SAO PAULO // Brazilian workers are racing to complete the stadium that will host the World Cup’s first game, wiping seats, checking beams and installing wiring just days before the opening whistle.
As night fell on Saturday, helmeted workers were still toiling away on two long-delayed stands of Sao Paulo’s new Arena Corinthians, where Brazil will take on Croatia on Thursday.
The 61,600-seat stadium has come to symbolise Brazil’s preparedness struggles as authorities scramble to finish five of the tournament’s 12 venues.
The original deadline was December 31, but preparations have been hit by chronic delays, cost overruns and construction accidents that killed eight workers, including three in Sao Paulo.
The Arena Corinthians has not been tested at full capacity due to the delays in the two temporary stands, which together will welcome a total of 20,000 fans.
Despite the last-minute effort, construction workers said they were confident they would wrap up their work before Brazilian star Neymar and his teammates hit the field. “There’s still much to do,” said one worker on condition of anonymity.
Another used his sleeve to wipe sweat away from his forehead as he said: “It will be ready before the World Cup.”
His colleague was more bullish, predicting it would be done tomorrow. The workers said they still have to finish installing electrical wires and carpeting, but that the seats were ready.
The delays have contributed to the rising bill of hosting the World Cup, infuriating many Brazilians who have held protests demanding that Dilma Rousseff, the president, spend the US$11 billion (Dh40.4bn) on hospitals and education instead.
Corinthians officials say the venue will cost at least $417 million, or 14 per cent over its original budget.
A spokesman for the subcontractor building the stands, Fast Engenharia, said the firefighters finally gave the green light on Friday and that all that was left was some “cleaning” to do.
Cameroon
Cameroon’s World Cup team refused to board their scheduled plane to Brazil yesterday in a strike action over money for the tournament, officials said. Cameroon’s footballers, often led by captain Samuel Eto’o, have previously refused to play due to disagreements with the football federation over cash. The run-up to this tournament has been undermined by disagreements over the bonus payment players would receive. Volker Finke, Cameroon’s coach, said talks were underway, with the main point of contention being the US$104,000 (Dh382,000) per-player payment, which players said was not enough. Officials expected the deadlock to be broken last night.
Spain
The defending champions travelled to Brazil yesterday, optimistic about their changes of a repeat triumph. “We don’t have any fear, but we do have respect,” said Vicente del Bosque, Spain’s manager. “We’re very optimistic after our training and two friendly matches. We are confident.”
England
The day after a scoreless draw in Florida against Honduras, England’s World Cup team touched down in Rio de Janeiro already having put the friendly match behind them, Roy Hodgson said. “The game doesn’t really feature very much in my plans at all,” England’s manager said. “It’s time for the real thing now.” The game did little to help identify a first XI for their match with Italy in steamy Manaus on Saturday.
Belgium
Romelu Lukaku, the Chelsea forward, will need to rest for several days after injuring his ankle in the 61st minute of a 1-0 victory over Tunisia on Saturday. “He’s in pain, but the doctors don’t think it’s too serious, at least at first glance,” said Marc Wilmots, the Belgium coach. “Hopefully, he just needs three or four days to recover.” Belgium already have lost Christian Benteke to a ruptured Achilles tendon, leaving the Lille forward Divock Origi, 19, as their only healthy striker.
United States
Jozy Altidore broke his scoring drought with both US goals in a 2-1 victory over Nigeria on Saturday night. The Sunderland striker, who has been heavily criticised, had not scored in 2014, but netted in the 32nd and 68th minutes as the Americans recorded victories in all three games of their send-off series. They previously defeated Azerbaijan and Turkey.
Mexico
Miguel Herrera, the Mexico coach, said he still has confidence in Manchester United forward Javier Hernandez, who has 35 goals in 61 games for his country, but has not scored for Mexico since last summer. “He came on, did well and created three chances,” Herrera said of Hernandez, hinting that he might be in the playing XI when Mexico begin their World Cup against Cameroon on Friday.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Europe wide
Some of French groups are threatening Friday to continue their journey to Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the European Union, and to meet up with drivers from other countries on Monday.
Belgian authorities joined French police in banning the threatened blockade. A similar lorry cavalcade was planned for Friday in Vienna but cancelled after authorities prohibited it.
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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More from UAE Human Development Report:
'Morbius'
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona
Rating: 2/5
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PSA DUBAI WORLD SERIES FINALS LINE-UP
Men’s:
Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY)
Ali Farag (EGY)
Simon Rosner (GER)
Tarek Momen (EGY)
Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
Nick Matthew (ENG)
Women's:
Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
Raneem El Welily (EGY)
Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
Laura Massaro (ENG)
Joelle King (NZE)
Camille Serme (FRA)
Nouran Gohar (EGY)
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
MATCH RESULT
Liverpool 4 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Liverpool: Salah (26'), Lovren (40'), Solanke (53'), Robertson (85')
The five types of long-term residential visas
Obed Suhail of ServiceMarket, an online home services marketplace, outlines the five types of long-term residential visas:
Investors:
A 10-year residency visa can be obtained by investors who invest Dh10 million, out of which 60 per cent should not be in real estate. It can be a public investment through a deposit or in a business. Those who invest Dh5 million or more in property are eligible for a five-year residency visa. The invested amount should be completely owned by the investors, not loaned, and retained for at least three years.
Entrepreneurs:
A five-year multiple entry visa is available to entrepreneurs with a previous project worth Dh0.5m or those with the approval of an accredited business incubator in the UAE.
Specialists
Expats with specialised talents, including doctors, specialists, scientists, inventors, and creative individuals working in the field of culture and art are eligible for a 10-year visa, given that they have a valid employment contract in one of these fields in the country.
Outstanding students:
A five-year visa will be granted to outstanding students who have a grade of 95 per cent or higher in a secondary school, or those who graduate with a GPA of 3.75 from a university.
Retirees:
Expats who are at least 55 years old can obtain a five-year retirement visa if they invest Dh2m in property, have savings of Dh1m or more, or have a monthly income of at least Dh20,000.
Key 2013/14 UAE Motorsport dates
October 4: Round One of Rotax Max Challenge, Al Ain (karting)
October 1: 1 Round One of the inaugural UAE Desert Championship (rally)
November 1-3: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Formula One)
November 28-30: Dubai International Rally
January 9-11: 24Hrs of Dubai (Touring Cars / Endurance)
March 21: Round 11 of Rotax Max Challenge, Muscat, Oman (karting)
April 4-10: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (Endurance)
RESULTS
Time; race; prize; distance
4pm: Maiden; (D) Dh150,000; 1,200m
Winner: General Line, Xavier Ziani (jockey), Omar Daraj (trainer)
4.35pm: Maiden (T); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Travis County, Adrie de Vries, Ismail Mohammed
5.10pm: Handicap (D); Dh175,000; 1,200m
Winner: Scrutineer, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
5.45pm: Maiden (D); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Yulong Warrior, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
6.20pm: Maiden (D); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Ejaaby, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson
6.55pm: Handicap (D); Dh160,000; 1,600m
Winner: Storyboard, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
7.30pm: Handicap (D); Dh150,000; 2,200m
Winner: Grand Dauphin, Gerald Mosse, Ahmed Al Shemaili
8.05pm: Handicap (T); Dh190,000; 1,800m
Winner: Good Trip, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Results
Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent
Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent
Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent
'Skin'
Dir: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
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'Top Gun: Maverick'
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
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