An Australian family of five has been reunited after being stranded in separate countries for nearly a month.
The family was holidaying in Sri Lanka over Eid when new Covid-19 restrictions were put in place, meaning flights home were suspended.
"We attempted to get out [of Sri Lanka], but the PCR tests didn't come back in time," the mother of three told state news agency Wam.
"So we were basically stranded there for the last three and a half weeks."
"We've been living here [in the UAE] for 15 years, the kids were all born here. This is our home really so we really wanted to get back.
"Luckily we have a very good student here in Dubai, so they were doing some distance learning."
The UAE authorities quickly responded and co-ordinated with authorities in Sri Lanka to facilitate the family's return.
The wife expressed her joy at being reunited with her husband.
"We're incredibly thankful and very excited to get home. To get back to the schools get back to our home and to their friends and normal life," she said.
After arriving at Dubai International Airport, the mother, 40, and her three children aged 11, 10 and 7 were received by a medical team so they could take the PCR test.
"I'm really happy that I get to be in my home country, where I was born, and I'm so excited to get back to my house again," said 10-year-old Levi.
Saturday's schedule at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
GP3 race, 12:30pm
Formula 1 final practice, 2pm
Formula 1 qualifying, 5pm
Formula 2 race, 6:40pm
Performance: Sam Smith
FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Saint-Etienne v Montpellier (10.45pm)
Saturday
Monaco v Caen (7pm)
Amiens v Bordeaux (10pm)
Angers v Toulouse (10pm)
Metz v Dijon (10pm)
Nantes v Guingamp (10pm)
Rennes v Lille (10pm)
Sunday
Nice v Strasbourg (5pm)
Troyes v Lyon (7pm)
Marseille v Paris Saint-Germain (11pm)
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if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
Company profile
Name: Thndr
Started: October 2020
Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000
Funding stage: series A; $20 million
Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC, Rabacap and MSA Capital
THE%20SPECS
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The%20specs
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