Pump jacks operate in the Permian Basin in Midland, Texas. The Arctic freeze gripping the central US is raising the spectre of power cuts in the state and placing pressure on energy already trading at record prices. Bloomberg
Brett Archibad entertains his family as they try to stay warm in their home the Blackhawk district in Pflugerville, Texas. Anger about the state’s power grid failure mounted on Tuesday. AP
Howard and Nena Mamu eat dinner at their home in the Glenwood district in Hutto, Texas. AP
People queue to buy food at a petrol station in Pflugerville, Texas. Most homes in the area had been without electricity for nearly eight hours. Power companies performed rotating cuts to protect the grid. AP
People queue to fill their empty propane tanks in Houston. The temperature stayed below freezing on Tuesday. AP
Christopher Harris, left, his wife Novi and their daughter Keeva occupy an office suite at a pop-up warming centre in Richardson, Texas. It is one of seven such places in the city, offering a place to keep warm and charge devices. AP
Freezer sections are closed off at Fiesta supermarket on February 16, 2021, in Houston, Texas. Winter storm Uri brought historic cold weather, power cuts and traffic accidents to Texas as storms swept through 26 states. AFP
Shell Timewise service station in Pflugerville, Texas, turned away people who needed petrol. Most homes in the area were without power for nearly eight hours. AP
The grounds of the Capitol in Austin, Texas, are covered in snow. AP
A car park is covered in snow at DIY store Home Depot in the Westbury district in Houston. A winter storm that is making its way from America’s southern plains to the northeast is affecting air travel. AP
The Trinity River is mostly frozen after a snow storm in Fort Worth. A frigid blast of winter weather across the US has left more than two million people in Texas without power. AP
Annie Boon, 5, creates a snow angel while sledging with her family in Austin. AP
People play in the snow in Butler Park in Austin. AP
A worker clears snow from a car park in Midland, Texas. Blackouts triggered by frigid weather have spread to more than four million homes and businesses across the central US and parts of Mexico. Bloomberg
Francisco Sanchez wipes snow off his car with a boogie board before going out sledging with his kids at Memorial Park in El Paso, Texas. Reuters
Horses wait for the ice in their trough to be broken in Bastrop county, near Austin, Texas. Reuters
Mia Donjuan, 4, falls off her sledge as she slides down a hill in the Elmwood district of Dallas. AP
Baylor University students enjoy their snow day without classes while posing near a fountain on campus in Waco, Texas. AP
Pedestrians walk on along a snow-covered street in Austin. Winter storm Uri has brought unusual cold to Texas, causing traffic delays and power cuts. Storms have swept across 26 states. AFP
Honey Russell clears the pavement outside her home after heavy snowfall in Fort Worth, Texas. Winter storm Uri has brought freezing weather to Texas. AFP
People push a car free after spinning out in the snow in Waco, Texas. A winter storm that brought snow and ice across the southern Plains stretched its frigid fingers down to the Gulf Coast. AP
A woman walks through falling snow in San Antonio. AP
Two people play in the snow in San Antonio. AP
Snow ploughs clear a lane of the I-30 motorway in Dallas. The Nashville Predators and the Dallas Stars NHL hockey game on Monday was postponed at the request of Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson owing to a power shortage. AP
The sun sets as a lone vehicle sits in a snow-covered parking garage at American Airlines Centre. AP
"The stars at night are big and bright," goes the opening line of Deep in the Heart of Texas, a country number widely considered to be the unofficial Texan state anthem. This week, the night sky shone brighter not just in Texas's rural heartland, but in its bustling cities, too. The Dallas skyline went dark on Monday in an effort to conserve power, as millions of Texans found themselves without electricity or heating amid the most brutal snowstorms their state has seen in three decades.
The rolling outages began on February 15, and have since affected around a third of Texas’s 10 million households, as well as nearly 5 million people in northern Mexico. The source is a combination of factors: the cold spell causing a sudden, huge spike in electricity demand, the failure of public agencies to predict it and the failure of energy infrastructure to cope.
