NEWS FROM THE UAE
Excerpts from UAE Dailies
With ban on Indian mutton, Pak meat sells like hot cakes
DUBAI — Jan 24: Birds of a feather flock together, they say. While neighbours India and Pakistan continue to hold talks to thrash out common ground on a host of issues, here comes an unexpected commonality: the ban on Indian mutton in the UAE market has led to a huge surge in the demand for Pakistani mutton.
And it comes with a catch. With the demand for Pakistani mutton skyrocketing, it’ll not be too long when it vanishes from Dubai supermarkets, fear executives at these outlets. In fact, some supermarkets in Dubai have already begun to feel the shortage of Pakistani mutton.
S. Karim, Manager of Talal Supermarket in Dubai, said, “Indians seldom buy European or Australian mutton. In the absence of Indian mutton, what they scout for is Pakistani mutton. But we’ll not be able to meet this stupendous surge in demand.”
Executives at Choithram’s Bur Dubai outlet informed that between 50 and 60 kg of Pakistani mutton comes to the supermarket every day. “Those who have a taste for Indian mutton have mostly switched to Pakistani mutton. But this has made the demand leapfrog, creating huge pressure on us,” revealed an executive.
The managers at Al Madina supermarkets had a similar story to narrate. “Till now we have somehow managed to meet the enhanced demand for Pakistani mutton, but we do not know for how long. We have already doubled our intake of Pakistani mutton,” they conceded. It is widely held that the ban on Indian mutton did not have everything to do with quality alone. Robert Dudley, the meat specialist at Choithram’s, said, “People are talking about some disease. But I don’t think that is true. There is more to it than meets the eye.”
KHALEEJ TIMES
Capital feels the chill at 10ºC
Abu Dhabi - Jan 24: THE NORTHWESTERLY wind, shamal, was responsible for bringing mercury level down to 15ºC yesterday night with scattered rain throughout the day in some parts of Dubai and the Northern Emirates, while Abu Dhabi reported a plunge in temperature at 10ºC.
An official spokesperson at the Meteorological Office of the Dubai International Airport said that rain is not likely in the next three days as the skies clear due to the wind being blown east-ward.
“The shamal is blowing at 25 knots northwesterly so we can experience cold air coming through,” said Sulaiman Mohammed, Met Office’s duty forecaster.
He added that it is normal at this time of the year for the shamal to blow in cold air from the northern part of the region. This, however, also poses risk to people venturing into the sea.
“We have already issued an advisory, cautioning people against water-related activities until 6am of Wednesday (January 24) as the waves can reach to a high of 8 to 9 feet or even 10 feet,” said Mohammed.
Yesterday, the emirates of Dubai and Sharjah experienced scattered rainshowers but the Met Office said the level of rain has not been significant.
The rain ceased in the afternoon although the skies remained cloudy to partly cloudy. The maximum temperature registered was 23ºC, while the minimum was 15ºC.
Until Friday the country can experience windy weather conditions but the outlook will be fine and sunny, according to Mohammed.
A source with the Meteorological Authority in Abu Dhabi declared that the cold wave that currently swept the country will continue today.
Temperature has recorded a plunge at 10ºC, the source said, adding that temperature late night may reach 14ºC. The current cold wave is expected to continue. Neither showers nor fog are foreseen early morning.
The source, moreover, referred to a rise in waves to 9 feet while it may reach 5 feet today. He said wind speed reached 28 knots.
More rain is expected owing to the changing weather.
KHALEEJ TIMES