rain

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.

BIRMINGHAM, England: Rain prevented England from putting Pakistan in a deeper hole than 52-2 and 268 runs behind on day two of the Edgbaston cricket test on Thursday.

Pakistan walked out after tea 320 runs behind to begin its second innings in gloomy, lights-on conditions perfectly suited for England’s four-man pace attack which has dominated the series.

Pakistan has yet to crack a 200 total, and Ollie Robinson was the man of the moment again.

Robinson got Saim Ayub to nick to the slips off the first ball and became only the fifth bowler in test history to twice take a wicket with the first ball of an innings in a series. The last person was Zaheer Khan for India against Bangladesh in 2007. Bill Voce was the only previous Englishman in 1937 against Australia.

Ayub was playing Twenty20s in the Caribbean 10 days ago but was summoned in mid-series in a panic call by the Pakistan Cricket Board to play his first test in 20 months. He bagged a pair.

Robinson struck again with his fourth ball, nicking off Abdullah Shafique.

That made Pakistan start 0-2 for the sixth time ever in tests and the second time against England. The other was at the same ground in 1982. The bowler was Ian Botham.

From 0-2, Azan Awais and Shan Masood dug out Pakistan to 52-2 in 12 overs. Awais had 29 and Masood 21 after being dropped on 13 by Ben Duckett off the luckless Gus Atkinson.

Wet weather came sooner than forecast and guaranteed Pakistan lived to fight at least one more day in a three-test series already lost. England, up 2-0, should complete the sweep on Saturday with no test going the distance.

Fifties and no hundreds again

England began the day already in front with a lead of 23 at 156-4.

In two sessions, 50 overs, they added 297 runs at a pacy 5.9, its fastest rate on any day all summer. Three more batters scored fifties to add to Emilio Gay’s gritty 60 and Harry Brook’s unbeaten 52 on Wednesday but the effort looked nothing like Bazball.

However, Brook, Dan Lawrence, Jamie Smith and less so Robinson would have thought a century was at their mercy.

The former trio spent more than two hours at the crease, three hours in Brook’s case, but all fell tamely and showed obvious frustration to miss out on a century on a fair pitch against a popgun attack.

Brook ran himself out on 75, Lawrence dragged on on 65, and Smith chipped back to fast bowler Razaullah Khan on 69.

Robinson’s breezy 50 from 47 balls highlighted the merciless contribution from the tailenders of 116 runs and 15 boundaries.

Brook resumed on a restrained 52 and Dan Lawrence on 5, and in sunny conditions they plundered seven runs per over in the first hour.

Brook then mistakenly took on Shan Masood at midwicket and has now been involved in five run outs in tests — only Virat Kohli (6) has been in more. Brook has gone 11 tests without a century but was still averaging more than 40.

Lawrence, filling Ben Stokes’ old spot, had in hand his third fifty in three tests when he chopped on. He gave up an agonizing “No” and Mohammad Imran’s first test wicket.

“Bitterly disappointed to get out in the 60s,” Lawrence said. “Something I’ve prided myself on this season is kicking on. I really wanted a big hundred today.

Pakistan still went to lunch with an air of resignation as Smith collected an unbeaten 47 of the 143 runs in the session.

Smith got his third 50 of the summer straight after lunch by crashing Razaullah through the covers, but Razaullah got him caught and bowled on 69.

No. 9 batter Robinson greeted the new ball by lofting Mohammad Abbas for six over cow corner and got his second 50 of the season from 46 balls. The entertainment was ended by a good catch from Masood in the covers.

DETROIT — The Dodgers’ game against the Tigers on Sunday at Comerica Park began in a rain delay.

First pitch was at 11:35 a.m. PDT following a 55-minute delay.

Dodger manager Dave Roberts was anticipating a potential delay a couple hours before the original game time.

“Then it’s supposed to kind of be isolated around 5:30 [2:30 p.m. PDT,]” Roberts said of the storm forecast. “So there is that window 2-5 p.m. [11 a.m.-2 p.m. PDT], that looks promising.”

Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow took the mound opposite Tigers left-hander Framber Valdez.

Dolly Parton, the much-loved US singer-songwriter who has died at the age of 80, was known for her pearls of wisdom and humour as well as her music.

She regularly offered her perceptive and witty insights about life, music, fame and equal rights.

Here are some of her most memorable quotes from down the years:

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.”