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
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Japan 30-10 Russia
Tries: Matsushima (3), Labuschange | Golosnitsky
Conversions: Tamura, Matsuda | Kushnarev
Penalties: Tamura (2) | Kushnarev
Funk Wav Bounces Vol.1
Calvin Harris
Columbia
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The specs: 2018 Jaguar E-Pace First Edition
Price, base / as tested: Dh186,480 / Dh252,735
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 246hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 365Nm @ 1,200rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
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
Fuel economy, combined: 12.9L / 100km
AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Five films to watch
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
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html" charset="UTF-8" /></head><body><!--PSTYLE=* Labels%3aFH Label 18 Sport--><p>Beach soccer</p><!--PSTYLE=BY Byline--><p>Amith Passela</p><p /></body></html>
UFC Fight Night 2
1am – Early prelims
2am – Prelims
4am-7am – Main card
7:30am-9am – press cons
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Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
Key Points
- Protests against President Omar Al Bashir enter their sixth day
- Reports of President Bashir's resignation and arrests of senior government officials
What are the main cyber security threats?
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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more from Janine di Giovanni
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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 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