The kingdom of Bhutan will reopen its major land border crossings with India this week after more than two years.
The landlocked Himalayan nation had closed the crossing points for tourists in early 2020. This was to prevent the coronavirus from spreading among its population of less than a million people.
Bhutan, often described as one of the world's happiest countries, receives more than 50,000 tourists from India every year ― the most from any nation.
Bhutan and India share a border of almost 700 kilometres along the latter's north-eastern provinces of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim and the eastern state of West Bengal.
While the land border crossings between Bhutan and China remain closed, Samdrup Jongkhar and Gelephu, the two major border crossings with India, will open from Friday.
Indian tourists do not require a visa to enter Bhutan but need an entry permit at land borders and airports.
Entry permits for traders were earlier resumed through the Phuentsholing and Paro crossings.
Bhutan has reported almost 75,000 Covid cases and 21 deaths since January 2020.
But with the pandemic declining across the globe, particularly in India, the two neighbouring nations are preparing to open the borders.
“We have been wanting to travel to Bhutan for several years and I am happy that the borders are finally opening," Ragini Singh, a resident of New Delhi, told The National. "I can’t wait to pack my bags.”
While tourism plays a vital role in Bhutan's economy, the government keeps a check on visitor footfalls to conserve its ecology.
Bhutan in June announced it would increase a so-called Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) to strengthen efforts to keep the country carbon-negative and a green tourist destination.
The $200 daily fee for all non-Indian international tourists would be used to fund projects that promote carbon-neutral tourism and build a sustainable tourism sector.
Indian tourists would have to pay 1,200 rupees ($15) a day.
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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
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Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
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The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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