Live updates: follow the latest news on Covid-19 variant Omicron
UAE residents are cancelling winter travel plans amid concerns over the spread of the new Covid-19 variant, Omicron.
The new strain, which was first detected in South Africa, has spread around the world, with cases in countries such as Germany, Australia, the UK, Israel and Italy.
Several nations have moved to impose travel restrictions and have stepped up their own domestic safety measures in efforts to contain the spread.
The World Health Organisation, which classified Omicron a 'variant of concern', said on Monday the strain posed a high global risk due to its "unprecedented number of spike mutations".
Residents said they were worried about becoming infected by the new strain and wary of potential travel restrictions that may leave them stranded abroad.
'A risk we are not willing to take'
Javairia Hassan, 30, a Pakistani doctor in Dubai, has cancelled a trip to the UK her with her family. They were planning a month-long trip for December.
“I have a newborn baby and that is not a risk we are willing to take. We are worried about becoming infected and then not having access to proper medical care," she said.
“Then, there’s also the worry of not being able to come back. What if there are new travel restrictions? How will this affect our jobs? We just can’t risk it right now.”
Fernanda Troy, 37 a Brazilian Pilates studio manager in Dubai, said she cancelled their family trip to Brazil for the winter holidays.
Ms Troy said she missed her relatives back home and was hoping to visit, but is not going to risk it.
“We won’t be travelling this winter, as UAE is the only place we feel safe and secure that our government will do everything necessary to keep its population safe.
“We miss our family a lot but we won’t take the risk of possibly transmitting anything to them."
Someone close died recently and the family is devastated, she said.
“The ‘what if’ question comes to our mind all the time. What if we travel and get sick where there aren’t enough hospitals? What if countries close their borders? What if we lose someone just because we cannot be a bit more patient and wait until the world is safe again?” Ms Troy said.
Simon Bach, a Dubai resident from New Zealand, has scrapped a family skiing trip to Georgia.
He said he had the entire holiday planned, but decided not to travel after news emerged of how fast the new variant was spreading.
“It has a similar map to Delta. People ignored it and then it spread very quickly. I do have faith in the vaccines, but I am not going to travel around the world and risk myself and other people,” said Mr Bach, who runs a sports construction business.
Mother weighing up options
Zaibab Roker, an Indian teacher at Dubai’s Pristine Private School, has already paid about Dh10,000 for a 10-day trip to Georgia with her husband and daughter, 5, but is considering a cancellation.
The 35-year-old said she is feeling anxious over the increasing number of countries placing travel restrictions and does not want to get stranded abroad.
“We’re probably going to cancel the trip, depending on what news comes in the days ahead,” she said.
“We have never been infected with the virus, but we’ve seen our extended family go through it. So, to travel when there’s a new variant is such a big risk.
“We also don’t want to get stuck in another country. We don’t know what the situation could turn into and if there’ll be more travel restrictions placed. There could be problems at work.”
Wedding worries for couple
One Dubai resident is worried she will have to postpone her wedding for the fifth time, as a result of the latest developments with the Omicron variant.
“I’ve already planned and cancelled our wedding four times,” said Gemma Sinclair, an HR director from the UK.
“We were due to give notice of marriage in the UK at Christmas and see my mum for the first time in two years.
“Our wedding is in February 2022. So now it’s looking unlikely again.”
Ms Sinclair, 38, said she was still determined to travel but would follow the advice laid out by authorities.
“We are worried the decision won’t be in our hands,” she said.
“We’ve cancelled every other time because of government imposed lockdowns, or travel restrictions, or mandatory quarantine.
“This just feels like déjà vu.”
Another Dubai resident said she is due to fly to Manchester in the coming days and is worried she will not be able to travel if restrictions are expanded to tackle the new variant.
“I am getting nervous I won't get back,” said Fiona Deeb, 64, who owns a desert safari company in the UAE.
“I am not being foolish about travelling, I am going to see my terminally ill mother.”
A teacher in Dubai said his family was left wondering if they would have to cancel their holiday over Christmas.
“We are due to go to West Africa for three weeks,” said Matt Edwards, 45.
“We are not sure whether to cancel or not.
“We will decide day before I fly as the current situation is in its infancy and things could improve by then.”
A UAE travel agency said travellers were keeping a close eye on developments, but it was too early to give a clear picture of the impact Omicron would have on travel plans.
“Currently we have not seen major changes yet except to the countries recently closed,” Muzzammil Ahussain, executive vice president of travel agency Almosafer, said.
“Customers are inquiring about upcoming changes, as are we, but domestic and regional travel remains very strong.”
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
The lowdown
Badla
Rating: 2.5/5
Produced by: Red Chillies, Azure Entertainment
Director: Sujoy Ghosh
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Amrita Singh, Tony Luke
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Favourite things
Luxury: Enjoys window shopping for high-end bags and jewellery
Discount: She works in luxury retail, but is careful about spending, waits for sales, festivals and only buys on discount
University: The only person in her family to go to college, Jiang secured a bachelor’s degree in business management in China
Masters: Studying part-time for a master’s degree in international business marketing in Dubai
Vacation: Heads back home to see family in China
Community work: Member of the Chinese Business Women’s Association of the UAE to encourage other women entrepreneurs
More coverage from the Future Forum
KYLIAN MBAPPE 2016/17 STATS
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UCL: Appearances - 9, Goals - 6
French Cup: Appearances - 3, Goals - 3
France U19: Appearances - 5, Goals - 5, Assists - 1
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Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
Takreem Awards winners 2021
Corporate Leadership: Carl Bistany (Lebanon)
Cultural Excellence: Hoor Al Qasimi (UAE)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Bkerzay (Lebanon)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Raya Ani (Iraq)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Women’s Programs Association (Lebanon)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Osamah Al Thini (Libya)
Excellence in Education: World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) (Qatar)
Outstanding Arab Woman: Balghis Badri (Sudan)
Scientific and Technological Achievement: Mohamed Slim Alouini (KSA)
Young Entrepreneur: Omar Itani (Lebanon)
Lifetime Achievement: Suad Al Amiry (Palestine)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Brief scores:
Toss: Pakhtunkhwa Zalmi, chose to field
Environment Agency: 193-3 (20 ov)
Ikhlaq 76 not out, Khaliya 58, Ahsan 55
Pakhtunkhwa Zalmi: 194-2 (18.3 ov)
Afridi 95 not out, Sajid 55, Rizwan 36 not out
Result: Pakhtunkhwa won by 8 wickets
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
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Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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Price: From Dh149,900
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
SPECS
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RESULT
Liverpool 4 Southampton 0
Jota (2', 32')
Thiago (37')
Van Dijk (52')
Man of the match: Diogo Jota (Liverpool)
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
