Bahrain is currently in semi-lockdown due to a high number of Covid-19 cases and deaths. Reuters
Bahrain is currently in semi-lockdown due to a high number of Covid-19 cases and deaths. Reuters
Bahrain is currently in semi-lockdown due to a high number of Covid-19 cases and deaths. Reuters
Bahrain is currently in semi-lockdown due to a high number of Covid-19 cases and deaths. Reuters

Bahrain suspends work permits for people from red list countries indefinitely


Mina Aldroubi
  • English
  • Arabic

Bahrain has indefinitely suspended giving work permits to people from coronavirus red list countries who are outside the kingdom, a representative of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority told The National on Sunday.

“For the time being, individuals who are in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal are not able to gain work permits in Bahrain," he said.

"The decision was put in place on May 24, and we are still unsure of when it will be lifted.”

Near the end of May, Bahrain suspended the entry of travellers from countries on its red list in response to the rising number of Covid-19 infections and deaths.

"If individuals holding citizenships from countries that are on the red list are inside of Bahrain then they can apply or renew their work permits," the representative said.

Bahrain’s national medical committee, established to address the pandemic, will assess which countries will be added to or removed from the list according to certain criteria, he said.

Bahraini citizens and residency visa holders arriving from red list countries are allowed in but must present a negative PCR test taken no more than 48 hours before flying.

The kingdom also reintroduced mandatory quarantine for all non-vaccinated travellers arriving in Bahrain.

Travellers now have to take a PCR test before flying and on arrival, and then complete a 10-day home or hotel quarantine.

Last week, the government announced an extension of its measures put in place to curb the spread of the pandemic.

Shopping malls, stores, restaurants, coffee shops, swimming pools, beauty salons and barber shops will be closed for another two weeks.

"In order to achieve the goals set and based on positive results, we have decided to extend the national lockdown for a period of two weeks starting from Friday, June 11, to Friday, June 25," the medical committee said.

Authorities first announced the closures on May 27.

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
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The Brutalist

Director: Brady Corbet

Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn

Rating: 3.5/5

Another way to earn air miles

In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.

An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.

“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.

Why the Tourist Club?

Originally, The Club (which many people chose to call the “British Club”) was the only place where one could use the beach with changing rooms and a shower, and get refreshments.

In the early 1970s, the Government of Abu Dhabi wanted to give more people a place to get together on the beach, with some facilities for children. The place chosen was where the annual boat race was held, which Sheikh Zayed always attended and which brought crowds of locals and expatriates to the stretch of beach to the left of Le Méridien and the Marina.

It started with a round two-storey building, erected in about two weeks by Orient Contracting for Sheikh Zayed to use at one these races. Soon many facilities were planned and built, and members were invited to join.

Why it was called “Nadi Al Siyahi” is beyond me. But it is likely that one wanted to convey the idea that this was open to all comers. Because there was no danger of encountering alcohol on the premises, unlike at The Club, it was a place in particular for the many Arab expatriate civil servants to join. Initially the fees were very low and membership was offered free to many people, too.

Eventually there was a skating rink, bowling and many other amusements.

Frauke Heard-Bey is a historian and has lived in Abu Dhabi since 1968.

COMPANY PROFILE

Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar

Based: Dubai, UAE

Founded: 2014

Number of employees: 36

Sector: Logistics

Raised: $2.5 million

Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE

War 2

Director: Ayan Mukerji

Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana

Rating: 2/5

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Five famous companies founded by teens

There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:

  1. Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate. 
  2. Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc. 
  3. Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway. 
  4. Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
  5. Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
Tamkeen's offering
  • Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
  • Option 2: 50% across three years
  • Option 3: 30% across five years 
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Company Profile

Name: JustClean

Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries

Launch year: 2016

Number of employees: 130

Sector: online laundry service

Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding