Former National journalist Jonathan Spollen. Tina Chang / The National
Former National journalist Jonathan Spollen. Tina Chang / The National

A mother’s ordeal



Five years ago, Jonathan Spollen, an Irish journalist and a former staff member of this newspaper, was visiting Rishikesh in northern India. His last known conversation was a short telephone call with his mother, Lynda, in early February 2012. By the end of the month he had been reported missing. He has not been seen or heard of since.

His disappearance prompted a widespread search for clues and, sadly, many false leads. All these efforts have yielded are the recovery of a few of his belongings and a sense that there are so many unanswered questions. Talking to the BBC, Lynda Spollen, who lives in Dublin, described an unending ordeal that haunts her daily existence.

Think for a moment how much your own life has changed in the past five years. Now, think what it must be like to be stuck for years, as the Spollen family have been, somewhere between hope and despair. It is our sincere hope that Jonathan’s family find the answers they desire to this terrible mystery.

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Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

  • be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
  • not be younger than 25 years old
  • not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
  • be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
  • have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
  • undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
  • A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Election pledges on migration

CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections" 

SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom" 

Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press