Read the latest updates on the Hajj pilgrimage here
It has been a long road to Hajj for Khaled Ibrahim as he prepares to finally follow in his family's footsteps.
The Emirati father of three has shared the joy of his eight brothers and three sisters as they embarked on the spiritual journey in previous years.
Their experiences only fuelled his desire to complete one of the five pillars of Islam himself. Now, his own date with destiny is only days away.
Mr Ibrahim, 31, will join thousands of people travelling from the UAE to Saudi Arabia on Saturday, all of whom will be taking part in Hajj for the first time.
“Watching my parents and siblings all go to Hajj and celebrating their return was great,” he said.
“We would all visit them as soon as they returned and have a feast but I always longed to go myself and secretly envied them. [However], something always came up.
“I got married then we had children and there was the [coronavirus] pandemic. This year, it is finally my turn to go with my wife and, hopefully, in later years, it will be my children’s time to go.”
Pilgrims return in greater numbers
Saudi Arabia will this year permit a million pilgrims to perform Hajj after greatly reducing numbers over the past two years because of the pandemic.
Only 1,000 pilgrims from within the kingdom were allowed to participate in 2020. The number was raised to 60,000 last year, with participants chosen through a lottery for fully vaccinated citizens and residents.
The quota for this year's pilgrimage, which will take place over five days, is less than half of the 2.5 million people who performed Hajj in 2019.
With numbers still relatively limited, and against the backdrop of the pandemic, the UAE has set out a number of measures for those taking part.
Pilgrims must be under 65, must have never performed Hajj previously, must be fully vaccinated and should have received a booster shot to be able to travel to Saudi Arabia, the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority and the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments said last month.
They must also present a negative PCR test result conducted within 72 hours of travelling to the kingdom.
Dr Nazura Siddiqi, an Abu Dhabi resident, will travel to Saudi Arabia from India with her son.
She is confident in the Covid-19 safety measures in place as people take the chance to travel to Makkah in larger numbers once more.
“We have a lot of faith and I have been trying for two years to go to Hajj,” said Dr Siddiqi, a specialist obstetrician gynaecologist.
“I do believe that if we were meant to get sick, then we will, regardless of where we are. But there will be many safety precautions in place that I am sure that we will be safe.”
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Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
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Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
THE NEW BATCH'S FOCUS SECTORS
AiFlux – renewables, oil and gas
DevisionX – manufacturing
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Farmdar – agriculture
Farmin – smart cities
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New process leads to panic among jobseekers
As a UAE-based travel agent who processes tourist visas from the Philippines, Jennifer Pacia Gado is fielding a lot of calls from concerned travellers just now. And they are all asking the same question.
“My clients are mostly Filipinos, and they [all want to know] about good conduct certificates,” says the 34-year-old Filipina, who has lived in the UAE for five years.
Ms Gado contacted the Philippines Embassy to get more information on the certificate so she can share it with her clients. She says many are worried about the process and associated costs – which could be as high as Dh500 to obtain and attest a good conduct certificate from the Philippines for jobseekers already living in the UAE.
“They are worried about this because when they arrive here without the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] clearance, it is a hassle because it takes time,” she says.
“They need to go first to the embassy to apply for the application of the NBI clearance. After that they have go to the police station [in the UAE] for the fingerprints. And then they will apply for the special power of attorney so that someone can finish the process in the Philippines. So it is a long process and more expensive if you are doing it from here.”
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Madrid Open schedule
Men's semi-finals
Novak Djokovic (1) v Dominic Thiem (5) from 6pm
Stefanos Tsitsipas (8) v Rafael Nadal (2) from 11pm
Women's final
Simona Halep (3) v Kiki Bertens (7) from 8.30pm
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Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Pathaan
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