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Tag: UAE

  • India’s Harnaaz Sandhu becomes Miss Universe amidst controversies

    India’s Harnaaz Sandhu becomes Miss Universe amidst controversies

    Miss India, Harnaaz Sandhu was given the title of Miss Universe 2021 in the 70th edition of the annual pageant, held in Eilat, Israel on Monday. Several participants took part in the event despite the pressure to boycott in support of Palestinians. This is the first time the pageant was held in Israel. The event has faced several complications due to the covid pandemic as well.

    Nadia Ferreira from Paraguay took the first runner-up position and Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane filled the second-runner up spot.

    Ministry of Sports, Culture and Arts of South Africa had stressed upon its participant to stay away from Eilat due to “atrocities committed by Israel against Palestinians.”

    South Africa also withdrew their support from its participant Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane but she took part in the event.

    The grandson of Nelson Mandela, Mandla Mandela also supported the call to boycott the annual pageant.

    Miss Universe 2017, Sarah Idan, who belong to Iraq tweeted, “All I can say is how dare you? How dare you as a man try to tell an organization for women, and women empowerment what to do.”

    The other groups for Palestinian advocacy also requested to avoid the event to voice out the atrocities of Israel against Palestine.

    The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel wrote: “We urge all participants to withdraw, to avoid complicity in Israel’s apartheid regime and its violation of Palestinian human rights.”

    Contestants from Muslim majority countries also participated in the pageant which includes Morocco and Bahrain who have normalized their diplomatic ties with Israel last year.

    Miss Universe 2020, Andrea Meza from Mexico also emphasised that the annual pageant should be away from politics and religion. She said that it is only for women and what they can contribute to society.

    Muslim majority, Malaysia and Indonesia nations which have no diplomatic ties with Israel, did not send their participants due to complications of the covid pandemic and not because of any political grounds.

    The United Arab Emirates, UAE which also normalised the ties with Israel last year has not sent its contestant due to time constraints in the selection of a national winner.

    Participants of the pageant have also faced criticism on cultural appropriation when candidates wore robes with traditional Palestinian embroidery while rolling grape leaves.

    Ines Abdel Razek of the advocacy group the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy. tweeted, “Colonialism, racism, cultural appropriation, patriarchy, whitewashing, all in one place.”

  • Wasim Akram gets UAE ‘Golden Visa’

    Wasim Akram gets UAE ‘Golden Visa’

    Former captain of Pakistan cricket team and Sultan of swing Wasim Akram has been issued Golden Visa of Dubai.

    “It is an honour that the Dubai government has issued me a Golden Visa in recognition of my services to cricket,” the former captain said in a post on social media.

    Akram further wrote in his post that Dubai is undoubtedly one of the best business hubs in the world, a holiday destination and a city that connects the people of the world. He also said that he would like to spend more time in Dubai.

    It is pertinent to mention here that all-rounder of the national team Shoaib Malik and his wife and Indian tennis star Sania Mirza have also been issued golden visas by the Dubai government.

  • UAE to resume tourist visas

    The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced that it will resume issuing tourist visas to vaccinated travelers from August 30 (today). UAE authorities have said that applications for tourist visas will be open to people from all countries, provided that they are fully vaccinated with one of the WHO-approved Covid-19 vaccines.

    The WHO-approved vaccines include AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, Sinopharm and Sinovac.

    “The decision applies to citizens of all countries, including those arriving from the previously banned countries. Arriving passengers on tourist visa must take mandatory rapid PCR test at the airport. The previous rules for unvaccinated, including exempted categories, remain in place,” Emirates News Agency has reported.

    On August 5, the UAE lifted a ban on transit passenger traffic from Pakistan, India, Nigeria and other countries.

  • ‘I am currently in talks to return to Afghanistan’: Ashraf Ghani

    ‘I am currently in talks to return to Afghanistan’: Ashraf Ghani

    Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani has taken refuge in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

    Ghani left Afghanistan as the Taliban advanced on the capital city, Kabul, over the weekend.

    The UAE’s foreign ministry said the country has welcomed Ghani and his family on humanitarian grounds.

    In a video address later on Wednesday, Ghani denied fleeing and said he had left to prevent what he described as a “huge disaster”, reported the BBC.

    “For now, I am in the Emirates so that bloodshed and chaos is stopped,” he said, “I am currently in talks to return to Afghanistan.”

    Ghani also said rumours that he had travelled to the UAE with a large amount of money were “completely baseless” and “lies”.

    The Russian embassy in Kabul alleged on Monday that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had fled the country with four cars and a helicopter full of cash and had to leave some money behind as not all of it would fit in, Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti reported.

