A security guard stands outside the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market on January 24, where the coronavirus was detected in Wuhan. AFP
A security guard stands outside the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market on January 24, where the coronavirus was detected in Wuhan. AFP
Personnel in biological hazard suits await passengers evacuated from Wuhan on January 29. AFP
Personnel in biological hazard suits await passengers evacuated from Wuhan on January 29. AFP
A visitor wearing a protective face mask at the Arab Health conference held at Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai on January 29, 2020. Pawan Singh / The National
A visitor wearing a protective face mask at the Arab Health conference held at Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai on January 29, 2020. Pawan Singh / The National
A woman wears a plastic water bottle with a cutout to cover her face, as she walks on a footbridge in Hong Kong on January 31, 2020, as a preventative measure following a virus outbreak which began in the Chinese city of Wuhan. AFP
A woman wears a plastic water bottle with a cutout to cover her face, as she walks on a footbridge in Hong Kong on January 31, 2020, as a preventative measure following a virus outbreak which began in the Chinese city of Wuhan. AFP
A shopper wearing a protective facemask sorts items in her trolley as she stands next to bare supermarket shelves, usually stocked with toilet paper and kitchen rolls, in Hong Kong on February 6, 2020. AFP
A shopper wearing a protective facemask sorts items in her trolley as she stands next to bare supermarket shelves, usually stocked with toilet paper and kitchen rolls, in Hong Kong on February 6, 2020. AFP
A drawing of the late ophthalmologist Li Wenliang with flower bouquets at the Houhu Branch of Wuhan Central Hospital in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province, February 7, 2020. Li, a doctor who was punished after raising the alarm about the new coronavirus, died on February 7 after being infected by the pathogen. AFP
A drawing of the late ophthalmologist Li Wenliang with flower bouquets at the Houhu Branch of Wuhan Central Hospital in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province, February 7, 2020. Li, a doctor who was punished after raising the alarm about the new coronavirus, died on February 7 after being infected by the pathogen. AFP
Liu Yujia, the first person in the UAE to recover from coronavirus is congratulated by Consul General Li Xuhang of China and Dr Hussein Al Rand, assistant undersecretary of the Ministry of Health and Prevention, on February 9, 2020. Wam
Liu Yujia, the first person in the UAE to recover from coronavirus is congratulated by Consul General Li Xuhang of China and Dr Hussein Al Rand, assistant undersecretary of the Ministry of Health and Prevention, on February 9, 2020. Wam
Iranian Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi wipes the sweat off his face, during a press conference with the Islamic republic's government spokesman Ali Rabiei in the capital Tehran on February 24, 2020. Iran's deputy health minister confirmed on February 25, that he has tested positive for the coronavirus. AFP
Iranian Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi wipes the sweat off his face, during a press conference with the Islamic republic's government spokesman Ali Rabiei in the capital Tehran on February 24, 2020. Iran's deputy health minister confirmed on February 25, that he has tested positive for the coronavirus. AFP
A nurse wearing protective mask and gear comforts another as they change shifts on March 13, 2020 at the Cremona hospital, southeast of Milan, Lombardy, during the country's lockdown. AFP
A nurse wearing protective mask and gear comforts another as they change shifts on March 13, 2020 at the Cremona hospital, southeast of Milan, Lombardy, during the country's lockdown. AFP
People clap from balconies in a show of appreciation for health care workers in Mumbai, India, on March 22, 2020. AP Photo
People clap from balconies in a show of appreciation for health care workers in Mumbai, India, on March 22, 2020. AP Photo
Gonzaga Yiga, a 49-year-old community chairperson, appeals to residents through a speaker from the tallest building of the area in morning and evening, on how to curb the coronavirus, in Kampala, Uganda, on March 24, 2020. AFP
Gonzaga Yiga, a 49-year-old community chairperson, appeals to residents through a speaker from the tallest building of the area in morning and evening, on how to curb the coronavirus, in Kampala, Uganda, on March 24, 2020. AFP
Sanitation workers from Tadweer in formation on the first day of the UAE cleaning campaign on March 27, 2020. Victor Besa / The National
Sanitation workers from Tadweer in formation on the first day of the UAE cleaning campaign on March 27, 2020. Victor Besa / The National
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson on a screen as he remotely chairs the morning coronavirus meeting by video link, in Downing Street in central London, on March 28, 2020. The two men leading Britain's fight against the coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Health Secretary Matt Hancock, both announced they had tested positive. AFP
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson on a screen as he remotely chairs the morning coronavirus meeting by video link, in Downing Street in central London, on March 28, 2020. The two men leading Britain's fight against the coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Health Secretary Matt Hancock, both announced they had tested positive. AFP
A South African policeman points his pump rifle to disperse a crowd of shoppers in Yeoville, Johannesburg, on March 28, 2020 while trying to enforce a safety distance outside a supermarket. AFP
A South African policeman points his pump rifle to disperse a crowd of shoppers in Yeoville, Johannesburg, on March 28, 2020 while trying to enforce a safety distance outside a supermarket. AFP
Police inspector Rajesh Babu wearing a coronavirus-themed helmet speaks to a family on a motorbike at a checkpoint during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown in Chennai, India on March 28, 2020. AFP
Police inspector Rajesh Babu wearing a coronavirus-themed helmet speaks to a family on a motorbike at a checkpoint during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown in Chennai, India on March 28, 2020. AFP
The new screening drive through at Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi, on March 29, 2020. Chris Whiteoak / The National
The new screening drive through at Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi, on March 29, 2020. Chris Whiteoak / The National
