ABU DHABI // Etihad Airlines says it has put on additional flights from Egypt to accommodate those wishing to leave the country, as the UAE's Ambassador in Egypt requested all Emirati nationals in the country to head to Cairo Airport in order to arrange for their departure.
Etihad said an additional flight was scheduled yesterday afternoon and in the early hours of this morning.
An Etihad spokeswoman said: "Etihad Airways is monitoring the situation in Egypt very closely.
"At this stage, all scheduled flights to Cairo and Alexandria are operating as planned, however customers are advised to check the airline's website for the latest updates.
"Etihad is also working closely with the UAE authorities to provide supplementary flights as required. Interested passengers should contact the airline.”
Today’s confirmed additional Etihad flights are EY653A, which departed Abu Dhabi at 12.03pm local time and is estimated to arrive in Cairo at 2.20pm local time. The return flight, EY654A will depart Cairo at 3.00pm local time and arrive in Abu Dhabi at 8.30pm local time.
Two extra flights also operated yesterday.
Dubai carrier, Emirates, is operating as scheduled in Cairo. However, a spokesman for the airline said: “All passengers due to travel to or from Cairo in the next few days are advised to reconsider non-essential travel.
“We are monitoring the situation closely and aim to give customers as much notice as possible should there be any changes to our operations.”
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EDITORIAL
Egypt speaks but not with one voice
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Budget operator FlyDubai has rearranged its schedule in response to the continuing unrest.
After the announcement of curfews in the country, flight FZ175 to Alexandria, which was due to leave yesterday evening, took off today at 7.30am.
As a result, flight FZ176 departed Alexandria at 10.45am and will arrive in Dubai at 4.25pm.
Furthermore, flight FZ183 from Dubai to Luxor left at 7am today and arrived at its destination 9.15am.
Today's return flight FZ184 left Luxor at 10am and was due to arrive in Dubai at 3.05pm.
The operators said other flights are running to schedule. A FlyDubai spokesman said: “Passengers due to travel to or from Egypt today, Monday (January 31), or Tuesday (February 1), will be able to change their flights for any date, up to and including March 26, without penalty.”
All three carriers advised customers to check details of their flights on their respective websites for the latest information.
nhanif@thenational.ae
Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions
There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.
1 Going Dark
A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.
2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers
A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.
3. Fake Destinations
Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.
4. Rebranded Barrels
Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.
* Bloomberg
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
THE BIO
Favourite holiday destination: Whenever I have any free time I always go back to see my family in Caltra, Galway, it’s the only place I can properly relax.
Favourite film: The Way, starring Martin Sheen. It’s about the Camino de Santiago walk from France to Spain.
Personal motto: If something’s meant for you it won’t pass you by.
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
The specs
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Power: 400hp
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets