The government has called for private sector companies to allow flexible working on Monday with weather warnings in place across the country.
The UAE is braced for heavy rain, thunder and high winds on Sunday and Monday with the public urged to be on their guard over “hazardous” weather to come.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation on Sunday urged employers to take action to ensure the safety of workers.
“The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation calls on private sector companies across the UAE to apply flexible working patterns tomorrow, Monday, 12 February, given the expected weather,” the authority said.
“Necessary measures need to be taken by companies to ensure outdoor work, if necessary to resume, complies with the occupational health and safety requirements.
“Companies also need to ensure the health and safety of workers commuting to and from outdoor work locations.”
The National Centre of Meteorology said wind speeds could reach 70 kph over the coming days, bringing the prospect of dust and sand storms.
The weather centre has a yellow alert – calling for the public to be aware of bad weather – and a more severe orange alert – forecasting hazardous weather events – in place for large parts of the country until noon on Tuesday.
The Knowledge and Human Development Authority – Dubai's private education regulator – called on schools and universities to provide distance learning on Monday in light of the unstable weather.
“With unpredictable weather predicted, we ask all Dubai private schools, nurseries, and universities to be flexible when considering the needs of parents, staff and students and provide the option of distance learning on Monday, Feb 12. Stay safe everyone,” the authority wrote on X on Saturday.
Sharjah Private Education Authority said remote learning would be adopted across "all educational institutions " in the emirate on Monday as a safety precaution.
Sharjah City Municipality on Sunday announced the temporary closure of all parks in the city due to the stormy weather.
The authority said the green spaces would reopen to the public when conditions stabilise.
The municipality stressed that its work teams were prepared for the unsettled weather and had provided more than 175 tankers and 120 pumping stations in various regions to clear excess water.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, has told the emirate's government employees to work remotely on Monday because of the expected wet weather.
His announcement, made on Saturday, excludes government jobs that require on-site attendance.
Remote working and distance learning will also be in place in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
"Due to weather conditions, remote work will be activated across government entities and companies, excluding jobs that require a presence at the workplace, and remote study for all education institutions on Monday in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra," Abu Dhabi Media Office stated.
On Thursday the UAE’s National Centre of Meteorology warned that heavy rain and wind as well as lightning, thunder and hail would be seen in some areas from Sunday, with temperatures also expected to fall over the coming days.
The NCM also said the adverse weather is because the UAE is affected by a surface low-pressure system extending from the south-west, accompanied by humid south-easterly winds.
Temperatures have stayed relatively low so far in 2024, as is normal for the time of year.
The NCM reported downpours across Abu Dhabi on Sunday morning, including a bout of heavy rain in the Al Dhafra region of the emirate.
Further rainfall was recorded in Dubai, Sharjah and Fujairah.
The NCM shared footage of large pools of water forming on roads on its social media channels on Sunday morning.
Safety alert
The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority announced on Saturday it had held a series of meetings to draw up action plans for the expected bad weather, in order to minimise disruption to the public and businesses and promote safety.
NCEMA urged motorists to “exercise extreme caution” during hazardous conditions and to avoid flooded areas and mountainous areas.
Abu Dhabi Police advised drivers to take care during spells of rainfall in a message on social media.
The force said motorists should adhere to variable speed limits displayed on electronic sign boards.
Police typically reduce speed limits on some routes to 80 kph during bad weather – such as heavy rain and fog – which hamper visibility.
Rain in the UAE – in pictures
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Rain Management
Year started: 2017
Based: Bahrain
Employees: 100-120
Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
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.
The figures behind the event
1) More than 300 in-house cleaning crew
2) 165 staff assigned to sanitise public areas throughout the show
3) 1,000 social distancing stickers
4) 809 hand sanitiser dispensers placed throughout the venue
What is an ETF?
An exchange traded fund is a type of investment fund that can be traded quickly and easily, just like stocks and shares. They come with no upfront costs aside from your brokerage's dealing charges and annual fees, which are far lower than on traditional mutual investment funds. Charges are as low as 0.03 per cent on one of the very cheapest (and most popular), Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, with the maximum around 0.75 per cent.
There is no fund manager deciding which stocks and other assets to invest in, instead they passively track their chosen index, country, region or commodity, regardless of whether it goes up or down.
The first ETF was launched as recently as 1993, but the sector boasted $5.78 billion in assets under management at the end of September as inflows hit record highs, according to the latest figures from ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five largest providers BlackRock’s iShares, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisers, Deutsche Bank X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
While the best-known track major indices such as MSCI World, the S&P 500 and FTSE 100, you can also invest in specific countries or regions, large, medium or small companies, government bonds, gold, crude oil, cocoa, water, carbon, cattle, corn futures, currency shifts or even a stock market crash.
The five types of long-term residential visas
Obed Suhail of ServiceMarket, an online home services marketplace, outlines the five types of long-term residential visas:
Investors:
A 10-year residency visa can be obtained by investors who invest Dh10 million, out of which 60 per cent should not be in real estate. It can be a public investment through a deposit or in a business. Those who invest Dh5 million or more in property are eligible for a five-year residency visa. The invested amount should be completely owned by the investors, not loaned, and retained for at least three years.
Entrepreneurs:
A five-year multiple entry visa is available to entrepreneurs with a previous project worth Dh0.5m or those with the approval of an accredited business incubator in the UAE.
Specialists
Expats with specialised talents, including doctors, specialists, scientists, inventors, and creative individuals working in the field of culture and art are eligible for a 10-year visa, given that they have a valid employment contract in one of these fields in the country.
Outstanding students:
A five-year visa will be granted to outstanding students who have a grade of 95 per cent or higher in a secondary school, or those who graduate with a GPA of 3.75 from a university.
Retirees:
Expats who are at least 55 years old can obtain a five-year retirement visa if they invest Dh2m in property, have savings of Dh1m or more, or have a monthly income of at least Dh20,000.
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Mountain%20Boy
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PRO BASH
Thursday’s fixtures
6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors
10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters
Teams
Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.
Squad rules
All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.
Tournament rules
The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.
Ad Astra
Director: James Gray
Stars: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones
Five out of five stars
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
Results
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David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Tu%20Jhoothi%20Main%20Makkaar%20
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