The chief of the UAE’s weather bureau is in the running for a prestigious global position.
Abdulla Al Mandous, director general of the National Centre of Meteorology, has been put forward by the UAE for the 2023 to 2027 presidency of the World Meteorological Organisation, it was announced on Wednesday.
Mr Al Mandous has had a distinguished 30-year career in meteorology and climate science, and, during his time at the NCM, has overseen a major modernisation of the country’s meteorological and seismological networks.
He led the NCM’s efforts to establish the UAE Research Programme for Rain Enhancement Science, presided over the centre's pioneering cloud seeding initiative and contributed to the development of the Arabian Peninsula integrated radar observing system.
The WMO is an agency of the United Nations and functions as the global authority on weather, climate and the environmental issues. Mr Al Mandous is currently the UAE’s permanent representative to the WMO and also serves as president of its regional association, covering Asia.
“The UAE's official announcement in support of my WMO presidency candidacy reiterates the importance the country attaches to meteorology, weather, climate and related water and environmental issues,” said Mr Al Mandous.
“It is a top priority for our country to ensure that it pools its expertise and human capital with other national and global organisations to accelerate the development of comprehensive early warning systems to protect lives from the impacts of natural disasters.
"In supporting WMO in its efforts to lead the development of cutting-edge meteorological technologies, the UAE seeks to ensure accurate and reliable climate-related data and services for the benefit of communities across the globe.”
Mr Al Mandous was nominated by the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation and a decision on WMO president is expected by May.
If successful, Mr Al Mandous will seek to accelerate efforts to ensure UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres's call to ensure that “every person on the Earth is protected by early warning systems in the next five years” is achieved. He will also aim to bolster the world’s resilience to extreme weather and climate events.
Cloud seeding in the UAE — in pictures
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.
MATCH INFO
France 3
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Italy 1
Bonucci (36')
BMW M5 specs
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Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
The years Ramadan fell in May
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
