Thunder and lightning hit the UAE on Friday morning, with Dubai and the Northern Emirates seeing the heaviest downpours.
Police in Dubai issued a rare emergency alert to residents' phones urging motorists to be cautious and to steer clear of flood-prone areas.
The government has urged the private sector to allow flexible working on Friday. A number of schools and nurseries were expected to be closed.
Downpours are expected throughout the morning before easing off in the afternoon. Saturday is expected to be wet but with the rain easing.
Residents took to social media to share video of lightning flashes and deafening booms of thunder, after a year of almost no rain.
On Thursday night, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation urged private sector employers to "apply flexible work patterns".
“Necessary measures need to be taken by companies to ensure outdoor work, which is necessary to resume, complies with the occupational health and safety requirements.
“Companies also need to ensure the health and safety of workers commuting to and from outdoor work locations.”
Abu Dhabi Police also took to social media on Thursday evening to advise motorists to take the utmost care on the emirate's roads.
"Abu Dhabi Police call on motorists to exercise caution due to the rainy weather and to follow the changing speed limits displayed on electronic information boards," police said on X.
"Drive Safely."
Police in Ras Al Khaimah also confirmed that pupils at government schools in the emirate would be learning remotely on Friday, November 17, due to the unstable weather conditions expected.
Ajman Police confirmed that both public and private school pupils in the emirate would be learning remotely on Friday as well, also due to the expected heavy rain.
Heavy rain fell in Ras Al Khaimah on Thursday afternoon with Dubai and Sharjah experiencing showers as well with much of the UAE likely to have rain on Thursday night and Friday morning.
The National Centre of Meteorology said heavy rain was falling over Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah as well as towards the north of the emirate, it also said showers were recorded on Dubai's Emirates Road on Thursday afternoon.
The NCM forecast that Thursday will be cloudy at times, with rain expected in certain areas.
Temperatures are expected to fall – with a high of 32°C forecast in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, 33°C in Ras Al Khaimah and 30°C in Fujairah.
Weather website Windy said the rain would spread to Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, Umm Al Quwain and parts of Dubai.
NCM said Friday will again be cloudy, with rain over parts of the Emirates following a humid night.
Temperatures will reach a high of 27°C in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Al Ain is expected to experience temperatures of about 34°C with 33°C predicted in Ras Al Khaimah.
Overnight temperatures will be between 21°C and 23°C.
Rain is expected across Dubai and the Northern Emirates on Friday morning with the showers spreading to parts of Abu Dhabi.
It is expected to clear by Friday evening, although parts of Dubai and Sharjah are expected to have showers later on.
Saturday will be partly cloudy, with a chance of further rainfall over some northern, eastern, and coastal areas. Temperatures will reach a high of 30°C in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, dipping to 19°C at night. The overnight period is expected to be humid.
NCM said Sunday is expected to clear, with possible showers in eastern parts. Temperatures will reach 31°C, dropping to 20°C at night.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
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.”
Tips from the expert
Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
- Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
- It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
- Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
- Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
The specs: 2017 Lotus Evora Sport 410
Price, base / as tested Dh395,000 / Dh420,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 410hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 420Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.7L / 100km
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
