Live updates: follow the latest news on Covid-19 variant Omicron
The UAE recorded 1,002 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, its largest daily number since August.
This brings the tally of infections to 746,557.
Another 339 people beat the virus as the number of recoveries climbed to 739,616.
The latest cases were identified as a result of an additional 365,269 PCR tests.
Daily testing has increased over the past few weeks as the UAE intensifies its efforts to slow the spread of the virus.
No deaths were reported, with the toll remaining at 2,154.
Daily case numbers have risen sharply this month, from less than 50 in early December. But they are still considerably less than the peak in February of close to 4,000 a day.
Mass testing and one of the world's fastest vaccination drives have helped the UAE curb the pandemic even as other countries are forced to reimpose restrictions as the Omicron variant took hold.
Authorities in the UAE have urged people to act responsibly over Christmas. Officials asked people to wear masks, follow social-distancing rules and exercise caution at social occasions.
“We call upon members of society to co-operate and adhere to preventive measures by committing to wearing masks, staying away from crowded places and maintaining personal hygiene,” said Dr Noura Al Ghaithi, a government spokeswoman, during a briefing on Tuesday.
“It’s a social responsibility to preserve the gains that the country has made towards sustainable recovery.”
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Letstango.com
Started: June 2013
Founder: Alex Tchablakian
Based: Dubai
Industry: e-commerce
Initial investment: Dh10 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month
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What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
