heavy

Recurring floods disrupt daily life in Tunis, raising questions about drainage, transport and flood preparedness.

Tunis, Tunisia – Heavy rain brought parts of Tunisia’s capital to a standstill on Thursday, flooding roads and homes, trapping people in cars and disrupting electricity and internet services.

Home to nearly three million people, the Greater Tunis region has faced repeated flooding in recent years. Thursday’s flooding came only months after severe January rains caused widespread disruption across the capital and other parts of the country, leaving several people dead and causing significant damage.

Weather warnings had been issued in advance, but the decision to suspend classes in Tunis was announced only shortly before it took effect. Parents rushed to schools to collect their children as the rain intensified and traffic backed up across the capital.

Videos shared online showed flooded streets, cars stranded in rising water and what appeared to be power lines catching fire. Residents also reported power and internet cuts and water entering homes.

‘The road became almost unrecognisable’

Fatma, a 35-year-old employee in Tunis, said the situation deteriorated quickly as she struggled to get home safely.

“At about 4pm, the road became almost unrecognisable. The tunnel leading to Bab Saadoun was completely closed because of the rain,” she told Al Jazeera.

“Most people were stranded by the roadside for hours, waiting for public transport that never came. I saw three cars that filled with water and broke down, and people carrying their children on their shoulders.”

“Every season, the same thing happens. Roads close and traffic comes to a complete standstill. All the drains start overflowing with waste,” she said.

The National Institute of Meteorology had warned of locally heavy thunderstorms on Thursday, including heavy rain over short periods that could cause flooding, disrupt traffic and overwhelm drainage networks. It also warned of potential power cuts.

Residents question flood preparedness

“Tunisia has become used to these disasters. Every year, we end up flooded even when there is little rain,” said Intissar, 33, from the Lafayette area of Tunis.

She blamed local authorities for failing to carry out preventive work before the rainy season.

“This is work that should have been done during the summer,” she said.

But she also acknowledged the role of residents.

“We cannot deny the responsibility of citizens who dump waste that blocks drainage channels,” she said.

At a government meeting in August, officials called for drainage networks and waterways to be cleaned and flood-protection work to be accelerated. The government said 29 flood-protection projects were under way across the country.

The flooding comes as Tunisia prepares for a national march in Tunis on Saturday, with organisers calling for the release of four activists detained in connection with the Al-Soumoud Flotilla. The march is scheduled for 5pm, as rain is forecast to continue through Saturday.

A struggle to get home

Fatma said the lack of reliable public transport, combined with repeated flooding, was making it increasingly difficult for people to manage without cars.

“The problem makes people look for their own solutions. That is why most people are trying to find a way to buy a car, because it has become difficult to live without one with these recurring problems,” she said.

The flooding also came as students returned to schools and universities this week, adding pressure to roads and public transport.

For Fatma, the disruption is becoming a familiar pattern.

“This shows that the state has no vision. It is caught off-guard just like citizens are,” she said.

Aug. 30 (UPI) — NASA used SpaceX‘s Falcon Heavy rocket to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope into space Sunday for a 1 million-mile journey to study some of the universe’s deepest secrets.

The rocket launched at 7:26 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Falcon Heavy rocket separated 31 minutes into the flight and returned back to the launch site for later reuse.

There had been a 60% chance of favorable weather for the launch.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman called the launch of the telescope “exactly the kind of success story we want to see across NASA.”

“Delivered ahead of schedule and on budget, this mission reflects more than a decade of dedication from the NASA workforce and our industry partners. Now, Roman will give us a new atlas of the universe, push the boundaries of discovery, and demonstrate what is possible when America’s space program pairs bold ambition with disciplined execution.”

NASA said the telescope deployed its solar panels and lower instrument sun shade 1 hour and 23 minutes after launch. In the coming days, it will also deploy its high-gain antenna and a visor-like deployable aperture cover, perform two course corrections, and power on the Coronagraph Instrument.

In a few weeks, the telescope’s Wide Field Instrument — an infrared camera considered to be its primary instrument — will activate.

The Roman Space Telescope will travel 1 million miles in three months to reach its final orbit, a location called the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point. There, it’s expected to rapidly scan the sky and survey the universe about 1,000 times faster than the Hubble Space Telescope.

NASA said it expects to release its first images from the Roman Space Telescope in early 2027.

DANIELLE Lloyd has opened up to fans after her son Ronnie was unexpectedly rushed to hospital.

The model, 42, revealed the news on social media following a ‘heavy night’ but reassured that he was now on the mend.

The mum-of-five took to her Instagram Stories to share a photo of her eight-year-old son laying asleep in a hospital bed. 

Danielle captioned the post: “Well that was a heavy night!

