A girl waits to fill bottles near a temporary migrant camp on the Greek Aegean island of Lesbos. AFP
A girl waits to fill bottles near a temporary migrant camp on the Greek Aegean island of Lesbos. AFP
A girl waits to fill bottles near a temporary migrant camp on the Greek Aegean island of Lesbos. AFP
A girl waits to fill bottles near a temporary migrant camp on the Greek Aegean island of Lesbos. AFP

More than 240 migrants at new Greek camp have coronavirus


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More than 240 asylum seekers at a new temporary camp on the Greek island of Lesbos are infected with coronavirus, the public health agency said on Monday.

Among 7,000 asylum seekers tested, 243 new infections have been discovered, the Eody agency said.

Other tests on 120 police officers and 40 staff at the camp, which was hastily built last week after Europe's largest migrant camp of Moria was destroyed by fire, were negative.

More than 12,000 people including elderly and young children were left sleeping alongside roads, in car parks and even in a local graveyard when the Moria camp burned down on September 8.

Six young Afghans face arson charges over the incident.

It took over a week for most of the asylum seekers to be rehoused in the new tent camp hurriedly built on a disused army firing range a few kilometres away.

Many migrants were wary of being locked up again after spending months at the notoriously overcrowded and unsanitary Moria camp, where ethnic gang crime was rife.

Since March, movement restrictions at Moria were even more stringent because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Several asylum seekers have now complained that the tents lack even basic bedding and that sanitation is rudimentary.

Another three migrant minors were arrested over a fire that broke out in the asylum seeker camp of Samos island on Sunday, officials said.

Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi on Monday told parliament that those responsible for the fire would "serve their sentence in Greece and will then be deported".

Mr Mitarachi said a "modern, safe and respectable" new camp will be constructed on Lesbos - even though local officials strongly oppose the move, demanding the immediate removal of most asylum seekers.

  • A refugee carries her belongings following a fire at the Moria camp for refugees and migrants on the island of Lesbos, Greece. Reuters
    A refugee carries her belongings following a fire at the Moria camp for refugees and migrants on the island of Lesbos, Greece. Reuters
  • Refugees run as fire burns in the Moria camp on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos, Greece. AP Photo
    Refugees run as fire burns in the Moria camp on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos, Greece. AP Photo
  • Destroyed shelters following a fire at the Moria camp for refugees and migrants on the island of Lesbos, Greece. Reuters
    Destroyed shelters following a fire at the Moria camp for refugees and migrants on the island of Lesbos, Greece. Reuters
  • A view of destroyed shelters following a fire at the Moria camp for refugees and migrants on the island of Lesbos, Greece. Reuters
    A view of destroyed shelters following a fire at the Moria camp for refugees and migrants on the island of Lesbos, Greece. Reuters
  • Fire burns container houses and tents in the Moria refugee camp on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos, Greece. AP Photo
    Fire burns container houses and tents in the Moria refugee camp on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos, Greece. AP Photo
  • A family sleeps at a parking space, following a fire at the Moria camp for refugees and migrants on the island of Lesbos, Greece. Reuters
    A family sleeps at a parking space, following a fire at the Moria camp for refugees and migrants on the island of Lesbos, Greece. Reuters
  • A girl holds her cat during a fire in the Moria refugee camp on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos, Greece. AP Photo
    A girl holds her cat during a fire in the Moria refugee camp on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos, Greece. AP Photo
  • A man runs as a fire burns inside the Moria migrant camp on the island of Lesbos. AFP
    A man runs as a fire burns inside the Moria migrant camp on the island of Lesbos. AFP
  • Refugees carry their belongings as they flee from a fire burning at the Moria camp, on the island of Lesbos, Greece. Reuters
    Refugees carry their belongings as they flee from a fire burning at the Moria camp, on the island of Lesbos, Greece. Reuters
  • Refugees carry their belongings as they flee from a fire burning at the Moria camp, on the island of Lesbos, Greece. AFP
    Refugees carry their belongings as they flee from a fire burning at the Moria camp, on the island of Lesbos, Greece. AFP
  • Refugees wearing facemasks gather outside the Moria camp on the island of Lesbos during a major fire there. AFP
    Refugees wearing facemasks gather outside the Moria camp on the island of Lesbos during a major fire there. AFP
  • Refugees wearing facemasks gather outside the Moria camp on the island of Lesbos during a major fire there. AFP
    Refugees wearing facemasks gather outside the Moria camp on the island of Lesbos during a major fire there. AFP
  • Refugees stand with their belongings after being evacuated as a fire burns in the Moria camp on the island of Lesbos. AFP
    Refugees stand with their belongings after being evacuated as a fire burns in the Moria camp on the island of Lesbos. AFP
  • Refuees stand outside the Moria camp on the island of Lesbos during a major fire there. AFP
    Refuees stand outside the Moria camp on the island of Lesbos during a major fire there. AFP
  • A firefighter tries to extinguish a fira at the Moria refugee camp on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos, Greece. AP Photo
    A firefighter tries to extinguish a fira at the Moria refugee camp on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos, Greece. AP Photo
  • Refugees and migrants leave as a fire burns at the Moria refugee camp on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos, Greece. AP Photo
    Refugees and migrants leave as a fire burns at the Moria refugee camp on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos, Greece. AP Photo
  • Refugees and migrants gather on a bridge as fire burns at the Moria refugee camp on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos, Greece. AP Photo
    Refugees and migrants gather on a bridge as fire burns at the Moria refugee camp on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos, Greece. AP Photo
  • Refugees and migrants with their children gather on a bridge as fire burns at the Moria refugee camp on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos, Greece. AP Photo
    Refugees and migrants with their children gather on a bridge as fire burns at the Moria refugee camp on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos, Greece. AP Photo
David Haye record

Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4

Profile of Tamatem

Date started: March 2013

Founder: Hussam Hammo

Based: Amman, Jordan

Employees: 55

Funding: $6m

Funders: Wamda Capital, Modern Electronics (part of Al Falaisah Group) and North Base Media

The specs: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor

Price, base / as tested Dh220,000 / Dh320,000

Engine 3.5L V6

Transmission 10-speed automatic

Power 421hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque 678Nm @ 3,750rpm

Fuel economy, combined 14.1L / 100km

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.”

PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS

Bournemouth 1 Manchester City 2
Watford 0 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Newcastle United 3 West Ham United 0
Huddersfield Town 0 Southampton 0
Crystal Palace 0 Swansea City 2
Manchester United 2 Leicester City 0
West Bromwich Albion 1 Stoke City 1
Chelsea 2 Everton 0
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Burnley 1
Liverpool 4 Arsenal 0

Pad Man

Dir: R Balki

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte

Three-and-a-half stars

The Sky Is Pink

Director: Shonali Bose

Cast: Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim, Rohit Saraf

Three stars

Winners

Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)

Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)

Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)

Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)

Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)

Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)

Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)

Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)

Which honey takes your fancy?

Al Ghaf Honey

The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year

Sidr Honey

The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest

Samar Honey

The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2)
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.7%E2%80%9D%20LPTO%20Amoled%2C%202412%20x%201080%2C%20394ppi%2C%20HDR10%2B%2C%20Corning%20Gorilla%20Glass%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Qualcomm%20Snapdragon%208%2B%20Gen%202%2C%20octa-core%3B%20Adreno%20730%20GPU%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%2F12GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECapacity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20128%2F256%2F512GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPlatform%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Android%2013%2C%20Nothing%20OS%202%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMain%20camera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%2050MP%20wide%2C%20f%2F1.9%20%2B%2050MP%20ultrawide%2C%20f%2F2.2%3B%20OIS%2C%20auto-focus%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMain%20camera%20video%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204K%20%40%2030%2F60fps%2C%201080p%20%40%2030%2F60fps%3B%20live%20HDR%2C%20OIS%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFront%20camera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2032MP%20wide%2C%20f%2F2.5%2C%20HDR%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFront%20camera%20video%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Full-HD%20%40%2030fps%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204700mAh%3B%20full%20charge%20in%2055m%20w%2F%2045w%20charger%3B%20Qi%20wireless%2C%20dual%20charging%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wi-Fi%2C%20Bluetooth%205.3%2C%20NFC%20(Google%20Pay)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBiometrics%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fingerprint%2C%20face%20unlock%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20USB-C%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDurability%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20IP54%2C%20limited%20protection%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECards%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual-nano%20SIM%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColours%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dark%20grey%2C%20white%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nothing%20Phone%20(2)%2C%20USB-C-to-USB-C%20cable%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%20(UAE)%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dh2%2C499%20(12GB%2F256GB)%20%2F%20Dh2%2C799%20(12GB%2F512GB)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Profile Idealz

Company: Idealz

Founded: January 2018

Based: Dubai

Sector: E-commerce

Size: (employees): 22

Investors: Co-founders and Venture Partners (9 per cent)

Credit Score explained

What is a credit score?

In the UAE your credit score is a number generated by the Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB), which represents your credit worthiness – in other words, your risk of defaulting on any debt repayments. In this country, the number is between 300 and 900. A low score indicates a higher risk of default, while a high score indicates you are a lower risk.

Why is it important?

Financial institutions will use it to decide whether or not you are a credit risk. Those with better scores may also receive preferential interest rates or terms on products such as loans, credit cards and mortgages.

How is it calculated?

The AECB collects information on your payment behaviour from banks as well as utilitiy and telecoms providers.

How can I improve my score?

By paying your bills on time and not missing any repayments, particularly your loan, credit card and mortgage payments. It is also wise to limit the number of credit card and loan applications you make and to reduce your outstanding balances.

How do I know if my score is low or high?

By checking it. Visit one of AECB’s Customer Happiness Centres with an original and valid Emirates ID, passport copy and valid email address. Liv. customers can also access the score directly from the banking app.

How much does it cost?

A credit report costs Dh100 while a report with the score included costs Dh150. Those only wanting the credit score pay Dh60. VAT is payable on top.

Singham Again

Director: Rohit Shetty

Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone

Rating: 3/5

Volunteers offer workers a lifeline

Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.

When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.

Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.

Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.

“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.

Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.

“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.

While you're here
Teams

Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq

Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi

Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag

Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC

Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC

Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan

Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium

Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes

Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Lamsa

Founder: Badr Ward

Launched: 2014

Employees: 60

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: EdTech

Funding to date: $15 million