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Pakistani airlines are hopeful rapid Covid-19 PCR tests will be widely available to passengers travelling to the UAE by the end of this week.
Many UAE residents remain stranded in Pakistan, despite the reopening of inbound flights for residents that meet Covid-19 travel rules.
A rapid PCR test taken at the airport four hours prior departure is among the requirements to travel to the Emirates, but most airports in Pakistan do not have those facilities available.
Sohail Nazar, UAE country manager at Pakistani airline Airblue, said that they were working with authorities to make the tests available to passengers.
“We, and I believe all airlines, are working hard to make the test available at airports,” he told The National.
“The issue was that the rapid PCR test has to be taken from the airport, so we’re trying to make those facilities available to passengers.
“We’re working with authorities and are hoping the facilities would be available widely by the end of this week.”
Passengers arriving from Pakistan also need a negative PCR test taken from an approved lab 48 hours before departure, a UAE-issued Covid-19 certificate and approval from relevant UAE authorities.
Travel restrictions were eased on August 3 and also apply to passengers arriving from India, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Nepal and Uganda.
The entry of most passengers from India had been barred since April 25 because of the highly infectious Delta variant of Covid-19. A few weeks later travellers Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Nigeria, Uganda were also prohibited from flying to the Emirates.
A handful of exemptions allowed diplomatic staff, stranded Emiratis and golden visa holders to return on flights.
So far in Pakistan, only Sialkot International Airport has the rapid PCR test available on site for passengers travelling to the UAE.
The airport has collaborated with Pakistan’s Citilab and Research Centre to make the tests available.
“When the travel requirements were first announced, a rapid antigen test was required, but now it is the rapid PCR test result that is needed,” Mr Nazar said.
The antigen test measures the presence of antibodies, with results produced in 20 minutes. The PCR test, a nasal swab, has been the standard testing method in most countries to diagnose the Covid-19 virus.
The few residents who managed to return to the UAE with a rapid antigen test said they were relieved to be back home.
Residents glad to be back in UAE
Dr Sanober Imran Ansari returned to her home in Sharjah on August 7 after meeting all of the travel requirements, including a rapid antigen test result that she took at a Karachi airport, which was valid at the time.
“I went to Pakistan on July 17 as my mother was severely ill. After she passed away, I had been trying to return to the UAE, but could not since flights were closed. Now that flights have been reopened, I am very relieved to have been able to come back home to my family,” Dr Ansari said.
“My husband, kids and job were here in the UAE while I was stranded in Pakistan with one of my daughters, and with every passing day it kept getting more stressful until I was finally able to return home.”
Aasia Danish, another Sharjah resident, was also able to return earlier this week with a rapid antigen test.
She had travelled to Pakistan for her sister’s wedding, but was stranded there for nearly a month because of the flight suspension.
“I’m relieved to be back home with my husband. I was gone for a month but … it felt like we were apart for ages,” Ms Danish said.
“It was a very stressful situation for me, my kids and my husband.”
Covid-19 vaccination in Pakistan — in pictures
Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
UK’s AI plan
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- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2014
Number of employees: 36
Sector: Logistics
Raised: $2.5 million
Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
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Producer: T-Series, Anil Kapoor Productions, ROMP, Prerna Arora
Director: Atul Manjrekar
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Rajkummar Rao, Pihu Sand
Rating: 2/5
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg
Roma 4
Milner (15' OG), Dzeko (52'), Nainggolan (86', 90 4')
Liverpool 2
Mane (9'), Wijnaldum (25')
Sukuk explained
Sukuk are Sharia-compliant financial certificates issued by governments, corporates and other entities. While as an asset class they resemble conventional bonds, there are some significant differences. As interest is prohibited under Sharia, sukuk must contain an underlying transaction, for example a leaseback agreement, and the income that is paid to investors is generated by the underlying asset. Investors must also be prepared to share in both the profits and losses of an enterprise. Nevertheless, sukuk are similar to conventional bonds in that they provide regular payments, and are considered less risky than equities. Most investors would not buy sukuk directly due to high minimum subscriptions, but invest via funds.
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
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What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
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How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
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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
EMIRATES'S%20REVISED%20A350%20DEPLOYMENT%20SCHEDULE
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Manchester United's summer dealings
In
Victor Lindelof (Benfica) £30.7 million
Romelu Lukaku (Everton) £75 million
Nemanja Matic (Chelsea) £40 million
Out
Zlatan Ibrahimovic Released
Wayne Rooney (Everton) Free transfer
Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad) £9.8 million