An inhabitant of the residence Maison Blanche, composed of 226 mostly unsanitary dwellings, collects food offered by neighbours from his balcony, using a rope made with blankets, on March 31, 2020, in Marseille, southern France. AFP
An inhabitant of the residence Maison Blanche, composed of 226 mostly unsanitary dwellings, collects food offered by neighbours from his balcony, using a rope made with blankets, on March 31, 2020, in Marseille, southern France. AFP
Bodies are moved to a refrigeration truck serving as a temporary morgue at Wyckoff Hospital in the Borough of Brooklyn on April 6, 2020 in New York. AFP
Bodies are moved to a refrigeration truck serving as a temporary morgue at Wyckoff Hospital in the Borough of Brooklyn on April 6, 2020 in New York. AFP
Health workers cry during a memorial for their co-worker Esteban, a nurse who died, at the Severo Ochoa Hospital in Leganes in Leganes, Spain, on April 10, 2020. AP Photo
Health workers cry during a memorial for their co-worker Esteban, a nurse who died, at the Severo Ochoa Hospital in Leganes in Leganes, Spain, on April 10, 2020. AP Photo
A Palestinian mother entertains her children with makeshift masks made of cabbage as she cooks in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 16, 2020. AFP
A Palestinian mother entertains her children with makeshift masks made of cabbage as she cooks in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 16, 2020. AFP
Health care workers stand in the street in counter-protest to hundreds of people who gathered at the State Capitol to demand the stay-at-home order be lifted in Denver, Colorado, US. April 19, 2020. Reuters
Health care workers stand in the street in counter-protest to hundreds of people who gathered at the State Capitol to demand the stay-at-home order be lifted in Denver, Colorado, US. April 19, 2020. Reuters
Members of the NYPD Honor Guard, wearing masks, prepare for the funeral of Traffic Section Commander Mohammed Chowdhury in New York, on April 22, 2020. AP Photo
Members of the NYPD Honor Guard, wearing masks, prepare for the funeral of Traffic Section Commander Mohammed Chowdhury in New York, on April 22, 2020. AP Photo
A sign indicates that Bondi Beach is closed as a surfer arrives for the 7am opening in Sydney on April 28, 2020. AP Photo
A sign indicates that Bondi Beach is closed as a surfer arrives for the 7am opening in Sydney on April 28, 2020. AP Photo
The iconic Christ the Redeemer statue is lit up as if wearing a protective mask and with a slogan that reads in Portuguese: "Mask saves," in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 3, 2020. AP Photo
The iconic Christ the Redeemer statue is lit up as if wearing a protective mask and with a slogan that reads in Portuguese: "Mask saves," in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 3, 2020. AP Photo
A medical worker takes a swab from a resident during home visits in Wuhan, the epicentre of China's coronavirus outbreak, in the central Hubei province, on May 14, 2020. AP
A medical worker takes a swab from a resident during home visits in Wuhan, the epicentre of China's coronavirus outbreak, in the central Hubei province, on May 14, 2020. AP
Guests watch the "Trolls World Tour" movie in the rain at the Four Brothers Drive In Theatre on May 15, 2020, in Amenia, NY. AP Photo
Guests watch the "Trolls World Tour" movie in the rain at the Four Brothers Drive In Theatre on May 15, 2020, in Amenia, NY. AP Photo
People are seen practising social distancing in white circles in Domino Park, on May 17, 2020 the in Brooklyn borough of New York City. AFP
People are seen practising social distancing in white circles in Domino Park, on May 17, 2020 the in Brooklyn borough of New York City. AFP
View of the Intensive Care Unit treating coronavirus patients in the Gilberto Novaes Hospital in Manaus, Brazil, on May 20, 2020. AFP
View of the Intensive Care Unit treating coronavirus patients in the Gilberto Novaes Hospital in Manaus, Brazil, on May 20, 2020. AFP
Rectangles designed to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus by encouraging social distancing are drawn in a city-sanctioned homeless encampment at San Francisco's Civic Centre on May 21, 2020. AP Photo
Rectangles designed to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus by encouraging social distancing are drawn in a city-sanctioned homeless encampment at San Francisco's Civic Centre on May 21, 2020. AP Photo
Government health workers visit riverside communities of the municipality of Melgaco to test them for coronavirus infections in the Marajoara region, located in the southwest of the island of Marajo, at the mouth of the Amazon River in the state of Para, Brazil, on May 23, 2020. AFP
Government health workers visit riverside communities of the municipality of Melgaco to test them for coronavirus infections in the Marajoara region, located in the southwest of the island of Marajo, at the mouth of the Amazon River in the state of Para, Brazil, on May 23, 2020. AFP
People attend a rave in boats of all sizes to give support to Berlin's world renowned dance clubs which were struggling due to the pandemic on the Landwehr canal on May 31, 2020 in Berlin's Kreuzberg district. AFP
People attend a rave in boats of all sizes to give support to Berlin's world renowned dance clubs which were struggling due to the pandemic on the Landwehr canal on May 31, 2020 in Berlin's Kreuzberg district. AFP
Children run down a street past an informational mural warning people about the dangers of coronavirus in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. AP Photo
Children run down a street past an informational mural warning people about the dangers of coronavirus in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. AP Photo
A man on a balcony watches the second-division game between Rayo Vallecano and Albacete in Madrid, Spain, on June 10, 2020. AP Photo
A man on a balcony watches the second-division game between Rayo Vallecano and Albacete in Madrid, Spain, on June 10, 2020. AP Photo
Irish Paralympic hopeful Leo Hynes, who is legally blind, trains in his home-made training pool in his front garden at home in Tuam, Co Galway, west Ireland, on June 18, 2020. AFP
Irish Paralympic hopeful Leo Hynes, who is legally blind, trains in his home-made training pool in his front garden at home in Tuam, Co Galway, west Ireland, on June 18, 2020. AFP
The Uceli Quartet perform for an audience made of plants during a concert created by Spanish artist Eugenio Ampudia and that would be later streamed to mark the reopening of the Liceu Grand Theatre in Barcelona on June 22, 2020. AFP
