The news this week that new coronavirus cases in the UAE are falling may well be a sign that a corner has been turned in the pandemic. The past few days of data show sharp declines in new infection rates from their peak at the end of January and early February.
The country's vaccination programme, meanwhile, continues at pace. Government data shows the rate of distribution is currently more than 67 doses per 100 people. Close to seven million doses have already been administered.
This is no time to relax, of course, even as each piece of encouraging data is released, which explains why officials talked on Tuesday evening of the measures that have been put in place to avoid a new spike in infections during Ramadan, including rules regarding public gatherings and exchanging food.
Read More from Nick March
This global crisis has repeatedly taught us the folly of complacency. Only this week politicians in France have warned of a gathering third wave of infections in Europe.
The lingua franca of last summer, encapsulated in the idea of a “new normal” settling across society once the worst of the pandemic was over, now seems a totally inadequate way of describing the changes that have and will continue to occur to our everyday lives in the years ahead. Now, however, we are starting to discern what the post-pandemic world might look like, especially in the UAE.
Mohammed Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, last week said the challenges the post-Covid-19 world faces rival those of the post-conflict reconstruction years of the late 1940s following the end of the Second World War. Few people would regard this as a hyperbolic statement, such has been the complexity and far-reaching nature of this year-long crisis. Making his remarks at the World Government Summit Dialogues, Mr Al Gergawi also suggested that those challenges would define the next decade but they would be met with "new motivation" to face them head on.
On Tuesday, the UAE unveiled its plans to celebrate the country's 50th anniversary this year. Announcing the "Year of the 50th", President Sheikh Khalifa reminded citizens and residents that the "rapidly changing world" of today provides opportunities for innovation and creativity.
We have seen several examples of this perspective this week.
On Sunday evening, the Securities and Commodities Authority announced that listed companies in the UAE will be required to have at least one female director on their boards. Minister of Economy, Abdulla bin Touq, said the move was designed to ensure UAE companies met the highest global standards. It certainly marks the UAE as a regional leader and sets a marker on the road.
The previous day, Dubai unveiled its 2040 urban master plan. The strategy set forward by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid will overhaul the city's landscape as it continues to develop people-led solutions and to continue to build out its reputation as a magnet for regional talent, essentially providing the city with the tools for the future.
Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, has hosted a series of Future of Industry Dialogues, to help develop the country's competitive advantages, most recently at the weekend.
This global crisis has repeatedly taught us the folly of complacency
Recent banking data also indicates economic bounce back is expected to be driven by services sector revival. An Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank survey released this week noted strong pent-up demand and an anticipated "return in consumption".
And on Monday, the Mohamed bin Zayed Majlis for Future Generations gave us a wide angle view of the nation's future. The meeting involved the participation of a dozen Cabinet ministers and many more officials.
The message that came out was that the country will emerge from the pandemic with resilience and purpose. The long-held commitment to a knowledge-based economy is unbreakable, but we will see even greater emphasis on technological innovation and on renewable energy.
Perhaps the most intriguing vision that emerged from the Majlis for Future Generations was of the social shifts that are occurring, which have been accelerated by the pandemic.
Responding to a question regarding social media and mental health and recognising the toll the past year has had on many communities and individuals, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, said that "mental health must be considered as important as physical health", while also saying that it is vital that the stigma that was once previously been attached to these subjects must be banished forever. "There is no shame in having them," he said.
It is clear that the complex renegotiation all of us have been forced to undertake, and will continue to have to do so this year, will leave behind scars that will take time to heal. The prolonged uncertainty of the situation creates an uneasy tension for many. That's why it is all the more important that societies and economies don't just snap back to what they were at the end of 2019, but reimagine themselves and regenerate to address our new circumstances.
We can already see a strong sense of purpose in the UAE’s short and long-term responses, with commitments to international co-operation, candid recognition and social awareness to address the rapidly changing world, backed by strategic economic stimulus and investment.
Nick March is an assistant editor-in-chief at The National
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Recycle Reuse Repurpose
New central waste facility on site at expo Dubai South area to handle estimated 173 tonne of waste generated daily by millions of visitors
Recyclables such as plastic, paper, glass will be collected from bins on the expo site and taken to the new expo Central Waste Facility on site
Organic waste will be processed at the new onsite Central Waste Facility, treated and converted into compost to be re-used to green the expo area
Of 173 tonnes of waste daily, an estimated 39 per cent will be recyclables, 48 per cent organic waste and 13 per cent general waste.
About 147 tonnes will be recycled and converted to new products at another existing facility in Ras Al Khor
Recycling at Ras Al Khor unit:
Plastic items to be converted to plastic bags and recycled
Paper pulp moulded products such as cup carriers, egg trays, seed pots, and food packaging trays
Glass waste into bowls, lights, candle holders, serving trays and coasters
Aim is for 85 per cent of waste from the site to be diverted from landfill
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
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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 biog
Fast facts on Neil Armstrong’s personal life:
- Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio
- He earned his private pilot’s license when he was 16 – he could fly before he could drive
- There was tragedy in his married life: Neil and Janet Armstrong’s daughter Karen died at the age of two in 1962 after suffering a brain tumour. She was the couple’s only daughter. Their two sons, Rick and Mark, consulted on the film
- After Armstrong departed Nasa, he bought a farm in the town of Lebanon, Ohio, in 1971 – its airstrip allowed him to tap back into his love of flying
- In 1994, Janet divorced Neil after 38 years of marriage. Two years earlier, Neil met Carol Knight, who became his second wife in 1994
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World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
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Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
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Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
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Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
'Laal Kaptaan'
Director: Navdeep Singh
Stars: Saif Ali Khan, Manav Vij, Deepak Dobriyal, Zoya Hussain
Rating: 2/5
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.
More on Quran memorisation:
Scores in brief:
- New Medical Centre 129-5 in 17 overs bt Zayed Cricket Academy 125-6 in 20 overs.
- William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana 188-8 in 20 overs bt One Stop Tourism 184-8 in 20 overs
- Alubond Tigers 138-7 in 20 overs bt United Bank Limited 132-7 in 20 overs
- Multiplex 142-6 in 17 overs bt Xconcepts Automobili 140 all out in 20 overs
Korean Film Festival 2019 line-up
Innocent Witness, June 26 at 7pm
On Your Wedding Day, June 27 at 7pm
The Great Battle, June 27 at 9pm
The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion, June 28 at 4pm
Romang, June 28 at 6pm
Mal Mo E: The Secret Mission, June 28 at 8pm
Underdog, June 29 at 2pm
Nearby Sky, June 29 at 4pm
A Resistance, June 29 at 6pm
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Asian Cup 2019
Quarter-final
UAE v Australia, Friday, 8pm, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
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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
Company%20Profile
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
