According to Wikipedia, the English term “silly season” is “the period lasting for a few summer months typified by the emergence of frivolous news stories in the media”. The UAE might now be able to stake a claim to its own “silly season”.
A few days ago there was widespread coverage of "The UAE Iceberg Project", a plan to tow an iceberg all the way from Antarctica to our own East Coast in 2020 to provide a supply of pristine freshwater.
The scheme first surfaced in May last year – again in the summer – prompting a sniffy response from the Ministry of Energy, which commented on its website: "As the authority in charge of water affairs, it would like to confirm that such news is just a rumour." It went on, according to reports, to urge the public to "shun" such speculation.
Undeterred, the scheme’s promoter, the National Advisor Bureau, went public with its plans again on July 1, although this year it did not refer to the idea of "harvesting" the iceberg from Heard Island in the southern Indian Ocean. 1,600 kilometres north of Antarctica itself, Heard Island is an uninhabited territory of Australia, so perhaps the Australian Government has quietly advised the Bureau to leave its waters, and its icebergs, alone.
I’m all in favour of innovative ideas. Some will work, some won’t. Any such ideas, however, should always be greeted with a healthy dose of scepticism and cynicism. Let me offer, therefore, a few thoughts on this scheme.
Its promoters, we hear, are developing a unique technology that will “ensure zero ice melting during the transportation phase.” Since air and sea temperatures on the journey of thousands of miles from the Antarctic to the UAE’s East Coast will be well above the freezing point for freshwater for most of the journey, how do the promoters plan to prevent the iceberg, be it the part exposed or the ninety per cent of it beneath the surface of the sea, from melting?
When icebergs from offshore Greenland float south past Canada, they slowly melt. That's a natural process. Can the National Advisor Bureau prevent that during the iceberg's one-year journey?
Let us assume, for a moment, that a large remnant of the original iceberg can actually be towed all the way from Antarctica to the East Coast.
Once the first and subsequent icebergs have arrived, we are told, they will “cause a unique climatic phenomenon…[that] would attract the clouds over the Arabian Sea to the centre of the icebergs, thus creating a vortex that will cause rainfalls.”
It would be interesting to know more about the climate-modelling studies that have led to this conclusion, not least because it would be wise, one assumes, to be extremely cautious about undertaking anything that would create “a unique climatic phenomenon.” If the clouds are attracted, what kind of “vortex” will this be?
It sounds potentially rather worrying. Major, unseasonal storms? An impact on the normal behaviour of the Indian Ocean monsoon? Would any disruption of normal weather patterns be purely temporary, or would there be longer-term side-effects with potentially devastating results not just along the East Coast but much further afield?
One wonders how much thought the promoters may have given to such topics. Meddling with the weather, apart from projects that are limited to relatively small areas, such as the UAE's successful cloud-seeding activities to generate rainfall, is, surely, a rather dangerous game.
There are other issues, too. The UAE's East Coast lies on one of the world's major shipping lanes, while Fujairah is the world's second largest oil bunkering port. Anyone who has seen Titanic might well ask if there would be any dangers to shipping. How far offshore would the iceberg be anchored – or would it simply be towed until it grounded on the shallowing seabed? As it became smaller, it would rise, so how would movement be prevented? Should we worry? I would.
The water around the iceberg would, of course, be cooled. What would be the impact on marine life and, therefore, on the fishing industry? As warmer and cooler waters mixed, what effect would this have on prevailing currents?
Some of the statements issued by the National Advisor Bureau seem to suggest, moreover, that some of their research has been lacking in depth.
For instance, they say that the project “would place the UAE on the glacial tourism map…saving iceberg enthusiasts the trouble of travelling to the North and South Poles”. There are, of course, no icebergs at either Pole, although the North Pole is located at the centre of a huge ice-sheet.
Icebergs can, though, can be seen off the southern tip of Greenland, whose northern tip, over 2,500 kilometres away, is still a long way from the North Pole. An indication of better knowledge of global geography might, just might, enable one to take the Bureau’s statements a little more seriously.
In the meantime, I'm starting work on the outline of a film proposal, convinced that there is scope here for a blockbuster disaster movie. That, in my cynical view, is where this idea currently belongs – firmly in the realm of fiction.
Peter Hellyer is a consultant specialising in the UAE’s history and culture
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
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
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Company%20Profile
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Origin
Dan Brown
Doubleday
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Challenge Cup result:
1. UAE 3 faults
2. Ireland 9 faults
3. Brazil 11 faults
4. Spain 15 faults
5. Great Britain 17 faults
6. New Zealand 20 faults
7. Italy 26 faults
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score):
Manchester City (0) v Tottenham Hotspur (1), Wednesday, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
