• A person cycles through the Times Square during a snow storm, amid the coronavirus disease pandemic, in the Manhattan borough of New York City on February 1, 2021. Reuters
    A person cycles through the Times Square during a snow storm, amid the coronavirus disease pandemic, in the Manhattan borough of New York City on February 1, 2021. Reuters
  • A snowplough removes snow from the Times Square during a snow storm, amid the coronavirus disease pandemic, in the Manhattan borough of New York City. Reuters
    A snowplough removes snow from the Times Square during a snow storm, amid the coronavirus disease pandemic, in the Manhattan borough of New York City. Reuters
  • A couple walks on the Brooklyn Bridge on Monday, February 1, 2021. A winter snowstorm walloped the Eastern US on Monday. AP
    A couple walks on the Brooklyn Bridge on Monday, February 1, 2021. A winter snowstorm walloped the Eastern US on Monday. AP
  • People walk along a snow covered street as snow falls in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn. AFP
    People walk along a snow covered street as snow falls in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn. AFP
  • Snow covers a social distancing bubble dining tent outside a restaurant in New York. Bloomberg
    Snow covers a social distancing bubble dining tent outside a restaurant in New York. Bloomberg
  • A delivery person rides a bicycle as snow falls in New York. Bloomberg
    A delivery person rides a bicycle as snow falls in New York. Bloomberg
  • An empty outdoor dining area of a restaurant during a snow storm in New York. Bloomberg
    An empty outdoor dining area of a restaurant during a snow storm in New York. Bloomberg
  • A fire truck drives along a snow covered road during a Nor'Easter snow storm in Guttenberg, New Jersey. AFP
    A fire truck drives along a snow covered road during a Nor'Easter snow storm in Guttenberg, New Jersey. AFP
  • A double parked car waits covered in snow in the Brooklyn borough. New York City and much of the Northeast is being hit by a major winter storm that is expected to bring as much as two feet of snow when done sometime Tuesday morning. Schools, public transportation and vaccine centers across the region are being impacted by the storm. AFP
    A double parked car waits covered in snow in the Brooklyn borough. New York City and much of the Northeast is being hit by a major winter storm that is expected to bring as much as two feet of snow when done sometime Tuesday morning. Schools, public transportation and vaccine centers across the region are being impacted by the storm. AFP
  • A National Guard soldier stands his post in front of the US Capitol, on Monday, February 1, 2021, in Washington. AP
    A National Guard soldier stands his post in front of the US Capitol, on Monday, February 1, 2021, in Washington. AP
  • A child is pulled on a sled along 14th Street in the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a State of Emergency and MTA officials announced that above-ground subway service would be suspended. AFP
    A child is pulled on a sled along 14th Street in the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a State of Emergency and MTA officials announced that above-ground subway service would be suspended. AFP
  • Workers clear snow off a subway station platform in Brooklyn. AFP
    Workers clear snow off a subway station platform in Brooklyn. AFP
  • A resident clears snow from his car in the Humboldt Park neighborhood on February 1, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. More than a foot of snow fell in some areas of the city during a winter storm that lasted most of the past weekend. AFP
    A resident clears snow from his car in the Humboldt Park neighborhood on February 1, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. More than a foot of snow fell in some areas of the city during a winter storm that lasted most of the past weekend. AFP
  • A masked snowman sits on the National Mall in Washington, DC. AFP
    A masked snowman sits on the National Mall in Washington, DC. AFP
  • A couple throw snowballs in Washington, DC. Bloomberg
    A couple throw snowballs in Washington, DC. Bloomberg
  • People play with snow as snow begins to fall in Times Square during a snow storm in the Manhattan borough of New York City. Reuters
    People play with snow as snow begins to fall in Times Square during a snow storm in the Manhattan borough of New York City. Reuters
  • A snowman is seen on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC. AFP
    A snowman is seen on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC. AFP
  • A powerful winter storm is set to dump feet of snow along a stretch of the US east coast including New York City after blanketing the nation's capital. AFP
    A powerful winter storm is set to dump feet of snow along a stretch of the US east coast including New York City after blanketing the nation's capital. AFP
  • A dog sits in Times Square during a winter storm in New York City. AFP
    A dog sits in Times Square during a winter storm in New York City. AFP
  • A snowkiting sail hangs in the air over Medicine Lake in Plymouth, Minnesota.AFP
    A snowkiting sail hangs in the air over Medicine Lake in Plymouth, Minnesota.AFP
  • Snowkiting is a growing sport, as people seek new outdoor activities in the winter. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images/AFP
    Snowkiting is a growing sport, as people seek new outdoor activities in the winter. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images/AFP
  • Snowkiting is a growing sport, as people seek new outdoor activities in the winter. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images/AFP
    Snowkiting is a growing sport, as people seek new outdoor activities in the winter. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images/AFP
  • Mike Kratochwill flies through the air while snowkiting on Lake Minnetonka. AFP
    Mike Kratochwill flies through the air while snowkiting on Lake Minnetonka. AFP
  • Snowkiting is a growing sport, as people seek new outdoor activities in the winter. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images/AFP
    Snowkiting is a growing sport, as people seek new outdoor activities in the winter. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images/AFP
  • Snowkiting is a growing sport, as people seek new outdoor activities in the winter. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images/AFP
    Snowkiting is a growing sport, as people seek new outdoor activities in the winter. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images/AFP
  • Teenagers play with hail on the beach following winter storms that blanketed the region with rain, snow, and hail in Manhattan Beach, California. AFP
    Teenagers play with hail on the beach following winter storms that blanketed the region with rain, snow, and hail in Manhattan Beach, California. AFP
  • People play with hail on the beach following winter storms that blanketed the region with rain, snow, and hail in Manhattan Beach, California. AFP
    People play with hail on the beach following winter storms that blanketed the region with rain, snow, and hail in Manhattan Beach, California. AFP