The Uceli Quartet perform for an audience made of plants during a concert created by Spanish artist Eugenio Ampudia and that would be later streamed to mark the reopening of the Liceu Grand Theatre in Barcelona on June 22, 2020. AFP
Agustina Canamero, 81, and Pascual Perez, 84, hug and kiss through a plastic film screen to avoid contracting the coronavirus at a nursing home in Barcelona, Spain, on June 22, 2020. AP Photo
Agustina Canamero, 81, and Pascual Perez, 84, hug and kiss through a plastic film screen to avoid contracting the coronavirus at a nursing home in Barcelona, Spain, on June 22, 2020. AP Photo
Romelia Navarro, 64, weeps while hugging her husband, Antonio, in his final moments in a Covid-19 unit at St Jude Medical Centre in Fullerton, California, on July 31, 2020. AP Photo
Romelia Navarro, 64, weeps while hugging her husband, Antonio, in his final moments in a Covid-19 unit at St Jude Medical Centre in Fullerton, California, on July 31, 2020. AP Photo
Muslim pilgrims circumambulating around the Kaaba at the centre of the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah, on August 2, 2020. AFP
Muslim pilgrims circumambulating around the Kaaba at the centre of the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah, on August 2, 2020. AFP
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro puts on a mask during the inauguration of the new General Abreu civic-military school in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 14, 2020. AP Photo
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro puts on a mask during the inauguration of the new General Abreu civic-military school in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 14, 2020. AP Photo
The first day back at school at Gems Wellington Academy in Al Khail, Duba on August 30, 2020. Antonie Robertson / The National
The first day back at school at Gems Wellington Academy in Al Khail, Duba on August 30, 2020. Antonie Robertson / The National
An Iraqi family mourns around the coffin of a relative, who died of the coronavirus, during a reburial ceremony at the vast Wadi al-Salam cemetery in the Shiite holy city of Najaf on September 11, 2020. AFP
An Iraqi family mourns around the coffin of a relative, who died of the coronavirus, during a reburial ceremony at the vast Wadi al-Salam cemetery in the Shiite holy city of Najaf on September 11, 2020. AFP
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed,, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the UAE, as he virtually addresses the general debate of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, on September 29, 2020, in New York. AFP
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed,, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the UAE, as he virtually addresses the general debate of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, on September 29, 2020, in New York. AFP
Medical workers celebrate as the last three patients are released from a field hospital at the National Stadium Mane Garrincha, after recuperating from Covid-19, in Brasilia, Brazil, on October 15, 2020. AP Photo
Medical workers celebrate as the last three patients are released from a field hospital at the National Stadium Mane Garrincha, after recuperating from Covid-19, in Brasilia, Brazil, on October 15, 2020. AP Photo
A woman speaks affectionately to a horse named "Tony" at the Maria Vieira Bazani nursing home in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on October 22, 2020. AP Photo
A woman speaks affectionately to a horse named "Tony" at the Maria Vieira Bazani nursing home in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on October 22, 2020. AP Photo
People wear face masks while watching the marine life at Ripley's Aquarium of Canada in Toronto, on October 28, 2020. AP
People wear face masks while watching the marine life at Ripley's Aquarium of Canada in Toronto, on October 28, 2020. AP
A technician sprays disinfectant as mourners pray over the body of a person who died, at the Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery on the outskirts of the Iranian capital, Tehran on November 1, 2020. AP Photo
A technician sprays disinfectant as mourners pray over the body of a person who died, at the Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery on the outskirts of the Iranian capital, Tehran on November 1, 2020. AP Photo
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Ruler of Dubai, receives the Sinopharm vaccine on November 3, 2020. Courtesy: Dubai Media Office
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Ruler of Dubai, receives the Sinopharm vaccine on November 3, 2020. Courtesy: Dubai Media Office
People dance at a nightclub, almost a year after the global outbreak of the coronavirus disease in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, on December 12, 2020. Reuters
People dance at a nightclub, almost a year after the global outbreak of the coronavirus disease in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, on December 12, 2020. Reuters
Medical workers of the Covid-19 intensive care unit at the Santo Stefano hospital in Prato, near Florence, Tuscany, pose wearing their PPE with photos of themselves printed on it, on December 17, 2020 at the hospital in Prato. AFP
Medical workers of the Covid-19 intensive care unit at the Santo Stefano hospital in Prato, near Florence, Tuscany, pose wearing their PPE with photos of themselves printed on it, on December 17, 2020 at the hospital in Prato. AFP
D-Day veteran and Chelsea Pensioner Bob James Sullivan, 98, a resident at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, is applauded by staff after receiving an injection of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine from Pippa Nightingale, Chief Nurse at the nearby Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on December 23, 2020. Chelsea Pensioners are all former soldiers of the British Army over the age of 65, who reside at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, founded by King Charles II in 1682, and wear a uniform which includes a scarlet coat. Getty Images
D-Day veteran and Chelsea Pensioner Bob James Sullivan, 98, a resident at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, is applauded by staff after receiving an injection of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine from Pippa Nightingale, Chief Nurse at the nearby Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on December 23, 2020. Chelsea Pensioners are all former soldiers of the British Army over the age of 65, who reside at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, founded by King Charles II in 1682, and wear a uniform which includes a scarlet coat. Getty Images