Texas’s electricity grid is unique in continental US in that it is not connected to others outside the state – a legacy of an institutionalised suspicion of federal regulation. The state’s minimally regulated market only pays energy producers for what they sell, and not for what they keep in reserve for rainy (or snowy) days. There are no utility monopolies, and electricity retailers face high competition. All of this has brought benefits for Texans, including very cheap electricity prices and plenty of scope for entrepreneurial innovation (Texas produces a third of US wind power).
Millions of Texans are still without water and electricity, but the situation has been especially hard on the homeless. Getty
But while Texas’s energy market is well prepared for summer demand, there is little thought or expectation for the winter, given how rare cold spells have been historically. And the standalone grid has resulted in Texas being unable to import electricity to make up for the current shortfall.
The state’s grid operator, the perhaps unfortunately named Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (Ercot), was hardly more prescient than the private-sector players it is meant to help steer. The snowstorm was on its way down from Canada for a week, and even as the Texan governor, Greg Abbott, declared a state-wide disaster on February 12, Ercot’s predictions for the impact fell short. It has hardly helped public perceptions of Ercot’s mismanagement that the council’s chair and vice-chair do not live in Texas, but Michigan and California, respectively.
Mr Abbott’s own policies have been criticised, too. Whatever the merits of Texas’s free market, the government’s focus on rock-bottom prices for commercial entities have resulted in a failure to spend money winterising energy infrastructure. Transmission lines have frozen, generators are not geared up for winter, wind turbine blades are iced over and one of the state’s nuclear reactors has failed. Infrastructure for natural gas, which produces half of Texas’s electricity, has been hit badly, too, causing a cycle in which power cuts beget further declines in output.
The knock-on effects reach far. Texas produces 20 per cent of US natural gas exports, and is the country's largest oil producer. Both of those markets have seen global price surges this week. And around 1 million Texans could miss their Covid-19 vaccinations, as deliveries pause.
Texas is well prepared for summer energy demand, but there is little thought given to the winter
There are lessons in Texas for the electricity markets of other parts of the world used to warmer climes. Extreme weather events are becoming more common. Major snowstorms have hit much of the Middle East this month, too, putting a strain on poorly equipped infrastructure across Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Jordan.
The development of sustainable energy must not be only about cleaner resources to avert climate catastrophe, but also about more resilient ones to mitigate the impact of the damage already done. The futurisation and resilience of critical infrastructure and preparing for an increasingly erratic climate has never been more important. Public officials must plan ahead, or else their constituents will find themselves once again powerless when the next storm inevitably comes.
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023 More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
How to wear a kandura
Dos
Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Tell-tale signs of burnout
- loss of confidence and appetite
- irritability and emotional outbursts
- sadness
- persistent physical ailments such as headaches, frequent infections and fatigue
- substance abuse, such as smoking or drinking more
- impaired judgement
- excessive and continuous worrying
- irregular sleep patterns
Tips to help overcome burnout
Acknowledge how you are feeling by listening to your warning signs. Set boundaries and learn to say ‘no’
Do activities that you want to do as well as things you have to do
Undertake at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. It releases an abundance of feel-good hormones
Find your form of relaxation and make time for it each day e.g. soothing music, reading or mindful meditation
Sleep and wake at the same time every day, even if your sleep pattern was disrupted. Without enough sleep condition such as stress, anxiety and depression can thrive.
Would I ever find you again
You, the heaven of my love, my yearning and madness;
You, the kiss to my soul, my cheer and
sadness?
Would your lights ever break the night of my eyes again?
Would I ever find you again?
This world is volume and you're the notion,
This world is night and you're the lifetime,
This world is eyes and you're the vision,
This world is sky and you're the moon time,
Have mercy on the heart that belongs to you.
Lyrics: Al Hadi Adam; Composer: Mohammed Abdel Wahab
