• Al Hosn app, advertised here at Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National
    Al Hosn app, advertised here at Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National
  • Mandatory entrance procedures carried out at Khalidiyah Mall. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Mandatory entrance procedures carried out at Khalidiyah Mall. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • A man shows his green pass status in order to enter Boroughs cafe, at Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    A man shows his green pass status in order to enter Boroughs cafe, at Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • Keith O'Donnell gives green pass proof from Al Hosn application at Vogue Fitness, Yas Marina. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Keith O'Donnell gives green pass proof from Al Hosn application at Vogue Fitness, Yas Marina. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • The Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort & Spa follows the green pass requirement on Al Hosn for entering the hotel. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    The Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort & Spa follows the green pass requirement on Al Hosn for entering the hotel. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • Al Hosn green pass awareness signs at Al Wahda Mall. Victor Besa / The National
    Al Hosn green pass awareness signs at Al Wahda Mall. Victor Besa / The National

UAE eases coronavirus rules to allow 60 people at home parties and gatherings


Salam Al Amir
  • English
  • Arabic

The UAE has further eased its coronavirus restrictions to allow more people to attend weddings, gatherings and parties at home.

Under the new rules, occupancy at parties has been capped at a maximum of 60 guests and 10 catering and hospitality staff.

The National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) set out the latest nationwide changes on Tuesday during its weekly Covid-19 briefing.

But several precautionary measures still remain in place.

Guests should be fully vaccinated and the second dose should have been taken at least two weeks before the event. They will be required to show a green pass on Al Hosn app.

A negative PCR test taken no more than 48 hours before the event is also a must. Guests will be checked for temperature on arrival and they must wear face masks at all times. The premises should be regularly sanitised.

  • Prescila Akl and Fady Younes exchange wedding vows at a small service on August 10, 2020, in St Therese Church in Abu Dhabi.
    Prescila Akl and Fady Younes exchange wedding vows at a small service on August 10, 2020, in St Therese Church in Abu Dhabi.
  • Bridesmaids Anastasia, Katia and Yasmine Daher at the wedding of Laura Daher and Elie Abi Daher in Abu Dhabi. Laura Daher and Elie Abi Daher
    Bridesmaids Anastasia, Katia and Yasmine Daher at the wedding of Laura Daher and Elie Abi Daher in Abu Dhabi. Laura Daher and Elie Abi Daher
  • Laura Daher walks into the church with her sister and maid of honour Linda and brother George for her wedding a small service at St Therese Church in Abu Dhabi on August 17, 2020.
    Laura Daher walks into the church with her sister and maid of honour Linda and brother George for her wedding a small service at St Therese Church in Abu Dhabi on August 17, 2020.
  • Laura Daher walks down the aisle with her brother George. She married Elie Abi Daher in a quiet ceremony with only eight guests at the St Therese Church in Abu Dhabi. Laura Daher and Elie Abi Daher
    Laura Daher walks down the aisle with her brother George. She married Elie Abi Daher in a quiet ceremony with only eight guests at the St Therese Church in Abu Dhabi. Laura Daher and Elie Abi Daher
  • Laura Daher walks down the aisle with her brother George. The pandemic meant there was a limit on how many people could attend her wedding. Laura Daher and Elie Abi Daher
    Laura Daher walks down the aisle with her brother George. The pandemic meant there was a limit on how many people could attend her wedding. Laura Daher and Elie Abi Daher
  • Guests at a wedding in Abu Dhabi in August 2020. The number of people permitted to attend weddings has since been increased.
    Guests at a wedding in Abu Dhabi in August 2020. The number of people permitted to attend weddings has since been increased.

"People should not greet with handshakes or hugs," Dr Taher Al Amiri, spokesperson of NCEMA, said.

"There should be a physical distancing of one and a half metres at all times and only a maximum of 10 people can sit at one table.

"There should be separate entry and exit points to avoid crowding.

"Hosts should warn the invitees against attending the event when feeling any respiratory symptoms or fever."

Business travel rules updated

Updated rules for business travel were also announced.

Residents and visiting businessmen must register on the ICA website (Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship) and get approval before they fly into UAE.

They should also present copies of their vaccination cards, a negative PCR test result with a QR code issued within 48 hours before the flight.

Passengers should also take a PCR test conducted at the departure airport six hours before their flight and another PCR test on arrival. They should also take a PCR test on day 4 and 8.

The UAE reported 122 new cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday, bringing the total number of infections to 738,812.

Cases have been falling in recent weeks as mass testing and one of the world's fastest vaccination drives have helped the UAE to curb the virus.

More than 89.5 million PCR tests have been conducted since the beginning of the pandemic.

As of Tuesday, 20,766,132 vaccines had been administered. Officials said 96.45 per cent of the population has received one dose, while 86.45 per cent is fully vaccinated.

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SERIE A FIXTURES

Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)

Cagliari v AC Milan (6pm)

Lazio v Napoli (9pm)

Inter Milan v Atalanta (11.45pm)

Sunday

Udinese v Sassuolo (3.30pm)

Sampdoria v Brescia (6pm)

Fiorentina v SPAL (6pm)

Torino v Bologna (6pm)

Verona v Genoa (9pm)

Roma V Juventus (11.45pm)

Parma v Lecce (11.45pm)

 

 

PROFILE OF HALAN

Started: November 2017

Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport and logistics

Size: 150 employees

Investment: approximately $8 million

Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar

RESULT

Bayer Leverkusen 2 Bayern Munich 4
Leverkusen:
 Alario (9'), Wirtz (89')
Bayern: Coman (27'), Goretzka (42'), Gnabry (45'), Lewandowski (66')

GRAN%20TURISMO
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Neill%20Blomkamp%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20David%20Harbour%2C%20Orlando%20Bloom%2C%20Archie%20Madekwe%2C%20Darren%20Barnet%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

'Tell the Machine Goodnight' by Katie Williams 
Penguin Randomhouse

The biog

Favourite book: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Favourite holiday destination: Spain

Favourite film: Bohemian Rhapsody

Favourite place to visit in the UAE: The beach or Satwa

Children: Stepdaughter Tyler 27, daughter Quito 22 and son Dali 19

Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Semaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

The%C2%A0specs%20
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Tips for job-seekers
  • Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
  • Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.

David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East

Persuasion
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Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

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Abu Dhabi Card

5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 1,400m

National selection: AF Mohanak

5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 90,000 1,400m

National selection: Jayide Al Boraq

6pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 100,000 1,400m

National selection: Rocket Power

6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Listed (PA) Dh 180,000 1,600m

National selection: Ihtesham

7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 1,600m

National selection: Noof KB

7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 2.200m

National selection: EL Faust

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Updated: October 20, 2021, 7:43 AM