Premier League games lose out to weather

Saturday's Premier League clash between Burnley and Stoke at Turf Moor has become the second top-flight fixture in England to fall victim to the freezing weather. The Clarets released a short statement confirming that the game had been postponed for safety reasons. Sunderland's clash with Bolton and Fulham's meeting with Portsmouth were also called off following recommendations from the City's Safety Advisory Group. Sunday's clash between Liverpool and Tottenham was also in doubt after the Anfield club recommended to the Premier League on police advice that the game be postponed. With many roads around the club's ground considered to be dangerous, they sought advice from the authorities and are now awaiting a response from the Premier League. A Liverpool spokesman said: "We will make an announcement as soon as the Premier League come back to us." The postponement of Saturday's Coca-Cola Championship fixtures between Middlesbrough and Swansea at the Riverside and QPR and Plymouth at Loftus road mean there are only four fixtures remaining in English football's second tier. lthornhill@thenational.ae

Essentials

The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Seattle from Dh6,755 return in economy and Dh24,775 in business class.
The cruise
UnCruise Adventures offers a variety of small-ship cruises in Alaska and around the world. A 14-day Alaska’s Inside Passage and San Juans Cruise from Seattle to Juneau or reverse costs from $4,695 (Dh17,246), including accommodation, food and most activities. Trips in 2019 start in April and run until September.

Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Company%20Profile

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Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier

UAE results
Beat China by 16 runs
Lost to Thailand by 10 wickets
Beat Nepal by five runs
Beat Hong Kong by eight wickets
Beat Malaysia by 34 runs

Standings (P, W, l, NR, points)

1. Thailand 5 4 0 1 9
2. UAE 5 4 1 0 8
3. Nepal 5 2 1 2 6
4. Hong Kong 5 2 2 1 5
5. Malaysia 5 1 4 0 2
6. China 5 0 5 0 0

Final
Thailand v UAE, Monday, 7am

Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.