Tag: UAE

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Politics

Trump buddy Tom Barrack pleads not responsible to UAE lobbying costs

Trump friend Tom Barrack pleads not guilty to UAE lobbying charges

Thomas Barrack, a close adviser to former President Donald Trump and chair of his inaugural committee, arrives for a court appearance at the U.S. District Court of Eastern District of New York on July 26, 2021 in Downtown Brooklyn in New York City.

Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images

Private equity investor Thomas Barrack and a business associate pleaded not guilty Monday through their lawyers in Brooklyn, New York, to federal charges of illegally lobbying his friend ex-President Donald Trump on behalf of the United Arab Emirates.

Barrack’s $250 million release bond was maintained by a judge during the arraignment, where his next court appearance was scheduled for Sept. 2.

Judge Sanket Bulsara also ordered Barrack, 74, to refrain from traveling on private aircraft and from conducting any foreign financial transactions, and to limit his domestic financial transactions to $50,000 or less. And Bulsara told Barrack not to have any contact with officials from the UAE.

Barrack, who will live in his residence in Aspen, Colorado, is allowed under the bond to travel only to southern California to visit his children, and to New York for court appearances. His compliance with the travel restrictions is being monitored by an electronic ankle bracelet and GPS.

As he entered the courthouse before his arraignment, Barrack was met by a man hoisting a sign saying “Traitor” in big black letters.

That’s the same message — wielded by what appeared to be the same person — that often greeted Trump’s 2016 campaign chief Paul Manafort and his ally Roger Stone during their federal criminal cases, which ended in convictions.

Those convictions later were voided when Trump pardoned both men shortly before leaving office.

Asked by a reporter how he would plead at this arraignment, Barrack replied, “Guys, I know you’re just doing your job — I’ll talk to you on the way out.”

Barrack had been jailed without bond until Friday, when a federal judge ordered him released on the $250 million bond, one of the largest criminal bails in history.

The bond is secured by $5 million cash, more than $21 million in securities, and by four properties. On Monday , Barrack’s son, ex-wife and a former business partner appeared Monday via video monitor to co-sign the release package and pledge properties to secure the bond.

Prosecutors in a detention memo last week had raised concerns that Barrack might flee to avoid the charges, given his holding of Lebanese citizenship and his access to a private jet. Barrack’s lawyer told Bulsara on Monday that Barrack does not own a plane.

Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort (2nd R) arrives with his wife Kathleen Manafort (R) at the Albert V. Bryan U.S. Courthouse for an arraignment hearing as a protester holds up a sign March 8, 2018 in Alexandria, Virginia. 

Alex Wong | Getty Images

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Barrack, who never registered with the American government as an agent for the oil-rich UAE, is also charged with obstruction of justice and making multiple false statements during a June 2019 interview with federal law enforcement agents.

Prosecutors have said that as Barrack was promoting UAE’s interests with the Trump administration, he was informally advising U.S. officials on Middle East policy and was seeking appointment to a senior role in the U.S. government, including as special envoy to the Middle East.

The indictment also charges another man, UAE national Rashid Sultan Rashid Al Malik Alshahhi, 43, who remains at large.

Roger Stone, a longtime adviser to President Donald Trump, arrives at the Prettyman United States Courthouse before facing charges from Special Counsel Robert Mueller that he lied to Congress and engaged in witness tampering January 29, 2019 in Washington, DC. A self-described ‘political dirty-trickster,’ Stone said he has been falsely accused and will plead ‘not guilty.’

Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images

Last Friday, Falcon Acquisition, a special purpose acquisition company backed by Barrack, withdrew its registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission, saying it was abandoning planned transactions.

The transactions had included an initial public offering of 25 million shares to raise $250 million for Falcon Acquisition, which was formed by Barrack’s family office Falcon Peak and TI Capital. The SPAC had planned to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange.

Barrack stepped down in 2020 as CEO of Colony Capital, a private equity firm he founded. He resigned as the firm’s executive chairman in April.

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Politics

SPAC pulled, bail listening to in UAE case modified

SPAC pulled, bail hearing in UAE case changed

Thomas Barrack, Executive Chairman and CEO, Colony Capital, participates in a panel discussion during the annual Milken Institute Global Conference at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on April 28, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California.

Michael Kovac | Getty Images

A federal judge in Los Angeles on Friday ordered the release on a $250 million secured bond of Thomas Barrack, the private equity investor charged with illegally lobbying his close friend ex-President Donald Trump for the United Arab Emirates.

The order requires the release bond — which is among the highest ever set in the world — to be secured by $5 million cash, another $21.23 million in securities and Barrack’s home in California.

