The Iraqi government has begun arranging land transport for Hajj pilgrims and other Iraqi travellers who are struggling to return home after the sudden eruption of hostilities between Iran and Israel, a government statement said on Saturday.
At dawn on Friday, Israel launched a wave of bold strikes against dozens of targets inside Iran, killing senior Iranian military leaders and damaging military infrastructure. In retaliation, Iran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles towards Israel. The exchange of strikes continued on Saturday with the two sides reporting civilian casualties and injuries.
The new escalation has prompted widespread airspace closures throughout the region since Friday, grounding flights and throwing travel plans into disarray.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani ordered the Ministry of Transport to “begin immediate work” to facilitate the return of citizens, in co-ordination with the relevant authorities in Jordan, Kuwait and Turkey, according to his office.
Among those affected are Iraqi pilgrims returning from Hajj. The High Commission of Hajj and Umrah said it “took urgent measures to secure buses to transport pilgrims to the Arar border crossing” with Saudi Arabia.
Pictures from inside airports in the region showed scenes of exhaustion, confusion and growing frustration as thousands of passengers found themselves stranded.
With no clear timeline for airspace reopening, many Iraqis have turned to public Facebook groups in search of guidance on how to reach Iraq’s neighbouring countries by land.
Earlier on Saturday, Iraq aviation authorities extended the airspace closure until afternoon. Lebanon reopened its airspace on Saturday at 10am local time and said it would shut it down again starting from 10:30pm until 6am local time on Sunday, according to state-run news agency.
Syrian Airlines announced the “gradual resumption” of flights, saying that initial operations will resume to Kuwait, Doha and Sharjah. The airline noted that all flight schedules remain subject to change depending on “developments in the current security situation.”
Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organisation is also organising the return of pilgrims through the Arar border crossing, in co-ordination with Saudi authorities, the semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported.
Starting on Sunday, Iranian pilgrims will be flown from Madinah to the city of Arar, from where they will take the buses to the Iraqi cities of Karbala and Najaf, home to several Shiite holy sites.
“After a short rest and a visit to the shrines, the pilgrims will be transported to the borders of our country by an Iranian land fleet,” Tasnim said, quoting the Hajj pilgrimage authority.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The Book of Collateral Damage
Sinan Antoon
(Yale University Press)
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Gifts exchanged
- King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
- Queen Camilla - Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
- Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
- Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag
At Eternity’s Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
Score
Third Test, Day 1
New Zealand 229-7 (90 ov)
Pakistan
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