“Thanks for all your messages Ronnie is out and feeling a lot better (heart emoji)”

After reassuring fans of Ronnie’s recovery, a later snap uploaded by Danielle showed the model all smiles as she posed alongside her daughter and nephew. 

READ MORE ON DANIELLE LLOYD

HOME HORROR

Moment crooks smash down Danielle Lloyd’s door in raid after ‘stalking’ family

PRICEY MISTAKE

I fell for Dubai millionaire’s scam says Danielle Lloyd in warning to Katie

She penned: “Tired but… love my kids & Nephew.”

Danielle shares sons Archie, George, and Harry with ex-husband Jamie O’Hara, while she and Michael O’Neill are parents to Ronnie and Autumn Rose.  

The star had previously gone through her own health scare after being diagnosed with a melanoma last year.

Danielle, who is now cancer free, had admitted to The Sun at the time: “Being a mum, I was trying to put a brave face on for everyone, but inside I’ve been crumbling. 

“I was worried every single day that I was going to die.”

Danielle has been very candid about her cancer journey and shared photos alongside health updates to raise awareness of skin cancer.

She had an operation to remove a cancerous patch from just above her collarbone, after spotting a change in a small freckle.

She said the freckle was “smaller than a five pence coin” but had started to raise alarm bells after she saw how much it had evolved over time.

She responded to a fan in her comments: “Mine was melanoma which was sun damage x”.

Danielle admitted she believed her tanned skin tone gave her some protection from cancer.

She revealed she rarely wore sunscreen with a high SPF, saying: “Honestly, if I did, it was very low factor as I go so brown very quickly. I never thought my skin tone could get skin cancer and if I did anyone can”.

The mum also said she had ditched sunbeds for the first time in her life.

Posting the update to her fans, Danielle urged others to be vigilant about any skin changes, especially those that may seem minor at first glance.

She said in the comments: “I used to be a total sun worshiper, never really thinking about the risk of skin cancer.

“Sunbeds before holidays? Absolutely! But now, I’ve decided it’s better to fake the glow because my health and being there for my kids are what truly matter.”

For the second week in a row, Hawaii Island, also known as the Big Island, faces threats from an intensifying storm.

Tropical Storm Moke is grinding towards Hawaii, bringing gusts of wind and heavy rain only a week after the islands faced similar conditions from Hurricane Lala.

On Saturday, Hawaii residents prepared for the latest storm, which is expected to pass south of Hawaii Island, the largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, overnight and into the following morning.

As of 11am Hawaii Standard Time (21:00 GMT), Moke was located about 684 kilometres, or 425 miles, south of Hilo, a city on the eastern coast of Hawaii Island. It was moving west-northwest at 19km/h (12mph).

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in the United States reported that the storm’s maximum sustained winds were about 85km/h (50mph).

Moke, like Lala, is forecast to spare the Big Island a potentially disastrous direct hit. But the island is still recovering from Lala, a Category 1 storm that spurred heavy flooding and power outages.

At least one person died in last weekend’s storm.

Lala came close enough to Hawaii Island to dump more than 1,000mm (39 inches) of rain in some locations, causing rivers to burst their banks.

High winds also bent tall palm trees and downed electrical lines, forcing nearly 130,000 utility customers to lose power.

Hawaii Governor Josh Green and other state officials have urged people to prepare for Moke by restocking food, medicine and other daily essentials ahead of the storm’s passage.

“It could certainly have a big impact because we’ve already been hit hard,” Green said in a video statement. “We’re pre-positioning all kinds of additional equipment and people. I’ve also authorised 100 rooms, hotel rooms, for people to go to, in case they don’t have enough services or protection, safety.”

Green added that, while power had been restored to most of Hawaii Island after Lala, some remote areas were still experiencing outages. Power is expected to be fully restored by September 8.

After passing Hawaii Island during the night, Moke is projected to continue on a westward path near the islands through early Tuesday, according to Casey Oswant, a meteorologist with the Honolulu office of the US National Weather Service.

“There will still be impacts, especially to the windward and southeast sides of the Big Island, but it will probably be a little bit more limited than what we saw with Lala,” Oswant said.

The National Hurricane Center projects that Moke will bring roughly 130mm to 250mm (5 to 10 inches) of rainfall over the next two days on the southeast and windward sides of the Big Island. Some isolated areas could see as much as 380mm (15 inches).

Eastern Maui, meanwhile, is likely to receive 76mm to 150mm (3 to 6 inches), with smaller amounts of precipitation expected across the rest of the island chain.

Governor Green warned that the heavy rain is unlikely to end with Moke.

“Everyone be very careful,” he said. “This storm will be followed by another storm front about a week later, and we continue to see the impacts of these major weather fronts that have hit Hawaii.”