Sharjah officials have announced that public parking across the emirate will be temporarily free of charge in response to unstable weather conditions.

Read: NCM forecasts rain, strong winds, rough seas on March 24, 25

In a post on the social media platform, X, Sharjah City Municipality said, “Due to unstable weather conditions, public parking across Sharjah is free until further notice. Please stay updated via official channels for when paid parking will resume.”

The exemption applies to all public parking spaces in Sharjah, including zones that are usually chargeable throughout the week and on public holidays, marked by blue signage.

However, smart parking yards are excluded from the exemption and will continue to operate under normal fees.

Authorities said the date for resuming paid parking will depend on how the weather situation evolves.

Remote working for public sector announced by Sharjah

Separately, Sharjah’s Department of Human Resources has authorised government entities in the emirate to implement remote working arrangements until Thursday, March 26, allowing heads of departments and institutions to activate work-from-home systems as needed to protect staff amid adverse conditions. Essential services that require on-site presence are excluded.

The moves come as the UAE continues to face unstable weather, marked by rainfall, wind, and shifting conditions, prompting safety advisories across the country.

Authorities have urged residents to monitor weather updates and follow guidance from official sources.

Dubai’s residential property market has remained stable in the weeks following the regional escalation that began in late February, with most landlords choosing not to sell and no signs of panic-driven listings, according to a new report by Smart Bricks.

Listing data showed the number of unique residential properties on major portals rose gradually from 105,300 on February 20 to 110,800 by March 16, an increase of just over 5 per cent, with no sharp spike immediately after the escalation on February 28, the report said.

In property markets, sudden increases in listings are typically seen as an early indicator of distressed selling. The absence of such a pattern suggests landlords are largely holding their positions despite heightened geopolitical uncertainty.

Read: How long can the Dubai real estate market hold?

A survey conducted by Smart Bricks of more than 600 Dubai-based landlords found that around 85 per cent are not currently considering selling their properties under present conditions.

About 10 per cent said they would reassess if conditions worsen, while only a small minority indicated a willingness to sell below pre-escalation expectations.

The findings point to a market absorbing external shocks rather than reacting abruptly, although activity varies across segments.

Residential transactions in Dubai

Between February 28 and March 16, the emirate recorded 6,048 residential transactions valued at Dhs20.2bn ($5.5bn), according to the report.

Around 63 per cent of transactions were in the off-plan segment, while activity in the ready market remained more selective, focused on rent-ready apartments and end-user purchases rather than speculative trades.

“What we are seeing is not a market in retreat, but one that is becoming more selective,” said Mohamed Mohamed, CEO at Smart Bricks. “Liquidity is still present, but it is flowing toward assets with stronger fundamentals.”

The report said geopolitical disruptions in the emirate’s property market tend to show first through slower transaction activity, longer selling timelines and shifts in tenant demand, rather than immediate price declines.

It outlined three potential scenarios for the market, rapid stabilisation, prolonged uncertainty and further escalation, noting that landlord outcomes would increasingly depend on asset-specific factors such as tenant profile, nearby supply, lease renewal timing and exposure to vacancy risk.

Smart Bricks said its platform tracks more than 1,000 data signals per property to help landlords assess liquidity, income stability and refinancing risk at a micro-market level.

The report provides a framework for landlords navigating uncertain conditions.

Earlier this year, Smart Bricks raised $5m in a pre-seed funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from investors across the US, Europe and the Middle East.

The company is also part of Cohort 9 of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund Accelerator Programme.

Sample study details: The findings are based on listing data tracked across major UAE property portals between February 20 and March 16, 2026, and a survey of more than 600 Dubai-based landlords conducted by Smart Bricks during the same period.

Amazon said on Monday its Amazon Web Services region in Bahrain has been “disrupted” amid the current conflict in the Middle East, marking the second time in a month that its operations have been affected by the war.

The disruption is due to drone activity in the area, an Amazon spokesperson said, following a Reuters inquiry. Reuters is first to report on the disruption. As of Monday night, AWS had not updated its status page to reflect the impact.

