Astronomers spotted the Suhail star in the UAE’s skies at dawn on Wednesday, which signifies that the end of the summer heat is near.
The Suhail star is significant among Arabs, particularly a long time ago when Arab sailors and fishermen used it to tell the changing of seasons.
The star appeared in the south-eastern portion of the sky, in the southern constellation of Carina.
Its visibility does not affect the weather in any way but its appearance coincides with the changing of seasons.
Cooler weather
Al Sadeem Observatory in Abu Dhabi said that the star was the second brightest in the night sky and easy to spot.
Its website says: “There is no other star in the sky much-anticipated in the Arab world than the Suhail (or the Canopus in the West) because, according to the folklore, it finally signals the gradual beginning of cooler days in the desert.
“Aside from helping early Arabs in telling the change of seasons, the star has also been a reliable tool for navigation for ancient sailors and travellers.”
It has largely been a typical UAE summer this year, with temperatures crossing 40°C.
But Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah experienced unusual weather because of heavy flooding.
Late last month, seven people were killed, more than 800 were rescued and thousands were moved into temporary accommodation after a summer deluge brought widespread flooding.
This month, a vast dust storm blanketed the country, including Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
The temperature in the afternoon most days is still about 40°C but the evenings have become slightly cooler.
Suhail star in Emirati culture
In Emirati culture, the appearance of Suhail is believed to be a “harbinger of abundance and everything good”.
The observatory says the star represents the first day of the so-called Suhaili Year for the Emiratis, divided into 14 seasons, upon which people in the past based their fishing, pearl hunting and farming activities.
“Suhail is also very prominent in art and literature of the Emiratis, often depicted as a symbol of love and the pureness of the heart,” the observatory said.
“The great, blind Arab philosopher Abu al-ʿAlaʾ al-Maʿarri often used Suhail in his writings for the same reason.”
Al Durour calendar
Residents should not expect an immediate return to cooler temperatures, as the traditional 365-day Emirati Al Drour calendar predicts a delay of about 70 to 80 days after sighting of the astronomical event.
UAE weather — in pictures
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
FIRST TEST SCORES
England 458
South Africa 361 & 119 (36.4 overs)
England won by 211 runs and lead series 1-0
Player of the match: Moeen Ali (England)
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
ATP WORLD No 1
2004 Roger Federer
2005 Roger Federer
2006 Roger Federer
2007 Roger Federer
2008 Rafael Nadal
2009 Roger Federer
2010 Rafael Nadal
2011 Novak Djokovic
2012 Novak Djokovic
2013 Rafael Nadal
2014 Novak Djokovic
2015 Novak Djokovic
2016 Andy Murray
2017 Rafael Nadal
2018 Novak Djokovic
2019 Rafael Nadal
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
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The Specs:
The Specs:
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 444bhp
Torque: 600Nm
Price: AED 356,580 incl VAT
On sale: now.
World%20Food%20Day%20
%3Cp%3ECelebrated%20on%20October%2016%2C%20to%20coincide%20with%20the%20founding%20date%20of%20the%20United%20Nations%20Food%20and%20Agriculture%20Organisation%2C%20World%20Food%20Day%20aims%20to%20tackle%20issues%20such%20as%20hunger%2C%20food%20security%2C%20food%20waste%20and%20the%20environmental%20impact%20of%20food%20production.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Honeymoonish
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elie%20El%20Samaan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENour%20Al%20Ghandour%2C%20Mahmoud%20Boushahri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
