A flooded street after heavy rain in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, November 24, 2022. SPA
A flooded street after heavy rain in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, November 24, 2022. SPA
A flooded street after heavy rain in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, November 24, 2022. SPA
A flooded street after heavy rain in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, November 24, 2022. SPA

Gulf

Higher rainfall expected in Saudi Arabia during Ramadan

Announcement about the start of the holy month is expected on March 22

Mariam Nihal

March 01, 2023

  • English
  • Arabic

Higher-than-average rainfall is forecast to hit most regions of Saudi Arabia during Ramadan, which is expected to begin on March 22.

According to Aqeel Al Aqeel, a weather analyst at the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM), the rate of precipitation during Ramadan would be higher in most regions of Saudi Arabia.

  • Rain in Madina on Friday on December 23. All photos: SPA
    Rain in Madina on Friday on December 23. All photos: SPA
  • The Saudi Press Agency warned of downpours in parts of the Makkah, Madinah and Tabuk areas
    The Saudi Press Agency warned of downpours in parts of the Makkah, Madinah and Tabuk areas
  • Showers in Madinah
    Showers in Madinah
  • Clouds gather over Madinah
    Clouds gather over Madinah
  • Police watch for weather-related accidents in the Makkah area
    Police watch for weather-related accidents in the Makkah area
  • Officers on patrol amid downpours
    Officers on patrol amid downpours
  • Emergency services were ready
    Emergency services were ready
  • Dark clouds over Jeddah governorate
    Dark clouds over Jeddah governorate
  • There were also strong winds in the coastal city of Jeddah
    There were also strong winds in the coastal city of Jeddah
  • A brooding sky and wet road in Jeddah governorate
    A brooding sky and wet road in Jeddah governorate

Speaking to Al Ekhbariya news, Mr Al Aqeel said that he expected the weather at the beginning of the month of Ramadan to be moderate in the northern, eastern, and central regions of Saudi Arabia.

Ramadan will coincide with spring this year and thus the probability of the rate of precipitation will increase, and temperatures will also increase by 1ºC, he told Al Ekhbariya on Tuesday.

The temperature will be higher by 1.5ºC in the regions of Tabuk, Al Jouf and Hail.

However, temperatures will rise towards the end of Ramadan in Makkah and coastal regions surrounding it.

He said NCM will issue a detailed report on weather before Ramadan.

Saudi Arabia raised the rain alert level in Jeddah in Decembe during heavy downpours. Rain alerts were issued for many cities in the Makkah region including Jeddah, Rabigh and Taif.

For Friday prayers, authorities in Makkah allocated safe gathering points for people to temporarily park vehicles during the downpours. They urged residents to keep track of conditions through the NCM's platforms.

Schools and universities in parts of the kingdom moved to remote learning, after authorities warned people of heavy rain and advised everyone to remain indoors.

This year, Ramadan is expected to begin on March 23, although the exact date is likely to be announced on the night of March 22 by the country's Moon-sighting committee.

Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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  • Premier League-standard football pitch
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  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

 


 

Top New Zealand cop on policing the virtual world

New Zealand police began closer scrutiny of social media and online communities after the attacks on two mosques in March, the country's top officer said.

The killing of 51 people in Christchurch and wounding of more than 40 others shocked the world. Brenton Tarrant, a suspected white supremacist, was accused of the killings. His trial is ongoing and he denies the charges.

Mike Bush, commissioner of New Zealand Police, said officers looked closely at how they monitored social media in the wake of the tragedy to see if lessons could be learned.

“We decided that it was fit for purpose but we need to deepen it in terms of community relationships, extending them not only with the traditional community but the virtual one as well," he told The National.

"We want to get ahead of attacks like we suffered in New Zealand so we have to challenge ourselves to be better."

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If you go

The flights
Emirates (www.emirates.com) and Etihad (www.etihad.com) both fly direct to Bengaluru, with return fares from Dh 1240. From Bengaluru airport, Coorg is a five-hour drive by car.

The hotels
The Tamara (www.thetamara.com) is located inside a working coffee plantation and offers individual villas with sprawling views of the hills (tariff from Dh1,300, including taxes and breakfast).

When to go
Coorg is an all-year destination, with the peak season for travel extending from the cooler months between October and March.

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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The specs
 
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Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Updated: March 01, 2023, 12:06 PM
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