Passengers from red list countries will be able to take direct flights to England after the UK government on Thursday announced new rules around travel to the country.
From June 8, British citizens and legal residents will be permitted to fly to dedicated terminals at London's Heathrow Airport or Birmingham Airport.
Arrivals will still need to provide proof of a recent negative Covid-19 test result and must stay in mandatory hotel quarantine for 11 nights, costing £1,750 ($2,468) a traveller.
Passenger flights to England from red list countries have been banned since the UK government revealed its traffic light system for international travel in February.
The move was made to reduce the risk of the spread of Covid-19 variants first identified in Brazil, India and South Africa.
Under the current system, passengers must stay at a quarantine hotel if they have travelled through a red list country in the previous two weeks.
About 43 nations, including the UAE, Oman and Pakistan, are on the UK's red list, meaning travellers must transit through a third country before going to Britain.
Travellers returning from countries on the amber list, which covers most of the world, must isolate for 10 days at home and take Covid-19 tests on the second and eighth days.
There are only 11 countries and territories on the green list, including Israel, Singapore and New Zealand.
Those hoping to visit England are required to fly through countries on the green or amber lists, raising the risk of infection for other airline passengers.
The UK government said the move covered all red list countries, and that authorities would help to separate passengers and ensure they were processed "safely and efficiently".
Authorities in the UAE are yet to comment on the move.
On Thursday, the British government confirmed it was adding Egypt and Bahrain to its travel red list and that Portugal would be downgraded from green to amber.
The changes come into effect at 4am on June 8.
UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the decision was made because of a rising positivity rate in Portugal and concerns over a new mutation of Covid-19.
Afghanistan, Costa Rica, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Trinidad and Tobago were the other countries added to the red list.
“The public has always known travel will be different this year and we must continue to take a cautious approach to reopening international travel in a way that protects public health and the vaccine roll-out," Mr Shapps said.
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
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 squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri
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Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
liverpool youngsters
Ki-Jana Hoever
The only one of this squad to have scored for Liverpool, the versatile Dutchman impressed on his debut at Wolves in January. He can play right-back, centre-back or in midfield.
Herbie Kane
Not the most prominent H Kane in English football but a 21-year-old Bristolian who had a fine season on loan at Doncaster last year. He is an all-action midfielder.
Luis Longstaff
Signed from Newcastle but no relation to United’s brothers Sean and Matty, Luis is a winger. An England Under-16 international, he helped Liverpool win the FA Youth Cup last season.
Yasser Larouci
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Adam Lewis
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DMZ facts
- The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
- It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
- The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
- It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
- Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
- Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
- Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012.
- Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
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"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
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Nick's journey in numbers
Countries so far: 85
Flights: 149
Steps: 3.78 million
Calories: 220,000
Floors climbed: 2,000
Donations: GPB37,300
Prostate checks: 5
Blisters: 15
Bumps on the head: 2
Dog bites: 1