Abu Dhabi: Summers might be harsh in the UAE, but this has not deterred cycle enthusiasts from hitting the pedal.

Every evening there is a rush at the Abu Dhabi Corniche with people thronging to rent bikes and karts. “There is a huge demand and people love cycling. Demand has not dropped despite the summers,” said Hassan Olawale, assistant marketing manager, Fun Ride Sports.

HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani received at Al Wajbah Palace in Doha yesterday evening more well-wishers, including sheikhs and citizens, on the occasion of the advent of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

Consumers in the Middle East and Africa are among the most impulsive and brand-conscious shoppers in the world, new findings from a global survey revealed.

The latest Nielsen Global Survey of Consumer Shopping Behaviour, which polled more than 29,000 online respondents in 58 countries including UAE and Saudi Arabia, showed that approximately four out of ten people in the region (39 per cent) have a habit of impulsively buying things they don’t need.

Economic diversification has long been a strategic goal of the UAE, so it is only appropriate that the country apply that policy to what has for decades been a cornerstone of its economy: Energy. The country proved it had the political will to do so last week, when UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and British Prime Minister David Cameron launched the 175-turbine London Array project, the world’s largest offshore wind farm. The array, which is partly owned by Abu Dhabi-based Masdar, will supply about half-a-million UK homes with power.