Barrack and his co-defendant Matthew Grimes, a 27-year-old business associate, had been in jail since Tuesday, when they were arrested in Los Angeles on an indictment issued in Brooklyn, New York, federal court.

Grimes earlier Friday was ordered released on a $5 million bond. Neither he nor Barrack were in court before Judge Patricia Donohue, having waived their right to appear.

Donohue ordered Barrack to surrender his passport, to be fitted with an electronic bracelet, and be subject to GPS monitoring and a curfew.

Barrack also was ordered to stay in the company of his lawyers until at least his and Grimes’ arraignment Monday in Brooklyn.

He also cannot transfer any funds overseas, is barred from transferring more than $50,000 except for attorneys fees, and is prohibited from trading securities without written permission from prosecutors. His travel is restricted to the federal Central District of California, and to the Southern and Eastern districts of New York, which encompass New York City, Long Island, and several counties to the north of the Big Apple.

Barrack was identified as a billionaire on the Forbes richest list in 2013, but since then has not appeared on that roster.

Earlier Friday, Falcon Acquisition, a special purpose acquisition company backed by Barrack, told the Securities and Exchange Commission it is withdrawing its registration statement with the agency “because the company has elected to abandon” planned transactions.

The transactions had included an initial public offering of 25 million shares to raise $250 million for Falcon Acquisition, which was formed by Barrack’s family office Falcon Peak, and TI Capital.

Falcon Acquisition, which had planned to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange, had said it was targeting tech-driven businesses as candidates for mergers.

A lawyer for Falcon Peak did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment. 

Barrack and Grimes originally were due to have their bail hearing in Los Angeles on Monday.

But that was moved up to Friday after prosecutors reached a deal on bail conditions with defense lawyers.

Prosecutors earlier in the week had asked at Barrack’s first court appearance in LA on Tuesday that he be detained until at least he appears in court in Brooklyn for another hearing because of the risk that he could flee to avoid facing the charges. Barrack holds Lebanese citizenship and has a private jet.

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Barrack, who was chairman of Trump’s 2017 inauguration fund, is accused with Grimes and UAE national Rashid Sultan Rashid Al Malik Alshahhi of secretly advancing Emirates’ interests at the direction of senior officials of the oil-rich Gulf country. Prosecutors said the three influenced the foreign policy positions of Trump’s 2016 campaign, and continued that effort during Trump’s presidency through April 2018.

Barrack also is charged with obstruction of justice and making multiple false statements during a June 2019 interview with federal law enforcement agents.

The indictment noted that Barrack at the same time informally advised American officials on Middle East policy, and sought appointment to a senior role in the U.S. government, including as special envoy to the Middle East.

Alshahhi, 43, remains at large.

Barrack stepped down last year as CEO of Colony Capital, a private equity firm he founded, and as its executive chairman in April.

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Politics

Trump good friend Tom Barrack arrested on UAE lobbying fees

Trump friend Tom Barrack arrested on UAE lobbying charges

Thomas Barrack, a private equity investor who is a close friend of former President Donald Trump, was arrested Tuesday morning in Los Angeles on federal charges of illegally operating Trump on behalf of the United Arab Emirates.

Barrack, who was charged with two other men in a seven-fold indictment in Brooklyn, New York federal court, served as chairman of Trump’s 2017 charter fund.

The Santa Monica, California resident, along with the other defendants, is charged with secretly advancing the interests of the United Arab Emirates, on the direction of senior officials in that country, by influencing the foreign policy positions of Trump’s 2016 election campaign and then the positions of the US government during the campaign Advance Trump’s presidency through April 2018.

Barrack, who never registered with the US government as an agent for the UAE, is also charged with obstruction of justice and providing several false claims during an interview with federal police officers in June 2019.

The indictment states that Barrack, 74, was informally advising American officials on Middle East policy during the indictment period and was also seeking appointment to a senior role in the U.S. government, including serving as special envoy for the Middle East.

The evidence against Barrack includes thousands of emails, text messages, iCloud recordings, flight records and social media records, prosecutors said separately on a sticky note.

Prosecutors said the “evidence for [Barrack’s] Guilt is overwhelming in this case. “

Prosecutors also said that Barrack met and assisted senior leaders of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is a close ally of the UAE, and that he provided “UAE government officials” with sensitive, non-public information about developments within the government , including information on the positions of several senior US government officials in relation to the blockade of Qatar carried out by the United Arab Emirates and other Middle Eastern countries. ‘”

Charged with Barrack are Matthew Grimes, 27, of Aspen, Colorado, and a 43-year-old UAE citizen, Rashid Sultan Rashid Al Malik Alshahhi, who remains at large.

