Mont Blanc, western Europe's highest mountain, has shrunk by more than two metres over the past two years, researchers said on Thursday, measuring the Alpine peak at 4,805.59 metres.
Less rain and snow during the summer is thought to be the cause for the 2.22-metre decline, said Jean des Garets, chief geometer in the Haute-Savoie department of south-eastern France.
"Mont Blanc could well be much taller in two years" when it is next measured, he said, and this was not the first time such a large change had been seen.
The mountain's rocky peak measures 4,792 metres above sea level, but its thick covering of ice and snow varies in height from year to year depending on wind and weather.
Researchers have been measuring it every two years since 2001, hoping to gather information about the effects of climate change on the Alps.
"We're gathering the data for future generations. We're not here to interpret them," Mr des Garets said.
People should not use the height measurement "to say any old thing", he said.
"It's now up to the climatologists, glaciologists and other scientists to make use of all the data we've collected and come up with theories to explain" the shrinking.
Mont Blanc's highest recorded summit was in 2007, at 4,810.90 metres.
Hot weather in the Middle East - in pictures
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Moroccan Fantasia (tbourida) horsemen ride their horses in the Atlantic to cool off during the annual Moussem festival. AFP -

Kuwaiti youths as they set to sail aboard traditional dhows for a pearl diving expedition near Kuwait City. AFP -

Iraqi youths swim in the Shatt al-Arab waterway at the end of a hot summer day in Basra. AFP -

Syrians take advantage of the heat to dry sheep hides, during the tanning process in Azmarin town in the rebel-held northwestern Idlib province. AFP -

Locals dry hot red peppers to make paste and flakes in the heat. AFP -

Boys swim in the Nile amid a heatwave at El Qanater El Khairiyah. Reuters -

A man relaxes next to a water fountain outside Qatar's Souq Waqif bazar in Doha. AFP -

A grey parrot drinks water amidst soaring temperatures at a zoo in Baghdad. AFP -

People gather in a restaurant at sunset in Gaza City. AFP -

A boy shelters in his tent at the Sahlat al-Banat makeshift camp on the outskirts of the northern Syrian city of Raqa. AFP -

An Iraqi youth dives into a swimming pool to cool off, as temperature rises in Mosul. Reuters -

A man cools himself with water, amid a heatwave in Al Fayoum Governorate, southwest of Cairo. Reuters -

Women sit on the beach during a hot summer day in Rabat, Morocco. EPA -

People play at the Wadi El-Rayan waterfalls, amid a heatwave in Al Fayoum Governorate, southwest of Cairo. Reuters -

A deserted beach by Reem Central Park on a hot day in Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
A one-metre fall was measured in 2021 compared to 2017 – after 2019's unusually low result was kept secret as experts considered it not to be representative.
"Mont Blanc's height has been fluctuating since time immemorial," the geometers say.
Within the year, strong winter winds usually scour away more snow than in summer, meaning the peak is higher as autumn begins than in early spring.
"We've learnt a lot from these measurement campaigns," Mr des Garets said. "We know that the summit is constantly changing in altitude and position, with changes of up to five metres."
Luc Moreau, a glaciologist, told AFP that since the ice cap at Mont Blanc's summit was at a temperature of minus 15°C it could not melt.
"So there is no link to global warming," Mr Moreau said.
But this could change if climate change intensified, he said.
Faster melting has been observed in Alpine glaciers as a result of climate change.
European glaciers, many at lower altitudes than elsewhere in the world, are especially vulnerable to global warming.
They lost about a third of their volume between 2000 and 2020, according to scientific data.
In 2022 alone, glaciologists believe up to 7 per cent of the remaining mass of the glaciers may have vanished.
But one of the Mont Blanc team members, Denis Borel, urged people to "stay humble" about climate's impact on the mountain.
People shouldn't "draw hasty conclusions about measurements that have only been made precisely since 2001", Mr Borel said.
About 20 people scaled the mountain in mid-September to carry out the measurements over several days.
They were divided into eight parties equipped with high-tech tools and, for the first time, a drone.
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The biogs
Name: Zinah Madi
Occupation: Co-founder of Dots and links
Nationality: Syrian
Family: Married, Mother of Tala, 18, Sharif, 14, Kareem, 2
Favourite Quote: “There is only one way to succeed in anything, and that is to give it everything.”
Name: Razan Nabulsi
Occupation: Co-founder of Dots and Links
Nationality: Jordanian
Family: Married, Mother of Yahya, 3.5
Favourite Quote: A Chinese proverb that says: “Be not afraid of moving slowly, be afraid only of standing still.”
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Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Who are the Soroptimists?
The first Soroptimists club was founded in Oakland, California in 1921. The name comes from the Latin word soror which means sister, combined with optima, meaning the best.
The organisation said its name is best interpreted as ‘the best for women’.
Since then the group has grown exponentially around the world and is officially affiliated with the United Nations. The organisation also counts Queen Mathilde of Belgium among its ranks.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
David Haye record
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Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
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Company name: Overwrite.ai
Founder: Ayman Alashkar
Started: Established in 2020
Based: Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai
Sector: PropTech
Initial investment: Self-funded by founder
Funding stage: Seed funding, in talks with angel investors
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Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
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Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
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Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
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Name: Mohammed Imtiaz
From: Gujranwala, Pakistan
Arrived in the UAE: 1976
Favourite clothes to make: Suit
Cost of a hand-made suit: From Dh550
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Director: Rupert Wyatt
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The biog
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Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
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Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran
Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
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If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
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7. Limited time periods for audits
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9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
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10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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The specs
Engine: 2x201bhp AC Permanent-magnetic electric
Transmission: n/a
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 659Nm
Price estimate: Dh200,000
On sale: Q3 2022
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
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- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
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Profile
Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari
Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.
Number of employees: Over 50
Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised
Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital
Sector of operation: Transport