Amazon did not immediately respond to a query on whether its Bahrain facility was directly hit by a drone attack or if the disruption was due to nearby strikes.

The company said it is helping to migrate customers to alternate AWS regions while it recovers, though it did not provide additional details such as the extent of the damage or how long it anticipates the disruption to last.

“As this situation evolves and, as we have advised before, we request those with workloads in the affected regions continue to migrate to other locations,” Amazon said in a statement Monday night.

AWS is Amazon’s cloud computing unit and critical for the operation of many well-known websites and government operations. It is also the company’s main driver of profits.

The disruption is the second instance of drone activity affecting AWS’ Bahrain region since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran. Earlier this month AWS reported that facilities in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates had lost power and it was working to recover, including transferring computing workloads to other regions.

The strike on the UAE facility was the first time military action had disrupted a major US tech company’s data center, Reuters reported earlier in March. Amazon said it anticipated a “prolonged” recovery due to structural damage.

“These strikes ​have caused structural damage, disrupted power delivery to our infrastructure, and in some cases required fire suppression activities that resulted in additional water ​damage,” AWS said earlier this month on its status page.

Amazon said at the time that the Bahrain region was impacted by a drone strike in close proximity to one of its facilities.

A new global study by Kaspersky has highlighted key gaps in how organisations are addressing supply chain and trusted relationship cyber risks, with UAE respondents pointing to skills shortages and competing priorities as major challenges.

According to the findings, 40 per cent of respondents in the UAE cited a lack of qualified IT security professionals as a primary barrier, while 47 per cent said organisations are struggling to prioritise security tasks effectively to mitigate risks linked to third-party ecosystems.

The study shows that supply chain attacks have become a significant threat globally, with one in three organisations reporting an incident over the past year. Despite this, many companies continue to face structural and operational challenges in strengthening their defences.

A shortage of skilled cybersecurity talent is limiting organisations’ ability to monitor third-party vulnerabilities consistently, while overstretched security teams are often forced to focus on immediate threats rather than long-term resilience.

Beyond workforce constraints, the report highlights governance gaps. Around 37 per cent of respondents said contracts lack clear IT security obligations for contractors, while 38 per cent noted that non-IT staff often lack sufficient awareness of supply chain risks.

Globally, 78 per cent of organisations acknowledged the need to strengthen protection against supply chain and trusted relationship threats, with only 22 per cent considering their current measures effective.

The study also found that mitigation strategies remain fragmented. No single security measure is used by more than 40 per cent of organisations, with even widely adopted tools such as two-factor authentication implemented by only 40 per cent of respondents. Additionally, just 38 per cent conduct regular reviews of contractors’ cybersecurity posture, leaving many organisations with limited visibility into third-party risks.

Companies that have previously experienced supply chain or trusted relationship attacks tend to adopt stronger security practices. These organisations are more likely to request penetration testing results and assess compliance with industry standards and supplier security policies.

Sergey Soldatov, Head of Security Operations Center at Kaspersky, said: “When security teams are overstretched, understaffed and have to prioritize urgent tasks over long term resilience priorities, organizations are left exposed to threats that can move silently through their provider ecosystem. To break this cycle, the industry needs to adopt more unified and consistent mitigation strategies, from standardized contractor assessments to stronger cross team awareness. Supply chain security should become a shared, enforceable responsibility across the entire business network.”

Kaspersky said organisations can reduce supply chain risks by adopting a more structured approach to cybersecurity, including implementing managed security services, strengthening employee training, and embedding clear security requirements into supplier contracts.

The company also recommended closer collaboration with suppliers to ensure shared accountability for cybersecurity, alongside more rigorous due diligence when selecting partners, including reviewing past incidents, compliance standards and vulnerability assessments.

The study was based on a survey of 1,714 technical professionals across 16 countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, India and Germany, covering organisations with more than 500 employees.