Grimes, who worked directly for Barrack at Barrack-founded private equity firm Colony Capital, was arrested Tuesday in California.

Grimes has a “close personal relationship” with Barrack, has made more than 50 international trips in Barrack’s private plane and lists Barrack’s $ 15 million home in Aspen as his primary residence, prosecutors said in a court filing.

“Mentioned Barrack several times [Al Malik] as the UAE’s “secret weapon” to advance its foreign policy agenda in the United States, “a Justice Department press release said.

“To promote suspected criminal conspiracy and conduct, Barrack and Grimes, with the assistance of [Al Malik], purchased a dedicated mobile phone and installed a secure messaging application to facilitate Barrack’s communications with senior UAE officials, “the department said.

Deputy Attorney General Mark Lesko, Department of National Security, Department of Justice said: “The defendants repeatedly used Barrack’s friendships and access to a candidate who was eventually elected president, senior election and government officials, and the American media to advance politics A foreign government aims without revealing its true loyalty. “

Thomas Barrack, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Colony Capital Inc., gestures during the closing reception at the Milken Institute Japan Symposium in Tokyo, Japan on Monday, March 25, 2019. The conference brings together business leaders and government officials to discuss geopolitical, economic and social problems faced by Japan. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

“The conduct alleged in the indictment is nothing less than betrayal of these officials in the United States, including the former president,” Lesko said in a statement.

Prosecutors in a memo requesting Barracks detention in Los Angeles pending his later bail hearing in Brooklyn said that in communicating with Al Malik, Barrack “designed his efforts to obtain an official position within the government to do it would enable it to serve the interests of the United Arab Emirates and not the interests of the United States. “

“When seeking a position as US Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates or Special Envoy for the Middle East, the defendant informed Al Malik that such an appointment would” give ABU DHABI more power! “The memo states with reference to the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

“Al Malik agreed that if the defendant were successfully appointed to such an official position, it would result in the defendant delivering ‘more’ for the UAE and its efforts[v]very effective operation. ‘ The defendant agreed. “

Prosecutors found that Barrack, who is a Lebanese citizen, is extremely wealthy, has access to a private jet he flew to the UAE in March, and “has deep and longstanding ties to countries that do not have extradition treaties with the United States has “Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

A Trump spokeswoman did not respond immediately to a request for comment on Barrack’s arrest.

Matthew Herrington, an attorney for Barrack, told CNBC that his client was arrested in Los Angeles “although we cooperated with this investigation from the start.”

A Barrack spokesman said: “Mr. Barrack volunteered to investigate from the start. He is not guilty and will plead not guilty.”

Barrack stepped down as CEO of Colony Capital in 2020. In April he stepped down as Executive Chairman of the company.

The Federal Prosecutor’s Office has been investigating Barracks’ alleged work on behalf of the UAE for at least two years.

One of the events that caught their attention was an energy policy speech given by Trump as a presidential candidate in May 2016.

The indictment accuses Barrack of “including a language in which the UAE is praised” and “emailing a preliminary draft of the speech.” [Al Malik] for extradition to senior UAE officials. “

For the next two years, prosecutors claim that Barrack “sought and received instruction and feedback, including topics for discussion, from senior UAE officials in connection with national press appearances that Barrack has used to advance the interests of the UAE.”

“During that time, Barrack never registered as a lobbyist for the UAE as required by the Foreign Agents Registration Act,” the indictment said.

The indictment states that in December 2016, one month after Trump’s election, Barrack attended a meeting with Grimes, Al Malik and senior UAE government officials to advise them to create a “wish list” of US foreign policy, which the UAE wished to be carried out in different periods of time in the new administration.

The indictment also states that the following March Barrack and the other two men agreed to promote the candidacy of a person preferred by senior UAE officials for the post of US ambassador to that country.

And in September 2017, “Al Malik communicated with Barrack about the United Arab Emirates’ resistance to a planned summit at Camp David to resolve an ongoing dispute between the State of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and other Middle Eastern governments against the President of the United States the holding of the Camp David Summit, “stated the Justice Department in its press release.” The summit never took place. “

The United Arab Emirates, which Trump did business in before he became president, established an important relationship with the United States during the Trump administration.

The UAE signed the 2020 Abraham Agreement, which took steps to normalize relations between a handful of Middle East nations, including Israel.

Last November, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the Trump administration would sell more than $ 23 billion in military equipment to the UAE “in recognition of our deepened relationships” and “in recognition of the nation’s need for advanced defense capabilities to deter and defend oneself ”. against increased threats from Iran. “

A friend of Trump for decades, Barrack appeared as an early supporter of Trump’s presidential run long before many on Wall Street viewed the property developer as a serious contender for the White House.