The Americas

First winter storm of 2021 slams New York City and other parts of north-east

The storm, the year's first 'Nor'easter', could bring as much as two feet of snow to the area

Patrick deHahn
Patrick deHahn

April 22, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

More than 80 million people in the US are under some form of winter watch or warning, according to USA Today, as a major snowstorm rolled through the north-eastern US on Monday.

The multi-day storm resulted in snow accumulation in Chicago and Washington, DC, on Sunday before it moved into Philadelphia and New York City. The storm is expected to last through Tuesday.

New York City, the most populous city in the US, may see somewhere between 16 and 24 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.

Tri-state area bus and train travel between New York, New Jersey and Connecticut is suspended for several hours on Monday. FlightAware also recorded thousands of cancelled flights.

"This storm is no joke and the main concern right now is that the expected snowfall rate of two inches per hour this afternoon creates an extremely dangerous situation on our roadways," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Monday.

He issued a state of emergency for New York City, Long Island and Hudson Valley, to the north of the city. Non-essential vehicular travel was prohibited in New York City through Monday, when the area will see intensified snow accumulation and wind gusts.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio shared similar warnings on Sunday night. “This is not a storm to underestimate,” he said during a news briefing. “Take it seriously. This is a dangerous storm.”

If forecasts hold, the storm could rank in the top ten biggest snowfalls in New York City's history.

The unique timing of the storm has snarled up how the area is responding to the pandemic. Mr de Blasio made the decision to cancel Covid-19 vaccinations for Monday and Tuesday, but said they would resume on Wednesday.

"Last thing we want to do is to urge our seniors to come out in the middle of a storm like this," he said. "It doesn't make sense."

The state of New Jersey has also shut down its major vaccination sites as a result of the storm.

The largest public healthcare system in the US, NYC Health + Hospitals, also moved to suspend Covid-19 testing on Monday and Tuesday.

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

Sanju

Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani

Director: Rajkumar Hirani

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani

Rating: 3.5 stars

Specs
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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.”

While you're here
GIANT REVIEW

Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan

Director: Athale

Rating: 4/5

Rajasthan Royals 153-5 (17.5 ov)
Delhi Daredevils 60-4 (6 ov)

Rajasthan won by 10 runs (D/L method)

UAE FIXTURES

October 18 – 7.30pm, UAE v Oman, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 19 – 7.30pm, UAE v Ireland, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 21 – 2.10pm, UAE v Hong Kong, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 22 – 2.10pm, UAE v Jersey, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 24 – 10am, UAE v Nigeria, Abu Dhabi Cricket Oval 1
October 27 – 7.30pm, UAE v Canada, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi

October 29 – 2.10pm, Playoff 1 – A2 v B3; 7.30pm, Playoff 2 – A3 v B2, at Dubai International Stadium.
October 30 – 2.10pm, Playoff 3 – A4 v Loser of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Playoff 4 – B4 v Loser of Play-off 2 at Dubai International Stadium

November 1 – 2.10pm, Semifinal 1 – B1 v Winner of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Semifinal 2 – A1 v Winner of Play-off 2 at Dubai International Stadium
November 2 – 2.10pm, Third place Playoff – B1 v Winner of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Final, at Dubai International Stadium

Nepotism is the name of the game

Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad. 

THE SPECS

Jaguar F-Pace SVR

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Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Power: 542bhp​​​​​​​

Torque: 680Nm​​​​​​​

Price: Dh465,071

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How has net migration to UK changed?

The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.

It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.

The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.

The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.

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UAE currency
Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Islamophobia definition

A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.

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