Kiribati and several other small Pacific nations were among the last on the planet to have avoided any virus outbreaks, thanks to their remote locations and strict border controls. AP
Kiribati and several other small Pacific nations were among the last on the planet to have avoided any virus outbreaks, thanks to their remote locations and strict border controls. AP
Kiribati and several other small Pacific nations were among the last on the planet to have avoided any virus outbreaks, thanks to their remote locations and strict border controls. AP
Kiribati and several other small Pacific nations were among the last on the planet to have avoided any virus outbreaks, thanks to their remote locations and strict border controls. AP

Covid-19 has reached one of the last uninfected places on Earth


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Live updates: follow the latest news on Covid-19 variant Omicron

The Pacific island naiton of Kiribati was among the last places on Earth to have avoided a Covid-19 outbreak, thanks to its remote location and strict border controls.

But the small island nation began its first Covid-19 lockdown this weekend after dodging the disease for two years.

This month, the nation of 120,000 people reported its first case, after the virus was detected in international arrivals.

Dozens of passengers on a flight to Kiribati from Fiji, the first to arrive in the nation since borders reopened, tested positive for the virus.

Neighbouring Samoa also locked down after cases linked to a repatriation flight from Brisbane rose to 15, Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa said.

Until last week it had registered only two cases since the disease broke out in winter 2019.

She said the restrictions would be lifted on Monday night and that everyone who had tested positive was in quarantine.

All of the cases are believed to be of the Omicron variant, she said.

Kiribati’s leader said the capital would be placed under the restrictions after recording its first community cases.

“There is now an assumption that Covid-19 is now spreading in the community,” President Taneti Maamau said on Facebook.

People were told they must stay at home unless they need to obtain essential goods or services, such as food or health care.

President Maamau did not say how long the lockdown would last.

About 62 per cent of Samoans are fully vaccinated, in contrast to about 34 per cent of Kiribati’s population, according to WHO data.

The years Ramadan fell in May

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1954

1921

1888

UAE players with central contracts

Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.

Temple numbers

Expected completion: 2022

Height: 24 meters

Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people

Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people

First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time

First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres  

Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres

Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor 

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SPECS
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Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

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Key figures in the life of the fort

Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.

Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.

Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.

Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae

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Updated: January 28, 2022, 5:07 AM