One year ago today, Dubai was brought to a standstill. Cars floated along submerged roads. Malls and schools closed. Flights were grounded. In just 12 hours, 100mm of rain fell – the amount the city typically receives in a year and the heaviest rainfall since records began in 1949.
On the first anniversary of the deluge, the question is not whether if it will happen again, but when and how often. Dubai Municipality has responded by announcing this week that it has awarded Dh1.4 billion in stormwater drainage contracts.
The contracts fall under the Dh30 billion Tasreef project, Dubai’s largest unified stormwater collection system. The projects will serve key areas across the emirate: Nad Al Hamar, the area around Dubai International Airport, Al Garhoud, Al Rashidiya, Al Quoz, Zabeel, Al Wasl, Jumeirah and Al Badaa.
They aim to enhance the capacity of the drainage system and increase its discharge capacity by 700 per cent over the next 100 years. The scheme was introduced in the months following the storm and is scheduled to be completed by 2033.
Such initiatives aim to change the impact of climate change on the region, with more frequent storms forecast.
“The combination of rising global temperatures and regional climatic shifts suggests that the UAE, including Dubai, may experience similar severe rainfall events more frequently in the future,” Dr Adam Fenech, provost at Canadian University Dubai, told The National. “This underscores the importance of urban infrastructure and emergency preparedness in mitigating the impacts of such events.”
Climate change drives extreme weather
Climate experts say last year's flooding is a clear sign that weather systems across the Gulf are shifting. According to Dr Fenech, Dubai's average annual rainfall has increased by 40 per cent in recent decades, while the wider GCC region has seen a 20 per cent rise over the past 20 years.
“This increase aligns with projections that a warmer atmosphere due to climate change can hold more moisture, leading to more intense rainfall events,” said Dr Fenech, who shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for his work with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
He warned that short, intense downpours like those experienced in April 2024 are now more likely, particularly during El Nino years, the name given to when warmer waters in the Pacific shift global rainfall patterns. Scientific analysis suggests that downpours during these years have become 10 to 40 per cent heavier in the region due to climate change.
Anatomy of a flood
Experts attribute the 2024 flood to a convergence of weather systems. Abdulla Al Mandous, director general of the UAE's National Centre of Meteorology, says last year's storm was triggered by a warm, moisture-laden air mass from the south colliding with a cold upper atmosphere.
“The resulting differential temperatures and humidity levels facilitated cloud formation, particularly the development of cumulonimbus clouds, which are capable of producing intense rainfall due to their vertical development and latent heat release,” Dr Al Mandous told The National.
But the deeper issue lies in a climate system that is no longer behaving predictably. Dubai's new stormwater drainage project is designed to address that problem by channelling water more efficiently away from urban centres to prevent surface flooding and reduce the risk of economic disruption. But experts say that infrastructure alone will not be enough.
Technology meets urgency
Artificial intelligence is being touted as a key part of the city's adaptation strategy. Naji Atallah, Europe, Middle East and Africa head of construction and manufacturing at Autodesk, says AI can simulate flood events, test urban planning scenarios and process huge collections of data to enable faster, more effective decisions.
“The value of AI lies in its ability to process vast data sets quickly – from rainfall intensity to land use patterns – helping city planners and engineers develop solutions that are both resilient and resource-efficient,” he said. “As this region continues to urbanise at pace, investing in such smarter infrastructure will be key to mitigating environmental risk while meeting future demand.”
“Dubai’s investment in a citywide stormwater network reflects a growing recognition that water resilience is critical to future-proofing our cities,” said Michael Nielsen, regional director at Danish pump manufacturer Grundfos. “As we witness more frequent and intense weather events across the region, it’s no longer enough to rely on conventional infrastructure. Urban water systems must be reimagined to adapt to a more unpredictable climate.”
AI's role in extreme weather preparation
An Abu Dhabi company has created a forecasting system that could change how authorities and businesses prepare for extreme weather.
The National Centre of Meteorology told The National that it forecasts about seven days in advance, but the new system from G42 with global chip maker Nvidia is said to increase that capability to 14 days.
Antonios Vouloudis, senior director of sustainability and stewardship at NYU Abu Dhabi, told The National that this would provide “ample time for authorities and businesses to implement necessary measures”.
Andrew Jackson, chief executive officer of Inception, a G42 company, explained that the technology used in the program, CorrDiff, is designed to adapt to local weather behaviours. "This technology is not only improving forecasting for the UAE but can also be tailored for regions worldwide facing climate volatility. The ability to generate hyper-local predictions gives decision-makers the confidence to act faster, plan better, and build more resilient systems." said Mr Jackson.
Dr Al Mandous said: “AI-powered weather forecasting has the potential to revolutionise high-quality, high-resolution weather and disaster management solutions, particularly in this accelerating phase of climate change.
“By enhancing prediction accuracy and enabling hyper-local, real-time forecasts, this technology empowers better decision-making and strengthens resilience against climate challenges.”
Mr Vouloudis added that such technology “can enable cities to make informed decisions for smarter urban planning to manage heavy rain, heatwaves and other climate risks”.
Such tools could also be used to warn commuters about flooding on their routes, help parents to plan outdoor activities for their children and enable businesses to minimise disruptions.
Beyond the UAE, G42 is also exploring the expansion of its technology in climate-vulnerable regions such as Africa, South Asia and South-East Asia.
Jawan
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Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
The biog
Fast facts on Neil Armstrong’s personal life:
- Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio
- He earned his private pilot’s license when he was 16 – he could fly before he could drive
- There was tragedy in his married life: Neil and Janet Armstrong’s daughter Karen died at the age of two in 1962 after suffering a brain tumour. She was the couple’s only daughter. Their two sons, Rick and Mark, consulted on the film
- After Armstrong departed Nasa, he bought a farm in the town of Lebanon, Ohio, in 1971 – its airstrip allowed him to tap back into his love of flying
- In 1994, Janet divorced Neil after 38 years of marriage. Two years earlier, Neil met Carol Knight, who became his second wife in 1994
The%20Sandman
%3Cp%3ECreators%3A%20Neil%20Gaiman%2C%20David%20Goyer%2C%20Allan%20Heinberg%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStars%3A%20Tom%20Sturridge%2C%20Boyd%20Holbrook%2C%20Jenna%20Coleman%20and%20Gwendoline%20Christie%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
RESULTS
6.30pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
Winner: Superior, Connor Beasley (jockey), Ahmad bin Harmash (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap Dh 185,000 2,000m
Winner: Tried And True, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
7.40pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
Winner: Roy Orbison, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
8.15pm
Handicap Dh 190,000 1,400m
Winner: Taamol, Dane O’Neill, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
8.50pm
Handicap Dh 175,000 1,600m
Winner: Welford, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
9.25pm: Handicap Dh 175,000 1,200m
Winner: Lavaspin, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
10pm: Handicap Dh 165,000 1,600m
Winner: Untold Secret, Xavier Ziani, Sandeep Jadhav
THE%20SPECS
%3Cp%3EEngine%3A%204.4-litre%20twin-turbo%20V8%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20653hp%20at%205%2C400rpm%0D%3Cbr%3ETorque%3A%20800Nm%20at%201%2C600-5%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3ETransmission%3A%208-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E0-100kph%20in%204.3sec%0D%3Cbr%3ETop%20speed%20250kph%0D%3Cbr%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20NA%0D%3Cbr%3EOn%20sale%3A%20Q2%202023%0D%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh750%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Feeding the thousands for iftar
Six industrial scale vats of 500litres each are used to cook the kanji or broth
Each vat contains kanji or porridge to feed 1,000 people
The rice porridge is poured into a 500ml plastic box
350 plastic tubs are placed in one container trolley
Each aluminium container trolley weighing 300kg is unloaded by a small crane fitted on a truck
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Jurassic%20Park
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Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
The%20Woman%20King%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Gina%20Prince-Bythewood%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Viola%20Davis%2C%20Thuso%20Mbedu%2C%20Sheila%20Atim%2C%20Lashana%20Lynch%2C%20John%20Boyega%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
SPEC%20SHEET
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Apple%20M2%2C%208-core%20GPU%2C%2010-core%20CPU%2C%2016-core%20Neural%20Engine%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2013.3-inch%20Retina%2C%202560%20x%201600%2C%20227ppi%2C%20500%20nits%2C%20True%20Tone%2C%20wide%20colour%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%2F16%2F24GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStorage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20256%2F512GB%20%2F%201%2F2TB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Thunderbolt%203%20(2)%2C%203.5mm%20audio%3B%20Touch%20Bar%20with%20Touch%20ID%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wi-Fi%206%2C%20Bluetooth%205.0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2058.2Wh%20lithium-polymer%2C%20up%20to%2020%20hours%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECamera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20720p%20FaceTime%20HD%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EVideo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Support%20for%20HDR%20with%20Dolby%20Vision%2C%20HDR10%2C%20ProRes%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAudio%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Stereo%20speakers%20with%20HDR%2C%20wide%20stereo%2C%20Spatial%20Audio%20support%2C%20Dolby%20support%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20MacBook%20Pro%2C%2067W%20power%20adapter%2C%20USB-C%20cable%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh5%2C499%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company%20profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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."
