Britain's HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier is managing a Covid-19 outbreak after more than 100 crew members were infected during a port call in Cyprus this month.
The Royal Navy said the first cases were identified on or around July 4 when the state-of-the-art warship was docked at Limassol on the island's south coast.
Britain's largest warship docked in the port from June 30 until July 5, spearheading the UK's largest peacetime deployment in a generation, Carrier Strike Group 21.
"As part of routine testing, a small number of crew from the Carrier Strike Group have tested positive for Covid-19," a Royal Navy spokesman said.
"All personnel deployed have received both doses of the Covid vaccine, and there are a number of mitigation measures onboard, including masks, social distancing and a track and trace system.
"The Carrier Strike Group will continue to deliver their operational tasks, and there are no effects on the deployment."
Almost half of the ships in the carrier strike group – which will visit 40 countries on the six-month tour of Asia – were reportedly hit by positive cases.
The outbreak on HMS Queen Elizabeth occurred after sailors "were given a run ashore in Limassol", The Sun reported.
During her five-day call at Limassol port, several dignitaries were welcomed on board including Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades.
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the outbreak had prompted no rethink of the carrier group's planned 40-country tour.
There are 3,700 personnel in the group, including 1,600 on the HMS Queen Elizabeth.
"Our crew are double vaccinated, so you'll be glad to know there is no serious effects on any of the crew, and we will manage it," Mr Wallace told a press briefing on Tuesday.
Last September, HMS Queen Elizabeth postponed sailing from its base in Portsmouth, southern England, after several crew members tested positive.
HMS Queen Elizabeth is leading nine UK Carrier Strike Group ships on a 26,000-mile journey across the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean and into East Asia.
Cyprus is suffering a fourth wave of coronavirus driven by the aggressive Delta variant, with infections hitting a record 1,081 on Tuesday.
The country has recorded 86,185 cases and 382 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
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Honeymoonish
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MO
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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
MANDOOB
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Results:
Men's 100m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 15 sec; 2. Rheed McCracken (AUS) 15.40; 3. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 15.75. Men's 400m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 50.56; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 50.94; 3. Henry Manni (FIN) 52.24.
Profile Box
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Mohammed Toraif
Based: Manama, Bahrain
Sector: Sales, Technology, Conservation
Size: (employees/revenue) 4/ 5,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($100,000)
Investors: Two first-round investors including, 500 Startups, Fawaz Al Gosaibi Holding (Saudi Arabia)
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
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Company%20profile
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Dubai World Cup Carnival card:
6.30pm: Handicap (Turf) | US$175,000 | 2,410 metres
7.05pm: UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (Dirt) | $100,000 | 1,400m
7.40pm: Handicap (T) | $145,000 | 1,000m
8.15pm: Dubawi Stakes Group 3 (D) | $200,000 | 1,200m
8.50pm: Singspiel Stakes Group 3 (T) | $200,000 | 1,800m
9.25pm: Handicap (T) | $175,000 | 1,400m
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
if you go
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
