This is an updated story
The UAE has eased travel restrictions from six countries on its flight ban list to allow some residents, who are stuck abroad, to fly back to the Emirates.
The government said all vaccinated individuals, as well as unvaccinated people in certain job categories, can seek permission to return from August 5.
The decision includes people who are in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Nigeria and Uganda.
Travellers must have a valid UAE residency and have proof of having received both doses of the coronavirus vaccine in the Emirates.
Residents of all emirates other than Dubai must apply for permission to return on the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) website. Dubai residents need ICA approval and another from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs.
People should apply on the ICA link after they get a negative PCR test prior to flying to comply with the test validity requirements.
They will also need to confirm with the airline about the 72-hour or 48-hour validity of the test before boarding, depending on the country of departure.
Many airports in India have rapid PCR testing booths to help handle a surge of travellers to Dubai when flights resume.
The rapid testing booths can return results in four hours.
Here is a list of major airports in India that offer rapid PCR tests:
Mumbai International Airport: The test costs Dh90 (4,500 Indian rupees) with results given within two hours. Tests can be booked online.
Delhi International Airport: The test costs Dh39 and results are given within four to six hours. Passengers are advised to book an appointment four to six hours before departure.
Bengaluru International Airport: Test results are available in less than 15 minutes. There are two testing units, while passengers can also be tested at Aster Airport Medical Centre.
Kolkata International Airport: Test results are available within eight hours and cost Dh74. Unlike other airports, passengers can only be tested between 10am and 6pm and need to collect their results from the testing centre.
Kochi International Airport: Passengers can get their test results within 24 hours. The cost is Dh84.
Ahmedabad International Airport: The testing centre at the airport offers RT-Lamp (reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification) tests, which are the equivalent of a rapid PCR test. The results are given in 30 minutes and the test costs Dh223.
Of 34 international airports in India, a third operate flights to Dubai.
International airports in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode, cities in Kerala, also offer rapid PCR tests.
The airports will also outsource testing to private healthcare providers for quick results, Indian media reported.
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Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.
In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others.
In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food.
In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra.
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The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
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