The hazards of using the “reply all” email feature are writ large in the annals of modern social history. Entire address books exposed. Rude comments accidentally sent to the person who they are about. Relationships changed forever. Workplace servers grinding to a halt under the sheer weight of people replying. And yet the button continues to sit innocuously on every email we read, almost daring us to press it without thinking. And press it we do.
Email is one of those technologies which has overgrown its original scale. The simplicity of sending and receiving emails has changed dramatically
A few days ago, Microsoft introduced a long overdue system to combat some of the horrors of “reply all”. Now available for users of Office 365, Reply All Storm Protection will be most useful for large companies who are at risk from what is known as a “reply-allpocalypse”. In the event of 10 reply-all messages being sent to more than 5,000 people within an hour, all further replies are blocked. Microsoft plans to adapt the system for smaller organisations too.
Microsoft is uniquely positioned to offer the world such protection. Back in October 1997, it became one of the first companies to suffer a reply-all-induced whiteout, after a single email was unwittingly sent to 25,000 employees on a mailing list.
Annoyed recipients began replying to the message, asking to be removed. Those emails also went to 25,000 people, as did emails telling people not to “reply all”. Microsoft’s email server went down for two days. The name of the damaging mailing list was somewhat prescient: “Bedlam”.
More than 20 years later, Microsoft employees are still at it. In November, a single message sent to 11,543 colleagues quickly threatened to spiral into Bedlam II.
Then, six weeks ago, another 52,000-person 'reply-all storm' hit the company. “Microsoft sources tell us some staff are now hitting reply all for the sheer fun of it, posting frivolous messages that celebrate the ridiculousness of the situation,” reported tech website The Register.
Microsoft is by no means the only company to suffer at the hands of the "reply-all demon", as Victoria Turk refers to it in her book about digital etiquette, appropriately titled Kill Reply All. "It will be holding your and everyone else's inbox hostage for the foreseeable… Replies about not replying start to proliferate," she writes. All reply-all fiascos are essentially a consequence of people not taking the time to think; this in turn is a consequence of email becoming almost too good at its job.
“Email is one of those technologies which has overgrown its original scale,” says Jeff Pearsall, vice president product design at Edison Mail. “The simplicity of sending and receiving emails has changed dramatically. Some of these innovations, although helpful, can make it easier to make costly mistakes. When building [email] interfaces, using technology and carefully crafted UI [user interface] treatments to avoid mistakes in the email flow are a much larger priority than most people would expect.”
Edison, Gmail and other email platforms try to compensate for our eagerness to send email by offering an “undo send” feature, which gives us a few seconds to think twice and recall our errant message. But for some people, a few seconds is not long enough.
The list of political figures who have accidentally sent journalists “reply all” emails they wished they had not is a long and tragic one. Use of “reply all” within the legal profession can lead to serious problems surrounding client confidentiality. A recent ruling in the US state of Illinois advised legal professionals to refrain from using it.
And yet it is so useful. The feature is there for a reason; to keep us in the loop and avoid having the same conversation with several people. Its potential to cause problems is entirely down to human shortcomings. The best thing we can do is stay alert. Double check. Maybe triple check.
If you go
Flight connections to Ulaanbaatar are available through a variety of hubs, including Seoul and Beijing, with airlines including Mongolian Airlines and Korean Air. While some nationalities, such as Americans, don’t need a tourist visa for Mongolia, others, including UAE citizens, can obtain a visa on arrival, while others including UK citizens, need to obtain a visa in advance. Contact the Mongolian Embassy in the UAE for more information.
Nomadic Road offers expedition-style trips to Mongolia in January and August, and other destinations during most other months. Its nine-day August 2020 Mongolia trip will cost from $5,250 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, two nights’ hotel accommodation in Ulaanbaatar, vehicle rental, fuel, third party vehicle liability insurance, the services of a guide and support team, accommodation, food and entrance fees; nomadicroad.com
A fully guided three-day, two-night itinerary at Three Camel Lodge costs from $2,420 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, accommodation, meals and excursions including the Yol Valley and Flaming Cliffs. A return internal flight from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad costs $300 per person and the flight takes 90 minutes each way; threecamellodge.com
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
heading
Iran has sent five planeloads of food to Qatar, which is suffering shortages amid a regional blockade.
A number of nations, including Iran's major rival Saudi Arabia, last week cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of funding terrorism, charges it denies.
The land border with Saudi Arabia, through which 40% of Qatar's food comes, has been closed.
Meanwhile, mediators Kuwait said that Qatar was ready to listen to the "qualms" of its neighbours.
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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More on animal trafficking
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Scores in brief:
- New Medical Centre 129-5 in 17 overs bt Zayed Cricket Academy 125-6 in 20 overs.
- William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana 188-8 in 20 overs bt One Stop Tourism 184-8 in 20 overs
- Alubond Tigers 138-7 in 20 overs bt United Bank Limited 132-7 in 20 overs
- Multiplex 142-6 in 17 overs bt Xconcepts Automobili 140 all out in 20 overs