    Meanwhile, United States (US) President Joe Biden blamed the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan on Afghan political leaders who fled the country and the unwillingness of the US-trained Afghan army to fight the militant group.

    In his speech, Biden said that the US troops could not defend a nation whose leaders “gave up and fled”, as did Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

  • Ashraf Ghani and family in UAE

    Ashraf Ghani and family in UAE

    The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday said that it had welcomed President Ashraf Ghani and his family into the country on humanitarian grounds.

    It still remains unclear whether Ghani flew directly to the UAE or was at another location since he left Kabul on Sunday.

    Ashraf left a note for his countrymen on social media, stating, “The Taliban have made it to remove me, they are here to attack all Kabul and the people of Kabul. In order to avoid the bleeding flood, I thought it was best to get out.”

    “Taliban have won the judgement of swords and guns and now they are responsible for protecting the countrymen’s honour, wealth, and self-esteem. Didn’t they win the legitimacy of hearts,” wrote Ashraf Ghani.

    Initially, he did not say where he had travelled to, but leading Afghan media group Tolo News suggested he had gone to Tajikistan.

    The Russian embassy in Kabul alleged on Monday that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had fled the country with four cars and a helicopter full of cash and had to leave some money behind as it would not all fit in, Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti reported.

  • VIDEO: Emirates ‘flight attendant’ on top of Burj Khalifa to celebrate UK travel rules change

    VIDEO: Emirates ‘flight attendant’ on top of Burj Khalifa to celebrate UK travel rules change

    Emirates shared a 32-second clip of a woman in their airline cabin crew uniform standing on top of the Burj Khalifa to celebrate the removal of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from the UK’s Red List.

    In the video, the woman can be seen holding boards that read: “Moving the UAE to the UK Amber List has made us feel on top of the world.” The camera then pans out to reveal that the crew member is at the tip of the tallest building in the world, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, which stands at 830 meters.

    The brave ‘flight attendant’ was played by skydiver and stuntwoman Nicole Smith-Ludvik. She expressed her gratitude on Instagram, “This is, without a doubt, one of the most amazing and exciting stunts I’ve ever done. A big shoutout to Emirates Airlines for your creative marketing idea! It was a pleasure being a part of the team.”

    The shoot was carried out with the help of a helicopter and drones.

    Nicole was required to stand on the top for hours and the stunt required a vast amount of planning and safety measures to go ahead, as per sources.

    Last week, the British government announced that the UAE and Bahrain will be removed from the UK’s travel Red List. The airline will soon resume its services in the United Kingdom.

    Unvaccinated passengers arriving from Amber List countries need to isolate for 10 days upon their arrival but can be released after five days with a negative test result. However, those who have been fully vaccinated do not have to self-isolate but must provide a negative Covid-19 test within two days of arrival.

  • ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 to be held in UAE, Oman

    ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 to be held in UAE, Oman

    ICC has officially announced that Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 is to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman.

    The cricket governing body announced the news on their social media accounts.

    Earlier, it was reported that the T20 WC 2021 is set to begin from October 17 in the UAE, with the final for the 16-team tournament scheduled for November 14. The tournament will start days after the Indian Premier League (IPL) final, which is likely to be held on October 15.

    As per details, the venue for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 has been shifted to the UAE and Oman, with the tournament set to run from October 17 to November 14.

    The tournament was originally set to be staged in India, but had to be shifted given the deadly second wave of Covid-19 there.

    The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will remain the hosts of the event, which will now be held across four venues – Dubai International Stadium, the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the Sharjah Stadium, and the Oman Cricket Academy Ground.

    The first round of the tournament, comprising eight qualifying teams, will now be split between Oman and the UAE. Four of these teams will then progress to the Super 12s round where they will join the eight automatic qualifiers.

    “The BCCI is looking forward to hosting the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 tournament in UAE and Oman,” said Saurav Ganguli in the official statement.

    The upcoming edition will be the first Men’s T20 World Cup played since 2016, when the West Indies beat England in the final in India.

    The eight teams competing in the preliminary stage are Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Namibia, Oman and Papua New Guinea, before the play-off stage and the Final on November 14.

  • T20 World Cup reportedly moved to UAE from India, set to begin on October 17

    T20 World Cup reportedly moved to UAE from India, set to begin on October 17

    The 2021 men’s T20 World Cup will not take place in India anymore. It is set to begin from October 17 in the United Arab Emirates, with the final for the 16-team tournament scheduled for November 14.

    Reportedly, the tournament will start days after the Indian Premier League (IPL) final, which is likely to be held on October 15. The remainder of IPL 2021 will be played in the UAE, starting September 19.

