On Monday, the UAE capital was struck by two blasts that left three people dead and six injured.
The UAE government said the Yemeni rebel group the Houthis was behind the attack, which was condemned by world leaders.
Here is a timeline of what unfolded and what we know so far.
10AM: STRIKE ON ADNOC FUEL DEPOT AND ABU DHABI AIRPORT
Adnoc said the explosions at its oil storage plant in Mussaffah, about 20 kilometres outside of Abu Dhabi city, occurred at approximately 10am on Monday. Projectiles caused three oil tankers parked outside to explode.
The plant is a staging point for petrol deliveries across the country. The explosion and fire that followed was heard and seen from kilometres away.
A strike on a second location, Abu Dhabi's airport, led to a small fire in an extension away from the main building.
Nearby residents in Mussaffah said they felt windows shake and heard a bang. Social media images showed plumes of smoke rising from the industrial area, though some channels were filled with hoax images throughout the day. The authorities have not released images of the scene.
11AM: PLANES IN HOLDING PATTERN
Data from Flight Radar 24 showed at least eight planes were placed in a holding pattern about 100km off the coast of Abu Dhabi. Etihad, based at Abu Dhabi, said services were only briefly disrupted. It is understood several planes were diverted to Dubai.
Officials have not said whether the fire was at the new Midfield terminal or the existing airport, but said it was an extension that was under construction and that damage was minor and only briefly disrupted services. No deaths nor injuries were reported. On Tuesday, services were running normally, the airport's live update board showed.
1.07PM: POLICE CONFIRM TWIN INCIDENTS
By 1pm, Abu Dhabi Police confirmed there had been an explosion in Mussaffah and a small fire at the airport. Police and state news agency Wam said that “small flying objects, possibly drones, fell in the two areas and may have caused the explosion and fire".
2.56PM: POLICE CONFIRM DEATHS AND BRING MUSSAFFAH FIRE UNDER CONTROL
Police announced that three people had died and six were injured in the explosion at the Adnoc plant. Two of the dead were from India and one from Pakistan.
A blaze in Mussaffah's ICAD 3 district is brought under control. Adnoc later said specialist units from its personnel worked with civil defence and other emergency services to tackle the blaze.
7PM: ADNOC TRIBUTE TO EMPLOYEES KILLED IN BLAZE
Adnoc confirmed all nine casualties were its employees, with six suffering injuries and receiving specialist care.
“Professional support teams are supporting the families of all those who have been impacted,” it said.
“At this time, the entire Adnoc family extends its deepest sympathy to the family and friends of our colleagues who died this morning.”
Indian ambassador Sunjay Sudhir said his government was working to support the families of the Indian citizens affected.
8PM: GOVERNMENT SAYS HOUTHIS RESPONSIBLE
Shortly after 8pm, senior Emirati officials revealed that evidence showed the Houthis were behind the attack, which they described as a terrorist strike on civilian facilities.
Dr Anwar Gargash, special adviser to the UAE President, described the strike as a “heinous act".
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation said in a statement that it “reserves the right to respond to these terrorist attacks and this sinister criminal escalation".
Officials stressed the investigation was continuing and have not publicly confirmed that the strikes were aerial drones.
Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were among the first nations to condemn the blasts and offer solidarity to the Emirates.
8PM-MIDNIGHT: GLOBAL RESPONSE TO ABU DHABI BLASTS
World leaders offered their condemnation and support following the deadly blasts.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, received calls from foreign ministers and heads of state, along with the UN and EU.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the blasts, while White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan labelled the strike a “terrorist attack” that left “three innocent civilians” dead.
Arab leaders have pledged their support and condemned the Houthi group.
The six points:
1. Ministers should be in the field, instead of always at conferences
2. Foreign diplomacy must be left to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation
3. Emiratisation is a top priority that will have a renewed push behind it
4. The UAE's economy must continue to thrive and grow
5. Complaints from the public must be addressed, not avoided
6. Have hope for the future, what is yet to come is bigger and better than before
The biog
Favourite film: Motorcycle Dairies, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Kagemusha
Favourite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Holiday destination: Sri Lanka
First car: VW Golf
Proudest achievement: Building Robotics Labs at Khalifa University and King’s College London, Daughters
Driverless cars or drones: Driverless Cars
How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
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.”
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: N2 Technology
Founded: 2018
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Startups
Size: 14
Funding: $1.7m from HNIs
