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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Abu Dhabi opens up free vaccines to tourists

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DUBAI: Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, is offering tourists free Covid-19 vaccinations that were previously restricted to UAE citizens and residency visa holders.


There is no indication that the change applies to Dubai, the most populous emirate, or the other five emirates that make up the UAE.


Visitors with visas issued by Abu Dhabi and passport holders eligible for tourist visas when they arrive in the UAE through Abu Dhabi can book free vaccines, according to information provided by the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), which operates the emirate's public health infrastructure.


Holders of expired residency or entry visas are also eligible for free vaccinations, Abu Dhabi Media Office said on June 11.


Covid cases top 100 in Israel


Tel Aviv: After a period when coronavirus infections stayed very low in Israel, on Tuesday more than 100 new infections were reported over 24 hours for the first time in about two months.


Some 125 people had tested positive, the Health Ministry said.


The director-general of the Health Ministry, Chezy Levy, told Israeli television that about 70 per cent of the new infections were with the Delta variant.


Half of those infected were children, he said, and a third of those infected had been vaccinated.


The Delta variant was first discovered in India and is considered particularly contagious.


As recently as mid-June, new daily infections in Israel were only registering in the single digits. A requirement to wear masks was lifted nationwide last week.


Recent days have seen restrictions reimposed however. On Sunday pupils in two towns were again required to wear masks after an outbreak in schools.


The government also decided to expand the testing capacity for travellers at the airport.


Egypt arrests Tiktok influencer


Cairo: Egyptian police arrested Tiktok influencer Haneen Hossam Tuesday two days after she failed to appear in court for her sentencing to 10 years on "human trafficking" charges, a security official said.


Hossam, 19, was caught in a Cairo suburb and will be transferred to the Public Prosecution, the official said.


Another social media influencer, Mowada al Adham, was also sentenced on Sunday with three other people to six years in jail by the Cairo Criminal Court for "corrupting family values, inciting debauchery and encouraging young women to practise sexual relations", her lawyer Saber Sokkar told AFP on Monday.


Hossam was given a longer sentence because she had failed to appear in court at previous hearings, Sokkar added.


Hossam's arrest came a day after she posted a tearful video on social media that went viral pleading with authorities to drop the charges.


Both women were arrested last year and sentenced to two years each in jail for "attacking society's values" in videos published on TikTok.


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