been diverted to Al Maktoum Worldwide Airport at Dubai World Central, the city-state’s second airfield.

“It stays an extremely difficult time. In dwelling reminiscence, I do not assume anybody has ever seen situations prefer it,” Griffiths instructed the state-owned speak radio station Dubai Eye. “We’re in uncharted territory, however I can guarantee everybody we’re working as arduous as we probably can to verify our prospects and employees are sorted.”

Did “cloud-seeding” contribute?

Rain additionally fell in Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Nevertheless, the rains have been acute throughout the UAE. One cause might have been “cloud seeding,” wherein small planes flown by the federal government undergo clouds burning particular salt flares. These flares can enhance precipitation.

A number of studies quoted meteorologists on the Nationwide Heart for Meteorology as saying they flew six or seven cloud-seeding flights earlier than the rains. The middle didn’t instantly reply to questions Wednesday, although flight-tracking knowledge analyzed by the AP confirmed one plane affiliated with the UAE’s cloud-seeding efforts flew across the nation Sunday.

The UAE, which depends closely on energy-hungry desalination crops to supply water, conducts cloud seeding partly to extend its dwindling, restricted groundwater.

Flooding closes faculties throughout UAE

Colleges throughout the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms, largely shut forward of the storm and authorities staff have been largely working remotely if they may. Many employees stayed house as nicely, although some ventured out, with the unlucky ones stalling out their automobiles in deeper-than-expected water overlaying some roads.

Authorities despatched tanker vans out into the streets and highways to pump away the water. Water poured into some properties, forcing folks to bail out their homes.

The nation’s hereditary rulers provided no general injury or damage info for the nation, as some folks slept of their flooded automobiles Tuesday evening. In Ras al-Khaimah, the nation’s northernmost emirate, police stated a 70-year-old man died when his car was swept away by floodwater.

Fujairah, an emirate on the UAE’s japanese coast, noticed the heaviest rainfall Tuesday with 5.7 inches falling there.

Authorities canceled faculty and the federal government instituted distant work once more for Wednesday.

Rain is uncommon within the UAE, an arid, Arabian Peninsula nation, however happens periodically through the cooler winter months. Many roads and different areas lack drainage given the dearth of normal rainfall, inflicting flooding.

In the meantime in neighboring Oman, a sultanate that rests on the japanese fringe of the Arabian Peninsula, not less than 19 folks have been killed in heavy rains in current days, in response to an announcement Wednesday from the nation’s Nationwide Committee for Emergency Administration. That features some 10 schoolchildren swept away in a car with an grownup, prompting condolences from rulers throughout the area.

Climatologists have warned for years that human-driven local weather change is fueling extra excessive and fewer predictable climate occasions throughout the globe.

Components of southern Russia and Central Asia have additionally been dealing for days with unusually damaging quantities of rainfall and snowmelt, forcing tens of 1000’s of individuals to evacuate to increased floor and killing greater than 60 folks in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

A keffiyeh is a checkered scarf sometimes worn in Arab cultures that has come to represent solidarity with Palestinians.

Members of provincial parliament typically ask particular permission to put on an merchandise which will break the principles, akin to ribbons for a selected trigger’s consciousness day, and so they do this by looking for unanimous consent of the legislature.

NDP Chief Marit Stiles moved a unanimous consent movement Thursday morning saying the keffiyeh is a culturally vital clothes merchandise in Palestinian, Muslim and Arab communities and must be allowed in the home, however Arnott mentioned he heard a number of individuals say “no.”

The loudest “no” got here from Progressive Conservative backbencher Robin Martin.

“I believe (Arnott’s ruling) is the right choice, in the identical means we are able to’t use other forms of political clothes,” Martin mentioned after query interval.

“We will’t put on T-shirts that say, ‘Free the hostages’ or wrap ourselves in a flag or no matter. We’ve got to comply with the principles of the legislature. In any other case, we politicize your entire debate contained in the legislature and that’s not what it’s about … we use our phrases to steer, not our objects of garments.”

Martin’s place is in distinction to her chief’s, with Premier Doug Ford calling on the Speaker to reverse his choice.

“It actually comes right down to uniting Ontarians and communities,” the premier mentioned Thursday morning at an unrelated press convention. “We see the division proper now that’s happening. It’s not wholesome, and this may simply divide the group much more.”

