The clearest sign that this has been a dark, unsettling year may be the cresting global wave of anti-immigrant policies and rhetoric. Leaders tend to take clear stands against new arrivals in response to spikes in the violence and instability that drive people from their homes.
Russia’s war in Ukraine is set to enter its third year, having created as many as 12 million refugees. Israel has killed more than 20,000 Palestinians and displaced some 1.8 million in Gaza. Pakistan recently began sending some 1.7 million Afghan migrants back to their homeland.
Sudan’s civil war has forced more than six million people from their homes, while Myanmar’s has again put that state on the verge of collapse. There are a handful of other hotspots, and 2023 has been the hottest year on record, with heat waves, drought, and devastating floods driving still more misery across the developing world.
No surprise, then, that the share of the world’s displaced has more than doubled since 2012, from 0.6 per cent of the global population to 1.4 per cent. In 2023, the EU has seen its highest number of migrant arrivals since the 2015-16 crisis, with nearly a million applying for asylum. The US this year experienced a record high of new arrivals at its southern border – 2.5 million, nearly three times the pre-pandemic total of 2019.
Earlier this year I predicted the West would continue to embrace a fortress mentality, and the most common response thus far has been to pull up the drawbridge. With pressure building on the Gaza border, Egypt has repeatedly refused to welcome Palestinians. As US President Joe Biden mulls harsh border controls in exchange for more Ukraine aid, his main challenger, former president Donald Trump, has been vowing to revive his so-called Muslim ban, begin mass deportations, and flatly refuse asylum claims, should he win next November.
Last week Mr Trump declared that immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country”. This came shortly after the frontline state of Texas enabled authorities to detain and deport suspected illegals – a law critics described as “rooted in racism”. Across the pond, after three years of talks, the EU last week agreed to its first-ever joint policy, redefining rules for receiving and relocating irregular migrants.
Most observers viewed the new policy as enhancing state protections and limiting migrant rights, reflecting the slow but steady rise of Europe’s far-right. A Belgian editorial expected the lack of monitoring would “allow the Frontex agency and unscrupulous European border guards to continue their violations in all impunity”.
Like Texas, France also passed its own law, making it more difficult for new arrivals to bring family members to France and delaying access to government benefits. “It is a collective punishment based on the spread of irrational fears,” argued one French jurist.
Today even more people are on the move, and given the growing impact of climate change, it’s probably safe to say this genie is not going back into the bottle anytime soon
One of the few bright spots has been the sunny Aegean. As part of this month’s Athens declaration, Turkey and Greece agreed to swap border guards and co-operate more closely on security around the Aegean islands, where thousands have perished in recent years.
Last week, Athens approved an amendment granting residence permits to migrants who have been in the country three years without committing a crime. Greece has largely avoided the migrant-driven social issues faced by the likes of France, Germany and Sweden, mainly because migrants tend to see it as a place of transit rather than a destination.
The new amendment, which is a nod to the domestic labour shortage, aims to convince more of them to stick around, which points towards the grave need and enduring draw of the US and EU. Both are similarly in the market for young people and workers while remaining terribly appealing to the world’s dispossessed.
Even amid surging global criticism of the West, they present a pull that is not only about prosperity, but also freedom and respect for the rule of law and human rights. But policies that prioritise citizens and dismiss the desperate risk violating such principles, voiding a potent soft power tool.
Turkey could be exhibit A of this double-edged sword. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month described his country as a safe haven for the oppressed. Rhetorical positioning, perhaps, yet rooted in reality: Turkey hosts more refugees than any country in the world, 5.2 million foreign nationals as of early this year, including 3.6 million Syrians.
This has predictably sparked a nativist backlash, with politicians vowing to send refugees home, authorities detaining and allegedly deporting those deemed illegal, and Turks regularly harassing Syrians in the streets.
Meanwhile, an increasingly fraught political climate and persistent economic hardship have in the past decade driven nearly a million Turks to head for the relative safety and prosperity of western countries. So many creatives, professionals, and skilled workers have left that, according to some analysts, Turkey now faces a serious labour shortage and a perilous economic future.
"Losses from brain drain are not instantaneous but compound over years, undermining the foundations of prosperity," tech expert and business development strategist Sven Koksal argued in August. "Turkey's government cannot afford to ignore this challenge."
In a new book, An Exodus from Turkey by Ahmet Erdi Ozturk and Bahar Baser, exiled fashion designer Barbaros Sansal speaks of how it upsets him to see so many Turks abroad struggling to build new lives, even as their homeland struggles as well. “I realise the country’s considerable losses,” he says. “Perhaps those who want to return one day will do so.”
Return, sadly, is all too rare; the vast majority of migrants settle where they land and seek to prosper. They often spur local fear and resentment, as in 2016, when the world saw the rise of a Mount Rushmore of xenophobia: Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany, Austria’s Freedom Party, the UK’s Brexit and Donald Trump all scored significant victories.
Today even more people are on the move, and given the growing impact of climate change and experts' predictions of increasing instability, it’s probably safe to say this genie is not going back into the bottle anytime soon. So, unless we’re able to move away from fear and embrace the benefits of movement, this looming tsunami of humanity is likely to bring us another Hobbesian annus horribilis, and another, and another and another.
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MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
SPECS
Nissan 370z Nismo
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 363hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh184,500
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
Power: 325hp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh189,700
On sale: now
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Director: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon
Rating:*****
Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
HEADLINE HERE
- I would recommend writing out the text in the body
- And then copy into this box
- It can be as long as you link
- But I recommend you use the bullet point function (see red square)
- Or try to keep the word count down
- Be wary of other embeds lengthy fact boxes could crash into
- That's about it
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
OPTA'S PREDICTED TABLE
1. Liverpool 101 points
2. Manchester City 80
3. Leicester 67
4. Chelsea 63
5. Manchester United 61
6. Tottenham 58
7. Wolves 56
8. Arsenal 56
9. Sheffield United 55
10. Everton 50
11. Burnley 49
12. Crystal Palace 49
13. Newcastle 46
14. Southampton 44
15. West Ham 39
16. Brighton 37
17. Watford 36
18. Bournemouth 36
19. Aston Villa 32
20. Norwich City 29
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
How it works
1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground
2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water
3) One application is said to last five years
4) The cost of treatment per hectare (2.4 acres) of desert varies from $7,000 to $10,000 per hectare
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