World

Year of the pandemic: 50 images that tell the story of the coronavirus in 2020

The pain, loss, heroes and surrealness are captured in this collection from the past 12 months

The National

December 31, 2020

  • English
  • Arabic

_____________

The world in 2021: what year two of the coronavirus pandemic may look like

The pandemic era: the world marks one year of Covid-19

Covid-19 long-haulers: some recovered patients in UAE suffer even after eight months

Coronavirus latest: World marks one year of Covid-19

The World in 2020 - in pictures

Cinco in numbers

Dh3.7 million

The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown

46

The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.

1,000

The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]

50

How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday

3,000

The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.

1.1 million

The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.

UK%20record%20temperature
%3Cp%3E38.7C%20(101.7F)%20set%20in%20Cambridge%20in%202019%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Wayne Rooney's career

Everton (2002-2004)

  • Appearances: 48
  • Goals: 17
     

Manchester United (2004-2017)

  • Appearances: 496
  • Goals: 253
     

England (2003-)

  • Appearances: 119
  • Goals: 53
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index

The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index

Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.

The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.

“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.

“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”

Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.

Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.

“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.

The specs: 2018 Jeep Compass

Price, base: Dh100,000 (estimate)

Engine: 2.4L four-cylinder

Transmission: Nine-speed automatic

Power: 184bhp at 6,400rpm

Torque: 237Nm at 3,900rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 9.4L / 100km

Coronavirus