• A woman wearing a face mask rests on a bench at a public park in Beijing amid easing of restrictions enforced to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. AP Photo
    A woman wearing a face mask rests on a bench at a public park in Beijing amid easing of restrictions enforced to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. AP Photo
  • Visitors look at a giraffe at the national zoo in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Reuters
    Visitors look at a giraffe at the national zoo in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Reuters
  • Pedestrians walk in a market in Kathmandu. AFP
    Pedestrians walk in a market in Kathmandu. AFP
  • A woman wearing a protective face mask waits to check her temperature in an Apple store in Shanghai, China. Reuters
    A woman wearing a protective face mask waits to check her temperature in an Apple store in Shanghai, China. Reuters
  • People wearing face masks to protect against the spread of the new coronavirus walk in Yokohama, near Tokyo. AP Photo
    People wearing face masks to protect against the spread of the new coronavirus walk in Yokohama, near Tokyo. AP Photo
  • A woman wearing a face mask to protect against the spread of the coronavirus walks down stone steps at the Ofuna Kannon Buddhist temple in Kamakura, near Tokyo. AP Photo
    A woman wearing a face mask to protect against the spread of the coronavirus walks down stone steps at the Ofuna Kannon Buddhist temple in Kamakura, near Tokyo. AP Photo
  • TV crew wear protective masks as they produce a programme about the coronavirus pandemic in Hanoi, Vietnam. Reuters
    TV crew wear protective masks as they produce a programme about the coronavirus pandemic in Hanoi, Vietnam. Reuters
  • A man wearing a surgical mask walks along the Helix Bridge next to the Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore. EPA
    A man wearing a surgical mask walks along the Helix Bridge next to the Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore. EPA
  • Students, wearing face masks amid the coronavirus pandemic, sit by a mural depicting the Indonesian flag at an Islamic junior high school in Banda Aceh. AFP
    Students, wearing face masks amid the coronavirus pandemic, sit by a mural depicting the Indonesian flag at an Islamic junior high school in Banda Aceh. AFP
  • A worker checking on a finished motorcycle at an assembly unit of Royal Enfield motorcycle inside its factory in Oragadam, Tami Nadu. AFP
    A worker checking on a finished motorcycle at an assembly unit of Royal Enfield motorcycle inside its factory in Oragadam, Tami Nadu. AFP
  • A municipal corporation worker fumigates a neighbourhood in Mumbai, Maharashtra state, India. AP Photo
    A municipal corporation worker fumigates a neighbourhood in Mumbai, Maharashtra state, India. AP Photo
  • A demonstrator wearing a clown mask and holding a sign that says 'Where is Queiroz?' takes part in a protest against Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in front of the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE), amid the coronavirus disease, in Brasilia, Brazil. Reuters
    A demonstrator wearing a clown mask and holding a sign that says 'Where is Queiroz?' takes part in a protest against Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in front of the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE), amid the coronavirus disease, in Brasilia, Brazil. Reuters
  • Health workers attend a rally in support of Colombian doctor Jose Buelvas Diaz outside the San Ignacio Hospital in Bogota, Colombia. Buelvas Diaz has reportedly received anonymous threats after one of his patients died with Covid-19 in Barranquilla, north of Colombia. EPA
    Health workers attend a rally in support of Colombian doctor Jose Buelvas Diaz outside the San Ignacio Hospital in Bogota, Colombia. Buelvas Diaz has reportedly received anonymous threats after one of his patients died with Covid-19 in Barranquilla, north of Colombia. EPA
  • Migrants, part of a group of 50 Guatemalans deported from the United States, wear face masks as a preventive measure against the coronavirus, as they get into a bus upon landing at the air force base in Guatemala City. AFP
    Migrants, part of a group of 50 Guatemalans deported from the United States, wear face masks as a preventive measure against the coronavirus, as they get into a bus upon landing at the air force base in Guatemala City. AFP
  • A man in line at Christian City, an assisted living home, to cast their ballots after Democratic and Republican primaries were delayed due to coronavirus restrictions in Union City, Georgia. Reuters
    A man in line at Christian City, an assisted living home, to cast their ballots after Democratic and Republican primaries were delayed due to coronavirus restrictions in Union City, Georgia. Reuters
  • Voters wait at Christian City, an assisted living home, to cast their ballots after Democratic and Republican primaries were delayed due to coronavirus restrictions in Union City, Georgia. Reuters
    Voters wait at Christian City, an assisted living home, to cast their ballots after Democratic and Republican primaries were delayed due to coronavirus restrictions in Union City, Georgia. Reuters
  • Clark County election workers talk behind a ballot box set up for primary election amid the coronavirus pandemic in North Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the first time ballots have been mailed to all registered active voters in Nevada's history as the state holds its first-ever election done almost entirely by mail because of the risk of spreading Covid-19. The Clark County registrar said unofficial results of the election will be reported tonight but, final results will not be available until after the last ballots are counted on June 16 or 17. Getty
    Clark County election workers talk behind a ballot box set up for primary election amid the coronavirus pandemic in North Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the first time ballots have been mailed to all registered active voters in Nevada's history as the state holds its first-ever election done almost entirely by mail because of the risk of spreading Covid-19. The Clark County registrar said unofficial results of the election will be reported tonight but, final results will not be available until after the last ballots are counted on June 16 or 17. Getty
  • People who are registering to vote or who need a ballot wait in line outside the Clark County election department, which is serving as both a primary election ballot drop-off point and an in-person voting centre amid the coronavirus pandemic in North Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the first time ballots have been mailed to all registered active voters in Nevada's history. Getty Images
    People who are registering to vote or who need a ballot wait in line outside the Clark County election department, which is serving as both a primary election ballot drop-off point and an in-person voting centre amid the coronavirus pandemic in North Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the first time ballots have been mailed to all registered active voters in Nevada's history. Getty Images

