A boy cools himself with water from the New Delhi Municipal Council tanker during India's summer heatwave. Getty Images
A boy cools himself with water from the New Delhi Municipal Council tanker during India's summer heatwave. Getty Images
A boy cools himself with water from the New Delhi Municipal Council tanker during India's summer heatwave. Getty Images
A boy cools himself with water from the New Delhi Municipal Council tanker during India's summer heatwave. Getty Images

2024 on course to be hottest year on record


Gillian Duncan
  • English
  • Arabic

Summer 2024 was the hottest on record, according to the European Union's climate change monitoring service.

A season of heatwaves, intensified by human-driven climate change, saw June to August surpass the previous record set last year, with an average temperature of 16.8°C, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said in its monthly bulletin.

The exceptional heat increases the likelihood that 2024 will outrank last year as the planet's warmest on record, it said.

"During the past three months of 2024, the globe has experienced the hottest June and August, the hottest day on record, and the hottest boreal summer on record," said C3S deputy director Samantha Burgess.

A person walks through an art installation in Dover, as it sprays a cloud of cool water vapour. Getty Images
A person walks through an art installation in Dover, as it sprays a cloud of cool water vapour. Getty Images

From June to August, the global temperature was more than 1.5°C warmer than the pre-industrial average – a key threshold for limiting the worst effects of climate change.

Copernicus records date back to 1940, but American, British and Japanese records, which start in the mid-19th century, show the past decade has been the hottest since regular measurements were taken and likely in about 120,000 years, according to some scientists.

“What those sober numbers indicate is how the climate crisis is tightening its grip on us,” said Stefan Rahmstorf, a climate scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research in Germany, who wasn't part of the research.

Heat was exacerbated in 2023 and early 2024 by the cyclical weather phenomenon El Nino, although Copernicus scientist Julien Nicolas said its effects were not as strong as they sometimes are.

Meanwhile, the contrary cyclical cooling phenomenon, known as La Nina, has not yet started, he said.

Greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels are the main cause of climate change.

The effects of climate change on the Middle East region – in pictures

  • Flooding in the Al Barsha area of Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Flooding in the Al Barsha area of Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Vehicles being recovered near Al Maktoum airport in Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National
    Vehicles being recovered near Al Maktoum airport in Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National
  • Flooding in the Al Barsha area of Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Flooding in the Al Barsha area of Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Flooding along Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National
    Flooding along Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National
  • Flooding along Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National
    Flooding along Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National
  • Cars move through floodwater in Al Qudra, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Cars move through floodwater in Al Qudra, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Flooding on Dubai's Al Khail Road. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Flooding on Dubai's Al Khail Road. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • People abandon their cars on Sheikh Zayed Road due to heavy rain. Antonie Robertson/The National
    People abandon their cars on Sheikh Zayed Road due to heavy rain. Antonie Robertson/The National
  • Flooding on Al Khail Road. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Flooding on Al Khail Road. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Flooding in Oman. Photo: Royal Oman Police
    Flooding in Oman. Photo: Royal Oman Police
  • A damaged car in Derna, Libya. Reuters
    A damaged car in Derna, Libya. Reuters
  • A destroyed vehicle in Derna. AFP
    A destroyed vehicle in Derna. AFP
  • Abdul Salam Ibrahim Al-Qadi walks on rubble in front of his house, searching for his missing father and brother, in Derna. Reuters
    Abdul Salam Ibrahim Al-Qadi walks on rubble in front of his house, searching for his missing father and brother, in Derna. Reuters
  • An aerial view of the destruction in Derna. Reuters
    An aerial view of the destruction in Derna. Reuters
  • Flood-affected people taking refuge in a makeshift camp after heavy monsoon rains in Jaffarabad district of Balochistan province. AFP
    Flood-affected people taking refuge in a makeshift camp after heavy monsoon rains in Jaffarabad district of Balochistan province. AFP
  • Internally displaced flood-affected people shift husk for their animals in a flood-hit area following heavy rains in Dera Allah Yar in Balochistan. AFP
    Internally displaced flood-affected people shift husk for their animals in a flood-hit area following heavy rains in Dera Allah Yar in Balochistan. AFP
  • The aftermath of flooding in Egypt's southern city of Aswan, 920 kilometres south of the capital. AFP
    The aftermath of flooding in Egypt's southern city of Aswan, 920 kilometres south of the capital. AFP
  • The Nile River from the top of Famine Stela, or Rock of Starvation, Egypt. Reuters
    The Nile River from the top of Famine Stela, or Rock of Starvation, Egypt. Reuters
  • Volunteers search for people in need following heavy rainfall in east Mosul, Iraq, in March 2020. Reuters
    Volunteers search for people in need following heavy rainfall in east Mosul, Iraq, in March 2020. Reuters
  • People clean up after floods in Duhok, Iraq, on March 19. Reuters
    People clean up after floods in Duhok, Iraq, on March 19. Reuters

The planet's changed climate continued to fuel disasters this summer.

In Sudan, flooding from heavy rains last month affected more than 300,000 people and brought cholera to the war-torn country.

Elsewhere, scientists confirmed climate change is driving a severe drought on the Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia, and it intensified Typhoon Gaemi, which tore through the Philippines, Taiwan and China in July, leaving more than 100 people dead.

