AL Hayer, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, Dec. 29, 2014: A view of the Jebel Hafeet (1,249 m) (4,098 ft) mountain on the outskirts of Al Ain at the UAE-Oman border. Jebel Hafeet is one of the UAE's tallest mountains and a very popular attraction for tourists and locals alike. (Silvia Razgova / The National) / Usage: undated / Section: AL / Reporter: standalone *** Local Caption *** SR-141229-jebelhafeet02.jpg
AL Hayer, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, Dec. 29, 2014: A view of the Jebel Hafeet (1,249 m) (4,098 ft) mountain on the outskirts of Al Ain at the UAE-Oman border. Jebel Hafeet is one of the UAE's tallest mountains and a very popular attraction for tourists and locals alike. (Silvia Razgova / The National) / Usage: undated / Section: AL / Reporter: standalone *** Local Caption *** SR-141229-jebelhafeet02.jpg
AL Hayer, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, Dec. 29, 2014: A view of the Jebel Hafeet (1,249 m) (4,098 ft) mountain on the outskirts of Al Ain at the UAE-Oman border. Jebel Hafeet is one of the UAE's tallest mountains and a very popular attraction for tourists and locals alike. (Silvia Razgova / The National) / Usage: undated / Section: AL / Reporter: standalone *** Local Caption *** SR-141229-jebelhafeet02.jpg
AL Hayer, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, Dec. 29, 2014: A view of the Jebel Hafeet (1,249 m) (4,098 ft) mountain on the outskirts of Al Ain at the UAE-Oman border. Jebel Hafeet is one of the UAE's tallest moun

UAE weather: temperature sinks to a chilly 12.5°C as winter weather arrives


Gillian Duncan
  • English
  • Arabic

The UAE woke to a chilly start on Sunday as temperatures dipped to 12.5°C overnight.

Damtha, a town near Al Ain, was the coldest place in the country in the early hours.

The country has had cooler weather in the past few weeks, with an even chillier 7.9°C recorded in Raknah near Al Ain on Saturday.

Raknah is in a wadi, or valley, which affects the temperature, often making it cooler there than in the mountains.

"The cold air comes down and stops there, cooling gradually from night to early morning," said a forecaster for the National Centre of Meteorology.

"Now we are starting the autumn season [so] the temperature is coming down gradually.

"During the day it’s not too high, the maximum is [about] 37°C or 38."

Temperatures are expected to fall further in the next week or month, heralding the start of the good weather, which will remain until March.

Social media feeds across the UAE have been filled with posts from residents out enjoying the outdoors and taking advantage of the cool conditions.

October traditionally marks the start of cool autumn weather, according to the ancient Drour calendar.

The 365-day calendar measures the year in 10-day cycles, or micro seasons, which are known in Arabic as dir.

The calendar has four seasons, with 100 days allocated to autumn, winter and summer, followed by a 60-day season of intense heat that ended on August 24, when the Suhail star appeared.

Autumn is also associated with the Gulf’s rainy season, which can bring wind, turbulent weather and swings in temperatures.

But there is still heat around. Temperatures are expected to climb to a high of 39°C inland and 36°C on the coast on Sunday.

The weather will be fair in general and partly cloudy at times in the east.

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Temple numbers

Expected completion: 2022

Height: 24 meters

Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people

Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people

First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time

First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres  

Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres

Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor 

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

Favourite dish: Grilled fish

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

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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

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

Rating: 4/5

European arms

Known EU weapons transfers to Ukraine since the war began: Germany 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles. Luxembourg 100 NLAW anti-tank weapons, jeeps and 15 military tents as well as air transport capacity. Belgium 2,000 machine guns, 3,800 tons of fuel. Netherlands 200 Stinger missiles. Poland 100 mortars, 8 drones, Javelin anti-tank weapons, Grot assault rifles, munitions. Slovakia 12,000 pieces of artillery ammunition, 10 million litres of fuel, 2.4 million litres of aviation fuel and 2 Bozena de-mining systems. Estonia Javelin anti-tank weapons.  Latvia Stinger surface to air missiles. Czech Republic machine guns, assault rifles, other light weapons and ammunition worth $8.57 million.

Teams in the EHL

White Bears, Al Ain Theebs, Dubai Mighty Camels, Abu Dhabi Storms, Abu Dhabi Scorpions and Vipers

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ETFs explained

Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.

ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.

There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

The specs: 2019 GMC Yukon Denali

Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 621Nm @ 4,100rpm​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​Fuel economy, combined: 12.9L / 100km

Tips to avoid getting scammed

1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday

2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment

3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone

4) Try not to close the sale at night

5) Don't be rushed into a sale 

6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour

The Details

Kabir Singh

Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series

Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga

Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa

Rating: 2.5/5 

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989

Director: Goran Hugo Olsson

Rating: 5/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
Tamkeen's offering
  • Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
  • Option 2: 50% across three years
  • Option 3: 30% across five years 
Where to donate in the UAE

The Emirates Charity Portal

You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments

The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.

Al Noor Special Needs Centre

You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.

Beit Al Khair Society

Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.

Dar Al Ber Society

Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.

Dubai Cares

Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.

Emirates Airline Foundation

Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.

Emirates Red Crescent

On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.

Gulf for Good

Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.

Noor Dubai Foundation

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).

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