Concerns about immigration, valid or otherwise, have assumed high importance in political debate in many countries over the past 10 to 15 years.
Populists in Europe have warned that tidal waves of outsiders – they tend not to discriminate between immigrants and refugees – threaten the continent's historic culture. Many blame the Brexit vote on an underlying hostility towards non-white foreigners that found a voice, and even an element of respectability, through association with the campaign to leave the European Union. We all know about US President Donald Trump's infamous wall to keep people from Latin America out. Much of the rhetoric has been toxic and hateful.
But now the coronavirus is making starkly clear just how reliant on immigrants so many of us are.
Medical care is vital during this pandemic. So is the cultivation of food and its distribution through supermarkets. In many countries, these needs are filled disproportionately by immigrants: the former through the requirement to source sufficient qualified doctors and nurses, the latter because even in developing nations such as Malaysia there are low-paid jobs that locals would mostly rather not take.
Read More from Sholto Byrnes
We are all now aware that the foreign worker at the supermarket till, handling the cash and debit cards of hundreds of strangers a day, is very much on the frontline during this threat.
So were the first 10 doctors to die from the virus while working for Britain’s National Health Service: all originally came from abroad, from Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Syria and Sudan.
The gratitude towards first responders as death tolls rise is palpable, not just in the UK but also in the US, where a quarter of these vital workers are “foreign born”, as Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and chief executive of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), which has welcomed more than 500,000 refugees and migrants in its 80-year history, tells me.
“In the US, immigrant workers are serving on the frontlines from healthcare and looking after patients, to agriculture and putting food on the table,” she says. Mrs Vignarajah, a senior adviser in the Obama administration, points out that immigrants have always made a similar contribution, “but the pandemic has brought into sharper relief the central role they have played".
This recognition is welcome, as is the move by Portugal’s government to grant all migrants and asylum seekers who have applied for immigration status full citizenship rights until the end of June, which means that they will have the same access to healthcare as permanent residents.
We must hope that such fellow feeling lasts; for it will be tested by the huge rise in unemployment that we are witnessing. We do not know what the extent of the devastation to businesses and families will be, but the landscape a few months from now is almost certain to be ripe for exploitation by rabble-rousers who claim that immigrants are "taking" jobs, hospital beds, handouts and housing from locals.
The evidence is actually to the contrary.
For instance, a 2018 study by Oxford Economics, a UK-based research and analysis consultancy, found that the migrants who arrived in the country in 2016 would make a total net positive contribution of £26.9 billion to the public finances over the entirety of their stays in the country.
That may not necessarily convince people left in desperation and destitution by the ongoing economic catastrophe – there is a degree of correlation between those who are in the most perilous circumstances and their opposition to immigration – but the financial arguments for embracing newcomers have not been made loudly or consistently enough. That must change.
This is quite apart from the moral arguments – our surely self-evident obligation to our fellow man – and all the examples of people who would not be with us were it not for travel and immigration. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is the great-grandson of Ali Kemal, a minister in the dying days of the Ottoman Empire. If Ashok Varadkar had not moved from India to the UK in the 1960s, Ireland's Taoiseach, or Prime Minister, would not be his son Leo.
This applies particularly to America, a country built on immigration. Mr Trump’s mother emigrated from Scotland, and his paternal grandparents from Germany. At least three US secretaries of state, Madeleine Albright, Zbigniew Brzezinski and Henry Kissinger, were born abroad. So was LIRS’s Mrs Vignarajah. But, she says: “I fear some have forgotten who we are as a country and how we got here.”
Mrs Vignarajah thinks this is a time to "highlight the value" of immigrants. I – the son of an immigrant – agree. And so, it seems, does Prime Minister Johnson. On leaving hospital in London after being stricken by the virus, he praised the staff for saving his life, extending particular thanks to two nurses who "stood by my bedside for 48 hours when things could have gone either way".
They were "Jenny from New Zealand" and "Luis from Portugal", he said. It was notable where they were from, and Mr Johnson will have known exactly what he was signalling by letting the world know. It was not just a nod to the "Global Britain" he has been promoting for the UK's post-EU future. It was also a return to the liberal, cosmopolitan political stance Mr Johnson took when he was London's mayor. It was a very personal and prominent "thank you" to two immigrants and an affirmation of the conviction that immigration is in every way a force for good.
Two foreign-born workers helped save a world leader. They put their lives on the line for others – as so many immigrants are doing in country after country. Remember that when racist populists decry them as parasites. Sometimes they are our saviours. And even when they are not, we must recognise them as our brothers and sisters if our common humanity is to mean anything to us at all.
Sholto Byrnes is a commentator and consultant in Kuala Lumpur and a corresponding fellow of the Erasmus Forum
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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UAE
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What is 'Soft Power'?
Soft power was first mentioned in 1990 by former US Defence Secretary Joseph Nye.
He believed that there were alternative ways of cultivating support from other countries, instead of achieving goals using military strength.
Soft power is, at its root, the ability to convince other states to do what you want without force.
This is traditionally achieved by proving that you share morals and values.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
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: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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Specs%20
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What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League last 16, first leg
Liverpool v Bayern Munich, midnight, Wednesday, BeIN Sports
Fixtures:
Thursday:
Hatta v Al Jazira, 4.55pm
Al Wasl v Dibba, 7.45pm
Friday:
Al Dhafra v Al Nasr, 5.05pm
Shabab Al Ahli Dubai v Al Wahda, 7.45pm
Saturday:
Ajman v Emirates, 4.55pm
Al Ain v Sharjah, 7.45pm
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
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Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour Calendar 2018/19
July 29: OTA Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan
Sep 22-23: LA Convention Centre in Los Angeles, US
Nov 16-18: Carioca Arena Centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Feb 7-9: Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Mar 9-10: Copper Box Arena in London, UK
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Mobile phone packages comparison
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Last 10 NBA champions
2017: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-1
2016: Cleveland bt Golden State 4-3
2015: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-2
2014: San Antonio bt Miami 4-1
2013: Miami bt San Antonio 4-3
2012: Miami bt Oklahoma City 4-1
2011: Dallas bt Miami 4-2
2010: Los Angeles Lakers bt Boston 4-3
2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
2008: Boston bt Los Angeles Lakers 4-2
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.
HAJJAN
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