    While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to write to the International Cricket Council (ICC) officially about shifting the T20 World Cup to the UAE, it has already set the ball rolling in terms of planning for the tournament to be held in the middle east.

    As per the current plan, the first round of the T20 World Cup will be split across two groups and played in the UAE and Oman.

    Round 1, which will include 12 matches, will comprise eight teams from which four (top two from each group) would qualify for the Super 12s. Four team from this lot of eight i.e, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Namibia, Oman, Papua New Guinea will then progress to the Super 12s, joining the top eight ranked T20I teams. The Super 12s phase, comprising 30 matches, is scheduled to start from October 24. The Super 12s, where teams will be split across two groups of six each, will be played at three venues in the UAE, i.e. Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. This will be followed by three playoff games – the two semi-finals and the final.

    With Round 1 being co-hosted by one of the venues in the UAE and Oman, the BCCI is confident that will offer enough time to refresh the pitches across the main grounds in the UAE for the Super 12s.

    On June 1, the ICC granted BCCI until the end of June to give its final word on whether India will be able to host the T20 World Cup. With the Covid-19 pandemic disrupting the global cricket calendar last year, the ICC postponed the 2020 World Cup, originally scheduled to be held in Australia, and decided India would host the tournament in 2021 with Australia hosting the 2022 edition.

    However, the grim pandemic situation in India, which was flattened by a second wave this summer, forced the BCCI to abruptly suspend the IPL at the halfway stage in May.

    That development instantly cast doubts on whether India could be fit to host the multi-team World T20 after travel between cities was identified as a prime area of concern for teams getting exposed to coronavirus outside the bubble during the IPL.

    The BCCI had shortlisted nine venues for the T20 World Cup, but an ICC team, meant to carry out inspection, had to cancel its visit in April. Despite the pandemic numbers climbing down since the alarming peak of April-May period, public health experts have predicted India will face a third wave later in 2021. With the ICC deadline expiring in a few days, the BCCI is expected to make its decision public on moving the event outside to the UAE.

  • PCB gets the green light from Abu Dhabi authorities for remaining PSL matches

    PCB gets the green light from Abu Dhabi authorities for remaining PSL matches

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has gotten the green light from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government for the remaining 20 Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches in Abu Dhabi.

    The PCB will now hold an online meeting with the six franchise owners later in the day to update them on the progress made and also to finalise details, which will be shared in due course.

    PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan said, “We are delighted with this development as the remaining hurdles in the staging of the remaining HBL PSL 6 matches in Abu Dhabi have been overcome and all systems are now good to go.”

    “We are grateful to the UAE government, National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, Emirates Cricket Board and Abu Dhabi Sports Council for their support and patronage in ensuring all final obstacles were removed, which has firmly put us in a position to complete our marquee event,” he added.

    Read more – Andre Russell, Martin Guptill among lead names joining PSL6 in June

    “I take this opportunity to thank my staff for their untiring efforts and hard work that included sacrificing their Eid-ul-Fitr holidays in an effort to ensure the PCB honours its commitment to its fans to hold the remaining matches of the tournament in June,” Khan said.

    Khan also mentioned that the holding of the remaining matches in Abu Dhabi would allow fans follow and support their favourite players and teams through high-quality broadcast coverage.

    The PSL 6 was postponed after 14 matches on March 4 this year, after a Covid-19 outbreak was reported in the tournament’s bio-secure bubble.

  • Rich Indians reportedly fleeing to UAE on private jets, paying fare as high as $38,000

    Rich Indians reportedly fleeing to UAE on private jets, paying fare as high as $38,000

    Rich and affluent Indians are reportedly fleeing India to escape the COVID-19 pandemic, and the demand for private jets and fares has increased drastically.

    United Arab Emirates (UAE) decided to suspend flights from India and people had time till Sunday to travel back to UAE.

    Online price for one way fare has increased almost ten times. Flights from Mumbai to Dubai would cost as much as 80,000 Indian Rupees ($1,400).

    Tickets for the New Delhi to Dubai route were going for more than 50,000 rupees, five times more than the average rate. Moreover, no tickets were on offer from Sunday when the 10-day flight suspension comes into force.

    For private jets, the fare is ridiculously high. The spokesperson for a charter company total that
    “We have requested more aircraft from abroad to meet the demand. It costs $38,000 to $50,000 to hire a 13-seater jet from Mumbai to Dubai, and US$31,000 to hire a six-seater aircraft.”

    “People are making groups and arranging to share our jets to get a seat. We’ve had some queries for Thailand but the demand is for Dubai,” he maintained.

    According to the latest figures, UAE is home to around 3.3 million Indians which accounts to a third of Dubai’s total population.

    The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority has ordered that those who are coming from India must stay in 14 days quarantine.