Live updates: Follow the latest news on Cop28
In her first year of life, John Ruben's daughter has already experienced four severe tropical cyclones, extreme weather events that occurred only every few years when he was growing up in Vanuatu in the South Pacific Ocean.
The Pacific Islands region is in the eye of the storm of climate change, with leaders concerned it could be left behind in climate talks during Cop28.
A double menace of category-four cyclones, Judy and Kevin, ripped through Vanuatu in a 48-hour period on March 1, severely damaging infrastructure and affecting about 250,000 islanders.
There has been a real focus at this Cop, on phasing out of fossil fuels as the root cause of the problems - we need to address that
Tina Stege,
climate envoy for the Marshall Islands
The rarity of the two powerful cyclones occurring in such quick succession meant there was little time for islanders to come up for air between devastating storms.
Mr Ruben's home was severely damaged in the most recent storms and will cost at least $2,000 to repair.
Working as a meteorologist researching the changing climate, he supports his young family on about $1,000 a month.
“I've spent all of my life living on Vanuatu,” Mr Ruben said at the Cop28 meeting in Dubai.
“The climate conditions for the past 20 years were totally different to what we are observing now.
“Temperature and rainfall is totally different, and tropical cyclones are some of the events becoming more severe.
“The impacts are huge, and our recovery process is very difficult. We just don’t have time to recover when we face any extreme events when they are so close together.”
In the aftermath of the storms, Vanuatu received support from New Zealand and Australia, other Pacific nations and the World Bank. Global NGOs have also joined in more long-term recovery efforts.
“During the last tropical storm in March, I was in Fiji,” said Mr Ruben.
“We knew the storm was coming but I could not be there to help my family.
“I lost all communication for eight hours and didn't know if they were alive or dead.”
His family survived the storm, but they are nervously waiting for the next one while extensive home repairs are completed.
Frequent storms
The cyclones affected about 66 per cent of Vanuatu’s population, with wind, heavy rains, flooding and storm surges causing extensive damage.
A Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) estimated repair and recovery costs at more than $773 million.
Rev James Bhagwan of Fiji, general secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches, said rising sea levels and warming oceans have placed the region on high alert.
“This is the reality, an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather patterns,” he said.
“As indigenous people, our communities are deeply, spiritually connected to land and sea.
“The impacts we face are not just economically, they are cultural, they're spiritual and psychological.
“While we need a national adaptation plan to be funded and relocation processes to be supported, we also need to deal with the condition of our people suffering as a result of climate change.
“But all of that funding is a moot point if we're not phasing out fossil fuel.”
In February, New Zealand took significant damage from Cyclone Gabrielle, with a national emergency declared for the third time in the country’s history.
Thousands were displaced as 140kph winds ripped off roofs, while felled trees and landslides destroyed homes, causing damage estimated at more than $13.5 billion.
The region mobilised support, with Australia, Fiji and Niue flying in aid.
It is not only the destructive impact of extreme weather disrupting Pacific Island communities. As sea temperatures change, coral reefs degrade and die, taking with them marine species that are critical to the balance of complex ocean ecosystems.
That in turn affects tourism and livelihoods while seawater encroaches on fresh water supplies, making some islands unsuitable for agriculture and forcing communities to disband and migrate.
Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster, Samoa’s Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Lands, said loss and damage funding for nations most affected by climate change is urgently needed.
“The big issue for us is we want to be able to access it as quickly as we can,” said Mr Schuster, also chair of the Alliance of Small Island States.
“The impacts of climate change are happening now. Vanuatu had a cyclone two or three weeks ago which was the third [recently].
“It is great to have this agreement but we don’t want to wait another five years before we can access it.”
Rising seas
As a sign of a changing world, the Marshall Islands even had to close its airport due to waves lapping on to the runway.
The low-lying atoll nation is 2 metres above sea level, leaving many Marshallese at the mercy of climate change.
In the worst-case scenario, sea levels are predicted to rise by as much as 5.4 metres by 2300, unless carbon emissions are reduced significantly worldwide.
The Marshall Islands has launched a national adaptation plan to bring in counter measures.
Tina Stege, climate envoy for the Marshall Islands, said the region was already seeing “enormous impacts” from sea-level rise.
“Now with high tides, we regularly have overwash on to roads – that is affecting our well water aquifers,” said Ms Stege.
“Also, we have longer and more intensive droughts which then have cascading knock on affects with regards to health with more communicable diseases.
“We are seeing impacts in all sectors and all levels.
“There has been a real focus at this Cop, on phasing out of fossil fuels as the root cause of the problems – we need to address that.
“It has gone for too long as the elephant in the room.”
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
CHINESE GRAND PRIX STARTING GRID
1st row
Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2nd row
Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
3rd row
Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing)
4th row
Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
Sergio Perez (Force India)
5th row
Carlos Sainz Jr (Renault)
Romain Grosjean (Haas)
6th row
Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Esteban Ocon (Force India)
7th row
Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren)
8th row
Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)
9th row
Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
Lance Stroll (Williams)
10th row
Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
arcus Ericsson (Sauber)
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The Matrix Resurrections
Director: Lana Wachowski
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick
Rating:****
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.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Six things you need to know about UAE Women’s Special Olympics football team
Several girls started playing football at age four
They describe sport as their passion
The girls don’t dwell on their condition
They just say they may need to work a little harder than others
When not in training, they play football with their brothers and sisters
The girls want to inspire others to join the UAE Special Olympics teams
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
more from Janine di Giovanni
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The%C2%A0specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%20synchronous%20electric%20motors%20%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E646hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E830Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETwo-speed%20auto%20(rear%20axle)%3B%20single-speed%20auto%20(front)%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh552%2C311%3B%20Dh660%2C408%20(as%20tested)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.5-litre%204-cylinder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20101hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20135Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Six-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh79%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
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
Bawaal%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nitesh%20Tiwari%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Varun%20Dhawan%2C%20Janhvi%20Kapoor%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
EMILY%20IN%20PARIS%3A%20SEASON%203
%3Cp%3ECreated%20by%3A%20Darren%20Star%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Lily%20Collins%2C%20Philippine%20Leroy-Beaulieu%2C%20Ashley%20Park%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%202.75%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
THE BIO
Ms Al Ameri likes the variety of her job, and the daily environmental challenges she is presented with.
Regular contact with wildlife is the most appealing part of her role at the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.
She loves to explore new destinations and lives by her motto of being a voice in the world, and not an echo.
She is the youngest of three children, and has a brother and sister.
Her favourite book, Moby Dick by Herman Melville helped inspire her towards a career exploring the natural world.
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Poacher
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERichie%20Mehta%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nimisha%20Sajayan%2C%20Roshan%20Mathew%2C%20Dibyendu%20Bhattacharya%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