In the spring of 2016, when Trump started sweeping primaries, Barracks and Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump convinced him that he needed to hire a real campaign manager.

Barrack urged Trump to bring in Paul Manafort, a longtime Washington and Republican lobbyist.

Manafort eventually rose to campaign chairman for Trump before resigning in August 2016 after reports of foreign lobbying on behalf of Ukrainian politicians. Both Manafort and Barrack hoped their collaboration in 2016 would be to the benefit of every man.

Barrack wanted to be appointed Middle East envoy in a future Trump administration. But after Trump won the White House, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner intervened, and Barrack didn’t get the job.

Manafort, meanwhile, had hoped that Barracks connections in the Middle East would lead to lucrative deals for Manafort’s lobbying practice.

But the years of investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller put an end to Barrack and Manafort’s hopes of attaining prominent positions in Trump’s White House.

According to prosecutors, questions about Barrack’s foreign lobbyism first came to light during the investigation into Mueller.

By the end of his investigation, Müller had referred a total of 14 criminal cases to the public prosecutor, most of which are still sealed today.

In 2018, Manafort was found guilty by a jury of eight crimes related to foreign lobbying and tax evasion. He was imprisoned for almost two years and was released in June last year.

Trump later pardoned Manafort just before he left the White House.

Correction: Paul Manafort was convicted of eight crimes in 2018. In an earlier version, the year was incorrectly specified.

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Health

Israel, UAE, Bahrain vaccination and an infection traits

Israel, UAE, Bahrain vaccination and infection trends

Two women in face masks walk along a shopping area on April 19, 2021 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Francois Nel | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Vaccination campaigns in several Middle East nations raced ahead of the rest of the world at the beginning of 2021.

Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain topped the list when it came to doses administered per 100 people at the start of the year.

Six months later, all three are still among the top 10 most vaccinated countries — but charts show their Covid infection trends have varied greatly.

As of June 29, 57.8% of Bahrain’s population were fully vaccinated and 59.7% of Israel’s residents received both doses of the Covid vaccine, according to Our World in Data. The UAE’s data on fully vaccinated individuals was last updated on April 20, when the figure stood at 38.8%.

Israel

Israel’s new daily cases plummeted as its vaccination program ploughed on, and data showed that infections remained largely in the low double-digits for more than a month since the end of April. That was so until a resurgence emerged in late June.

Caseloads are a fraction of previous peaks, but have risen rapidly in recent days.

The highly contagious delta variant is responsible for about half the new cases, according to Nadav Davidovitch, chair of the Israeli Association of Public Health Physicians.

Still, simulations predict that even with “widespread transmission,” there will only be several hundred severe cases, he told CNBC via video call. “Not like it used to be in the third wave,” he added, referring to the spike that began late last year.

UAE

The United Arab Emirates ranks number one in terms of total doses administered per 100 people, according to Our World in Data. But new infections in the country have stubbornly hovered around 2,000 per day.

Cases have fallen from the record highs reported in January, and temporarily dipped to the mid-1,000 level in May, but have otherwise mostly stayed around the same region.

Still, the cases now remain higher than the average daily cases of about 1,200 reported in the fourth quarter of 2020.

The UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority in May announced that it would be offering a third dose of China’s Sinopharm vaccine. It came amid questions over the efficacy of the vaccine as there were reports of infections in individuals who had received two shots.

The country later said those inoculated with Sinopharm’s vaccine can receive the Pfizer-BioNTech shot as a booster, Reuters reported.

Bahrain

Infections in Bahrain hit record highs in late May even though vaccinations were well underway in the country.

According to Our World in Data, the kingdom reported 3,273 new cases on May 29.

At that point, more than 911,000 people in Bahrain had already received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine. It has a population of around 1.76 million people.

New daily cases have since fallen to the hundreds.

Bahrain is also offering third doses of Sinopharm’s vaccine. Booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are available to more vulnerable groups such as those above the age of 50, three months after they receive a second dose of Sinopharm.

Deaths attributed to Covid

Infections are not the only indicator of a country’s coronavirus situation, and vaccinations are not the only factor at play.

Besides inoculation, a country’s demographics and Covid restrictions also play a part in the severity of illness and how quickly the virus spreads.

Deaths in Israel and the UAE have fallen and stayed low, while daily new Covid-related deaths per million in Bahrain went as high as 17 in June.

Are Covid spikes a concern?

The outbreaks in the Middle East countries are not worrying, said Paul Tambyah, president of the Asia Pacific Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infection.

“I do not think that we should be too concerned,” he told CNBC in an email. “The majority, or at least a significant proportion of cases have reportedly been in those who have not been vaccinated.”

“The main concern is that it does not look like we can get away without vaccinating a very significant proportion of the population,” he said.

I think that as long as the virus is circulating globally and borders remain open, there will be occasional outbreaks of the virus even in highly vaccinated populations.

Paul Tambyah

Asia Pacific Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infection

Virus clusters expected

High vaccination rates will not rule out clusters of cases in future, medical experts said.

“I think that as long as the virus is circulating globally and borders remain open, there will be occasional outbreaks of the virus even in highly vaccinated populations,” said Tambyah.

Davidovitch said “localized outbreaks” among children who are not vaccinated will probably continue.

He said it’s “hard to tell” if a reliance on Chinese vaccines — as seen in the UAE and Bahrain — may be linked to dramatic spikes in Covid cases.

Tambyah noted that Israel, which has used mainly Pfizer vaccines, is seeing a resurgence in cases as well.

He said there are no scientific publications comparing traditional vaccines developed by China against vaccines that rely on messenger RNA technology, which instructs the body to produce a harmless piece of the virus that helps trigger an immune response.

“I think that, unfortunately, higher vaccination rates are required,” Tambyah said.

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Business

UAE, Bahrain supply third Sinopharm photographs amid vaccine efficacy worries

UAE, Bahrain offer third Sinopharm shots amid vaccine efficacy worries

People are waiting for their turn to get vaccinated against the coronavirus on February 3, 2021 at a vaccination center at the Dubai International Financial Center in the Gulf emirate of Dubai. The UAE has administered more than a quarter of at least three million doses to its population.

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are offering a booster shot of the Sinopharm vaccine developed in China to residents and citizens who have already received two doses, the country’s medical authorities said.

“An additional supportive dose of Sinopharm is now available to people who previously received the vaccine and have now completed more than six months since the second dose,” the UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority tweeted Tuesday evening.

Bahrain’s National Medical Taskforce to Fight the Coronavirus also announced “the opening of registration for a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine for the most vulnerable groups in Bahrain, at least 6 months after taking the second dose of the Sinopharm vaccine, for first aiders as well Citizens and residents over the age of 50, as well as those suffering from obesity, low immunity, or other underlying health conditions. “

The announcements come amid questions about Sinopharm’s effectiveness and reports of Covid-19 reinfections in people who have received their two shot doses.

The World Health Organization approved Sinopharm for emergencies at the beginning of May, making it the first non-Western vaccine to receive the green light for the organization. Developed by China’s state-owned China National Pharmaceutical Group (commonly referred to as Sinopharm), it is one of the country’s two main intakes, administered to millions of people in China and elsewhere, especially in developing countries.

The UAE’s vaccination campaign, one of the fastest in the world, has relied heavily on the Sinopharm shot since the end of 2020, which is available to all residents and citizens. Pfizer / BioNTech, AstraZeneca / University of Oxford and Sputnik V vaccines are also available in Dubai for several months, while the United Arab Emirates’ capital, Abu Dhabi, only offered Sinopharm to its residents until it recently changed course to end April also to offer Pfizer.

Mixed effectiveness figures

The United Arab Emirates government announced in December last year that an “interim analysis” of Phase 3 trials of the vaccine in Abu Dhabi by China National Biotec Group (a subsidiary of Sinopharm) showed an efficacy of 86%. However, the announcement contained few details and did not reveal how that 86% figure was calculated.

In the same month, China announced that the vaccine was 79.34% effective based on “preliminary trial data” without releasing Phase 3 results, contradicting UAE figures.

Sinopharm has not responded to multiple CNBC requests for comment.

The UAE will play an important role in expanding access to vaccines in developing countries thanks to its partnership with China to manufacture millions of doses locally through a joint venture between Sinopharm and UAE-based tech company G42. The vaccine made in the UAE is called Hayat-Vax. Hayat means “life” in Arabic.

In March, the UAE gave “a small number” of people who did not develop antibodies after their first two shots the third dose of Sinopharm, local news reported.

Coronavirus cases in the UAE peaked at around 4,000 a day in late January but have since dropped to less than 1,500 a day. After a very strict spring lockdown in 2020, the Gulf Sheikh’s economy has reopened completely. The commercial capital of Dubai is one of the first places in the world to resume tourism and personal conferences.

Nevertheless, it has been on the “Red List” for Great Britain, a top tourism partner, since January. France and a number of other EU countries have also put the UAE on their red list and require a ten-day quarantine upon arrival.

In late April, the UAE announced it would take “tough measures” to limit the movement of people not vaccinated against the coronavirus to its national vaccination campaign, which has already fired nearly 11.5 million shots in a population of around 10 million has to expand further.

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Business

UAE may keep on UK’s journey purple listing indefinitely, stoking confusion

UAE could stay on UK's travel red list indefinitely, stoking confusion

Dubai is known for its modern architecture, including the Burj Khalifa, which is almost twice as tall as the Empire State Building at 2,700 feet.

Fraser Hall | The image database | Getty Images

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The United Arab Emirates’ potentially indeterminate status on the UK’s “Red List” for travel has created anger and confusion, made more uncertain by recent statements from the UK government.

UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps pointed out that due to its status as an international transport hub, the UAE could remain on the UK red list despite falling infection trends and the world’s second fastest vaccination campaign.

“We are not restricting the UAE due to the coronavirus level in the UAE,” Shapps said at an aviation event on Wednesday. “The problem is that of transit.”

The comments were sharply criticized by Emirates President Tim Clark: “It makes no sense to keep us on the ‘Red List’ for transit reasons, as (passengers) can easily pass through other hubs,” he said at a recent online event. “It puts our operations in the UK at risk for Emirates. It’s a shame if they keep us on the red list.”

Inclusion on the UK Red List comes at a high price and has real ramifications for the 120,000 Britons living in the Gulf State and their families. Anyone entering the UK from a Red List country must be quarantined in a government approved hotel and pay their own room and board expenses for 10 days at a cost of £ 1,750 (US $ 2,428) per person.

“When someone asks me about my home, I cry,” said a British national who works in Dubai and has not seen her family in the UK since mid-2020.

“The ambiguity is unbearable,” said the source, who asked not to be identified due to job restrictions. “It is much easier to find and maintain a balance in your life when you have a plan in place. Changing positions in the UK makes this impossible and is so detrimental to people’s wellbeing.”

People are waiting for their turn to be vaccinated against the coronavirus on February 3, 2021 at a vaccination center at the Dubai International Financial Center in the Gulf emirate of Dubai. The UAE has administered more than a quarter of at least three million doses to its population.

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The UK’s red list, banning air travel or imposing costly quarantine on arrival, currently lists 40 high-risk countries considered too dangerous to travel, including India, where new infections have skyrocketed to over 300,000 cases per day are.

The UAE remains on the list, although infection rates drop to around 2,000 cases per day. Abu Dhabi has now put Great Britain on its own “green” list of travel destinations.

CNBC has asked the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth Office for comment.

Growing support

A petition to remove the UAE from the UK Red List had received over 8,500 signatures on April 26, amid growing frustration over travel restrictions and quarantine costs on one of the world’s busiest air routes.

“I want the government to remove the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from the red list by the summer so that travelers can visit the safe country without being quarantined in a hotel on their return,” wrote petitioner Mikael Aziz.

The UK government must respond if the petition receives 10,000 or more signatures.

“You need to rethink Dubai’s red list. Most of the UK citizens who work there are fully vaccinated and should be allowed to travel to the UK. You could have a PCR test before and when you arrive.” Twitter user @ DawnWilson2606 tweeted to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Any decision to remove the UAE from the Red List is made even more difficult by the different restrictions between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The UAE’s most populous emirates have enforced separate access, travel, testing, and quarantine rules since the pandemic began – despite being less than a two-hour drive away from each other.

Removal of the red list “as soon as it is feasible”

Amid criticism and confusion over recent travel restrictions, there are indications that the 10 million desert sheikh dome, which is predominantly overseas, could still be removed from the red list.

“We are working very closely with the UAE authorities to ensure that we can remove the UAE from the red list as soon as possible,” said Simon Penney, British Consul General in Dubai and Trade Commissioner in the Middle East. Penney’s comments came on April 21st, the same day as Shapp’s suggestion that the UAE could remain on the red list.

The UK government is expected to review its ban on non-essential international travel from May 17th. However, it is unclear which targets will receive approval.

Commuters cross London Bridge at sunrise on March 1, 2021 in London, England.

Hollie Adams | Getty Images

“It is too early today to say which countries are on the green list and which are not, and we have to wait until early May before we have any further clarification,” said Penney during an interview with a radio station in Dubai

“The decisions made are driven by data and science. The keys to this are the launch of the vaccine, the number of daily cases and the prevalence of harmful variants,” he added.

The UK Foreign Office said it “advises against all travel across the UAE based on the current COVID-19 risk assessment. The UAE outperforms most of the developed world in vaccine adoption by almost 40% of the population are fully vaccinated.

“Visitors who have been to the United Arab Emirates or have traveled through the United Arab Emirates in the past 10 days are not allowed in,” said an April 25 report.

“A travel corridor worth reopening”

“The positions of the countries on each other’s lists need not be reciprocal,” Rob Willock, director of the Economist Corporate Network advisory service, told CNBC on Sunday.

“Given that the UAE and the UK are second and third in the global vaccination league, and more than half of their populations have had at least one vaccine, one would imagine this is a travel corridor well worth it to be reopened. “

The UK, one of Dubai’s biggest tourist sources and a key itinerary for Emirates, removed the United Arab Emirates from its “safe travel corridor” in January as falls in Dubai skyrocketed after an influx of British travelers in November and December.

The UAE reported just over 2,000 new infections on Saturday. The country has so far given 9.9 million doses of vaccine.

US travel warnings

It is not just Britain that is holding back on opening up. The US added more than 100 countries to its Level 4: Do Not Travel list last week, including Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

“Things change, and they will change over time,” IATA director general Willie Walsh told CNBC when asked if the State Department misunderstood the advice.

Certain countries on the American list also have their own restrictions on travel by foreigners, while others allow entry by air with proof of vaccination and a negative Covid test or other criteria.

“We’re not suggesting that you lift all restrictions now,” said Walsh. “We urge governments to come up with a plan that will give an indication of when they believe international air travel will start and how international air travel should work when things start moving again.”

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Business

Russia’s Sputnik vaccine will get its first approval within the EU, UAE

Russia’s Sputnik vaccine gets its first approval in the EU, UAE

A medical worker fills a syringe with the Gam-COVID-Vac vaccine (under the brand name Sputnik V) in Butovo, in southern Moscow.

Sergei Savostyanov | TASS | Getty Images

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Russian vaccine Sputnik V Covid-19 saw a number of improvements on Thursday as Hungary and the United Arab Emirates became the first countries in the European Union and the Gulf region to register the emergency shot.

Hungary’s decision was confirmed by President Viktor Orban’s spokesman, who said that if the country agrees to a shipping agreement with Moscow, it will be the first EU country to receive the vaccine. This is because the country’s cases have fallen from a high of more than 6,000 a day in early December to below 2,000 a day.

“This decision is very important as it shows that over 90% of the vaccine’s safety and efficacy is valued by our partners in Hungary,” said Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, in a statement.

The EU drug regulator has not yet approved the Russian stab, although Chancellor Angela Merkel gave Sputnik further hope on Thursday, suggesting that the German vaccine regulator could advise Russia on steering the EU approval process. The RDIF has submitted Sputnik for EU registration and expects its review in February.

UAE approval comes amid a dramatic surge in infections

The UAE approval comes amid a record spike in cases in the little Gulf Sheikh, which excelled internationally by welcoming tourists and fully reopening its economy by late summer last year.

Confirmed coronavirus cases have more than tripled in about three weeks, prompting Emirati authorities to suspend unnecessary hospital surgery and “entertainment” activities in their busy hotels and restaurants just days after the country gave assurances that the virus was under Control was to fail.

The UAE’s daily number of cases hit a record high of 3,529 on Thursday, well above neighboring Gulf states, where registered infections are below 500 per day.

A man from the Emirates wearing a protective mask walks at al-Barsha Health Center in the Gulf of Dubai on December 24, 2020.

GIUSEPPE CACACE | AFP via Getty Images

Sputnik V will be the third vaccine to be used in the United Arab Emirates after China’s Sinopharm vaccine and the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine developed in the US and Germany were released to the public in December. The country of around 10 million people is running the second fastest national vaccination campaign in the world after Israel per capita, according to the government, and aims to vaccinate half of the country’s population by the end of March.

“The decision is part of the UAE’s comprehensive and integrated efforts to ensure a higher level of prevention,” the country’s health ministry said in a statement on Thursday about Sputnik’s approval. “The study results have demonstrated the vaccine’s effectiveness in eliciting a strong antibody response to the virus, its safety to use and its compliance with international safety and efficacy standards.”

Lack of late-stage experimental data

The approvals came despite detailed research data not yet published on the results of the phase 3 human vaccine study. The capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, began phase 3 testing for Sputnik V earlier this month but has not released any data on it. 1,000 volunteers in the emirate have received their first dose, according to RDIF.

Sputnik V, which according to its developer, the Gamaleya Research Institute, is 91% effective after two doses, has been used across Russia for months. Scientists expressed concern about what many have described as the rush to launch the vaccine, which gave the green light for mass use in Russia ahead of the completion of Phase 3 trials.

As the first step in the largest vaccination campaign in Argentina’s history, first line health workers are receiving the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus.

Patricio Murphy | SOPA pictures | LightRocket | Getty Images

Analysis of the phase 1 and phase 2 studies of the vaccine was published in The Lancet in September, which found that the initial results did not show any significant negative side effects, but further studies were required.

“The results of the Phase III clinical trials are expected to be published shortly,” according to the official Sputnik V.

Prior to Thursday’s announcements, it had been approved for emergencies in nine countries and territories outside Russia – Algeria, Argentina, Bolivia, Belarus, Serbia, Venezuela, Paraguay, Turkmenistan and the Palestinian Territories.

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Health

UAE on observe to vaccinate half its inhabitants by finish of March

UAE on track to vaccinate half its population by end of March

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The United Arab Emirates are on the way to vaccinate half of its population against the coronavirus before a deadline it set itself in late March, according to the country’s health authorities.

The little desert sheikh of 10 million began delivering its vaccination campaign to the public late last year after making China’s Sinopharm vaccine available to frontline health workers and government officials in September. In terms of vaccination rates, the UAE’s national program is the second highest in the world after Israel.

More than 1.8 million people have already received the Sinopharm vaccine, which is available to all citizens and residents free of charge. That is more than four times the vaccination rate per capita in the US. The Pfizer BioNTech vaccine developed in the USA and Germany is launched in Dubai. He is currently in the first phase, which is reserved for people over the age of 60, existing health conditions and frontline workers.

A health worker shows a dose of the Chinese vaccine Sinopharm Covid-19 in a vaccination center in the Jordanian capital Amman on January 13, 2021.

Khalil Mazraawi | AFP | Getty Images

Both vaccines require two shocks 28 days apart, and 28 days after receiving the second shot, patients are no longer required to be quarantined but are required to continue wearing masks and practicing social distancing, as the country’s national emergency crisis and disaster management agency does did said

And while taking the vaccine is optional, it is highly recommended, according to NCEMA. Government employees in Abu Dhabi who choose not to take any of the vaccines are required to do a PCR test every two weeks.

“We are very pleased with the progress we have made,” UAE deputy minister for culture and public diplomacy Omar Ghobash told CNBC’s Hadley Gamble on Sunday. “Of course there are people who still get sick and sadly die, but overall we think we’ve managed to strike a balance between health and safety on the one hand and economic viability on the other.”

Sinopharm developers say the vaccine is 86% effective while the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine is 95% effective, although some health professionals have expressed skepticism about the Chinese-made vaccine as there is no published data on its development and its Studies are available. In November, UAE leaders including the ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum tweeted pictures of themselves receiving the Sinopharm shot.

The vaccinations progress below the peaks in some cases

Since late December, cases in Gulf Land have risen in less than three weeks as tourists flocked to Dubai’s fully open beaches, restaurants and shopping malls. Although visitors may require a negative PCR test result before boarding or upon arrival, many suspect that a transmissible strain of virus, first identified in the UK, is at least partly to blame for the large number of British tourists staying in the emirate on vacation.

The spike in cases – now averaging more than 3,000 a day compared to around 1,000 a day in late December – led the UK to remove the UAE from its “safe travel corridor” despite UK travelers being excluded from many countries for fear of the new strain of the virus . The UAE had successfully kept their case numbers below 2,000 per day for all of 2020.

The UAE has recorded 256,732 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 751 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. A record number of 3,453 cases was recorded on Sunday.

Women sunbathers sit on a beach in the Gulf emirate of Dubai on July 24, 2020, while the Burj al-Arab Hotel can be seen behind it. After a painful four-month hiatus in tourism that ended in early July, Dubai is paying off as a safe travel destination with the resources to ward off coronaviruses.

KARIM SAHIB | AFP via Getty Images

Still, it seems that the party city and regional trade capital Dubai will continue their vaccination campaign, at least for the time being, while keeping their tourism-dependent economy open.

The neighboring oil-rich capital Abu Dhabi was now much more conservative and required a series of negative PCR test results over a period of several days for anyone wishing to enter the emirate – including from other emirates in the country.

In Dubai, the wearing of masks is still required in all public places, with the exception of activities such as eating or doing strenuous exercise. The authorities remind residents of social distance. The emirate’s openness, which has gradually increased since the summer, was due to one of the strictest lockdowns in the world in March and April.

Until the New Year, the Dubai government allowed residents to hold gatherings of up to 30 people in their homes. Hotels that were once almost empty now have an occupancy rate of over 70% as tourists flee their own countries for reasons of normalcy and warm weather.

“You balance personal responsibility with an economy that needs to move forward,” Ghobash said of the country.

“Vaccinate the largest percentage of society possible” is the country’s goal, NCEMA tweeted earlier this month, to “gain access to vaccine-acquired immunity that will help reduce the number of cases and control the disease” .