Three people have been killed and dozens of flights cancelled as Storm Ciaran made landfall, bringing winds of up to 200kph.
In the Netherlands, Dutch airline KLM said it scrapped dozens of flights to and from Amsterdam Schiphol on Thursday, ahead of the storm which is expected to bring gusts of up to 110kph.
“We have decided to cancel all KLM flights to and from Schiphol from early afternoon until the end of the day,” a representative for Air France KLM said.
International trains from the Dutch capital to Paris were also cancelled and shipping lanes to the south-west of the country were closed.
Meanwhile, airport operator Aena said 42 flights in Spain were cancelled on Thursday after half that number were grounded the previous day.
More than a million households were left without electricity in France on Thursday after the storm made landfall, with parts in the north on red alert for strong winds.
In Brittany, where winds of up to 207kph were recorded on the Pointe du Raz, two people were injured and travel was prohibited, local prefect Alain Espinasse told RTL radio.
“I repeat: stay at home,” he said.
Transport Minister Clement Beaune told Franceinfo radio that a lorry driver died in Aisne, north-east of Paris, when a tree fell on his vehicle. Another 15 people, including seven firefighters, were injured in other incidents.
“This shows that even in regions that are not on red alert, there is a very high risk on the road,” Mr Beaune said.
A woman died in Spain when a tree fell on her in central Madrid, emergency services said. Three people were injured.
One person also died in Belgium due to a falling tree, Belgian daily Le Soir reported on Thursday, citing local police.
In Britain, the Channel Islands were among the areas worst hit, with the BBC reporting windows had been blown in and one roof ripped off a house on Jersey, forcing families to move into nearby hotels.
A red wind warning, the highest level, was issued by Jersey Met for Wednesday into Thursday, with people warned to avoid outside activity due to predicted gusts of about 160kph.
One Jersey homeowner, Suzie Phillips, said: "The hailstones were quite a bit heavier and bigger than a golf ball and we've had three windows damaged by them, in my daughter's bedroom, a landing and a bathroom.
"It was quite worrying, especially for the kids. They were quite anxious about it."
On the UK mainland, forecasters issued two amber wind warnings, the second highest level of alert, for parts of the south coast of England, together with further yellow rain warnings, a lower level which means some disruption could be on the way.
A spokeswoman for London's Heathrow Airport said it had not been affected by the weather but London Gatwick experienced some disruption.
A representative for Gatwick told The National: "Storm Ciaran across the south-east has caused some delays this morning. As always, safety of passengers and staff is our number one priority and we are working closely with our airline partners to minimise any disruption.
"We advise passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline before travelling."
The Met Office warned of coastal gusts of 112kph to 128kph, with the potential for speeds of up to 136kph.
People were urged not to go near the water's edge due to “very dangerous conditions”.
An amber warning was put place in Cornwall and Devon, with the Met Office predicting Storm Ciaran will bring winds of 120kph to 136kph, with inland gusts of 104kph to 120kph.
A major incident was declared by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Local Resilience Forum, with the local fire service warning that there was a “potential risk to life” as well as a risk of damage to buildings, falling trees and flooding.
But Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Local Resilience Forum (LRF) later downgraded it on Thursday afternoon as the area had not experienced the "full extent of the forecast weather".
Assistant Chief Constable Paul Bartolomeo, LRF chairman, said: "While we have seen flooding of properties and roads, power outages and disruption to the highways networks caused by the wind and rain, we have thankfully not seen the full extent of the forecast weather and we are now in a position to stand down the major incident response."
The Met Office also dialled back their wind warnings later on Thursday morning, with one amber warning, the second most severe, remaining in place for the south of England until noon.
Flooding is expected in 77 areas, according to the Environment Agency, most of which are on the south coast of England.
Further north, train passengers in parts of Scotland and on some cross-border services will face delays until Saturday morning due to weather warnings in place as a result of Storm Ciaran, rail operators have announced.
Rail operator LNER said no services will run between Edinburgh and Aberdeen until Saturday in both directions.
Its service between Newcastle and Edinburgh will run hourly from 3pm on Thursday until the end of service on Friday.
Speed restrictions will be in place on the route, which may see services subject to delays of up to 40 minutes.
Network Rail is imposing speed restrictions across parts of Scotland and while most ScotRail services will be unaffected, some areas will see delays.
Speed restrictions will be in place on routes between Aberdeen and Inverness; Dundee and Aberdeen; Inverness and Wick; and Perth and Inverness.
ScotRail said the first of these speed restrictions will be in place from 3pm on Thursday and last until 8am on Saturday.
Direct ScotRail services between Edinburgh and Glasgow to Aberdeen have been cancelled from Friday morning until mid-afternoon, with passengers required to change trains at Dundee.
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RESULTS
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: Najem Al Rwasi, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)
2.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Fandim, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri
3pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Harbh, Pat Cosgrave, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
3.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Wakeel W’Rsan, Richard Mullen, Jaci Wickham
4pm: Crown Prince of Sharjah Cup Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Jawaal, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri
4.30pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup (TB) Dh200,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
'THE WORST THING YOU CAN EAT'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
RESULTS
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000, 2,400m
Winner: Recordman, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer)
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000, 2,200m
Winner: AF Taraha, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000, 1,400m
Winner: Dhafra, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000, 1,400m
Winner: Maqam, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000, 1,600m
Winner: AF Momtaz, Fernando Jara, Musabah Al Muhairi
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000, 1,600m
Winner: Optimizm, Patrick Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
The bio
Favourite food: Japanese
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Favourite hobby: Football
Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough
Favourite country: UAE
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
The Uefa Awards winners
Uefa Men's Player of the Year: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Uefa Women's Player of the Year: Lucy Bronze (Lyon)
Best players of the 2018/19 Uefa Champions League
Goalkeeper: Alisson (Liverpool)
Defender: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Midfielder: Frenkie de Jong (Ajax)
Forward: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Uefa President's Award: Eric Cantona
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
more from Janine di Giovanni
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Age: 23
Occupation: Founder of the Studio, formerly an analyst at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Education: Bachelor of science in industrial engineering
Favourite hobby: playing the piano
Favourite quote: "There is a key to every door and a dawn to every dark night"
Family: Married and with a daughter