The United Arab Emirates has extended a suspension for those travelling from India and several other South Asian countries due to COVID-related guidelines. According to Etihad Airlines, the ban will be in place until July 31st. However, other airlines have said this is pending government review. The extension does not include UAE citizens, diplomats or those holding the nation's investor visa. Nor does it include fully vaccinated travellers that hold a residency visa and have taken three tests since June 23rd. Read: UAE widens travel ban leaving many South Asians unable to return to country However, those who fall outside this bracket and hope to conduct business or travel for leisure to the UAE will have to continue to wait for the restrictions to be lifted. Since April, expats in India have been left in limbo overseas, with many forced to re-evaluate their options. The need to have alternative solutions has become more apparent than ever for those facing limited mobility, not only impacting business but jeopardising family safety. Since the onset of the pandemic, there has been a spike in demand for second citizenship as a tool that can be leveraged to diversify assets whilst also providing a safety net during times of uncertainty. According to data, there have been as many as 5,000 high net-worth Indians who have left the country since 2020. In conjunction, there has been a sharp incline in interest for Citizenship by Investment (CBI) - a process that confers citizenship to an applicant and additional dependents once an economic contribution is made to a host country. Read: Dominica Completes $2m Bypass Project to Safeguard Community During Hurricane Season "As governments become more insular and impose stricter visa controls, the opportunity to travel and do business globally is considerably hampered. So, Citizenship by Investment is a wonderful way to reverse that as it gives the Indian national better access to travel and business opportunities," says Micha Emmett, CEO of CS Global Partners is a global investor immigration firm specialising in providing citizenship solutions. Since 1993, Dominica has welcomed Indian investors, among others, to become citizens of the Caribbean nation. The country's CBI programme offers successful applicants a trusted route to second citizenship with benefits such as increased travel freedom to over 140 destinations, access to top tier educational institutions and alternative business prospects. The programme has also been ranked as the world's best offering for second citizenship by an annual independent study conducted by experts at the Financial Times' PWM.

Bangladesh has sent fine quality rice (developed by Bangladeshi scientists named Banglamati), seasonal fruits and fresh vegetables to the United Arab Emirates by a cargo flight of Etihad Airlines as gifts.    The gifts were made as a gesture of goodwill and fraternity between Bangladesh and the UAE, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday.    The gifts include Banglamati rice, fresh watermelon, pineapple, Okra, potato, pointed gourd, cucumber etc.     Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) provided Banglamati rice and the Ministry of Agriculture arranged fresh vegetables under the guidance of Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaq.   Earlier, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen mentioned Bangladesh's remarkable progress in the agriculture sector with surplus food production during his meeting with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the UAE in January 2020.    On a separate occasion, the chairman of the UAE Investment Authority Sheikh Hamadbin Zayed Al Nahyan expressed his willingness to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to import rice from Bangladesh during his courtesy call in Abu Dhabi in January 2020.   The gifts were primarily made from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to the President, the Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, the Foreign Minister, the Minister of Human Resources and the Minister of State for Food Security of the United Arab Emirates.    The government is trying to explore overseas markets for surplus agro-products of Bangladesh, especially the seasonal fruits, fresh vegetables and meat.    The UAE authority has procured around 40 tons of fresh vegetables and meat and carried them in the same cargo flight.    This might be a good start of exporting quality rice, fruits, vegetables and meat to the UAE, said the MoFA.