A look at our picks for books this week.
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Being Palestinian by Yasir Suleiman
Suleiman’s volume contains more than 100 voices from the Palestinian diaspora in the US and UK, reflecting upon what exile means for Palestinians. Young and old, Christian and Muslim, men and women, and from all walks of life; all have interesting thoughts on self and separation. (Edinburgh University Press, January 31)
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The Expatriates by Janice Y K Lee
Set in the expatriate community in present-day Hong Kong, Lee’s novel follows the lives of three women struck by personal trials and tragedy. Isolated by their privilege, without jobs or friends in the local community, the women find themselves struggling to maintain their sense of worth and identity. (Little, Brown, January 12)
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In the Café of Lost Youth by Patrick Modiano
Amidst the slew of new translations of work by the 2014 Nobel Laureate in Literature, is this tale set in 1960s Paris. Four narrators, including the heroine, construct a portrait of a bored housewife known as Louki. As ever, Modiano’s depiction of Paris is one of the strongest strands. (Maclehose Press, January 7)
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The Dust of Promises by Ahlem Mosteghanemi
Paris is also the setting for the final part in the much-loved Algerian poet and novelist’s best-selling trilogy. Mosteghanemi’s famous love story ends with the three main characters reunited by chance, exploring old wounds and bitter memories of lives past in their war-torn homeland Algeria. (Bloomsbury, January 14)
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Beethoven for a Later Age by Edward Dusinberre
Violinist Edward Dusinberre, who has played with the Takács Quartet since 1993, recounts its creative life through Beethoven’s 16 string quartets. The composer’s radical and extraordinary music, composed at a time of upheaval, both invigorates and tests. (Faber & Faber, January 21)
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Bad News by Anjan Sundaram
A haunting story about the rise of a dictatorship and the risks taken by journalists in attempting to record the truth, written by a foreign correspondent who is himself determined to catalogue the injustices of modern-day Rwanda. Required reading in evocative prose. (v Bloomsbury, January 14)
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
The Saga Continues
Wu-Tang Clan
(36 Chambers / Entertainment One)
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
Your rights as an employee
The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.
The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.
If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.
Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.
The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.
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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
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
