With temperatures dipping below freezing in a northern Chinese village, a group of parka-clad women tried to stay warm as they played mahjong around a small gas stove in a grocery store.
Many in China have been shivering more than usual this winter as authorities have curbed coal heating to fight pollution and the switch to natural gas has been plagued by shortages.
In northern Hebei province, even a hospital and schools have struggled to heat their frigid facilities, prompting some teachers to hold classes outdoors in the sunshine.
"Of course we miss the coal," said a woman surnamed Qin, who had invited neighbours into her grocery store in Niezhuang village - about 150 kilometres south of Beijing - to play mahjong, a traditional Chinese game.
Gas power is "completely unpredictable", Ms Qin said. "One moment we have it, the next moment there's none. And then it's freezing."
The environment ministry has imposed tough anti-pollution targets on 28 cities around Beijing. At least three million homes must switch from coal to gas or electric heating.
In Niezhuang, all the coal stoves have been destroyed, according to Ms Qin. Some of their dismantled pieces lay scattered in people's backyards.
"Coal was nice because it allowed us to stay warm and save money," the store owner said.
Sales of the fossil fuel traditionally used in the Chinese countryside was banned in this district of Hebei in the summer.
Niezhuang is part of the Baoding municipality, one of 18 districts in Hebei with a "zero coal" designation but the transition to gas has been difficult.
Thin yellow pipes now snake along the walls of the homes in the village, spanning alleyways and shifting in the wind. They are marked by a sign: "Caution: Gas Pipes."
The gas pipes came into operation in November.
The heating is inconsistent, villagers said, and the bills costly. According to Ms Qin, a family must spend at least 5,000 yuan ($750) over the winter - compared with 2,000 yuan ($300) for coal - not including the subsidised price of the gas heater that must be purchased.
In some villages to the north of Baoding, households were cut off from coal without even being connected to gas heating, Caixin magazine reported.
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"There was a clear lack of communication and planning," said the Greenpeace energy campaigner Huang Wei, noting that authorities had months to prepare for the winter.
One local government waited until October, right before the cold weather started, to begin the bidding process for the installation of a gas pipeline, Mr Huang said.
Officials have been under pressure to deliver results in the fight against smog, which has become a health hazard across swathes of China.
"The year-end evaluation of many local officials is now closely related to the environment and air quality. So this year, the coal-to-gas [policy] has been carried out more intensely," said the IHS Market analyst Zhou Xizhou.
In Baoding, long one of the most polluted industrial cities in the country, a resident surnamed Wang beamed up at the blue sky and said he did not miss the coal.
"It was incredibly dirty and polluting," he said from the courtyard of his home where has been receiving gas since last year.
But the surge in gas demand has challenged suppliers.
On November 28, Hebei warned that up to 20 per cent of its gas needs were not met and that supply was being rationed.
In Wang's neighbourhood, residential complexes and the Hebei University-affiliated hospital went virtually unheated.
The hospital, which serves 3,000 patients, received only about 13 percent of the gas needed to function, the facility said.
The university faced a similar situation, as dormitories were transformed into "ice boxes" for two weeks, one student said.
Schools in Baoding's suburbs were also left without heating as they lacked an alternative to coal burners.
In response to the uproar, the environment ministry reauthorised coal in areas not equipped with alternative heating in early December.
But more challenges loom with Chinese gas terminals saturated, hindering imports as the country's storage capacity is limited, said Zhou, the analyst.
"It's hard for the system to manage seasonal peaks," Mr Zhou said.
Meanwhile people like Sun, a farmer in Hebei, are left with gas bills that are three times higher than coal, making it "unbearable for ordinary folks".
Even in the name of clear blue skies, Mr Sun said, "sacrifice is difficult".
What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
MATCH INFO
Southampton 0
Manchester City 1 (Sterling 16')
Man of the match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
Omar Yabroudi's factfile
Born: October 20, 1989, Sharjah
Education: Bachelor of Science and Football, Liverpool John Moores University
2010: Accrington Stanley FC, internship
2010-2012: Crystal Palace, performance analyst with U-18 academy
2012-2015: Barnet FC, first-team performance analyst/head of recruitment
2015-2017: Nottingham Forest, head of recruitment
2018-present: Crystal Palace, player recruitment manager
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Yango Deli Tech
Based: UAE
Launch year: 2022
Sector: Retail SaaS
Funding: Self funded
Try out the test yourself
Q1 Suppose you had $100 in a savings account and the interest rate was 2 per cent per year. After five years, how much do you think you would have in the account if you left the money to grow?
a) More than $102
b) Exactly $102
c) Less than $102
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
Q2 Imagine that the interest rate on your savings account was 1 per cent per year and inflation was 2 per cent per year. After one year, how much would you be able to buy with the money in this account?
a) More than today
b) Exactly the same as today
c) Less than today
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
Q4 Do you think that the following statement is true or false? “Buying a single company stock usually provides a safer return than a stock mutual fund.”
a) True
b) False
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
The “Big Three” financial literacy questions were created by Professors Annamaria Lusardi of the George Washington School of Business and Olivia Mitchell, of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Answers: Q1 More than $102 (compound interest). Q2 Less than today (inflation). Q3 False (diversification).
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Day 3, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Just three balls remained in an exhausting day for Sri Lanka’s bowlers when they were afforded some belated cheer. Nuwan Pradeep, unrewarded in 15 overs to that point, let slip a seemingly innocuous delivery down the legside. Babar Azam feathered it behind, and Niroshan Dickwella dived to make a fine catch.
Stat of the day - 2.56 Shan Masood and Sami Aslam are the 16th opening partnership Pakistan have had in Tests in the past five years. That turnover at the top of the order – a new pair every 2.56 Test matches on average – is by far the fastest rate among the leading Test sides. Masood and Aslam put on 114 in their first alliance in Abu Dhabi.
The verdict Even by the normal standards of Test cricket in the UAE, this has been slow going. Pakistan’s run-rate of 2.38 per over is the lowest they have managed in a Test match in this country. With just 14 wickets having fallen in three days so far, it is difficult to see 26 dropping to bring about a result over the next two.
Company profile
Name: WallyGPT
Started: 2014
Founders: Saeid and Sami Hejazi
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Investment raised: $7.1 million
Number of staff: 20
Investment stage: Pre-seed round
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Five stars
if you go
'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Haltia.ai
Started: 2023
Co-founders: Arto Bendiken and Talal Thabet
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: AI
Number of employees: 41
Funding: About $1.7 million
Investors: Self, family and friends
SPECS
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder petrol (V Class); electric motor with 60kW or 90kW powerpack (EQV)
Power: 233hp (V Class, best option); 204hp (EQV, best option)
Torque: 350Nm (V Class, best option); TBA (EQV)
On sale: Mid-2024
Price: TBA
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now