LONDON: Millions of mobile phones across the UK blared a siren sound at the same time on Sunday as part of government efforts to better prepare for national emergencies.
The nationwide drill caused England’s third ODI cricket match against South Africa to be paused while kick-off for a rugby league match was pushed back to avoid disruption.
At 3:00 p.m. (1400 GMT), phones and tablets emitted the noise and vibrated for about 10 seconds, while users also received a message saying it was just a test.
It was only the second test of the country’s national emergency alert system following the first in 2023.
The government had in recent weeks embarked on a publicity drive to minimize any shock caused, including through announcements at rail stations and signs on motorways.
It has used the system to issue real warnings to local areas five times in the past two years.
In January, some 4.5 million people in Scotland and Northern Ireland received an alert during Storm Eowyn after a red weather warning was issued, meaning there was a risk to life.
A 500-kilogramme (1,100-pound) unexploded Second World War bomb found in a back garden in southwest England triggered a warning to some 50,000 phones in February last year.
The system is designed for use during the most likely emergencies to affect Britain where there is the possibility of a loss of life.
Warnings would also be transmitted on television, radio and where appropriate by knocking on doors.
Similar alerts are issued in the United States and Japan.
Only devices connected to 4G or 5G networks received Sunday’s alert.
It came as officials seek to strengthen the country’s resilience amid more frequent extreme weather events and concerns around Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The government published a “Resilience Action Plan” in July which also cited the upheaval of the coronavirus pandemic, US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and cyberattacks.
UK mobile phones blare in national emergency test
https://arab.news/w8a6e
UK mobile phones blare in national emergency test
- It was only the second test of the UK’s national emergency alert system following the first in 2023
- In the past two years, the government has used the system five times to issue real warnings to local areas
Modi starts Mideast-Africa tour as India-Oman free-trade pact nears completion
- Oman’s Shoura Council approved the trade deal’s draft last week
- Modi begins trip in Amman, heading to Addis Ababa and Muscat
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi left New Delhi on Monday for a tour covering Jordan, Oman and Ethiopia, as his government looks to strengthen partnerships with West Asia and Africa and finalize a free-trade deal with Muscat.
Modi’s four-day trip will start in Amman, at the invitation of King Abdullah.
“I am sure this visit will boost bilateral linkages between our nations,” Modi said on social media upon his arrival in Jordan, where he was received by Prime Minister Jafar Hassan.
On Tuesday, he is scheduled to arrive in Addis Ababa for his first state visit to Ethiopia. A day later, he will be in Muscat, where the Shoura Council last week approved the draft Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with India.
“If it is signed during this visit, it will significantly deepen the economic ties between India and Oman. And it will open up a new chapter in the history of India-Oman trade and commercial relationship,” Ministry of External Affairs Secretary Arun Chatterjee told reporters ahead of Modi’s departure.
He said Modi would be accompanied by a high-level delegation for his second visit to Oman, after his last trip in February 2018. It also follows the visit of Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq to India in December 2023.
Free-trade negotiations between India and Oman began in November 2023, with the first round in New Delhi and the second in Muscat.
When the talks concluded in March 2024, Oman sought revisions on market-access terms and the final signature was postponed.
Announcements of the deal’s possible finalization have been made in the past few months by India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and the Omani ambassador to New Delhi, Issa Saleh Al-Shibani.
It would be its second with a GCC country after a 2022 trade deal with the UAE, as India has been trying to reach a similar agreement with the whole bloc.
“The framework is expected to be the same as the UAE’s, that is, a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. This is significant given that the progress on India-GCC FTA has been slow and non-consequential so far,” said Muddassir Quamar, associate professor at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
While Oman is one of Delhi’s smaller GCC trading partners — trailing behind the UAE and Saudi Arabia, with bilateral trade about $10 billion — it remains strategically important, particularly in energy and logistics.
“The FTA is likely to give a boost to India-Oman economic and trade relations, especially of goods and services. (It is) important given India has worked to enhance its trade and economic relations with the Gulf countries that are (among) the most dynamic and fast-expanding global economies,” Quamar told Arab News.
“It is also important because there is immense potential for Indian businesses and industries to partner with their Gulf and Omani partners in contributing to the diversification and economic growth plans.”
