The British government confirmed it was reviewing holders of long-term resident visas on Monday after it was revealed Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich's Tier One status had not been renewed.
The Russian steel and oil tycoon could not travel to watch his team triumph in the FA Cup final on Saturday, triggering reports about his whereabouts.
One associate of Mr Abramovich told The Guardian newspaper that the businessman's application had not been rejected but that there was no word on when the renewal would be processed. It is believed to have expired in April.
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Britain has not renewed Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich's visa
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A Downing Street spokesman confirmed that under new powers adopted in 2015, the British government had launched a wide-ranging review of the Tier One visa, which allows the ultra-wealthy to access the UK in return for investment.
“We are currently taking another look at how the route operates and are undertaking further checks on investors who came to the UK through this route before the reforms were introduced,” the spokesman said.
Officials had said that a review was under way of long-term visas held by wealthy Russians in the aftermath of the March poisonings of Russian former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English city of Salisbury. Britain blames Russia for use of a nerve agent to target the pair.
Moscow strongly denies the allegations but the poisonings sparked a Cold War-style diplomatic crisis between Russia and the West with the expulsion of hundreds of diplomats from both sides.
A leading parliamentary committee issued a report on Russia on Monday that hit out at the close ties between Russian wealth with London's financial and social institutions.
Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that situation sent a chilling message to international investors.
"We are witnessing an unprecedented Russophobic mania in Britain which has various manifestations including this one," Mr Peskov said. "What's more, I have no doubt that investors from other countries will not leave such actions unnoticed because after such steps by Britain, investors from any country could face a situation when their investments will be labeled 'dirty money'."
The committee highlighted Russia's sale of US$4 billion (Dh14.7bn) of Eurobonds just two days after Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats in March. A day earlier, Russian natural gas giant Gazprom found strong demand in London for its sale of €750 million (Dh3,251m) of bonds.
"Business as usual," the Russian embassy in London tweeted after the Gazprom sale.
Last November, the Russian energy company EN+ raised £1bn (Dh5bn) on the London Stock Exchange. At the time, the company was controlled by Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch with close ties to the Kremlin. Mr Deripaska agreed to cut his stake in EN+ and resign from the company's board after he was placed under American sanctions in April.
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More on Quran memorisation:
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m; Winner: Gurm, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Al Nafece, Al Muatasm Al Balushi, Mohammed Ramadan
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Adrie de Vries, Ibrahim Aseel
6.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Ottoman, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Liwa Oasis – Group 2 (PA) 300,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Hakeemat Muscat, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ganbaru, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
What you as a drone operator need to know
A permit and licence is required to fly a drone legally in Dubai.
Sanad Academy is the United Arab Emirate’s first RPA (Remotely Piloted Aircraft) training and certification specialists endorsed by the Dubai Civil Aviation authority.
It is responsible to train, test and certify drone operators and drones in UAE with DCAA Endorsement.
“We are teaching people how to fly in accordance with the laws of the UAE,” said Ahmad Al Hamadi, a trainer at Sanad.
“We can show how the aircraft work and how they are operated. They are relatively easy to use, but they need responsible pilots.
“Pilots have to be mature. They are given a map of where they can and can’t fly in the UAE and we make these points clear in the lectures we give.
“You cannot fly a drone without registration under any circumstances.”
Larger drones are harder to fly, and have a different response to location control. There are no brakes in the air, so the larger drones have more power.
The Sanad Academy has a designated area to fly off the Al Ain Road near Skydive Dubai to show pilots how to fly responsibly.
“As UAS technology becomes mainstream, it is important to build wider awareness on how to integrate it into commerce and our personal lives,” said Major General Abdulla Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief, Dubai Police.
“Operators must undergo proper training and certification to ensure safety and compliance.
“Dubai’s airspace will undoubtedly experience increased traffic as UAS innovations become commonplace, the Forum allows commercial users to learn of best practice applications to implement UAS safely and legally, while benefitting a whole range of industries.”
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
