The Sun has been unusually active this past week, sending out powerful bursts of energy known as solar flares, which have disrupted radio signals and created stunning auroras across parts of North America and Europe.
Scientists say this is a sign that the Sun is nearing the peak of its natural 11-year cycle, known as the solar maximum, which had been forecast to take place in July.
In recent days, the Sun has emitted several strong flares and enormous clouds of charged particles known as coronal mass ejections.
One particularly powerful flare on June 17, classified as X-class, the strongest type, caused brief radio blackouts in North America, with warnings issued for satellites and astronauts in orbit.
The Sun unleashed an even stronger X1.9-class flare on June 19, causing radio blackouts over parts of the US and Pacific region.
As the Sun nears solar maximum, there is an increase in sunspots and energy bursts that can sometimes be directed towards Earth.
Katepalli Raju Sreenivasan, a scientist at New York University Abu Dhabi, said that while solar activity is expected to peak sometime in the next few months, “no one knows exactly when”.
“It is not going to be especially violent activity this year, so I don't expect any unprecedented damage to Earth's communication infrastructure,” he told The National.
“But I should also say that what matters to us is not necessarily the magnitude of the solar activity but whether one or two of the highly energetic emissions from the Sun reach the Earth. Most, of course, pass by without any effect.”
Most of the time, these events do indeed miss Earth or only cause minor effects. But when a strong burst of solar energy is aimed directly at the planet, it can trigger geomagnetic storms, which are powerful disturbances that impact satellites, radio communication, GPS and power grids.
Dr Mojtaba Akhavan-Tafti, a space scientist at the University of Michigan, explained the science behind it.
“Solar activity peaks at the solar max because of the increasing number of active spots on the Sun, which are associated with strong releases of magnetic and charged particle energies into the interplanetary environment,” he said.
While this can cause disruptions to technology, it also leads to one of the most beautiful natural phenomena – Northern and Southern Lights, or Aurora.
“On the bright side, increased geo-effective phenomena means more chances of observing the mesmerising Northern Lights over the next couple of years,” he said.
“On the other side, heightened geo-effective space weather threatens our technological civilisation, from space-borne assets and the life of astronauts in orbit due to increased space radiation levels, as well as ground-based technologies including communication and power grid platforms due to increased electromagnetic disturbances.”
A reminder from history
Solar storms have affected Earth in the past. The most powerful on record took place in 1859, known as the Carrington Event, which disrupted telegraph systems and lit up skies around the world with bright auroras.
If a storm of that magnitude happened today, it could severely damage satellites, knock out internet and GPS systems and disrupt power supplies in major cities.
In 1989, a solar storm caused a blackout for six million people in Quebec, Canada. In 2003, a series of flares damaged satellites and forced airlines to reroute flights away from polar regions due to radiation risks.
Watching the Sun closely
To stay prepared, space agencies such as Nasa and the European Space Agency are using satellites to monitor the Sun around the clock.
Missions s the Parker Solar Probe and Soho (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) help scientists understand what is coming and give warning before a storm hits Earth.
Nasa’s Parker Solar Probe became the first human-made object to “touch the Sun”, when it flew through the sun's upper atmosphere to sample particles and magnetic fields in 2021.
It beat its own record in 2024 when it made another close approach to the Sun, reaching 6.1 million kilometres from the Sun’s surface.
The spacecraft also achieved a record-breaking speed of 692,000 kilometres per hour during this fly-by.
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
Types of bank fraud
1) Phishing
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
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- Financial well-being incentives
Wonka
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The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Company Profile
Name: JustClean
Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries
Launch year: 2016
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Sector: online laundry service
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Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
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UAE-based players
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How Voiss turns words to speech
The device has a screen reader or software that monitors what happens on the screen
The screen reader sends the text to the speech synthesiser
This converts to audio whatever it receives from screen reader, so the person can hear what is happening on the screen
A VOISS computer costs between $200 and $250 depending on memory card capacity that ranges from 32GB to 128GB
The speech synthesisers VOISS develops are free
Subsequent computer versions will include improvements such as wireless keyboards
Arabic voice in affordable talking computer to be added next year to English, Portuguese, and Spanish synthesiser
Partnerships planned during Expo 2020 Dubai to add more languages
At least 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment or blindness
More than 90 per cent live in developing countries
The Long-term aim of VOISS to reach the technology to people in poor countries with workshops that teach them to build their own device
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SERIE A FIXTURES
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League B:
Austria, Wales, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Turkey
League C:
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League D:
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
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RACE RESULTS
1. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 1hr 21min 48.527sec
2. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) at 0.658sec
3. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/Red Bull) 6.012
4. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 7.430
5. Kimi Räikkönen (FIN/Ferrari) 20.370
6. Romain Grosjean (FRA/Haas) 1:13.160
7. Sergio Pérez (MEX/Force India) 1 lap
8. Esteban Ocon (FRA/Force India) 1 lap
9. Felipe Massa (BRA/Williams) 1 lap
10. Lance Stroll (CAN/Williams) 1 lap
11. Jolyon Palmer (GBR/Renault) 1 lap
12. Stoffel Vandoorne (BEL/McLaren) 1 lap
13. Nico Hülkenberg (GER/Renault) 1 lap
14. Pascal Wehrlein (GER/Sauber) 1 lap
15. Marcus Ericsson (SWE/Sauber) 2 laps
16. Daniil Kvyat (RUS/Toro Rosso) 3 laps