Read: Kaspersky deepens Saudi footprint with university partnership

Growth in professional services is rarely defined by a single announcement. More often, it shows up through steady decisions about people, leadership and where a firm chooses to invest its time and judgement. That approach is evident at Grant Thornton UAE, which has announced ten new Partner appointments as it continues to expand its presence in the UAE.

These appointments span across audit and assurance, advisory and people and culture as the firm strengthens leadership to meet rising demand for governance, transactions and digital expertise in a more complex UAE market.

The new Partners are Sameer Abdi, Partner and Head of Advisory; Chris Quinn, Audit Partner; Hani Zeidan, Audit Partner; Ahmad Chit, Forensics Partner; Ahmed Afify, Audit Partner; Haris Saigal, Audit Partner; Rajeev Patel, Financial Due Diligence Partner; Anand Balasubramanian, Partner and Head of Risk & Compliance Advisory; Veronica Fox, People Partner; and Richard Hills, Partner and Head of Risk Innovation & Digital Forensics.

Taken together, the group reflects the mix of issues increasingly shaping boardroom conversations across the UAE. Regulatory complexity has increased, scrutiny has intensified, and technology is changing how transactions, governance and value creation are approached. In that environment, businesses are looking for advisers who combine technical depth with practical judgement and a clear understanding of how data, automation and digital tools are reshaping decision-making.

Several of the appointments have been years in the making. Ahmed Afify and Haris Saigal have both been promoted into the partnership after holding senior roles within the firm. Their progression reflects a long-term approach to leadership development, built through sustained client relationships and experience rooted in the local market.

The wider group brings additional depth across specialist areas where demand has continued to grow, particularly transactions, restructuring, investigations and assurance. As business models evolve and expectations around governance rise, the need for senior advisers who can navigate both complexity and pace has become more pronounced.

At firm level, Partner appointments carry a broader responsibility. Hisham Farouk, CEO of Grant Thornton UAE, sees the expansion as part of how the firm supports both clients and the wider business environment.

“These appointments recognise individuals who have earned the confidence of clients and colleagues through the quality of their work and the way they lead,” he says. “Each Partner brings not only strong judgement and a deep sense of responsibility that goes beyond individual engagements, but also a commitment to our wider vision to deliver excellence consistently and to meet clients where they are with the insight and responsiveness they need in a rapidly evolving market.”

The significance of the UAE within the wider Grant Thornton Advisors platform also comes through. Jim Peko, CEO of Grant Thornton Advisors LLC, points to the depth of leadership emerging across the firm.

 “The UAE is not only an important market for us – it is a driving force within our 24,000-strong platform,” he says. “The leadership emerging here, grounded in deep local insight and matched with our multinational ambition, reflects the strength of our platform and the exceptional people who power it. The UAE plays a pivotal role in delivering the seamless cross border experience our clients expect, and it continues to set the pace for what excellence looks like across Grant Thornton.”

From a regional perspective, the appointments align with a broader focus on leadership that is close to clients and grounded in experience. Steve Tennant, CEO of Grant Thornton Advisors for Europe, Middle East and Africa, emphasises the importance of judgement in a changing environment.

“What clients value most today is advisers who truly understand the forces reshaping the markets they operate in and who recognise the responsibility that comes with staying ahead of that change,” he says. “As the professional services landscape evolves at unprecedented speed, these new appointments demonstrate the forward looking perspective needed to navigate what’s next.”

There is also a strong people dimension to the expansion, which reflects how talent, leadership and culture have become central to firm performance, particularly as competition for skills remains high across professional services.

Timing matters too. While advisory and deal activity move in cycles, demand for assurance, governance and risk support has remained consistent. Clients are adjusting to new regulatory frameworks, evolving transaction models and increased use of technology in decision-making. Having senior leaders with the right mix of experience in place makes a practical difference.

What stands out is the measured nature of the move. Grant Thornton UAE has focused on adding leadership where it sees sustained demand and growing responsibility. In a maturing market, growth is built through people, judgement, and time.