The Netherlands is entering a strict lockdown over Christmas and New Year as it tries to slow the spread of the highly-contagious Omicron variant.
All non-essential shops and services, including restaurants, hairdressers, museums and gyms will be closed from Sunday until January 14. All schools will be shut until at least January 9.
“The Netherlands is going into lockdown again from tomorrow,” caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte said. The move was “unavoidable because of the fifth wave caused by the Omicron variant that is bearing down on us” and spreading faster than feared, he said.
Other European countries have also announced new restrictions, including France, Germany and Ireland.
A failure to act would likely lead to “an unmanageable situation in hospitals”, Rutte said.
Other measures in the lockdown rules include a recommendation that households receive no more than two visitors and that gatherings outside are also limited to a maximum of two people.
“We all know someone who needs some extra attention these days. Keep looking out for each other,” Rutte said.
“Christmas is the festival of hope and of light in the dark. And we have previously proven together that we as a society can handle a lot. Together we will overcome this period again.”
France has imposed “drastically tighter” travel restrictions on passengers from the UK. The country has also cancelled all official New Year's Eve celebrations and firework displays.
The French government said travellers from Britain must have a compelling reason for their trip which could not be tourism or business, a move that came into effect at midnight on Saturday. French nationals and their families are exempt.
Travellers who are permitted to enter will need to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test and people returning to France from the UK will need to self-isolate for a week.
All UK arrivals will need to present a negative PCR or antigen test taken within 24 hours, extended from 48 hours, and will have to quarantine in France for seven days, which can be reduced to 48 hours if they have a new negative test.
On Friday, additional Covid-19 restrictions were also announced in Germany and the Republic of Ireland.
Germany designated France, Norway and Denmark as “new high-risk areas”, alongside Lebanon and Andorra. Those who are unvaccinated or who have not recovered from the virus will be subject to quarantine with the possibility of testing on day five.
Earlier this week, Italy, Greece and Portugal said both vaccinated and unvaccinated visitors from the EU will need to have a negative test result on arrival, a rule similar to Ireland.
Greece's rules come into effect from Sunday and will only apply during Christmas.
In Ireland, various measures have been taken, including a mandate that pubs, restaurants, theatres and cinemas must close by 8pm.
In Switzerland, where 9,941 new infections were recorded on Friday, travellers, whether vaccinated or not, must present a negative PCR result on arrival and be tested on days four and seven of their stay, although this is set to ease from Monday, with visitors now able to choose between a quick test within 24 hours of arrival or a PCR test within 72 hours, local media reports.
As of Monday, the popular skiing destination will also put into force new Covid restrictions on public gatherings. This includes everyone having to provide negative tests in areas where masks cannot be worn and seating is not provided, for example.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex on Friday said the Omicron variant is “spreading at lightning speed”, with France's Health minister Olivier Veran saying on Saturday that between 7 and 10 per cent of new cases in the country are thought to be Omicron.
Since the pandemic started, Europe has reported more than 89 million cases and 1.5 million Covid-related deaths, according to the latest figures from the EU.
Covid-19 cases are surging in the UK, with Britain reporting 90,418 new cases on Saturday, slightly down on the record high of 93,045 infections on Friday.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
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If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes. Portland is a 260 km drive from Seattle and Emirates offers codeshare flights to Portland with its partner Alaska Airlines.
The car
Hertz (www.hertz.ae) offers compact car rental from about $300 per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
Parks and accommodation
For information on Crater Lake National Park, visit www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm . Because of the altitude, large parts of the park are closed in winter due to snow. While the park’s summer season is May 22-October 31, typically, the full loop of the Rim Drive is only possible from late July until the end of October. Entry costs $25 per car for a day. For accommodation, see www.travelcraterlake.com. For information on Umpqua Hot Springs, see www.fs.usda.gov and https://soakoregon.com/umpqua-hot-springs/. For Bend, see https://www.visitbend.com/.
THE BIO:
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RACE CARD
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,200m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,900m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 2,000m
8.15pm: Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,600m
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
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
Company%20profile
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The years Ramadan fell in May
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
