Hughes starts to build as Bridge agrees to move

Manchester City have confirmed the signing of the Chelsea left-back Wayne Bridge. The England defender completed his medical yesterday morning and agreed personal terms on a move from Stamford Bridge for an undisclosed fee. Bridge, 28, has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract after ending his time at Chelsea, where he has largely played second fiddle to Ashley Cole. Bridge was introduced to the home fans immediately before yesterday's FA Cup tie with Nottingham Forest and is expected to make his debut against Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Saturday.

"I played alongside Wayne at Southampton and saw him come through the ranks," Hughes told the club's website. "He was an outstanding young player and he's progressed year on year in his career. "He is a successful player. He is an England international and has just played for one of the top four sides in the country. He is of the right quality and is the type of player we need to attract. We need good players that understand this league and we will look to carry on in that way and add more if we can."

Meanwhile, the Newcastle manager Joe Kinnear has confirmed the Scotland and Rangers midfielder Barry Ferguson is one of the men on his transfer window wishlist. The Magpies have made an inquiry about Ferguson, 30, who underwent ankle surgery last year, as Kinnear attempts to bolster his depleted squad for a Premier League survival fight. "We will wait and see what the outcome is," Kinnear said. "We are finding it difficult to bring certain players from clubs. Our bids haven't been accepted so far." Newcastle have also been linked with Ferguson's teammate at Ibrox - the defender Madjid Bougherra.

The Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp believes Portsmouth want "in excess of £20m" for England striker Jermain Defoe. Defoe wants to leave Fratton Park but the Spurs chairman Daniel Levy could not agree a fee with Pompey chairman Peter Storrie when the pair met yesterday. The Israel striker Ben Sahar will spend the rest of the season on loan at De Graafschap from Chelsea. Sahar, 19, who spent the first half of the campaign on loan at Portsmouth, will join up with his new De Graafschap teammates soon for a camp in Turkey.

Elsewhere in Europe, the Hamburg striker Ivica Olic will join Bayern Munich in the summer. The German champions' general manager Uli Hoeness confirmed on Friday that the Croatia forward, 29, will switch to Bavaria on a three-year contract on July 1. "We have reached an agreement. It lacks only the signatures on the contract," Hoeness said from Dubai, where Bayern are on a winter training camp.Olic will replace the wantaway frontman Lukas Podolski in Jurgen Klinsmann's squad.

* Agencies

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Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site

The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.

Tips on buying property during a pandemic

Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.

While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.

While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.

Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.

Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.

Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.

Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.

Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.