Stiles mentioned she was upset her movement didn’t cross and pressed the federal government to behave.

“I believe the premier must now guarantee that his caucus does the appropriate factor,” she mentioned.

The difficulty got here to Stiles’ consideration final week when one in all her staffers, who wears a keffiyeh each day, needed to take away it earlier than getting into the constructing.

The Legislative Protecting Service advised the staffer to take away the keffiyeh, she mentioned.

“The keffiyeh is worn by Muslims, Arabs, Palestinians, it’s cultural apparel, identical to so many different issues are,” Stiles mentioned.

“And we reside in a various province, and other people, I believe, have a proper to put on their cultural heritage, their cultural apparel and present their satisfaction of their heritage.”

Ford wants to point out some management to repair the difficulty, mentioned Liberal parliamentary chief John Fraser.

“The premier must say to his home chief, ‘I’m placing ahead a movement,’ and once they put ahead the movement, we’ll all be there to help it,” Fraser mentioned.

“We will’t proceed to debate this, we have now different extra necessary issues to speak about.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed April 18, 2024.

Allison Jones and Liam Casey, The Canadian Press

<!– Picture: 20240418100456-6621353daca545ca19b74b7ajpeg.jpg, Caption:

An NDP movement to permit keffiyehs to be worn within the Ontario legislature has failed because it didn’t obtain unanimous consent after not less than one member voted towards it. Palestinian kids maintain up a big kaffiyeh, a standard Arab headdress, as they take part in a march to commemorate  “Nakba”, which is Arabic for disaster, within the West Financial institution metropolis of Ramallah, Monday, Could 17, 2010. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Tara Todras-Whitehill

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The U.N. assertion stated “Palestinians have been subjected to waves of assaults by tons of of Israeli settlers, usually accompanied or supported by Israeli Safety Forces.” It stated that along with deaths and accidents, the assaults have additionally included the torching of tons of of houses and different buildings, in addition to automobiles.

“Israel, because the occupying energy, should take all measures in its energy to revive, and guarantee, so far as potential, public order and security within the occupied West Financial institution,” it stated.

Israel captured the West Financial institution within the 1967 Mideast struggle and has constructed scores of settlements there that at the moment are house to over 500,000 Jewish settlers. The Palestinians need the West Financial institution, which is house to some 3 million Palestinians, to type the principle a part of their future state.

Violence has surged within the West Financial institution because the Oct. 7 Hamas assault out of Gaza that triggered the struggle. The Palestinian Well being Ministry says not less than 468 Palestinians have been killed because the begin of the struggle in Gaza. Most have been shot useless by Israeli safety forces throughout arrest raids or violent protests.

The Ontario Legislature has upheld its Speaker’s ban on carrying the standard keffiyeh scarf, lengthy an emblem of the Palestinian trigger, after at the least one Progressive Conservative MPP blocked a movement that may have overturned it.

Ontario NDP Chief Marit Stiles, who had written to Speaker Ted Arnott to protest his ruling, moved a movement within the Home on Thursday searching for the unanimous consent of MPPs to reverse the ban. Premier Doug Ford, Liberal Chief Bonnie Crombie and Inexperienced Social gathering Chief Mike Schreiner had additionally referred to as on Wednesday for the ban to be overturned.

However when Mr. Arnott requested the Home on Thursday morning to grant the required unanimous consent to overrule him, PC MPP Robin Martin, who represents the Toronto using of Eglinton-Lawrence, voted no.

Mr. Ford, who was not within the legislature and was talking at an look in Oakville, Ont., advised reporters earlier than the vote that he wished to keep away from extra division on the problem.

“We see the division proper now that’s occurring. It’s not wholesome and it will simply divide the group much more,” he stated.

Mr. Ford stated he has many mates within the Jewish group in addition to a Muslim son-in-law.

“Everybody must get alongside. This has been occurring for a thousand years.”

B’nai Brith Canada had issued an announcement commending Mr. Arnott’s unique choice. It stated then keffiyeh’s “innocuous origins as a cultural image have been corrupted by radicals. It has grow to be a divisive image that’s used to incite.” And it referred to as for different legislatures and the Home of Commons in Ottawa to comply with swimsuit.

In a letter to Mr. Arnott dated April 12, Ms. Stiles stated it had come to her consideration that legislative safety had begun prohibiting the carrying of keffiyehs within the legislative precinct by members, employees and the general public and that she wished this reconsidered.

