• Abu Dhabi residents enjoy the winter weather on the Corniche in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National
    Abu Dhabi residents enjoy the winter weather on the Corniche in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National
  • A couple watch the sunset from the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
    A couple watch the sunset from the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
  • A man plays at Arena Games at DIFC Gate Avenue. Reem Mohammed / The National
    A man plays at Arena Games at DIFC Gate Avenue. Reem Mohammed / The National
  • Staff disinfects the lobby at the Waldorf Astoria on Al Hamra Island in Ras Al Khaimah. Leslie Pableo for The National
    Staff disinfects the lobby at the Waldorf Astoria on Al Hamra Island in Ras Al Khaimah. Leslie Pableo for The National
  • A pianist performs at the Waldorf Astoria on Al Hamra Island in Ras Al Khaimah. Leslie Pableo for The National
    A pianist performs at the Waldorf Astoria on Al Hamra Island in Ras Al Khaimah. Leslie Pableo for The National
  • Children play at Zabeel park in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
    Children play at Zabeel park in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
  • A closed notice is pasted on the gate of a church in Jebel Ali in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
    A closed notice is pasted on the gate of a church in Jebel Ali in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
  • A man sells balloons in Zabeel park in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
    A man sells balloons in Zabeel park in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
  • A medical staff member answers questions from people getting tested at the DPI Testing Centres in Ghantoot, at the border of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Leslie Pableo for The National
    A medical staff member answers questions from people getting tested at the DPI Testing Centres in Ghantoot, at the border of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Leslie Pableo for The National
  • Tests are carried out at the drive-through DPI screening centres in Ghantoot, at the border between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Leslie Pableo for The National
    Tests are carried out at the drive-through DPI screening centres in Ghantoot, at the border between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Leslie Pableo for The National

Coronavirus: UAE reports 2,739 new cases of Covid-19


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New cases of Covid-19 in the UAE were below 3,000 for a second consecutive day on Monday, with 2,739 infections reported.

Recoveries far exceeded new cases, with 4,452 people cleared of the virus.

Nine people died of related complications, down from 12 on Sunday.

The total number of infections to date is 306,339. Of these, 281,410 (almost 92 per cent) have recovered while 859 (0.28 per cent) died.

Active cases currently stand at 24,070, after reaching a high of 27,792 on January 19.

Monday's infections were detected after 127,572 DPI and PCR tests were conducted across the country.

Authorities also said 106,615 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine were administered over the previous 24 hours.

More than 3.4 million doses of vaccine have been administered since the drive began in December.

Inspectors in Dubai, meanwhile, shut down 14 businesses and fined another 213 in a clampdown on Covid-19 rule-breakers throughout January.

The emirate's department of economic development took action against traders breaching safety measures following a concerted campaign of inspections at shopping centres and open markets.

The majority of the offences related to failure to wear face masks or abide by physical distancing regulations.

Authorities do not name the businesses which were penalised for breaking Covid-19 laws.

The sweep of thousands of premises was carried out by the commercial compliance and consumer protection sector of Dubai Economy.

"The field teams were keen on inspecting all areas in Dubai to ensure that commercial establishments adhered to the precautionary guidelines without fail," said Hassan BuNafour, senior manager of the field control department for the sector.

"The inspections found that 15,045 establishments fully complied with the guidelines. The violations were found across diverse businesses, especially those that received customers or ran the risk of overcrowding and hence, lack of adequate physical distancing.”

Dubai Economy called on the public to report any breaches of regulations through the Dubai Consumer App available on Apple, Google and Huawei stores, by calling 600545555, or by the Consumerrights.ae website.

Asian Cup 2019

Quarter-final

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

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

Overview

Cricket World Cup League Two: Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu

Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal

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MATCH INFO

Champions League quarter-final, first leg

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)

Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports

Grand Slam Los Angeles results

Men:
56kg – Jorge Nakamura
62kg – Joao Gabriel de Sousa
69kg – Gianni Grippo
77kg – Caio Soares
85kg – Manuel Ribamar
94kg – Gustavo Batista
110kg – Erberth Santos

Women:
49kg – Mayssa Bastos
55kg – Nathalie Ribeiro
62kg – Gabrielle McComb
70kg – Thamara Silva
90kg – Gabrieli Pessanha

HWJN
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

The Written World: How Literature Shaped History
Martin Puchner
Granta

Brief scores:

Scotland 371-5, 50 overs (C MacLeod 140 no, K Coetzer 58, G Munsey 55)

England 365 all out, 48.5 overs (J Bairstow 105, A Hales 52; M Watt 3-55)

Result: Scotland won by six runs

Islamophobia definition

A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nicola%20Coughlan%2C%20Luke%20Newton%2C%20Jonathan%20Bailey%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Results:

6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah (PA) | Group 2 | US$55,000 (Dirt) | 1,600 metres

Winner: AF Al Sajanjle, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)

7.05pm: Meydan Sprint (TB) | Group 2 | $250,000 (Turf) | 1,000m

Winner: Blue Point, William Buick, Charlie Appleby

7.40pm: Firebreak Stakes | Group 3 | $200,000 (D) | 1,600m

Winner: Muntazah, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson

8.15pm: Meydan Trophy Conditions (TB) | $100,000 (T) | 1,900m

Winner: Art Du Val, William Buick, Charlie Appleby

8.50pm: Balanchine Group 2 (TB) | $250,000 (T) | 1,800m

Winner: Poetic Charm, William Buick, Charlie Appleby

9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | $135,000 (D) | 1,200m

Winner: Lava Spin, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

10pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (T) | 2,410m

Winner: Mountain Hunter, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor

The specs

Price: From Dh529,000

Engine: 5-litre V8

Transmission: Eight-speed auto

Power: 520hp

Torque: 625Nm

Fuel economy, combined: 12.8L/100km

Titanium Escrow profile

Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue  
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family

2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

Citizenship-by-investment programmes

United Kingdom

The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).

All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.

The Caribbean

Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport. 

Portugal

The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.

“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.

Greece

The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.

Spain

The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.

Cyprus

Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.

Malta

The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.

The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.

Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.

Egypt 

A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.

Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties

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