Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed praised healthcare workers last week during his virtual Ramadan Majlis and on Twitter, describing them as the embodiment of mercy and compassion.
"As we celebrate World Nurses Day, we salute our front line that faces the pandemic bravely. We pay tribute to them here in the UAE and the world.
“Their role is essential, and the sacrifice is great. They are truly the embodiment of mercy and compassion,” he said.
The English word compassion derives from the Latin compati, meaning to suffer with or suffer together. When we act compassionately we help ease the burdens of other beings.
Healthcare workers around the globe are alleviating the suffering of Covid-19 patients. As a consequence, they too, are suffering, embodying compassion in the original and truest sense of the word.
To understand the risks that healthcare workers and their families face, we only have to glance at the number of Covid-19 infections among them.
Oxford University’s Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine estimated healthcare workers may account for up to 30 per cent of all British infections. This is a group that makes up only six per cent of the UK workforce.
In one UK accident and emergency department, at Royal Gwent Hospital in Wales, almost half of employees tested positive for Covid-19. In Spain, as of March 25, there were 47,600 total cases of which 6,500 were in medical staff.
The psychological costs may be just as high and are likely to last long after the pandemic has passed
In short, 13.6 per cent of all cases were from a group that makes up only one per cent of the workforce. Last week, the International Council of Nurses proposed that at least 90,000 healthcare workers worldwide had been infected.
The ICN also suggested the actual figure might be twice as high, given that several nations have not yet reported the relevant data.
The high rate of infection among healthcare workers illustrates only the physical suffering that is being heroically endured.
The psychological costs may be equally high and are likely to last long after the pandemic has passed.
For evidence of this, we can look at the global outbreak in 2002-2004 of Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome). Many researchers have called Sars the first pandemic of the 21st century – some also described it as a “mental health catastrophe”.
Numerous studies point to elevated levels of depression, post-traumatic stress and substance abuse among healthcare workers who treated Sars patients.
The same, of course, was true for patients who survived Sars, even years after full recovery from the virus. Furthermore, a study published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry reported a link between elevated rates of suicide among Hong Kong's elderly and the Sars outbreak.
Consider that global Sars cases numbered 8,098 with 774 deaths. Covid-19 stands at about 4.7 million cases, with more than 315,000 deaths.
There is a clear and present need for psychological support for healthcare workers, for those directly affected by the Covid-19 and for the public at large.
The UAE pre-emptively responded to this need back in 2016, when it appointed a Minister of State for Happiness.
This appointment underscored the UAE’s commitment to psychological wellness. During the unfolding of the Covid-19 pandemic, the UAE’s National Programme for Happiness and Well-being has launched numerous supportive initiatives, including the national campaign for mental support.
This project mainly involves connecting the general public with mental health specialists and through the innovative use of social media. I am honoured to have been involved in this programme and to have helped in some small way.
There is, however, much more to do if we are to avert a post-pandemic mental health catastrophe.
If compassion makes things better, then cruelty and unkindness make things worse. Unfortunately, the example of our compassionate healthcare workers is not being emulated by all.
Earlier this month, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the coronavirus pandemic was unleashing “a tsunami of hate and xenophobia, scapegoating and scaremongering”.
Referencing the rise in pandemic-related hate speech and hate crimes, the UN chief called for actions that “strengthen the immunity of our societies against the virus of hate”.
Last week Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, the Minister of Tolerance, addressed the Prayer for Humanity session. This global initiative was an online meeting of religious leaders coming together to show mutual respect during this global crisis.
If tolerance and compassion towards ourselves and each other will help us through this trying time, it is these same qualities that will help us minimise the psychological after-effects of this pandemic.
Justin Thomas is a professor of psychology at Zayed University
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
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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Hamilton profile
Age 32
Country United Kingdom
Grands Prix entered 198
Pole positions 67
Wins 57
Podiums 110
Points 2,423
World Championships 3
Dubai Rugby Sevens
November 30-December 2, at The Sevens, Dubai
Gulf Under 19
Pool A – Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jumeirah College Tigers, Dubai English Speaking School 1, Gems World Academy
Pool B – British School Al Khubairat, Bahrain Colts, Jumeirah College Lions, Dubai English Speaking School 2
Pool C - Dubai College A, Dubai Sharks, Jumeirah English Speaking School, Al Yasmina
Pool D – Dubai Exiles, Dubai Hurricanes, Al Ain Amblers, Deira International School
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The Sky Is Pink
Director: Shonali Bose
Cast: Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim, Rohit Saraf
Three stars
Infiniti QX80 specs
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FIXTURES
Fixtures for Round 15 (all times UAE)
Friday
Inter Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
Saturday
Atalanta v Verona (6pm)
Udinese v Napoli (9pm)
Lazio v Juventus (11.45pm)
Sunday
Lecce v Genoa (3.30pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (6pm)
SPAL v Brescia (6pm)
Torino v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sampdoria v Parma (9pm)
Bologna v AC Milan (11.45pm)
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
What is an ETF?
An exchange traded fund is a type of investment fund that can be traded quickly and easily, just like stocks and shares. They come with no upfront costs aside from your brokerage's dealing charges and annual fees, which are far lower than on traditional mutual investment funds. Charges are as low as 0.03 per cent on one of the very cheapest (and most popular), Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, with the maximum around 0.75 per cent.
There is no fund manager deciding which stocks and other assets to invest in, instead they passively track their chosen index, country, region or commodity, regardless of whether it goes up or down.
The first ETF was launched as recently as 1993, but the sector boasted $5.78 billion in assets under management at the end of September as inflows hit record highs, according to the latest figures from ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five largest providers BlackRock’s iShares, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisers, Deutsche Bank X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
While the best-known track major indices such as MSCI World, the S&P 500 and FTSE 100, you can also invest in specific countries or regions, large, medium or small companies, government bonds, gold, crude oil, cocoa, water, carbon, cattle, corn futures, currency shifts or even a stock market crash.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Profile
Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari
Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.
Number of employees: Over 50
Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised
Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital
Sector of operation: Transport
Calls
Directed by: Fede Alvarez
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Karen Gillian, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mane points for safe home colouring
- Natural and grey hair takes colour differently than chemically treated hair
- Taking hair from a dark to a light colour should involve a slow transition through warmer stages of colour
- When choosing a colour (especially a lighter tone), allow for a natural lift of warmth
- Most modern hair colours are technique-based, in that they require a confident hand and taught skills
- If you decide to be brave and go for it, seek professional advice and use a semi-permanent colour
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Fixtures
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWednesday%2C%20April%203%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EArsenal%20v%20Luton%20Town%2C%2010.30pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EManchester%20City%20v%20Aston%20Villa%2C%2011.15pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EThursday%2C%20April%204%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ELiverpool%20v%20Sheffield%20United%2C%2010.30pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The years Ramadan fell in May
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