Lebanon to enter lockdown as Covid-19 cases surge after blast


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Lebanon is returning to lockdown with an overnight curfew to try and stem rapidly rising coronavirus infections in the wake of a massive blast in Beirut on August 4.

The new measures come into effect on Friday and last more than two weeks, the Interior Ministry said. The move would not affect the ongoing clean-up and aid effort following the port blast.

A nightly movement restriction will be imposed from 6pm to 6am.

Malls will be closed and restaurants restricted to delivery, with curtailed operating hours. Social gatherings will also be prohibited.

The airport will operate normally and ministries will be staffed at half capacity.

Areas damaged by the massive explosion that hit Beirut on August 4 will also be exempt from the restrictions, as clean-up efforts continue across multiple neighbourhoods.

Hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser exploded at Beirut port in the heart of the city, flattening the surrounding neighbourhoods, killing more than 177 people and wounding thousands more.

Lebanon was already seeing rising cases of the coronavirus before the blast but has reported a string of record tallies in recent weeks.

Authorities reported another single-day record of 456 new infections on Monday, followed by a further 421 on Tuesday that brought the tally to 9,758, including 107 deaths since the start of the outbreak in February.

A previously planned lockdown was scrapped in the wake of the explosion, which left thousands homeless.

Health Minister Hamad Hassan warned on Monday that hospitals were reaching maximum capacity to treat coronavirus patients after the Beirut blast overwhelmed health centres already stretched by the virus.

"Public and private hospitals in the capital, in particular, have a very limited capacity, whether in terms of beds in intensive care units or respirators," he said.

"We are on the brink, we don't have the luxury to take our time."

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Featherweight (57kg): Sitora Turdibekova (UZB) beat Vladislava Kukhta (KAZ) 5-0.

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Light Welterweight (64kg): Milana Safronova (KAZ) beat Lalbuatsaihi (IND) 3-2.

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Light Heavyweight (81kg): Farida Sholtay (KAZ) beat Ruzmetova Sokhiba (UZB) 5-0.

Heavyweight (81 kg): Lazzat Kungeibayeva (KAZ) beat Anupama (IND) 3-2.

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Full name: Pasqual Handi Kamindu Dilanka Mendis

Born: September 30, 1998

Age: 20 years and 26 days

Nationality: Sri Lankan

Major teams Sri Lanka's Under 19 team

Batting style: Left-hander

Bowling style: Right-arm off-spin and slow left-arm orthodox (that's right!)

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Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

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How to help

Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.

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To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae

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Classification of skills

A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation. 

A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.

The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000. 

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CAF Champions League semi-finals first-leg fixtures

Tuesday:

Primeiro Agosto (ANG) v Esperance (TUN) (8pm UAE)
Al Ahly (EGY) v Entente Setif (ALG) (11PM)

Second legs:

October 23

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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.

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Quarter-final

UAE v Australia, Friday, 8pm, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain

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Based: Riyadh

Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany

Founded: September, 2020

Number of employees: 70

Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions

Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds  

Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices

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Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

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(Interscope)