Coronavirus: UAE ranks high for Covid-19 response in global league table


Gillian Duncan
  • English
  • Arabic

The UAE is among the top countries in the world for its coronavirus response, a global ranking shows.

A survey by the Deep Knowledge Group, a consortium of technology companies and non-profit organisations, considered dozens of factors for each country to compile the list.

It placed Switzerland, Germany, Israel, Singapore and Japan in the top five.

Austria, China, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea made up the top 10, with the UAE 11th on the list.

Its presence in the world’s top 20 for coronavirus response places it in Tier 1, among countries that demonstrated a “high level of regional safety”.

Saudi Arabia is also included in Tier 1, in 17th place.

The US, which has suffered the world’s largest outbreak, appears in 58th place. The UK fared even worse, in 68th.

That placed both countries in Tier 3, among 60 countries and territories that scored “much less favourably during the first-phase analysis than would be expected" given their pre-pandemic efficiency in quarantine, government risk management, monitoring and detection, health systems, regional resilience and emergency preparedness".

The ranking includes four tiers.

Countries in the fourth level, many of which are in developing regions, suffer from “high levels of data unavailability or unreliability”.

The Deep Knowledge Group also ranked countries in regions, with Israel, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain in the top five for Mena.

Its report said many of the well-performing Mena countries gave high priority to funding universal health care systems.

“Many of these territories have also in recent years made substantial investments in medical modernisation and the development of cutting-edge healthcare technologies and facilities," the group said.

It said those countries have for several years been committed to developing sophisticated and advanced healthcare cities.

The UAE announced 479 new cases on Thursday, after 47,000 more tests, bringing the country's total to 40,986.

There have been 286 deaths across the Emirates, a small number compared to many other countries including the UK, which has 291,409 cases and more than 41,000 confirmed deaths.

The UAE's strategy of taking early steps to contain the virus, including rigorous testing and contact tracing of cases, has been praised internationally.

Officials have also stressed the importance of wearing face masks when outside and abiding by other safety measures such as physical distancing.

Three-day coronation

Royal purification

The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.

The crown

Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.

The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.

The audience

On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.

The procession

The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.

Meet the people

On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.

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
England squads for Test and T20 series against New Zealand

Test squad: Joe Root (capt), Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Dominic Sibley, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes

T20 squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Pat Brown, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Lewis Gregory, Chris Jordan, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid, James Vince

360Vuz PROFILE

Date started: January 2017
Founder: Khaled Zaatarah 
Based: Dubai and Los Angeles
Sector: Technology 
Size: 21 employees
Funding: $7 million 
Investors: Shorooq Partners, KBW Ventures, Vision Ventures, Hala Ventures, 500Startups, Plug and Play, Magnus Olsson, Samih Toukan, Jonathan Labin

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

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

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

Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs

Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

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