Israel is reopening to travellers from next month. The country will welcome tourists again this summer, with plans for the first visitors to be allowed entry in May.
From May 23, Israel will allow fully vaccinated groups of tourists to visit, according to the country's Ministry of Tourism.
Details on entry regulations for foreigners will be unveiled in the coming weeks, but a pilot programme will allow organised tour groups first entry, according to local news outlet Haaretz.
Individual travellers will be welcomed at a later date. All will have to take a PCR test before travelling to Israel, then undergo an antibody test to prove their vaccination upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, reported the news outlet.
The relaxation of border rules comes after Israel was closed to non-citizens for more than a year. Since the global pandemic began, only Israeli citizens and a limited number of travellers with special exemption have been allowed to travel to or from the country.
A summertime hotspot
The country has one of the world's fastest Covid-19 vaccination campaigns. Israel has given at least one vaccine dose to 61.57 per cent of its population, according to Our World in Data, making it a leader in terms of inoculation pace.
Known for its culture, history and Mediterranean coastline, tourists flock to Israel for its thriving culinary scene and Dead Sea access. The country looks set to be a summertime hotspot, with speculation that it will be one of the countries included on the UK government's Green List.
According to the members of luxury hotel club Little Emperors, "the country is now favoured as one of the safest destinations to visit in summer 2021". The travel club says that 10 per cent of its members have booked travel to Israel in the summertime, and noted a 50 per cent increase in enquiries for hotels in the country, when compared to April 2020.
UAE-Israel tourism
In September 2020, the UAE and Israel signed the historic Abraham Accords in Washington. This has led to a warming of relations between the countries, with the UAE introducing kosher food rules at hotels across the country, and Israel hosting the first digital forum of the Israel Ministry of Tourism in the UAE.
Israel is also listed on Abu Dhabi's Green List, meaning that travellers flying to Abu Dhabi from Tel Aviv do not need to quarantine upon arrival.
Etihad, the national airline of the UAE, recently launched twice-weekly flights from the capital to Tel Aviv.
"Since the signing of the Abraham Accord between Israel and the UAE last summer, the two countries have worked together to embark upon a new and dynamic era of co-operation," said Mohamed Al Khaja, the UAE's first ambassador to Israel, after Etihad's first passenger flight to Tel Aviv touched down in Israel.
Low-cost airline Wizz Air Abu Dhabi will also operate flights between the two countries, with its first service scheduled to take off on Sunday.
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
The years Ramadan fell in May
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
COMPANY%20PROFILE%3A
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Representing%20UAE%20overseas
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Godzilla%20x%20Kong%3A%20The%20New%20Empire
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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.
more from Janine di Giovanni
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
