Singapore has the world's most powerful passport, according to the latest Henley Passport Index.
The Asian city-state knocked Japan off the top spot after five years at the summit with Singapore citizens able to visit 192 destinations out of the world’s 227 visa-free.
And the UAE passport has gone from strength to strength, climbing three places from last year to rank as the 12th most powerful passport.
Holders of Emirati passports can now visit 179 destinations visa-free.
Over the past 10 years, the UAE passport has climbed 44 places from 56th in 2013. It now ranks alongside Cyprus.
The study, which ranks the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without obtaining a prior visa, is compiled using official data from the International Air Transport Association.
“The UAE has added an impressive 107 destinations to its visa-free score since 2013, resulting in a massive leap of 44 places in the ranking over the past 10 years from 56th to 12th position,” said Christian Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners, which compiles the data.
"This is almost double the next biggest climber, Colombia, which has enjoyed a jump of 28 places in the ranking to sit in 37th spot."
The most powerful passports in the world
1. Singapore (192 countries)
2. Germany, Italy, Spain (190 countries)
3. Austria, Finland, France, Japan, Luxembourg, South Korea, Sweden (189 countries)
4. Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, United Kingdom (188 countries)
5. Belgium, Czech Republic, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland (187 countries)
6. Australia, Hungary, Poland (186 countries)
7. Canada, Greece (185 countries)
8. Lithuania, United States (184 countries)
9. Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia (183 countries)
10. Estonia, Iceland (182 countries)
11. Lichtenstein, Malaysia (180 countries)
12. Cyprus, United Arab Emirates (179 countries)
The latest report puts Germany, Italy and Spain in second place, with holders able to travel to 190 destinations visa-free.
The UK has turned the table on a six-year decline, jumping two places from sixth to fourth. The US does not fare so well, plummeting a further two places to eighth. Both the UK and the US jointly held 1st place on the index in 2014.
India is also showing signs of strength, climbing to 80th, up five places from the previous list.
Overall, travel freedom is on the up for most nationalities with only eight countries in the world having less visa-free access today than they did a decade ago.
Gulf countries becoming more open
While the UAE is the only Gulf country to rank in the index's top 50, Middle Eastern destinations are becoming more open to other travellers.
The Henley Openness Index ranks countries according to the number of nationalities they permit entry to without a prior visa.
The UAE’s openness score has increased from 58 to 80 since 2018, with the Emirates ranking in 55th. Neighbouring Oman’s score has leapt 35 points, from 71 to 106 to put the sultanate 33rd, the highest in the region.
Qatar has also improved, ranking 42nd.
Other Gulf countries still lag behind for openness with Saudi Arabia in 72nd place, Bahrain in 60th and Kuwait in 68th.
“A Schengen-style visa to facilitate smoother travel between GCC countries is reportedly in the works,” said Robert Mogielnicki, a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. "Such a step would require greater harmonisation of region-wide visa regulations, potentially boosting the openness rankings of several GCC countries and placing the entire region more firmly in the global spotlight."
World’s least powerful passports
At the bottom of the scale with the world's least powerful passport is Afghanistan, with holders only able to travel visa-free to 27 countries.
Iraq, Syria and Pakistan round out the bottom four nations.
The specs
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OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
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
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
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Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Brief scoreline:
Manchester United 2
Rashford 28', Martial 72'
Watford 1
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
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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.
MATCH INFO
Hoffenheim v Liverpool
Uefa Champions League play-off, first leg
Location: Rhein-Neckar-Arena, Sinsheim
Kick-off: Tuesday, 10.45pm (UAE)
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Pakhtoons 137-6 (10 ov)
Fletcher 68 not out; Cutting 2-14
Sindhis 129-8 (10 ov)
Perera 47; Sohail 2-18
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- 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
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Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.
Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.
"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."
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Fiction
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The Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award
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Children/Young Adult
- ‘I’ve Loved You Since Forever’ by Hoda Kotb
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RESULT
Shabab Al Ahli Dubai 0 Al Ain 6
Al Ain: Caio (5', 73'), El Shahat (10'), Berg (65'), Khalil (83'), Al Ahbabi (90' 2)
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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SPECS
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Representing%20UAE%20overseas
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Votes
Total votes: 1.8 million
Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes
Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi
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The biog
Job: Fitness entrepreneur, body-builder and trainer
Favourite superhero: Batman
Favourite quote: We must become the change we want to see, by Mahatma Gandhi.
Favourite car: Lamborghini