She stated the meeting has at all times permitted members to “brazenly have fun their tradition,” together with by carrying conventional clothes.
Ms. Stiles stated the keffiyeh is a major conventional clothes merchandise not just for Palestinians, however for a lot of members of the Arab and Muslim communities. She stated members of her employees have been requested to take away their keffiyehs to be able to come to work.

In a response to her letter dated April 16, Mr. Arnott stated he would reverse the ruling if the Home requested such a transfer with unanimous consent.

The legislature typically varies its guidelines through this type of unanimous consent movement, permitting MPPs to put on sports activities jerseys or different symbols that break the common guidelines.

Mr. Arnott stated in his letter that after researching the query, he had concluded the keffiyeh was a political image.

Israel, aided by its allies, dodged a bullet Sunday.

To be extra exact, 60 tons of explosives aboard greater than 350 Iranian projectiles, some greater than a household automotive, did not dodge Israel’s defenses.

But Israel, in defiance of US President Joe Biden’s warnings to “take the win” and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s menace of a “extreme, in depth and painful” response to any retaliation, is considering simply that.

Deterrence, shorthand for “meanest S.O.B. within the room,” Israel believes, is the cornerstone of its survival. Iran is stealing that brick.

When confronted with existential threats up to now, Israel has executed essentially the most audacious raids the area has ever witnessed. The purpose being, Israel received’t telegraph its assault plans as Iran did on the weekend.

Other than the core members of Israel’s conflict cupboard, greater than a dozen different individuals have sat on the desk deep contained in the Kirya, Israel’s most safety protection headquarters in Tel Aviv, thrashing out their subsequent transfer.

Netanyahu’s subsequent transfer will doubtless attempt to lock in sanctions, and strike earlier than damaging Gaza headlines dump the worldwide good will filling his sails.

The clock is ticking. He wants two issues, time to arrange a big shock strike, and time to coalesce worldwide diplomacy. As each march to completely different beats, his legendary political acumen faces certainly one of its stiffest exams but.

Netanyahu is famed as a political survivor. However now he faces the most important gamble of his profession. He’s betting the blood of his nation over Iran’s learn of his rift with America.

Learn extra.

Hawkeye workforce chief Kate Martin is coming into the WNBA, alongside teammate and good friend Caitlin Clark as the one gamers from the state of Iowa chosen within the 2024 draft.

This was her closing season enjoying for the Hawkeyes. Martin made career-highs this season averaging 13.1 factors a recreation and 6.8 rebounds. That is the second season Martin aided the Hawkeyes within the NCAA title recreation. She ended her profession with 1,229 factors and 756 rebounds.

Did Kate Martin get drafted?

Sure. Within the second spherical of the WNBA Draft Monday, Martin was chosen by the Las Vegas Aces. Because the 18th general choose, Martin is certainly one of two Hawkeyes to be drafted this 12 months. That is the primary time two of Iowa’s gamers had been chosen in the identical WNBA draft since 1998.

“I’m so pleased with Kate as a result of her desires got here true,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder advised Hawk Central. “She has been such an enormous a part of our program over the past six years. Her efforts didn’t go unnoticed by her friends. I want Kate all of the success with this subsequent step.”

Extra:What did Caitlin Clark say about Kate Martin being drafted?

What ought to I find out about Kate Martin?

Within the final 12 months, Martin turned the forty third Hawkeye in this system’s historical past to eclipse 1,000 profession factors. She earned Second Workforce All-Massive Ten honors from the coaches and media, based on the Hawkeyes Girls’s Basketball web site. She scored 15 or extra factors in 15 video games and 20 or extra factors in three video games.

The place is Kate Martin from?

Martin is from Edwardsville, Illinois, the place she performed for Edwardsville Excessive College. Throughout her highschool profession, she scored greater than 1,000 factors and was a three-year starter. She averaged 16.2 factors, 5.9 rebounds and a pair of.88 assists, based on the Hawkeyes’ web site.

Extra:Kate Martin picked by Las Vegas in WNBA Draft: What they’re saying on social media

How tall is Kate Martin?

Martin stands at 6 toes, based on the Hawkeye’s web site. She was quantity 20 throughout her time with Iowa.

What’s Kate Martin majoring in?

Martin is a graduate scholar on the College of Iowa. She is majoring in sports activities advertising.

Des Moines Register reporter Tyler Tachman contributed to this report.

Kate Kealey is a common project reporter for the Register. Attain her at kkealey@registermedia.com or comply with her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.

Referee Mike Sullivan will make his Nationwide Hockey League officiating debut on Sunday when he takes the ice in Calgary for Flames vs. Arizona Coyotes. 

Sullivan, sporting #47,  will swimsuit up alongside referee Kendrick Nicholson (#30) and linesmen Travis Toomey (#90) and Bevan Mills (#53).  The Officiating Supervisor can be Al Kimmel. 

Sullivan, to not be confused with the Pittsburgh Penguins head coach, was employed by the NHL  previous to the beginning of the season.  He performed faculty hockey at Bowling Inexperienced State College earlier than listening to to Europe. Sullivan spent three seasons in Italy, enjoying within the win2day ICE Hockey League (then referred to as the EBEL) earlier than heading to the U.Ok. to hitch the EIHL’s Dundee Stars for one season. 

“I needed to be a referee for some time now, however I by no means actually knew how one can get began,” Sullivan advised his former workforce, the Dundee Stars.  “[In 2017], I used to be fortunate sufficient to attend the NHL Publicity Mix for potential/potential officers. I cherished the entire expertise and realised that I needed to essentially give officiating a shot.”

Sullivan made his officiating debut in 2019, working video games within the Better Toronto Hockey League (GTHL), together with the American Hockey League – as a referee – and the Ontario Hockey League – as a linesman.  He’s at present in his fifth AHL season, his third as a full-time referee.

“Officiating is unquestionably one thing that I might like to do for the remainder of my life,” Sullivan stated again in 2020.  “To have the ability to be across the sport on a regular basis, and make a fantastic profession out of it, could be a dream. For the time being, I’m simply ensuring that each sport I get within the AHL, OHL, and Minor Hockey, I work arduous and do my greatest to referee a good sport. The sport has given me a lot, and I owe it to the sport to try this.”

From the NHLOA:

Born and raised within the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, Ontario, Mike Sullivan performed hockey throughout the Better Toronto Space till 2011, when he started a collegiate profession at Bowling Inexperienced State College.  After enjoying 4 years for the Falcons, he graduated and joined his older brother in Italy, signing with Asiago within the Italian Skilled Hockey League.

After two seasons in Italy, he started pursuing a profession in officiating by making use of to the 2017 NHL Officiating Beginner Publicity Mix. After a watch opening week on the mix, he returned to Italy for an additional season, the place his workforce gained the Alps Hockey League Championship, and he acquired the esteemed privilege of representing Italy on the 2018 World Championships. That summer season, he attended the 2018 NHL Officiating Mix as soon as once more to proceed to develop as a possible official.

He performed one ultimate season within the UK’s Elite League, the place he performed for the Scottish based mostly Dundee Stars, whereas additionally incomes his Grasp’s Diploma in Enterprise from the College of Dundee.

After as soon as once more attending the 2019 NHL Officiating Mix, he picked up a whistle and started his officiating profession, working 200 youth video games within the Better Toronto Hockey League (GTHL), whereas additionally being a linesperson for the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and a Referee for the American Hockey League (AHL). He transitioned to full time Referee within the AHL for the 2021 season, working a full schedule together with the primary two rounds of the Calder Cup Playoffs. The 2022-23 season was his 4th AHL season, the place he continued to hone his sport by a full season schedule, incomes the glory of working the Calder Cup Convention Finals.  After that season, In June of 2023, his on-ice profession would come full circle, as he could be supplied a minor league referee NHL contract in his hometown of Toronto.

Sullivan is the fourth and ultimate referee to make his Nationwide Hockey League debut this month.  Referee Graedy Hamilton took the ice for the primary time within the NHL at Coyotes vs. Sharks, adopted by Stephen Hiff at Sharks vs. Kraken, and Riley Brace at Canadiens vs. Senators.  All 4 had been employed previous to the 2023-24 season.

UPDATE:  Sully acquired a barn-burner for his first sport within the present because the Flames gained 6-5.  Right here’s the opening draw and some officiating highlights… 

Congratulations to Mike Sullivan on the beginning of his Nationwide Hockey League officiating profession!