Unless countries urgently reduce their planet-heating emissions, extreme weather "will only become more intense", said Ms Burgess.

Human-caused climate change and the El Nino natural weather phenomenon, which warms the surface waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean, pushed temperatures to record highs earlier in the year.

Copernicus said below-average temperatures in the equatorial Pacific last month indicated a shift to La Nina, which is El Nino's cooler counterpart.

But that didn't prevent unusually high global sea surface temperatures, with average temperatures in August hotter than in the same month of any other year, except for 2023.

A worker from Spa Rusand tries to collect as much mud as he can at Lake Rusanda, Serbia, which dried up for the first time in recorded history during a prolonged heatwave in July. Getty Images
A worker from Spa Rusand tries to collect as much mud as he can at Lake Rusanda, Serbia, which dried up for the first time in recorded history during a prolonged heatwave in July. Getty Images

Governments have targets to reduce their countries' planet-heating emissions to try to keep the rise below 1.5°C under the 2015 Paris Agreement.

The average level of warming is currently about 1.2°C, according to the World Meteorological Organisation.

Copernicus said the 1.5°C level has been passed in 13 of the past 14 months.

Key findings of Jenkins report
  • Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
  • Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
  • Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
  • Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
GAC GS8 Specs

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog

Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia

Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins

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Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.

Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
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  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
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Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

Our family matters legal consultant

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Ponti

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Chatham House Rule

A mark of Chatham House’s influence 100 years on since its founding,  was Moscow’s formal declaration last month that it was an “undesirable
organisation”. 

 

The depth of knowledge and academics that it drew on
following the Ukraine invasion had broadcast Mr Putin’s chicanery.  

 

The institute is more used to accommodating world leaders,
with Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher among those helping it provide
authoritative commentary on world events. 

 

Chatham House was formally founded as the Royal Institute of
International Affairs following the peace conferences of World War One. Its
founder, Lionel Curtis, wanted a more scientific examination of international affairs
with a transparent exchange of information and ideas.  

 

That arena of debate and analysis was enhanced by the “Chatham
House Rule” states that the contents of any meeting can be discussed outside Chatham
House but no mention can be made identifying individuals who commented.  

 

This has enabled some candid exchanges on difficult subjects
allowing a greater degree of free speech from high-ranking figures.  

 

These meetings are highly valued, so much so that
ambassadors reported them in secret diplomatic cables that – when they were
revealed in the Wikileaks reporting – were thus found to have broken the rule. However,
most speeches are held on the record.  

 

Its research and debate has offered fresh ideas to
policymakers enabling them to more coherently address troubling issues from climate
change to health and food security.   

 
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier

Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman

The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August

 

Group A

Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar

Group B

UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia

 

UAE group fixtures

Sunday Feb 23, 9.30am, v Iran

Monday Feb 25, 1pm, v Kuwait

Tuesday Feb 26, 9.30am, v Saudi

 

UAE squad

Ahmed Raza, Rohan Mustafa, Alishan Sharafu, Ansh Tandon, Vriitya Aravind, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Basil Hameed, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Ayaz, Zahoor Khan, Chirag Suri, Sultan Ahmed

Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
​​​​​​​Penguin Press

It Was Just an Accident

Director: Jafar Panahi

Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr

Rating: 4/5

UAE tour of Zimbabwe

All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – UAE won by 36 runs
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I

What went into the film

25 visual effects (VFX) studios

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3,000 technicians

10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers

New sound technology, named 4D SRL

 

Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?

The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.

A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.

Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.

The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.

When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.

Opening Premier League fixtures, August 14
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  • Burnley v Brighton
  • Chelsea v Crystal Palace
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  • Leicester City v Wolves
  • Manchester United v Leeds United
  • Newcastle United v West Ham United
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  • Tottenham v Manchester City
  • Watford v Aston Villa
Fight card

1. Bantamweight: Victor Nunes (BRA) v Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK)

2. Featherweight: Hussein Salim (IRQ) v Shakhriyor Juraev (UZB)

3. Catchweight 80kg: Rashed Dawood (UAE) v Khamza Yamadaev (RUS)

4. Lightweight: Ho Taek-oh (KOR) v Ronald Girones (CUB)

5. Lightweight: Arthur Zaynukov (RUS) v Damien Lapilus (FRA)

6. Bantamweight: Vinicius de Oliveira (BRA) v Furkatbek Yokubov (RUS)

7. Featherweight: Movlid Khaybulaev (RUS) v Zaka Fatullazade (AZE)

8. Flyweight: Shannon Ross (TUR) v Donovon Freelow (USA)

9. Lightweight: Mohammad Yahya (UAE) v Dan Collins (GBR)

10. Catchweight 73kg: Islam Mamedov (RUS) v Martun Mezhulmyan (ARM)

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12. Flyweight World title: Manon Fiorot (FRA) v Gabriela Campo (ARG)

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UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

FIXTURES

Saturday
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8.15pm: Sharjah v Al Ain
Sunday
5.30pm: Kalba v Al Jazira
5.30pm: Fujairah v Al Dhafra
8.15pm: Al Nasr v Al Wasl

Panipat

Director Ashutosh Gowariker

Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment

Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman

Rating 3 /stars

BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE

Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega

Director: Tim Burton

Rating: 3/5

Updated: September 06, 2024, 9:02 AM