The Eiffel tower is one of the most visited attractions in Paris, one of the world's most popular cities for tourists. AFP.
The Eiffel tower is one of the most visited attractions in Paris, one of the world's most popular cities for tourists. AFP.
The Eiffel tower is one of the most visited attractions in Paris, one of the world's most popular cities for tourists. AFP.
The Eiffel tower is one of the most visited attractions in Paris, one of the world's most popular cities for tourists. AFP.

Coronavirus: France reopening borders to international visitors


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France will lift restrictions at its borders for European Union travellers on Monday, the French Interior and Foreign ministries said in a statement on Friday.
The statement added that France will gradually reopen its borders to countries outside the free-travel Schengen zone from July 1.

Europe has been particularly hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, accounting for almost half of the world's deaths, but the spread has slowed in many of the hardest-hit countries, including Spain, Italy and France.
"Given a favourable development of the health situation in France and Europe and in accordance with the recommendations of the European Commission... France will lift on June 15 (midnight CET) all traffic restrictions at its European internal borders (land, air and sea), implemented to fight the COVID-19 pandemic," the statement said.
Travellers from EU member states, as well as Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland and Vatican will also be able to enter the French territory without restrictions, the statement said.

Restrictions, including two-week quarantines, will continue to apply at the borders with Spain and with the United Kingdom, it added.

Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said in their statement that France's reopening would be in harmony with the rest of the EU.

"This opening will be gradual and will vary according to the health situation in each of the third countries, and in accordance with the arrangements that will have been agreed at European level by then," the ministers said.

  • A researcher works in a lab at the Yisheng Biopharma company in Shenyang, in China’s northeast Liaoning province. The company is one of a number in China trying to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus. AFP
    A researcher works in a lab at the Yisheng Biopharma company in Shenyang, in China’s northeast Liaoning province. The company is one of a number in China trying to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus. AFP
  • A cemetery worker digs new graves at the Xico cemetery on the outskirts of Mexico City. Reuters
    A cemetery worker digs new graves at the Xico cemetery on the outskirts of Mexico City. Reuters
  • An employee pushes luggage trolleys across an empty space between terminals as man wearing a face mask walks by, at the Franz-Josef-Strauss airport in Munich, southern Germany. AFP
    An employee pushes luggage trolleys across an empty space between terminals as man wearing a face mask walks by, at the Franz-Josef-Strauss airport in Munich, southern Germany. AFP
  • People sunbathe while enjoying warm weather in Moscow. AFP
    People sunbathe while enjoying warm weather in Moscow. AFP
  • A woman wearing a face mask picks up a book at a bookstore in Beijing. AFP
    A woman wearing a face mask picks up a book at a bookstore in Beijing. AFP
  • A Compton Early College High School graduating pupil leaves a stage after collecting her diploma during a drive-through graduating ceremony. Reuters
    A Compton Early College High School graduating pupil leaves a stage after collecting her diploma during a drive-through graduating ceremony. Reuters
  • Team GB Rhythmic Gymnast Lynne Karina Hutchison during a training session on the seafront in Hove. Reuters
    Team GB Rhythmic Gymnast Lynne Karina Hutchison during a training session on the seafront in Hove. Reuters
  • Participants of a ceremony surround Andrea Diez and Fernando Montero, Argentine citizens and parents of newborn Ignacio, during the couple's first meeting with their baby in the Hotel Venice owned by BioTexCom clinic in Kiev, Ukraine. The coronavirus lockdown prevented Andrea and Fernando from collecting their baby born to a surrogate mother, after almost all air travel was shut down. Reuters
    Participants of a ceremony surround Andrea Diez and Fernando Montero, Argentine citizens and parents of newborn Ignacio, during the couple's first meeting with their baby in the Hotel Venice owned by BioTexCom clinic in Kiev, Ukraine. The coronavirus lockdown prevented Andrea and Fernando from collecting their baby born to a surrogate mother, after almost all air travel was shut down. Reuters
  • A mother looks on as her daughter gets a haircut by roadside hairdresser in Johannesburg, South Africa. Reuters
    A mother looks on as her daughter gets a haircut by roadside hairdresser in Johannesburg, South Africa. Reuters

The borders were shut in mid-March to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, but the EU recommended on Thursday that the bloc reopen to some countries in the Balkans from July 1.
France has seen more than 193,000 cases and 424,000 deaths, while Spain dealt with 243,000 cases and 27,000 deaths. The UK has seen almost 300,000 cases and more than 40,000 deaths, the most in a European country.

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The biog

First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974  
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work

The stats

Ship name: MSC Bellissima

Ship class: Meraviglia Class

Delivery date: February 27, 2019

Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT

Passenger capacity: 5,686

Crew members: 1,536

Number of cabins: 2,217

Length: 315.3 metres

Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Our legal advisor

Rasmi Ragy is a senior counsel at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.

Experience: Prosecutor in Egypt with more than 40 years experience across the GCC.

Education: Ain Shams University, Egypt, in 1978.

Winners

Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)

Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)

Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)

Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)

Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)

Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)

Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)

Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo

Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm

Transmission: eight-speed auto

Price: from Dh122,745

On sale: now

Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press

Islamophobia definition

A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.

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