Small business owners and community volunteers are working together to charter flights to help the Indian government repatriate citizens who have lost jobs abroad.
About 21,000 Indians have been repatriated from the UAE as part of the government's Vande Bharat or Salute India mission since services began in May.
Of this, about 3,000 citizens were flown to India on private flights organised by companies and welfare groups, after obtaining clearances from Indian federal and state authorities.
Dozens more applications for chartered flights are being submitted to missions in the UAE to clear the backlog of people waiting to return as a two-month lockdown enforced across India is lifted.
An Indian woman who lost her job in Dubai and ended up living in the stairwell of a building for nine days is among those who were repatriated on Saturday on a chartered FlyDubai flight.
I have not told my mother I was living on the staircase
Urvi Bathia, 23, moved to Dubai from Mumbai to work for a travel agency in February.
Her dreams of a better life were short-lived after the agency closed down due to the coronavirus pandemic - just 15 days after she started work.
Unable to return home, since flights were suspended, she sold a gold chain and spent her savings to pay for rent and food.
She was evicted from a room she shared with five others in Mankhool in May, after she was unable to pay the monthly Dh800 rent. She began living in the stairwell of the building but had to be careful not to be seen by the landlady.
“I have not told my mother I was living on the staircase,” she said.
“I even ate on the staircase. A friend kept my luggage and sometimes allowed me to sleep on her bed when the landlady was not around.
“I ate whatever food my friends cooked. The landlady did not know I was still living there so, during the weekend, I stayed on the staircase day and night. I had no option or I would be out on the streets. I would get on wifi from the staircase to apply for flights home.”
She would sneak in to use the toilet when the landlady was not home.
Despite her struggles, she values the kindness shown to her by people in the UAE.
After posting about her situation on a Facebook group, she was connected with a volunteer who worked with a business group to pay her rent and buy her a ticket home.
“I’m a commerce graduate and had dreams to work hard, buy a house for a better future but everything has crashed,” Ms Bathia said.
“I have lost everything I saved. But I believe this is a phase and it will not last forever. In these times nobody has time to see anybody else’s pain so I’m grateful to find people who help others with no profit for themselves.”
Another chartered flight will take dozens of Indian citizens wishing to return home to Pune, near Mumbai, on Sunday.
The Apte family, who has lived in the UAE for more than five years, will be onboard that flight.
Pankaja Apte, 40, said after her husband lost his software job in November but the family decided to remain in the UAE until March so her daughter could complete her education.
When borders closed, just as they were planning to leave, the family struggled to pay their Dh 3,600 monthly rent, water, electricity bills and groceries.
“We had it all planned until March but, once we could not return home, our situation got very bad,” said Ms Apte, who is a homemaker.
Their friends have helped contribute to the costs of their flights home.
“Mentally we were very upset because we had to ask friends for money and family in India to send us funds. We have got a ray of hope with the chartered flight. We could not survive without a monthly income any longer,” she said.
Dhanashree Patil, 39, who runs an event management company in Dubai, has connected more than 1,000 residents like the Apte family and Ms Bathia to business groups willing to assist those in need.
About 40 pregnant women, not covered by medical insurance in the UAE, and unemployed workers left the country on two-chartered flights to western India at the weekend.
“I get calls at 2am with people crying, the men also cry because they don’t have salaries,” Ms Patil said.
“I tell them to be strong mentally and that they must have patience. Sometimes we cry together. These chartered flights will give them relief.”
Rahul Tulpule, vice president of the Gulf Maharashtra Business Forum, has worked on getting the permissions needed to secure private flights to his home state.
Maharashtra, in western India, was allocated just one flight on the government Vande Bharat mission.
Mr Tulpule has appealed to business groups and community members to help sponsor tickets and organise more flights.
“We have tried to help patients who need medicines and people who have lost jobs but this task cannot be done in perpetuity,” said Mr Tulpule, who runs a technology company.
“I’m hoping more organisations and individuals come forward to get people home.”
About 420,000 Indians have registered with missions in the UAE to return home, although officials say many have decided to remain as businesses reopen under the easing of safety measures.
Only those who have registered with the consulate or embassy are eligible to fly home on the chartered flights.
A Prayer Before Dawn
Director: Jean-Stephane Sauvaire
Starring: Joe Cole, Somluck Kamsing, Panya Yimmumphai
Three stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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South Korea
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Saudi Cup race day
Schedule in UAE time
5pm: Mohamed Yousuf Naghi Motors Cup (Turf), 5.35pm: 1351 Cup (T), 6.10pm: Longines Turf Handicap (T), 6.45pm: Obaiya Arabian Classic for Purebred Arabians (Dirt), 7.30pm: Jockey Club Handicap (D), 8.10pm: Samba Saudi Derby (D), 8.50pm: Saudia Sprint (D), 9.40pm: Saudi Cup (D)
MATCH INFO
Everton v Tottenham, Sunday, 8.30pm (UAE)
Match is live on BeIN Sports
THE SCORES
Ireland 125 all out
(20 overs; Stirling 72, Mustafa 4-18)
UAE 125 for 5
(17 overs, Mustafa 39, D’Silva 29, Usman 29)
UAE won by five wickets
The specs: Fenyr SuperSport
Price, base: Dh5.1 million
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm
Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km
match info
Maratha Arabians 138-2
C Lynn 91*, A Lyth 20, B Laughlin 1-15
Team Abu Dhabi 114-3
L Wright 40*, L Malinga 0-13, M McClenaghan 1-17
Maratha Arabians won by 24 runs
From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
India team for Sri Lanka series
Test squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Priyank Panchal, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubhman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharath (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Sourabh Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.
T20 squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Surya Kumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Avesh Khan
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
PROFILE BOX:
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Rami Salman, Rishav Jalan, Ayush Chordia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Technology, Sales, Voice, Artificial Intelligence
Size: (employees/revenue) 10/ 100,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($800,000)
Investors: Eight first-round investors including, Beco Capital, 500 Startups, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Hala Fadel, Odin Financial Services, Dubai Angel Investors, Womena, Arzan VC
More from Aya Iskandarani
MIDWAY
Produced: Lionsgate Films, Shanghai Ryui Entertainment, Street Light Entertainment
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Darren Criss
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Pakistan squad
Sarfraz (c), Zaman, Imam, Masood, Azam, Malik, Asif, Sohail, Shadab, Nawaz, Ashraf, Hasan, Amir, Junaid, Shinwari and Afridi
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs: 2019 GMC Yukon Denali
Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 621Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.9L / 100km
match details
Wales v Hungary
Cardiff City Stadium, kick-off 11.45pm
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Read more about the coronavirus
Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
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