
-
Swiatek cruises, Osaka battles through in Montreal
-
Meta beats expectations sending share price soaring
-
Gaza civil defence says 30 killed in food queue by Israeli fire
-
Microsoft quarterly profits soar on AI and cloud growth
-
Airbus first-half profit climbs 85% to $1.7 bn
-
TikTok launches crowd-sourced debunking tool in US
-
'Ours forever': would-be Israeli settlers march on Gaza
-
Trump punishes Brazil with tariffs, sanctions over trial of ally Bolsonaro
-
US sprinter Kerley out of US trials
-
Ukraine will fix anti-graft law, minister tells AFP ahead of crucial vote
-
Tata Motors to buy Italy's Iveco for $4.4 bn
-
From skies over Gaza, Jordanian crew drops lifeline to civilians
-
US Fed holds firm against Trump pressure as divisions emerge
-
Michael Jackson's dirty sock sells for over $8,000 in France
-
Turkish city calls for help after heat tops 50C
-
Renault names Provost CEO after De Meo exit
-
Le Court makes history for Africa at women's Tour de France
-
Canada central bank holds rate steady citing US tariff 'threats'
-
Henry puts New Zealand in control of 1st Test against Zimbabwe
-
Stocks edge higher, dollar gains before tech earnings, Fed decision
-
Palestine Action wins bid to challenge terror ban in London court
-
EU urged to act on forests' faltering absorption of carbon
-
India secures return of ancient Buddhist gems
-
Stokes braced for 'emotional' tribute to late England batsman Thorpe
-
France's Luc Besson resurrects new 'romantic' Dracula
-
Trump hits India with 25% tariff and 'penalty' over Russia ties
-
Chinese sub discovers deepest-ever creatures 10 km undersea
-
Kingscote revels in being the 'villain' of Sussex Stakes shock
-
English cricket chiefs confirm sale of six Hundred franchises
-
Wirtz opens Liverpool account in friendly win in Japan
-
Marchand shatters record as US, Australia win more world gold
-
Thousands honour Ozzy Osbourne at UK hometown funeral procession
-
WHO chief says continuous medical aid into Gaza 'critical'
-
London court rules oligarch liable in $1.9 bn Ukraine loan scheme
-
England's Stokes out of India series decider with shoulder injury
-
Stocks diverge, dollar gains before tech earnings, Fed decision
-
India's Gill says Oval groundsman caused 'unnecessary' row
-
Physicists still divided about quantum world, 100 years on
-
Russia relieved as tsunami spares far east from major damage
-
'Can't believe it': Marchand shatters long-standing world record
-
French govt prepares new law to return colonial-era art
-
London court rules oligarch liable over $1.9 bn Ukraine loan scheme
-
Olympic biathlon champion confirmed dead after Pakistan mountaineering accident
-
German biathlete confirmed dead after accident on Pakistan mountain
-
Marchand smashes long-standing 200m medley world record
-
US economy returns to growth in second quarter on tariff turbulence
-
'All gone': Beijing villagers left with nothing after deadly floods
-
Aston Martin pares outlook as US tariffs weigh
-
Adidas says may hike US prices after tariff cost warning
-
GSK reports improved outlook despite US drug tariffs
RBGPF | -4.75% | 74.03 | $ | |
RYCEF | -2.14% | 13.1 | $ | |
CMSC | -0.04% | 22.6 | $ | |
NGG | -0.47% | 70.19 | $ | |
AZN | 3.41% | 76.59 | $ | |
GSK | 3.34% | 38.97 | $ | |
VOD | -0.45% | 11.06 | $ | |
BTI | 0.73% | 53.16 | $ | |
RIO | -4.67% | 59.49 | $ | |
RELX | -0.27% | 51.78 | $ | |
SCU | 0% | 12.72 | $ | |
BCC | -1.47% | 84.89 | $ | |
SCS | -1.74% | 10.33 | $ | |
BP | -2.2% | 32.25 | $ | |
JRI | 0.38% | 13.11 | $ | |
CMSD | -0.26% | 23.06 | $ | |
BCE | -0.55% | 23.53 | $ |

Monsoon-loving Indian expats chase rain in UAE desert
After Muhammed Sajjad moved from India to the United Arab Emirates a decade ago, he missed his native Kerala's monsoon season, so he embarked on an unlikely quest: finding rain in the desert.
Using satellite imagery, weather data and other high-tech tools, the amateur meteorologist tracks potential rainfall spots across the desert country and, along with other Indians nostalgic for the monsoon season, chases the clouds in search of rain.
"When I came to UAE in 2015, in August, it... was peak monsoon time" in Kerala, the 35-year-old estate agent told AFP, adding that he had struggled to adjust to the change of climate.
"So I started to search about the rainy condition in UAE and I came to know that there is rain happening in UAE during peak summer," he said, adding: "I started to explore the possibility to chase the rain, enjoy the rain."
Each week, he forecasts when and where rain might fall and posts a suggested rendezvous to the 130,000 followers of his "UAE Weatherman" page on Instagram.
He regularly posts footage of his rain expeditions out into the desert, hoping to bring together "all rain lovers who miss rain".
Last weekend, he headed out into the desert from Sharjah at the head of a convoy of about 100 vehicles.
But nothing is certain. The rain "may happen, it may not happen," Sajjad said. But when it does, "it is an amazing moment".
- 'Nostalgic' -
After driving in the desert for hours, the group arrived at the designated spot just as a downpour started.
The rain lovers leapt out of their vehicles, their faces beaming as the rain droplets streamed down their cheeks in a rare reminder of home.
"They feel nostalgic," Sajjad said proudly.
Most UAE residents are foreigners, among them some 3.5 million Indians who make up the Gulf country's largest expatriate community.
Despite the use of advanced cloud-seeding technology, the UAE has an average yearly rainfall of just 50 to 100 millilitres.
Most of it falls during short but intense winter storms.
"While long-term averages remain low, the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events has been increasing and is due to global warming," said Diana Francis, a climate scientist who teaches at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi.
In the summer, the country often gets less than five millilitres of rain, she said, usually falling away from the coastal areas where most of the population lives.
So rain-seekers must drive deep into the desert interior to have a chance of success.
An Indian expatriate, who gave her name only as Anagha and was on her first expedition into the desert last weekend, said she was "excited to see the rain".
"All of my family and friends are enjoying good rain and good climate and we are living here in the hot sun," she said.
The UAE endured its hottest April on record this year.
By contrast, April last year saw the UAE's heaviest rains in 75 years, which saw 259.5 mm of rainfall in a single day.
Four people died and the commercial hub of Dubai was paralysed for several days. Scientists of the World Weather Attribution network said the intense rains were "most likely" exacerbated by global warming.
"We couldn't enjoy it because it was flooded all over UAE," Anagha said. "This time we are going to see... rain coming to us in the desert."
F.Mueller--VB