10 things to know about your passport before you travel


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Looking to travel this festive season? Here are 10 things about your passport you should know.

Expiry date. Most passports are valid for 10 years, but some countries won't accept passports with less than six months' validity. Renew your passport at least every nine years, ideally after the summer rush. For peace of mind and efficiency, pay for a same-day renewal service while visiting your home country. Expatriates living in the UAE may find that their embassy sends the passports abroad for processing.

Visas. Check the visa requirements for the country you're visiting no less than one month before travel. Sometimes obtaining visas requires lengthy paperwork and, again, sometimes original passports have to be sent abroad for processing.

Spare pages. Most countries require a minimum of two empty passport pages before they will grant you entry. Don't risk your trip because you haven't made time to renew your passport. If you travel a lot, pay more to have an extra-large passport issued.

Biometric passports. Also known as e-passports, many countries now require these. While many citizens will already have them (for example, they were introduced in the UK in 2006 and the UAE began issuing them in 2011), UAE nationals and others who do not yet have e-passports should check, or renew their passport early, as if they travel on an "old-style" passport they may find themselves barred from certain countries, or from benefits such as the United States Visa Waiver Programme. In any case, the UAE has pledged to replace all old-style passports with e-passports for UAE nationals by the end of 2016.

Safety and security. Know where your passport is at all times and keep it locked in a hotel safe when it's not needed. If there's no safe, lock it in your suitcase or use secure storage provided at your hotel's reception. Keep a scanned copy of your passport and residence visa page securely stored in your email, and store photocopies separately from your passport or travel wallet. Take out a travel insurance policy that will cover the costs of replacing a lost or stolen passport. When carrying your passport and other valuables in a risky area, carry your passport on your body or in a separate bag to the rest of your valuables, so that if one bag is lost or stolen you don't lose everything. Try not to carry your passport in your hand or separately from your other bags. While it's not in use, keep it out of sight in your handbag or a zipped rucksack (ideally, in an inner compartment) and you'll be less likely to misplace it or have it stolen.

Insurance. Take out a travel insurance policy that will cover the costs of replacing a lost or stolen passport. When planning a trip, always consider the worst-case scenario and if there is no embassy in your destination, make sure you take extra care of your passport.

Photo. If there have been significant changes to your appearance since your passport was issued, and you no longer look like the person in your photograph, renew it to avoid problems at immigration.

Parents travelling alone with their children. If you are a parent travelling solo with children and your children's surnames are different to yours, don't be surprised if you are questioned at airports, and be prepared to show supporting documents such as birth certificates, proving the family relationship.

Passport stamps. Visiting some countries can make it difficult or impossible to visit others. For example, an Israeli stamp can preclude you from entering Lebanon or Saudi Arabia.

Damage. Keep your passport clean and away from water, and consider using a passport cover. Water damage, tearing, kids' markers and unofficial stamps can all invalidate it.

MATCH INFO

Championship play-offs, second legs:

Aston Villa 0
Middlesbrough 0

(Aston Villa advance 1-0 on aggregate)

Fulham 2
Sessegnon (47'), Odoi (66')

Derby County 0

(Fulham advance 2-1 on aggregate)

Final

Saturday, May 26, Wembley. Kick off 8pm (UAE) 

SPECS

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Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
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Price, base / as tested: Dh186,480 / Dh252,735

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Torque: 365Nm @ 1,200rpm

Transmission: Nine-speed automatic

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Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
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Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Company profile

Company: Eighty6 

Date started: October 2021 

Founders: Abdul Kader Saadi and Anwar Nusseibeh 

Based: Dubai, UAE 

Sector: Hospitality 

Size: 25 employees 

Funding stage: Pre-series A 

Investment: $1 million 

Investors: Seed funding, angel investors  

The specs: 2019 GMC Yukon Denali

Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 621Nm @ 4,100rpm​​​​​​​
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Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18

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The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

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Castle in the Sky (1986)

Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

Only Yesterday (1991)

Pom Poki (1994)

The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20Crown%20season%205
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1am – Early prelims

2am – Prelims

4am-7am – Main card

7:30am-9am – press cons

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Anghami
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Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
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Stage: Series C
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While you're here
Key Points
  • Protests against President Omar Al Bashir enter their sixth day
  • Reports of President Bashir's resignation and arrests of senior government officials
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Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.

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Points to remember
  • Debate the issue, don't attack the person
  • Build the relationship and dialogue by seeking to find common ground
  • Express passion for the issue but be aware of when you're losing control or when there's anger. If there is, pause and take some time out.
  • Listen actively without interrupting
  • Avoid assumptions, seek understanding, ask questions
'The&nbsp;Batman'

Stars:Robert Pattinson

Director:Matt Reeves

Rating: 5/5

The more serious side of specialty coffee

While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.

The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.

Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”

One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.

Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms. 

Ahmed Raza

UAE cricket captain

Age: 31

Born: Sharjah

Role: Left-arm spinner

One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95

T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28

Cricket World Cup League Two

Oman, UAE, Namibia

Al Amerat, Muscat

 

Results

Oman beat UAE by five wickets

UAE beat Namibia by eight runs

 

Fixtures

Wednesday January 8 –Oman v Namibia

Thursday January 9 – Oman v UAE

Saturday January 11 – UAE v Namibia

Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets