• Dusty weather and strong winds hit Dubai. on January 21, 2022 All photos: Pawan Singh / The National
    Dusty weather and strong winds hit Dubai. on January 21, 2022 All photos: Pawan Singh / The National
  • Residents woke to breezy conditions on Friday.
    Residents woke to breezy conditions on Friday.
  • Lots of dust was kicked up into the air, making visibility poor.
    Lots of dust was kicked up into the air, making visibility poor.
  • With strong winds forecast, some motorists took measures to protect their vehicles.
    With strong winds forecast, some motorists took measures to protect their vehicles.
  • Grey skies make for an unusual sight in Dubai.
    Grey skies make for an unusual sight in Dubai.
  • Some people braved the wind and ventured outside on foot.
    Some people braved the wind and ventured outside on foot.

UAE weather: wind speeds of 60kph in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and three-metre waves


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Strong winds in the UAE could cause very rough conditions at sea, with waves reaching up to three metres, according to the National Centre of Meteorology.

In the message shared online on Friday, NCM issued an orange alert in both the Arabian Gulf and Sea of Oman, as winds were expected to reach 60 kilometres per hour.

The Arabian Gulf could see waves up to three metres high, and a little less in the Sea of Oman.

NCM also said that strong north-westerly winds would blow dust across Abu Dhabi between 6.30am until 4pm on Friday.

Abu Dhabi Police issued a warning to motorists after the capital experienced high winds inland, and asked people not to video the weather while driving.

According to weather site Windy.com, temperatures will regularly dip below 20°C in the next few days.

In its latest five-day weather bulletin, the NCM said Friday would be "rather cold during daytimes, dusty and partly cloudy at times over some coastal, northern and eastern areas, with another significant drop in temperatures".

It will be "cold during night with a probability of frost formation over some areas by Saturday morning," the forecaster added.

The UAE has experienced an unsettled start to 2022, with heavy rain and high winds recorded across the country.

Wet weather in the UAE: in pictures

  • Rain in Abu Dhabi, Reem Island. Courtesy Cristina Nelmes
    Rain in Abu Dhabi, Reem Island. Courtesy Cristina Nelmes
  • Cars drive through standing water in Barsha, Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National
    Cars drive through standing water in Barsha, Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National
  • Heavy rainfall can cause flooding across the UAE. Silvia Razgova / The National
    Heavy rainfall can cause flooding across the UAE. Silvia Razgova / The National
  • Heavy overnight rainfall can cause flooding across the UAE. Antonie Robertson / The National
    Heavy overnight rainfall can cause flooding across the UAE. Antonie Robertson / The National
  • A lorry crashed into the central reservation and turned in the opposite direction in the Al Shahama area of Sheikh Zayed Road. James O’Hara / The National
    A lorry crashed into the central reservation and turned in the opposite direction in the Al Shahama area of Sheikh Zayed Road. James O’Hara / The National
  • Abu Dhabi residents woke up to a gloomy and rainy weather on Wednesday morning, March 26 2014. Silvia Razgova / The National
    Abu Dhabi residents woke up to a gloomy and rainy weather on Wednesday morning, March 26 2014. Silvia Razgova / The National
  • Abu Dhabi residents woke up to a gloomy and rainy weather on Wednesday morning, March 26 2014. Silvia Razgova / The National
    Abu Dhabi residents woke up to a gloomy and rainy weather on Wednesday morning, March 26 2014. Silvia Razgova / The National
  • Abu Dhabi residents woke up to a gloomy and rainy weather on Wednesday morning, March 26 2014. Silvia Razgova / The National
    Abu Dhabi residents woke up to a gloomy and rainy weather on Wednesday morning, March 26 2014. Silvia Razgova / The National
  • Abu Dhabi residents woke up to a gloomy and rainy weather on Wednesday morning, March 26 2014. Silvia Razgova / The National
    Abu Dhabi residents woke up to a gloomy and rainy weather on Wednesday morning, March 26 2014. Silvia Razgova / The National
  • Abu Dhabi residents woke up to a gloomy and rainy weather on Wednesday morning, March 26 2014. Silvia Razgova / The National
    Abu Dhabi residents woke up to a gloomy and rainy weather on Wednesday morning, March 26 2014. Silvia Razgova / The National
  • Abu Dhabi residents woke up to a gloomy and rainy weather on Wednesday morning, March 26 2014. Silvia Razgova / The National
    Abu Dhabi residents woke up to a gloomy and rainy weather on Wednesday morning, March 26 2014. Silvia Razgova / The National

The Transfiguration

Director: Michael O’Shea

Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine

Three stars

UAE players with central contracts

Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.

Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETuhoon%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EYear%20started%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJune%202021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFares%20Ghandour%2C%20Dr%20Naif%20Almutawa%2C%20Aymane%20Sennoussi%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Ehealth%20care%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESize%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E15%20employees%2C%20%24250%2C000%20in%20revenue%0D%3Cbr%3EI%3Cstrong%3Envestment%20stage%3A%20s%3C%2Fstrong%3Eeed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EWamda%20Capital%2C%20Nuwa%20Capital%2C%20angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

Tamkeen's offering
  • Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
  • Option 2: 50% across three years
  • Option 3: 30% across five years 
Section 375

Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra & Rahul Bhat

Director: Ajay Bahl

Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak & SCIPL

Rating: 3.5/5

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
The specs: 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali

Price, base / as tested Dh207,846 / Dh220,000

Engine 6.2L V8

Transmission Eight-speed automatic

Power 420hp @ 5,600rpm

Torque 624Nm @ 4,100rpm

Fuel economy, combined 13.5L / 100km

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

Fund-raising tips for start-ups

Develop an innovative business concept

Have the ability to differentiate yourself from competitors

Put in place a business continuity plan after Covid-19

Prepare for the worst-case scenario (further lockdowns, long wait for a vaccine, etc.) 

Have enough cash to stay afloat for the next 12 to 18 months

Be creative and innovative to reduce expenses

Be prepared to use Covid-19 as an opportunity for your business

* Tips from Jassim Al Marzooqi and Walid Hanna

How has net migration to UK changed?

The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.

It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.

The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.

The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.

Zombieland: Double Tap

Director: Ruben Fleischer

Stars: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone

Four out of five stars 

The specs

Engine 60kwh FWD

Battery Rimac 120kwh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry

Power 204hp Torque 360Nm

Price, base / as tested Dh174,500 

The specs

Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo

Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed

Power: 271 and 409 horsepower

Torque: 385 and 650Nm

Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000

Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.

Based: Riyadh

Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany

Founded: September, 2020

Number of employees: 70

Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions

Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds  

Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices

The%20Roundup
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Lee%20Sang-yong%3Cbr%3EStars%3A%20Ma%20Dong-seok%2C%20Sukku%20Son%2C%20Choi%20Gwi-hwa%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The currency conundrum

Russ Mould, investment director at online trading platform AJ Bell, says almost every major currency has challenges right now. “The US has a huge budget deficit, the euro faces political friction and poor growth, sterling is bogged down by Brexit, China’s renminbi is hit by debt fears while slowing Chinese growth is hurting commodity exporters like Australia and Canada.”

Most countries now actively want a weak currency to make their exports more competitive. “China seems happy to let the renminbi drift lower, the Swiss are still running quantitative easing at full tilt and central bankers everywhere are actively talking down their currencies or offering only limited support," says Mr Mould.

This is a race to the bottom, and everybody wants to be a winner.

Updated: January 21, 2022, 6:46 AM