Abu Dhabi and Dubai were hit by heavy rain, thunder and lightning on Thursday.
Residents were woken up by rumbles of thunder as cracks of lightning lit up the skies from about 1.30am.
The weather had calmed significantly by about 5am, before another bout of intense rain began shortly before 8am.
Further rain was recorded in the Northern Emirates in the morning.
The National Centre of Meteorology issued an orange alert – warning of hazardous weather events – for large parts of the country until 8pm on Thursday.
The centre had earlier advised that the unstable weather would be less severe than the storms which battered the Emirates on April 16.
Trees upended
But the persistent rain caused flooding on roads in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with trees upended by high winds, and flights and public transport services disrupted.
Dubai International Airport said 13 flights were cancelled and five diverted before normal service resumed later on Thursday evening.
Passengers were advised to use the Dubai Metro to reach the airport because of traffic jams.
“If you're flying from Dubai International Airport today, please allow extra time to get to the airport as there's some congestion on the roads,” Dubai Airports wrote on X.
“Use the Dubai Metro to get to Terminals 1 and 3, where possible.”
Emirates Airline said on Thursday that six flights – between Dubai and Istanbul, Johannesburg, Nairobi, Cairo, Amman and Singapore – had been cancelled due to the bad weather.
“We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience. Affected customers will be reaccommodated,” Emirates said in a travel update on its website.
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority said intercity bus services had been temporarily suspended.
The authority said a number of ferry routes were also suspended on Thursday.
These included services to and from the Dubai Water Canal to Al Ghubaiba, Dubai Water Canal to Bluewaters and Al Ghubaiba to Sharjah Aquarium.
Dubai Municipality announced beaches, public parks and open markets would be closed on Thursday.
Police in Abu Dhabi and Dubai urged motorists to exercise caution if they had to drive.
Abu Dhabi Police reduced speed limits to 100kph on some routes – including sections of the Abu Dhabi-Al Ain Road – during the morning commute as a safety precaution.
The force said normal speed limits had been restored on external roads, in a social media message posted shortly before 1pm.
Safety alert after landslide
Ras Al Khaimah Police urged drivers to take care on Emirates Road, towards the Al Shuhada Road exit, following a landslide.
The police said they were closely monitoring the situation and advised motorists to stay alert and follow traffic guidance to ensure their safety and those of others.
Maj Gen Saif Al Zari Al Shamsi, commander-in-chief of Sharjah Police, said in a local radio interview on Thursday afternoon that traffic was flowing smoothly in the emirate and no road closures were in place.
He said authorities were working to prevent further flooding in the emirate.
Ready for the rain
Last month the country experienced record rainfall that flooded roads and homes and caused widespread disruption to public transport and airport travel.
The recent hazardous weather prompted authorities to ensure plans were in place to deal with the stormy conditions.
The clean-up operation is well under way on main roads and communities in Dubai, including the deployment of tankers to drain floodwater from streets.
Dubai Police had sent out a mobile phone alert on Wednesday evening, urging the public to be vigilant and stay safe.
The notice advised people to “avoid beaches, refrain from sailing, stay clear of valleys and areas prone to flash floods”.
The UAE had already called for remote work and distance learning to be implemented on Thursday and Friday as the country prepared for heavy rain and thunder.
The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority on Wednesday issued the guidance for all schools and universities and the public and private sector.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation advised private sector companies to apply flexible and remote work patterns on Thursday.
Distance learning had already been announced for all private schools in Dubai and Sharjah on Thursday and Friday.
Officials announced that all government schools in the UAE would similarly introduce remote learning on both days.
However, key exams at some schools were still going ahead in-person, The National learnt.
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Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
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.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
New process leads to panic among jobseekers
As a UAE-based travel agent who processes tourist visas from the Philippines, Jennifer Pacia Gado is fielding a lot of calls from concerned travellers just now. And they are all asking the same question.
“My clients are mostly Filipinos, and they [all want to know] about good conduct certificates,” says the 34-year-old Filipina, who has lived in the UAE for five years.
Ms Gado contacted the Philippines Embassy to get more information on the certificate so she can share it with her clients. She says many are worried about the process and associated costs – which could be as high as Dh500 to obtain and attest a good conduct certificate from the Philippines for jobseekers already living in the UAE.
“They are worried about this because when they arrive here without the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] clearance, it is a hassle because it takes time,” she says.
“They need to go first to the embassy to apply for the application of the NBI clearance. After that they have go to the police station [in the UAE] for the fingerprints. And then they will apply for the special power of attorney so that someone can finish the process in the Philippines. So it is a long process and more expensive if you are doing it from here.”
Employment lawyer Meriel Schindler of Withers Worldwide shares her tips on achieving equal pay
Do your homework
Make sure that you are being offered a fair salary. There is lots of industry data available, and you can always talk to people who have come out of the organisation. Where I see people coming a cropper is where they haven’t done their homework.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate
It’s quite standard to negotiate if you think an offer is on the low side. The job is unlikely to be withdrawn if you ask for money, and if that did happen I’d question whether you want to work for an employer who is so hypersensitive.
Know your worth
Women tend to be a bit more reticent to talk about their achievements. In my experience they need to have more confidence in their own abilities – men will big up what they’ve done to get a pay rise, and to compete women need to turn up the volume.
Work together
If you suspect men in your organisation are being paid more, look your boss in the eye and say, “I want you to assure me that I’m paid equivalent to my peers”. If you’re not getting a straight answer, talk to your peer group and consider taking direct action to fix inequality.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
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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
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
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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.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Breadwinner
Director: Nora Twomey
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq
Three stars
