I have a Standard Chartered credit card with a balance of Dh3,000. Due to my pregnancy and not having a job for some time, we have paid a very minimal amount every month. We have also faced a lot of financial problems. Now I have decided to close the card and pay the balance off. I paid Dh3,000 via the ATM and called the bank to ask about the balance. To my surprise, the bank representative called me back and informed me that my balance payable is Dh20,084. Please advise me on how can I settle such a big amount. I can only afford to pay for the principal amount as I have less salary and am supporting my son. - LG Dubai
I referred the matter to Standard Chartered, which has been discussing the issue with LG. A spokesperson for the bank said: "Our customer-care unit has finally managed to get in touch with the customer and agreed with her on a settlement plan, which the customer has agreed to settle on the 22nd of November. We would like to thank The National newspaper for bringing this issue to our attention." The bank explained that the charges levied on her card were due to the non-settlement of an outstanding balance since 2008. This led to an accumulation of interest and service charges, which have been explained to LG. LG confirmed that she has agreed to a settlement amount with the bank and that it is lower than initially advised.
I left the UAE last June and my visa was cancelled by my employer. I was recently offered another job in the UAE, but when my prospective employer went to the immigration department to get me an entry permit, they were told that I already had a valid visa. I'm not sure how this is possible. When I called immigration, they told me that I would have to visit them in person and that they could not tell me who the sponsor on my visa was over the phone. I am currently in New York. I left my account with Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank open when I left the UAE in June and I'm wondering if that is what's causing the problem. Was I required to cancel the account when my visa was cancelled? RM New York
There should be no issue with someone keeping a bank account in the UAE, even if they are not a resident. However, the bank will require updated contact details and will most likely cancel any linked credit cards. This should not have any bearing on the visa situation unless the account holder had unpaid debts and the bank had opened a police case against them, which is not the case here. It sounds as if the previous employer had not cancelled the visa properly or there was an error in the system. Either way, the company PRO should be able to sort that out quite quickly.
I had an interview with a company and they then told me to go home to Pakistan. They said they will send me an offer letter and also a visa. They have taken all scanned copies of all documents and also my original degree certificate for verification. After five months of waiting, they have not sent me my visa, although they have sent me an offer letter and I returned it to them after signing. The company is just saying that it is in process. I have checked my status on the Ministry of Labour website, which shows that they have just paid the bank fee and not processed it further. What can I do? NZ Pakistan
NZ needs to contact the potential employer and ask them when he will be starting the job. There could be many reasons for the delay, but he will not find out unless he asks them. If the employer has paid the fees, then that implies that they wish to proceed. He could also contact the Ministry of Labour to find out if a specific item is holding up the visa application as it may be something that he can assist with.
Keren Bobker is an independent financial adviser with Holborn Assets in Dubai. Contact her at keren@holbornassets.com
onyourside@thenational.ae
The Bio
Ram Buxani earned a salary of 125 rupees per month in 1959
Indian currency was then legal tender in the Trucial States.
He received the wages plus food, accommodation, a haircut and cinema ticket twice a month and actuals for shaving and laundry expenses
Buxani followed in his father’s footsteps when he applied for a job overseas
His father Jivat Ram worked in general merchandize store in Gibraltar and the Canary Islands in the early 1930s
Buxani grew the UAE business over several sectors from retail to financial services but is attached to the original textile business
He talks in detail about natural fibres, the texture of cloth, mirrorwork and embroidery
Buxani lives by a simple philosophy – do good to all
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
THE%20SPECS
%3Cp%3EEngine%3A%204.4-litre%20twin-turbo%20V8%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20653hp%20at%205%2C400rpm%0D%3Cbr%3ETorque%3A%20800Nm%20at%201%2C600-5%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3ETransmission%3A%208-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E0-100kph%20in%204.3sec%0D%3Cbr%3ETop%20speed%20250kph%0D%3Cbr%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20NA%0D%3Cbr%3EOn%20sale%3A%20Q2%202023%0D%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh750%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
EMILY%20IN%20PARIS%3A%20SEASON%203
%3Cp%3ECreated%20by%3A%20Darren%20Star%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Lily%20Collins%2C%20Philippine%20Leroy-Beaulieu%2C%20Ashley%20Park%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%202.75%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
Company%20profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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