A Libyan coast guardsman stands on a boat during the rescue of 147 illegal immigrants attempting to reach Europe off the coastal town of Zawiyah, 45 kilometres west of the capital Tripoli, on June 27, 2017. Taha Jawashi / AFP
A migrant craft in distress off the coast of Libya, June 5, 2019 in this picture obtained by Reuters June 6, 2019. Jose Benavente/ Pilotes Volontaires/via Reuters
Libya has intercepted 200 migrants headed for Europe. Reuters
A handout picture released by German migrant rescue NGO Sea-Eye and taken on April 6, 2020, reportedly shows a speed boat of Libyan authorities around a small boat in distress off the Libyan coast during a rescue operation with the NGO vessel "Alan Kurdi". Cedric Fettouche / various sources / AFP
A rescue team approaches migrants on board of rubber dinghy at sea off the coast of Libya, August 22, in this still image taken from the video. Sea-Watch/Handout via Reuters
Migrants rescued by Sea-Watch 4 a week ago in the international waters off Libya watch crew members of civil sea rescue ship Sea-Watch 4 on inflatable boats help migrants to get off the rescue ship funded by British street artist Banksy "Louise Michel" (background) off the coast of Malta, on August 29. Thomas Lohnes / AFP
A boat approaches migrants from Libya aboard a dinghy in the mid Mediterranean Sea. AP
A coast guard vessel navigates past the Ocean Viking docked at left at the Sicilian port of Messina, southern Italy on September 24, 2019. The humanitarian ship docked in Sicily, Italy, to disembark 182 men, women and children rescued in the Mediterranean Sea after fleeing Libya. Cesare Abbate/ANSA via AP
A woman wearing a straw hat arrives at Lampedusa island aboard an Italian Coast Guard boat on August 1 along with other migrants from Tunisia and Libya. AFP
A Libyan coastguard slits a dinghy that was used by migrants trying to reach Europe, at a naval base Ismail Zitouny / Reuters
The UN's migration agency said tens of thousands of sub-Saharan migrants could be in danger after it appealed for €100 million ($121.5m) to protect those who have traversed the well-trodden but dangerous route to Europe, as funding for a joint initiative with the EU that supported those at risk draws to a close.
The International Organisation for Migration said the requested funds would support those stranded in North Africa while giving them help in returning and reintegrating to their home countries in West and Central Africa in 2021.
It will also bolster search-and-rescue operations in the Sahara and offer humanitarian assistance when migrants disembark in Europe after crossing the Mediterranean Sea in flimsy boats.
The EU-IOM Joint Initiative, launched in 2016, brought together the two bodies and 26 African countries to assists tens of thousands of vulnerable adults and children.
The IOM said it had helped 77,000 people who requested assistance in voluntarily returning home, while also providing economic and mental health support for about 68,000.
"Through the [initiative], we have been able to assist over 100,000 migrants who might otherwise have been left in conditions of great peril: in detention centres; stranded and left for dead in deserts; or living in extremely difficult environments conducive to trafficking and smuggling, with no safe alternatives to better their lives and those of their families," said the IOM's director general Antonio Vitorino.
“We are also worried that the advances made in terms of regional and international co-operation on improved migration management would be jeopardised,” he said.
Christopher Gascon, the IOM's director for West and Central Africa, said that dangerous routes to Europe were "constantly opening or being reactivated". He cited the surge in departures to the Canary Islands as an example, a route on which more than 500 migrants died in 2020.
A man drags his belongings as refugees and migrants from the destroyed Moria camp walk towards a new temporary camp, on the island of Lesbos, Greece. Reuters
Refugees and migrants who were sheltered near the destroyed Moria camp, carry their belongings as they prepare to move to a new temporary camp, on the island of Lesbos, Greece. Reuters
Refugees and migrants who were sheltered near the destroyed Moria camp, carry their belongings as they prepare to move to a new temporary camp, on the island of Lesbos, Greece. Reuters
An aerial view of the new temporary camp near Kara Tepe on Lesbos island, Greece, Another 2,000 refugees and migrants were settled into the new temporary hosting facility at Kara Tepe. EPA
An aerial view of the new temporary camp near Kara Tepe on Lesbos island, Greece, 18 September 2020. Another 2,000 refugees and migrants were settled into the new temporary hosting facility at Kara Tepe. EPA
Asylum seekers wait with their belongings as refugees and migrants from the destroyed Moria camp wait to enter into the new temporary camp near Kara Tepe on Lesbos island, Greece. EPA
Asylum seekers wait in a line with their belongings as refugees and migrants from the destroyed Moria camp wait to enter into the new temporary camp near Kara Tepe on Lesbos island, Greece. EPA
“Many migrants do not have the financial, logistical and administrative means to return home when they want to end their journey. Often, the only option left for them is to try the dangerous Mediterranean crossing,” he said.
Migrants in Libya, the key staging post for departures to Europe, are at risk of a wide array of abuses including murder, sexual assault, forced labour and arbitrary detention in appalling – often informal – jails.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday Valladolid v Osasuna (Kick-off midnight UAE)
Saturday Valencia v Athletic Bilbao (5pm), Getafe v Sevilla (7.15pm), Huesca v Alaves (9.30pm), Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid (midnight)
Sunday Real Sociedad v Eibar (5pm), Real Betis v Villarreal (7.15pm), Elche v Granada (9.30pm), Barcelona v Levante (midnight)
Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
Travel distance: Limited
Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
Duration: Can linger for days
Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
Global institutions: BlackRock and KKR
US-based BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with $5.98 trillion of assets under management as of the end of last year. The New York firm run by Larry Fink provides investment management services to institutional clients and retail investors including governments, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, banks and charitable foundations around the world, through a variety of investment vehicles.
KKR & Co, or Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, is a global private equity and investment firm with around $195 billion of assets as of the end of last year. The New York-based firm, founded by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, invests in multiple alternative asset classes through direct or fund-to-fund investments with a particular focus on infrastructure, technology, healthcare, real estate and energy.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
Scoreline
Switzerland 5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
