• A man rides his bicycle during a brief downpour in the Mussaffah industrial area in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National
    A man rides his bicycle during a brief downpour in the Mussaffah industrial area in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National
  • Rain fell in Abu Dhabi as unsettled summer weather continued across the country. Victor Besa / The National
    Rain fell in Abu Dhabi as unsettled summer weather continued across the country. Victor Besa / The National
  • The National Centre of Meteorology issued a forecast for rain in the morning, accompanied by strong winds that could reach 45 kilometres per hour. Victor Besa / The National
    The National Centre of Meteorology issued a forecast for rain in the morning, accompanied by strong winds that could reach 45 kilometres per hour. Victor Besa / The National
  • Abu Dhabi is expected to have a maximum temperature of 42°C in the next few days. Victor Besa / The National
    Abu Dhabi is expected to have a maximum temperature of 42°C in the next few days. Victor Besa / The National
  • Low clouds hung over Dubai and the Northern Emirates. Pawan Singh / The National
    Low clouds hung over Dubai and the Northern Emirates. Pawan Singh / The National
  • Temperatures hovered at around 36ºC in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
    Temperatures hovered at around 36ºC in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Thunder rumbles over Abu Dhabi and downpours in Ghantoot


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Thunder was heard rumbling in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday afternoon and rain fell in the suburbs as unsettled summer weather continued.

Low cloud hung over the capital along with Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

In Baniyas, a suburb of the capital to the south, there was heavy rain which followed a downpour in Al Ain on Tuesday. In Ghantoot, there were reports of heavy flooding.

Temperatures hovered at around 36ºC in Dubai and 35ºC in Abu Dhabi, but moisture in the air made it feel more like 44ºC, forecaster AccuWeather reported.

The lowest temperature of 24.4°C was recorded in Jebel Jais, Ras Al Khaimah.

Baniyas to Al Fayah Road: video

The National Centre of Meteorology issued a forecast for rain in the morning accompanied by strong winds that could reach 45kmph.

This could cause dust, leading to low visibility at times, especially in the east and south of the country. The warning was issued from 9am until 9pm.

Police urged caution on the roads.On Tuesday, heavy rain, floods and high winds hit Al Ain and other eastern parts of the UAE and, according to NCM, the conditions are likely to persist over the next few days.

AccuWeather said there is a slight chance of rain today.

Looking ahead

On Thursday, it will be partly cloudy, with a chance of rain over some coastal and internal areas, with a dip in temperature. Light to moderate southeasterly to northeasterly winds are also expected.

On Friday and Saturday, it will remain cloudy with a chance of rainfall in the east and south of the country. The sea will be slight to moderate in the Arabian Gulf and Sea of Oman.

On Sunday, cloudy conditions are expected and there will be rain clouds in the east and south.

NCM predicts maximum temperatures will reach 39°C in Dubai and 42°C in Abu Dhabi in the next few days.

Low-pressure systems are drifting across from India, which is in the middle of its monsoon season.

Some of these systems also cause the phenomenon known as “khareef”, which encourages plant growth and turns parts of southern Oman green. It can also bring rainfall to the UAE.

Oman has also been lashed by storms and winds over the past few days.

How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries

• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.

• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.

• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.

• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.

• For more information visit the library network's website.

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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Where to Find Me by Alba Arikha
Alma Books 

The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima


Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650

Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder

Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm

Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission

Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStreaming%20on%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMBC%20Shahid%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

States of Passion by Nihad Sirees,
Pushkin Press

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

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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.”

Updated: July 06, 2022, 12:03 PM