United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates Extends Travel Ban for Indians Leaving Expats Stuck Abroad
The United Arab Emirates has extended a suspension for those travelling from India and several other South Asian countries due to COVID-related guidelines.
According to Etihad Airlines, the ban will be in place until July 31st.
However, other airlines have said this is pending government review. The extension does not include UAE citizens, diplomats or those holding the nation's investor visa. Nor does it include fully vaccinated travellers that hold a residency visa and have taken three tests since June 23rd.
Read: UAE widens travel ban leaving many South Asians unable to return to country
However, those who fall outside this bracket and hope to conduct business or travel for leisure to the UAE will have to continue to wait for the restrictions to be lifted. Since April, expats in India have been left in limbo overseas, with many forced to re-evaluate their options. The need to have alternative solutions has become more apparent than ever for those facing limited mobility, not only impacting business but jeopardising family safety.
Since the onset of the pandemic, there has been a spike in demand for second citizenship as a tool that can be leveraged to diversify assets whilst also providing a safety net during times of uncertainty. According to data, there have been as many as 5,000 high net-worth Indians who have left the country since 2020. In conjunction, there has been a sharp incline in interest for Citizenship by Investment (CBI) - a process that confers citizenship to an applicant and additional dependents once an economic contribution is made to a host country.
Read: Dominica Completes $2m Bypass Project to Safeguard Community During Hurricane Season
"As governments become more insular and impose stricter visa controls, the opportunity to travel and do business globally is considerably hampered. So, Citizenship by Investment is a wonderful way to reverse that as it gives the Indian national better access to travel and business opportunities," says Micha Emmett, CEO of CS Global Partners is a global investor immigration firm specialising in providing citizenship solutions.
Since 1993, Dominica has welcomed Indian investors, among others, to become citizens of the Caribbean nation. The country's CBI programme offers successful applicants a trusted route to second citizenship with benefits such as increased travel freedom to over 140 destinations, access to top tier educational institutions and alternative business prospects. The programme has also been ranked as the world's best offering for second citizenship by an annual independent study conducted by experts at the Financial Times' PWM.
UAE becomes world’s most vaccinated nation against COVID-19: Bloomberg's Vaccine Tracker
The United Arab Emirates leads the world, with enough vaccinations to cover 72.1 percent of its population and has overtaken Seychelles to become the world's most vaccinated nation, according to Bloomberg's Vaccine Tracker.
The UAE has so far administered 15.5 million doses, enough to cover 72.1 percent of its population based on a two-dose regimen. The UAE tests more people per capita than most nations and has one of the lowest fatality rates in the world.
In a statement, Abdul Rahman bin Mohammad bin Nasser Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, said that this new global achievement adds to the country’s success and record of achievements in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that it is an international recognition of the success of the National Vaccination Campaign, launched by the UAE, which is continuing to achieve its objectives.
Also read: Europe in vaccination race against COVID-19′s delta variant
"The proactive vision of the country’s leadership enabled us to address the challenges posed by COVID-19. Today, the UAE is the world’s most vaccinated country," he added. He also highlighted the efforts of the national health sector, which is keen to provide diverse types of vaccines to all segments of the community, as well as the community's awareness about the importance of being vaccinated.
Al Owais stressed that the National Vaccination Campaign is continuing in all emirates of the country, along with the adherence to relevant precautionary measures, which represent the foundations of the national efforts aimed at achieving recovery and ensuring the return to normalcy.
Medical teams and front-liners are working as one team, upon the directives of the UAE’s leadership, to achieve recovery from the pandemic, he added, affirming that the UAE is a unique global model of combating the COVID-19 pandemic, and has received widespread international appreciation, underscoring the community’s confidence in the procedures adopted by the UAE Government.
Also read: COVAX calls for equal recognition of all approved vaccines
He also noted the importance of the community’s awareness of, and adherence to, precautionary measures to maintain the gains achieved by the country and protect its members.
Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker is the most up-to-date and comprehensive tally of vaccinations around the globe.
Emirates suspends flights from Bangladesh till July 15
Emirates has suspended flights from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan to Dubai until July 15 following the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government's directives.
Also, passengers who connected through these countries in the last 14 days would not be allowed to travel with the airline from any point to the UAE, it said Saturday.
Also read: COVID-19 vaccine distribution: Emirates joins with UNICEF
However, UAE nationals, holders of UAE Golden Visas and members of diplomatic missions who comply with updated Covid‑19 protocols will be exempt and may be accepted for travel, the Dubai-based UAE flag carrier said.
On July 1, the UAE announced a travel ban on citizens from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Namibia, Zambia, Congo, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, South Africa and Nigeria.
Also read: Alhammadi new County Manager in Bangladesh for Emirates
"With the start of the travel season, citizens need to comply with all precautionary and preventive measures related to Covid-19," the Foreign Ministry and the National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority said.
Hard-line judiciary head wins Iran presidency in low turnout
Iran’s hard-line judiciary chief won a landslide victory in the country’s presidential election, a vote that both propelled the supreme leader’s protege into Tehran’s highest civilian position and saw the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history.
The election of Ebrahim Raisi, already sanctioned by the U.S. in part over his involvement in the mass execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988, became more of a coronation after his strongest competition found themselves disqualified from running in Saturday’s vote.
That sparked calls for a boycott and many apparently did stay home — out of over 59 million eligible voters, only 28.9 million voted. Of those voting, some 3.7 million people either accidentally or intentionally voided their ballots, far beyond the amount seen in previous elections and suggesting some wanted none of the four candidates.
Read: Iraq Interior Ministry: 82 killed in Baghdad hospital fire
Iranian state television immediately blamed challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and U.S. sanctions for the low participation. But the low turnout and voided ballots suggested a wider unhappiness with the tightly controlled election, as activists criticized Raisi’s ascension.
“That Ebrahim Raisi has risen to the presidency instead of being investigated for the crimes against humanity of murder, enforced disappearance and torture is a grim reminder that impunity reigns supreme in Iran,” Amnesty International’s Secretary-General Agnes Callamard said.
In official results, Raisi won 17.9 million votes overall, nearly 62% of the total 28.9 million cast. Had the voided ballots gone to a candidate, that person would have come in second. Following Raisi was former hard-line Revolutionary Guard commander Mohsen Rezaei with 3.4 million votes.
Former Central Bank chief Abdolnasser Hemmati, a moderate viewed as a stand-in for outgoing President Hassan Rouhani in the election, came in third with 2.4 million votes. Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi was last with just under 1 million.
Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, who gave the results, did not explain the high number of voided ballots. Elections in 2017 and 2012 saw some 1.2 million voided ballots apiece. Iran does not allow international election observers.
While Iran does not have mandatory voting, those casting ballots do receive stamps showing they voted on their birth certificates. Some worry that could affect their ability to apply for jobs and scholarships, or to hold onto their positions in the government or security forces.
Read:A growing challenge for Iraq: Iran-aligned Shiite militias
Abroad, Syrian President Bashar Assad immediately congratulated Raisi’s win. Iran has been instrumental in seeing Assad hold onto the presidency amid his country’s decade-long grinding war.
Separate congratulations came from Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who also serves as the vice president and prime minister of the hereditarily ruled United Arab Emirates. The UAE has been trying to de-escalate tensions with Iran since a series of attacks on shipping off its coast in 2019 that the U.S. Navy blamed on Iran.
Also congratulating Raisi was Oman, which has served as an interlocutor between Tehran and the West.
Iran’s archrival Israel, however, slammed the new leader. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid called Raisi “the butcher of Tehran” and described him as responsible for the deaths of “thousands of Iranians.”
Rouhani, who in 2017 dismissed Raisi as an opponent in his reelection as someone only knowing about “executions and imprisoning” people, met the cleric Saturday and congratulated him.
“I hope I can respond well to the people’s confidence, vote and kindness during my term,” Raisi said.
Read: Pope visits Iraq's war-ravaged north on last day of tour
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution overthrew the shah, Iran’s theocracy has cited voter turnout as a sign of its legitimacy, beginning with its first referendum that won 98.2% support that simply asked whether or not people wanted an Islamic Republic. Some, including former hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, called for a boycott of Saturday’s election.
A constitutional panel under Khamenei disqualified reformists and those backing Rouhani, whose administration reached the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. The accord disintegrated three years later with then-President Donald Trump’s unilateral withdrawal of America from the agreement.
Raisi’s election puts hard-liners firmly in control across the government as negotiations in Vienna continue to try to save a tattered deal meant to limit Iran’s nuclear program, at a time when Tehran is enriching uranium at its highest levels ever, though still short of weapons-grade levels. Tensions remain high with both the U.S. and Israel, which is believed to have carried out a series of attacks targeting Iranian nuclear sites as well as assassinating the scientist who created its military atomic program decades earlier.
Raisi also has become the first serving Iranian president sanctioned by the U.S. government even before entering office over his involvement in the 1988 mass executions, as well as his time as the head of Iran’s internationally criticized judiciary — one of the world’s top executioners.
The State Department said it hoped to build on the Vienna talks “regardless of who is in power.” However, it noted the election’s lowest-ever turnout and described Iranians as being “denied their right to choose their own leaders in a free and fair electoral process.”
“Iran’s restrictions on free expression and association fundamentally compromise the electoral environment,” the State Department said. “Hundreds of political prisoners remain jailed, and we join the international community in calling for their release.”
Read:A timeline of disaster and displacement for Iraqi Christians
But U.S. hopes for a longer and stronger nuclear deal from the Vienna talks may be in question.
“Raisi’s ambivalence about foreign interaction will only worsen the chances that Washington could persuade Tehran to accept further limits on its nuclear program, regional influence, or missile program, at least in Joe Biden’s first term in office,” wrote Henry Rome, an analyst at the Eurasia Group who studies Iran.
Iranian presidents have almost all served two four-year terms. That means Raisi could be at the helm what could be one of the most crucial moments for the country in decades — the death of the 82-year-old Khamenei. Speculation already has begun that Raisi might be a contender for the position, along with Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba.
UAE lauds PM Hasina's leadership in managing COVID-19 challenges
United Arab Emirates (UAE) State Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh on Monday lauded the wise and visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for achieving spectacular economic and social progress as well as managing the challenges of Covid-19.
UN experts: Trump ally, UAE firms violated Libya sanctions
American security contractor Erik Prince, a close ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump, violated the U.N. arms embargo against Libya along with three United Arab Emirates-based companies and their top managers during an operation to help a rebel military commander take the capital Tripoli, U.N. experts said.
UAE leads countries advocating women's rights at global level
The United Arab Emirates is at the forefront of the countries advocating women's rights at the global level through a series of initiatives and programmes aimed at supporting and empowering women in many societies and countries.
The tale of ending use of Bangladeshi children as camel jockeys
It was not many years ago when we saw Bangladeshi children being used as camel jockeys in any Arab country, far from their sweet homes. The doleful situation has changed over the years but there are untold stories behind ending the use of Bangladeshi children as camel jockeys. We had seen the repatriation of camel jockeys from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) back in August 2005, too.
UAE, a global destination for medical tourism
The United Arab Emirates has established itself as one of the best medical tourism destinations in the world over the past years, thanks to international confidence in its health sector, which has succeeded in attracting major medical institutions of international prestige.
UAE grants citizenship and passport to investors, professionals, special talents
The United Arab Emirates has approved amendments to the Executive Regulation of the Federal Law concerning Nationality and Passports allowing investors, professionals, special talents and their families to acquire the Emirati nationality and passport under certain conditions.