Landscape in New Zealand. The first phase of the country's reopening will allow fully vaccinated visitors from low-risk countries to potentially spend less time in quarantine on arrival. Tobias Keller / Unsplash
Landscape in New Zealand. The first phase of the country's reopening will allow fully vaccinated visitors from low-risk countries to potentially spend less time in quarantine on arrival. Tobias Keller / Unsplash
Landscape in New Zealand. The first phase of the country's reopening will allow fully vaccinated visitors from low-risk countries to potentially spend less time in quarantine on arrival. Tobias Keller / Unsplash
Landscape in New Zealand. The first phase of the country's reopening will allow fully vaccinated visitors from low-risk countries to potentially spend less time in quarantine on arrival. Tobias Keller

New Zealand will not open its borders until 2022 under new Covid plan


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New Zealand has announced that it will begin to relax its strict border controls in 2022.

Prime minister Jacinda Ardern announced that, dependant on all citizens being fully vaccinated, a phased reopening of its borders can begin in early 2022.

Reiterating the importance of the vaccination, Arden declared that it “is the number one thing everyone can do to be protected against Covid-19, help accelerate our economic recovery, reduce the risk of lockdowns, and safely allow New Zealand’s borders to begin reopening next year".

The small South Pacific nation has kept itself largely free of Covid-19, with only 26 deaths reported in the country to date. Andy Kerr / Unsplash
The small South Pacific nation has kept itself largely free of Covid-19, with only 26 deaths reported in the country to date. Andy Kerr / Unsplash

To meet this goal, the country's national vaccination programme is being fast-tracked. “The first step in our plan is speeding up the vaccination process to ensure everyone is at least partially vaccinated as soon as possible.”

Under the new scheme, which has been recommended by the Strategic Covid-19 Public Health Advisory Group, the first phase will allow fully vaccinated visitors from low-risk countries to potentially spend less time in quarantine on arrival.

Jacinda Adern, New Zealand's prime minister, at a news conference in Wellington, New Zealand. Bloomberg
Jacinda Adern, New Zealand's prime minister, at a news conference in Wellington, New Zealand. Bloomberg

Ardern closed New Zealand’s borders early on in the pandemic, preventing all foreigners from entering and requiring all returning New Zealand residents to isolate for two weeks in a managed facility.

These measures – some of the toughest in the world – have been successful, with the small South Pacific nation managing to keep itself largely free of the virus, including the new, more contagious, Delta variant. To date, only 26 people in the country have died from the virus, and life within the nation has continued almost as normal.

In April this year, New Zealand established a travel corridor with its neighbour, Australia, to allow citizens to travel freely between the two countries. In July, however, this corridor was closed in response to rising cases in Australia.

The essentials

What: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature

When: Friday until March 9

Where: All main sessions are held in the InterContinental Dubai Festival City

Price: Sessions range from free entry to Dh125 tickets, with the exception of special events.

Hot Tip: If waiting for your book to be signed looks like it will be timeconsuming, ask the festival’s bookstore if they have pre-signed copies of the book you’re looking for. They should have a bunch from some of the festival’s biggest guest authors.

Information: www.emirateslitfest.com
 

Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes

Quick%20facts
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EStorstockholms%20Lokaltrafik%20(SL)%20offers%20free%20guided%20tours%20of%20art%20in%20the%20metro%20and%20at%20the%20stations%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EThe%20tours%20are%20free%20of%20charge%3B%20all%20you%20need%20is%20a%20valid%20SL%20ticket%2C%20for%20which%20a%20single%20journey%20(valid%20for%2075%20minutes)%20costs%2039%20Swedish%20krone%20(%243.75)%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ETravel%20cards%20for%20unlimited%20journeys%20are%20priced%20at%20165%20Swedish%20krone%20for%2024%20hours%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EAvoid%20rush%20hour%20%E2%80%93%20between%209.30%20am%20and%204.30%20pm%20%E2%80%93%20to%20explore%20the%20artwork%20at%20leisure%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESmartCrowd%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiddiq%20Farid%20and%20Musfique%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%2F%20PropTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24650%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2035%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%20institutional%20investors%20and%20notable%20angel%20investors%20(500%20MENA%2C%20Shurooq%2C%20Mada%2C%20Seedstar%2C%20Tricap)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to donate

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200

Gulf Under 19s final

Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B

Everton 1 Stoke City 0
Everton (Rooney 45 1')
Man of the Match Phil Jagielka (Everton)

The%20specs
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AL%20BOOM
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FROM%20THE%20ASHES
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Khalid%20Fahad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Shaima%20Al%20Tayeb%2C%20Wafa%20Muhamad%2C%20Hamss%20Bandar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Padmaavat

Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh

3.5/5

How to improve Arabic reading in early years

One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient

The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers

Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades

Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic

First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations

Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades

Improve the appearance of textbooks

Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings

Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught

Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar

WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

Updated: August 12, 2021, 1:14 PM