• A cargo plane bound for Delhi waits on the tarmac at Helsinki airport in Finland on May 11, 2021 to be loaded with oxygen tanks and ventilators, which Indian hospitals are badly in need of, under an EU aid scheme. AFP
    A cargo plane bound for Delhi waits on the tarmac at Helsinki airport in Finland on May 11, 2021 to be loaded with oxygen tanks and ventilators, which Indian hospitals are badly in need of, under an EU aid scheme. AFP
  • A crew member straps in the cargo of medical oxygen and ventilators on a plane bound for Delhi, India, at Helsinki airport. AFP
    A crew member straps in the cargo of medical oxygen and ventilators on a plane bound for Delhi, India, at Helsinki airport. AFP
  • Passengers arriving on international flights get their Covid-19 coronavirus screening done at the Anna International airport in Chennai on April 28, 2021. AFP
    Passengers arriving on international flights get their Covid-19 coronavirus screening done at the Anna International airport in Chennai on April 28, 2021. AFP
  • Liquid oxygen tankers arrive at at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata. They are used to refill portable cylinders that can help patients to breathe. Reuters
    Liquid oxygen tankers arrive at at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata. They are used to refill portable cylinders that can help patients to breathe. Reuters
  • An Indian Air Force cargo plane on the tarmac at Dubai World Central. Three empty containers brought from Gujarat were refilled before being sent back to Indian hospitals. Courtesy: Indian Ministry of Defence
    An Indian Air Force cargo plane on the tarmac at Dubai World Central. Three empty containers brought from Gujarat were refilled before being sent back to Indian hospitals. Courtesy: Indian Ministry of Defence
  • Countries across the globe have halted arrivals from India following a dramatic surge in cases in April and May. Reuters
    Countries across the globe have halted arrivals from India following a dramatic surge in cases in April and May. Reuters

India flights to UAE suspended until June 14 at least


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Related: UAE threatens to ban private jet firms for selling seats on per person basis

Passenger flights from India will remain suspended until at least June 14, Emirates said.

Those who have transited through India in the past 14 days will not be able to travel from any other point to the UAE, the airline added.

It gave an update on its website on Sunday.

Authorities gave no end date for the ban that began on April 24, but the move is subject to review.

India has recorded a surge in coronavirus cases in recent weeks, placing a huge strain on the country's healthcare system.

Several categories of passenger are exempt from the ban, including Emiratis stranded in India, people with a UAE 'golden visa' and members of diplomatic missions.

Despite the ban, a number of Indians have spent thousands of dollars on charter flights to Dubai.

The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has threatened to ban private jet operators from pooling charter flights between passengers.

Business jet companies received an official circular to remind them that selling seats on a per person basis is prohibited.

“When business aircraft are used to transport passengers from restricted destinations, they shall not be pooled or sold per seat,” the authority said.

“Operators hired for pooling or 'per seat offer' may be banned from operating in the UAE. [The] GCAA is collecting all information required from local authorities to verify flight and passenger information.”

The number of new daily cases of Covid-19 in India has been above 300,000 most days since late April.

Hospitals have struggled to replenish oxygen supplies in particular, which are needed for people with moderate to severe symptoms.

Covid-19 latest in India - in pictures

  • A health worker reacts after receiving a dose of Covaxin vaccine at a vaccination centre in Mumbai, India. AP Photo
    A health worker reacts after receiving a dose of Covaxin vaccine at a vaccination centre in Mumbai, India. AP Photo
  • A health worker prepares the jab of the Covishield Covid-19 vaccine in a residential area in Chennai. AFP
    A health worker prepares the jab of the Covishield Covid-19 vaccine in a residential area in Chennai. AFP
  • A vaccination centre is seen closed due to non-availability of Covid-19 vaccines in New Delhi. AFP
    A vaccination centre is seen closed due to non-availability of Covid-19 vaccines in New Delhi. AFP
  • Health workers collect a nasal swab sample from a man for Covid-19 testing at Khag village, in central Kashmir's Budgam district. AFP
    Health workers collect a nasal swab sample from a man for Covid-19 testing at Khag village, in central Kashmir's Budgam district. AFP
  • Jagdish Chand Sharma shows a photograph of his late wife Anita sharma, who was a Covid-19 patient at Dr Karam Singh Memorial Multi Specially hospital in Amritsar. AFP
    Jagdish Chand Sharma shows a photograph of his late wife Anita sharma, who was a Covid-19 patient at Dr Karam Singh Memorial Multi Specially hospital in Amritsar. AFP
  • Relatives mourn as they wait to receive the body of their loved one, who died due to the Covid-19, at a mortuary in New Delhi. AFP
    Relatives mourn as they wait to receive the body of their loved one, who died due to the Covid-19, at a mortuary in New Delhi. AFP
  • Rickshaw-pullers and other migrant labourers queue up to receive food distributed by a charity as the lockdown continues in New Delhi. Getty Images
    Rickshaw-pullers and other migrant labourers queue up to receive food distributed by a charity as the lockdown continues in New Delhi. Getty Images
  • Partially deserted roads with closed shops are seen in a market in Siliguri. AFP
    Partially deserted roads with closed shops are seen in a market in Siliguri. AFP
  • Bodies, some of which are believed to be Covid-19 victims, are seen partially exposed in shallow sand graves after rains washed away the top layer of sand at a cremation ground on the banks of the Ganges River in Shringverpur, north-west of Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. Getty Images
    Bodies, some of which are believed to be Covid-19 victims, are seen partially exposed in shallow sand graves after rains washed away the top layer of sand at a cremation ground on the banks of the Ganges River in Shringverpur, north-west of Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. Getty Images
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4.35pm Dubai City Of Gold – Group 2 (TB) $228,000 (Turf) 2,410m

5.10pm Mahab Al Shimaal – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,200m

5.45pm Burj Nahaar – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m

6.20pm Jebel Hatta – Group 1 (TB) $260,000 (T) 1,800m

6.55pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 – Group 1 (TB) $390,000 (D) 2,000m

7.30pm Nad Al Sheba – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (T) 1,200m

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion

The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.

Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".

The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.

He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.

"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.

As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.

Tips for taking the metro

- set out well ahead of time

- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines

- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on

- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers

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HOW TO WATCH

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