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Dubai Flooding and Weather Chaos at Dubai Airport
Dubai has recently experienced heavy rain and flooding, causing chaos at Dubai International Airport and disrupting flights. The airport has faced challenging conditions, with runways inundated with water. The heavy rain has resulted in the cancellation of over 270 flights and the delay of 370 flights. The airport has warned that the recovery process will take some time.

Impact of Flooding in Dubai and Oman
The recent storms and flash floods in Dubai and Oman have resulted in the loss of lives and significant damage. In Oman, the death toll has reached 19, with the body of a girl found in Saham. The United Arab Emirates, Dubai's northern neighbor, experienced its largest rainfall event in 75 years, with 254.8mm of rain falling in less than 24 hours. This is significantly higher than the country's average annual rainfall of 140-200mm. Dubai typically receives only 97mm of rainfall, with an average of about 8mm in April.

Impact on Dubai Mall and Stranded Tourists
The heavy rain and flooding have also affected Dubai Mall, the world's second-largest mall. Tourists have reported flooding, collapsing ceilings, and the closure of the mall at 7.30pm. Some tourists were stranded in the mall overnight due to the unavailability of transportation. The storm has caused significant disruption to transportation services, including the closure of the metro and the unavailability of taxis.

Dubai International Airport's Response
Dubai International Airport has been working with emergency response teams and service partners to restore normal operations as quickly as possible. However, the airport has warned of further disruption and crowding. Check-in for all flights has been suspended until Thursday morning. Passengers have experienced long delays, with some waiting for up to 30 hours.

Cloud Seeding and the Dubai Flooding
There have been discussions about whether cloud seeding, a process where planes spray clouds with particles to induce rain, played a role in the heavy rainfall and flooding in Dubai. Cloud seeding has been conducted in the United Arab Emirates for over 10 years. However, experts suggest that cloud seeding would have had a minor effect on the storm and that attributing the extreme weather solely to cloud seeding is misleading. Prof Maarten Ambaum from the University of Reading states that there is no technology that can create or significantly modify such a rainfall event. Meteorologist Matt Taylor from BBC Weather also notes that the storm had already been forecasted and that computer models did not factor in potential cloud seeding effects.

Climate Change and Flooding
While cloud seeding may not be the primary cause of the recent flooding in Dubai, it is important to note that climate change contributes to extreme rainfall events. A warming atmosphere caused by climate change makes heavy rainfall and flooding more likely. The world has already experienced a temperature increase of about 1.1C since the industrial era began, and unless significant emissions cuts are made, temperatures will continue to rise.

In conclusion, recent heavy rain and flooding have caused chaos in Dubai, particularly at Dubai International Airport. The storms have resulted in flight cancellations, delays, and significant disruption to transportation services. While cloud seeding has been conducted in the region, experts suggest that it would have had a minor effect on the extreme rainfall and flooding. Climate change, on the other hand, plays a significant role in increasing the likelihood of extreme rainfall events.

Microsoft turns to the Middle East for its latest bet on AI
Microsoft will invest $1.5 billion in Abu Dhabi’s G42, an artificial intelligence group that has faced questions over its ties to China.

The companies will collaborate on AI and digital infrastructure, in a move that sees Microsoft’s AI empire expand into the Middle East for the first time.

The move could attract sizeable scrutiny from regulators.

G42 — led by Peng Xiao, a Chinese businessman and former CEO of Pegasus, a cybersecurity firm — has reportedly faced questions over its links to Beijing.

In November, the New York Times reported that US officials were concerned G42 could be used to share American technology and data with the Chinese government. Xiao denied those claims, calling them “misinformation” in an interview with CNN in January.

G42 and Microsoft say they have committed to comply with US and international trade rules as part of their partnership.

Microsoft President Brad Smith will join the G42 board as part of the deal. “Our two companies will work together not only in the UAE, but to bring AI and digital infrastructure and services to underserved nations,” he said.

Last year, G42 unveiled an Arabic-language AI model named “Jais,” which is available on Microsoft’s Azure platform.

Microsoft has forged high-profile partnerships with several AI companies, in an attempt to position itself as a leader in the technology.

Its partnership with OpenAI is credited as being one of the main drivers of Microsoft’s growth in the past year, but it has attracted interest from regulators in the United States and Europe who fear Microsoft is becoming too dominant.

Microsoft has also made a host of high-profile AI investments overseas in recent months. In February, it announced a partnership with Mistral, the leading French AI startup. The same month, it also pledged billions of dollars in funding for AI projects in Spain and Germany.

“It’s all about this new AI era,” Smith told CNN in February. “Fundamentally, a new sector of the economy is being born.”

Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/16/tech/microsoft-g42-ai/index.html