A Covid-19 warning notice at Dubai International Airport
A Covid-19 warning notice at Dubai International Airport
A Covid-19 warning notice at Dubai International Airport
A Covid-19 warning notice at Dubai International Airport

US lists Middle East states among more than 150 on Covid travel advisory


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The US State Department added at least 116 countries this week to its Level Four: Do Not Travel advisory list, including nearly every country in the Middle East.

The only country excluded from the level-four status was Morocco, which is at level three, which advises US citizens to reconsider travel.

On Monday, the State Department said it would increase the number of countries receiving its highest advisory rating to about 80 per cent of nations.

Before Tuesday, the US listed 34 out of about 200 countries as Do Not Travel.

The countries previously included were Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

The are now 150 countries at level four.

Here are the travel advisories for each country in the region.

UAE

The advisory for the UAE was updated to Do Not Travel on Tuesday.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention issued a level-four travel health notice “indicating a very high level of Covid-19 in the country”.

Because of risks involving "civil aviation operating within the [Arabian Gulf] and the Gulf of Oman region", the Federal Aviation Administration also issued an advisory for the UAE.

Saudi Arabia

The advisory for Saudi Arabia was updated to Do Not Travel on Wednesday.

US citizens were advised not to travel to Saudi Arabia owing to Covid-19 and the “threat of missile and drone attacks on civilian facilities".

"Exercise increased caution in Saudi Arabia due to terrorism,” the State Department said.

Saudi Arabia was issued a level-four travel health notice by the CDC.

The authorities advised US citizens in Saudi Arabia to avoid the following locations owing to "missile and drone attacks and terrorism":

  • Within 80 kilometres of the Saudi-Yemen border, as well as the cities of Abha and Jazan, Najran, and Khamis Mushait
  • Abha airport
  • Qatif in the Eastern Province and its suburbs, including Awamiyah

Oman

The advisory for Oman was updated to Do Not Travel on Wednesday.

Oman is listed as a level-four state by the CDC, “indicating a very high level of Covid-19 in the country”.

Americans are advised to avoid the Yemen border area because of “terrorism and armed conflict”.

“Crossing the border into Yemen can be dangerous, and US citizens who attempt to cross the Oman-Yemen border, from either Oman or Yemen, may be detained by Omani authorities,” the State Department said.

Bahrain

The advisory for Bahrain was updated to Do Not Travel on Tuesday, with the State Department warning Americans against increased Covid-19 in the country.

Owing to risks involving “civil aviation operating within the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman region”, the FAA also issued an advisory for Bahrain.

Kuwait

The advisory for Kuwait was updated to Do Not Travel on Wednesday, with the CDC indicating a very high level of Covid-19 there.

Americans were warned to avoid “the desert region near the border with Iraq due to the prevalence of unexploded ordnance”.

The State Department also advised Americans to exercise increased caution in the Jeleeb Al Shuyoukh area in Kuwait City because of crime.

Qatar

The advisory for Qatar was updated to Do Not Travel on Wednesday.

The CDC listed Qatar as a level-four country owing to it having “a very high level of Covid-19 in the country”.

The FAA also issued an advisory for Qatar because of risks involving “civil aviation operating within the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman region”.

Iran

The advisory for Iran remains at level four, indicating a very high level of Covid-19 in the country. The State Department also warned Americans that there are risks of kidnapping, arrest and detention of US citizens.

Algeria

The travel advisory for Algeria was changed to Do Not Travel on Wednesday. The CDC issued a travel health notice for Algeria owing to Covid-19 and said that there were unknown levels of infection in the country. The State Department also said that Americans should avoid travel to Algeria because of terrorism

Egypt

The advisory for Egypt was updated to Do Not Travel on Wednesday.

The CDC listed Egypt as a level-four country owing to it having “a very high level of Covid-19”. The State Department urged Americans to exercise increased caution in Egypt owing to terrorism and its limited ability to help dual citizens who are arrested.

Iraq

The advisory for Iraq was updated to Do Not Travel on Wednesday.

The CDC listed Iraq as a level-four country because of it having “a very high level of Covid-19”. The State Department warned Americans of a high risk of violence and kidnapping as well as threats from terrorist and insurgent groups.

Israel, the West Bank and Gaza

The advisory for Israel was updated to Do Not Travel on Wednesday.

The CDC listed Israel as a level-four country owing to it having “a very high level of Covid-19”. The State Department also warned Americans of potential travel restrictions, strict quarantine procedures, armed conflict and civil unrest.

Jordan

The advisory for Jordan was updated to Do Not Travel on Wednesday.

The CDC listed Jordan as a level-four country owing to it having “a very high level of Covid-19”. The State Department also warns Americans of some terrorism concerns. Jordan is experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases and is struggling to control infections.

Lebanon

The advisory for Lebanon was updated to Do Not Travel on Wednesday.

The CDC listed Lebanon as a level-four country owing to “a very high level of Covid-19”. The State Department told Americans to reconsider travel, warning of crime, terrorism, armed conflict and civil unrest. Lebanon has experienced a lot of political turmoil over the past year leading to nationwide protests.

Libya

The advisory for Libya was updated to Do Not Travel on Wednesday.

The CDC listed Libya as a level-four country owing to it having “a very high level of Covid-19”. The State Department told Americans to reconsider travel warning of crime, terrorism, armed conflict and civil unrest.

Syria

The advisory for Syria was updated to Do Not Travel on Wednesday.

The CDC listed Syria as a level-four country because of “a very high level of Covid-19”. The State Department warned Americans against travel to Syria owing to terrorism, armed conflict and the possibility of unjust detention.

Tunisia

The advisory for Tunisia was updated to Do Not Travel on Wednesday.

The CDC listed Tunisia as a level-four country owing to “a very high level of Covid-19”. The State Department warns Americans against travel owing to terrorism and also mentions avoiding travel to high-risk areas such as the border with Libya, the country’s mountainous areas and the desert south of Remada.

Turkey

The advisory for Turkey was updated to Do Not Travel on Wednesday.

The CDC listed Turkey as a level-four country owing to it having “a very high level of Covid-19”. The State Department warns Americans against travel owing to the possibly of arbitrary detention.

Yemen

The advisory for Yemen was updated to “Do Not Travel” on Wednesday.

The CDC listed Yemen as a level-four country because of “a very high level of Covid-19”. The State Department warns Americans against travel owing to terrorism, civil unrest, health risks, kidnapping, armed conflict and landmines. The US embassy in Yemen has been closed since 2015.

What is a calorie?

A food calorie, or kilocalorie, is a measure of nutritional energy generated from what is consumed.

One calorie, is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1°C.

A kilocalorie represents a 1,000 true calories of energy.

Energy density figures are often quoted as calories per serving, with one gram of fat in food containing nine calories, and a gram of protein or carbohydrate providing about four.

Alcohol contains about seven calories a gram. 

Correspondents

By Tim Murphy

(Grove Press)

Our legal advisor

Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.

Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation. 

Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.

Five famous companies founded by teens

There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:

  1. Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate. 
  2. Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc. 
  3. Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway. 
  4. Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
  5. Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
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Cinco in numbers

Dh3.7 million

The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown

46

The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.

1,000

The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]

50

How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday

3,000

The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.

1.1 million

The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.

While you're here
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What is the definition of an SME?

SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.

A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors. 

About Okadoc

Date started: Okadoc, 2018

Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Healthcare

Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth

Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February

Investors: Undisclosed

Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away

It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.

The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.

But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.

At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.

The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.

After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.

Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.

And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.

At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.

And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.

* Agence France Presse

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Schalke 1 (Caligiuri pen 51') Bayer Leverkusen 1 (Miranda og 81')

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

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Australia

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Saudi Arabia

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South Korea

ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

RESULTS

Tottenham 1

Jan Vertonghen 13'

Norwich 1

Josip Drmic 78'

2-3 on penalties

The bio

Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France

Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines

Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.

Favourite Author: My father for sure

Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst

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Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills