Many years ago, when I was a lad in the UK, I always looked forward eagerly to the annual performance by the East Grinstead Amateur Dramatic Society of a comic opera by the duo of WS Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan.
In the late 19th Century, they wrote 14 such operas, humorous, often absurd and with delightfully catchy tunes.
One of the most popular, The Mikado, featured a song in which a character called the Lord High Executioner spelt out a list of people and professions for whom and for which he had considerable distaste.
“I’ve got a little list,” he sang, “of society offenders who might well be underground and who never would be missed.”
The Executioner's list is not relevant today. But since The Mikado was first performed in 1885 the list has been continually updated to suit its audiences.
I have no desire to be any kind of executioner, let alone a Lord High Executioner, but the song came to mind during a recent visit to the Mina Zayed fruit and vegetable market.
I was pondering how the local economy, as other economies around the world, might be affected in the long term by Covid-19 in terms of unemployment and the disappearance of some jobs.
Those in our health service, our police, along with others working tirelessly are the real heroes of today
Most of the salesmen and porters should be secure, I thought. But what about some other jobs? It is obvious that there is going to be a dramatic shake-out in some sectors as a new form of normality begins to emerge.
That made me think about those amongst us whose behaviour has a negative impact on efforts to tackle the crisis.
So I started to make a little list of those who might not be missed.
Earning an honoured place are those whose selfishness or ignorance of social distancing precautions means that they place others, besides themselves, at risk.
Also prominent on my list are those who have taken the opportunity to engage in price gouging, ramping up the cost of goods as they profit from demand driven by fear and desperation.
There are still companies who knowingly place their employees in danger by failing to introduce proper protective measures. They have a place on my list too.
Readers may have other nominations to add.
Looking ahead to when life begins to resemble what was formerly considered normal, I anticipate some major changes in our lives. Working from home, for many, is becoming the new normal. How will that affect staffing levels or the need for office space?
A teacher I know, trapped in the UK by the imposition of travel restrictions, is now teaching her Abu Dhabi classes online.
Her husband, of course, would like her to return but in terms of her work, does she really need to do so, at least on a permanent basis?
The shutdowns will simply drive some companies to the wall. Despite the laudable efforts by the government to protect business, which are the envy of many, not everyone can be saved.
After weeks of enforced closures and no income, businesses may struggle to re-open. It is a day to look forward to when restaurants regain their footfall and people crowd into malls and cinemas again, with all necessary precautions taken, of course.
Some losses will take a while to bounce back even as we have reason to believe that our important tourism industry will eventually recover.
What will happen to the many hairdressing salons? Likewise all of the little grocery shops? A few, I suspect, have struggled to survive at the best of times.
The Indian and Pakistani missions here have reported that a total of over 250,000 of their citizens have registered with them in the hope of getting help to go home.
Will others amongst our overseas communities call it a day once normal flights resume? It will be months, perhaps years, before the overall impact of the current crisis can be assessed.
In the meantime, however, I am starting work on a second little list, of those whose often undervalued contribution to society deserves not only our attention, but our thanks.
Those in our health services, for example, who place themselves in harm's way to protect us all. Those in essential service industries, keeping the food shops well stocked and selling us our daily needs. Our police, along with others working tirelessly to keep us all safe. These are the real heroes of today.
I hope that we will continue, long after this crisis is over, to recognise the value of the contribution to society that nurses, doctors, shop-workers, the police and many others are making.
Peter Hellyer is a consultant specialising in the UAE's history and culture
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
Series information
Pakistan v Dubai
First Test, Dubai International Stadium
Sun Oct 6 to Thu Oct 11
Second Test, Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tue Oct 16 to Sat Oct 20
Play starts at 10am each day
Teams
Pakistan
1 Mohammed Hafeez, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed, 8 Bilal Asif, 9 Yasir Shah, 10, Mohammed Abbas, 11 Wahab Riaz or Mir Hamza
Australia
1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Mitchell Marsh, 5 Travis Head, 6 Marnus Labuschagne, 7 Tim Paine, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jon Holland
Cherry
Directed by: Joe and Anthony Russo
Starring: Tom Holland, Ciara Bravo
1/5
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Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
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Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Initial investment: $500,000
Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
Company profile
Name: Thndr
Started: October 2020
Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000
Funding stage: series A; $20 million
Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC, Rabacap and MSA Capital
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Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
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The biog
Name: Greg Heinricks
From: Alberta, western Canada
Record fish: 56kg sailfish
Member of: International Game Fish Association
Company: Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Specs
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4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
The%20Genius%20of%20Their%20Age
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Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm
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India cancels school-leaving examinations
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
