Can it really be less than a month since social media feeds the world over were filled with messages bidding a less than fond farewell to 2020 and making optimistic throws forward to 2021? The worst was behind us; better days were to come.
It hasn’t turned out that way just yet. The chaos of 2020, has been refashioned into the complications of 2021. No wonder our collective nerves are frayed.
Around the world, new Covid-19 infection rates have risen sharply over the past few weeks.
On Wednesday, the UAE recorded 3,506 new coronavirus cases, the highest number of daily cases for the ninth consecutive day. Meanwhile, schools in Abu Dhabi reverted to distance learning at the start of January and will now continue home schooling until February. For KS3 pupils, that means they will have not been taught in-person for 11 months, although given the rise in new infections over the past few weeks, many would argue that there was no real alternative but to keep school gates closed temporarily.
Elsewhere in the world, a senior Australian official announced on Monday that his country’s borders will probably be closed for the rest of 2021. It’s worth reminding ourselves that those comments were made less than 20 days into a new year. Freedom to travel is on hold for now.
On the same day, Britain's loneliness minister issued a stark warning about the long-term damage that the UK's youngest citizens may suffer due to the series of lockdowns that have been imposed in the country. Baroness Diana Barran cited the example of a nearly one-year-old toddler who has never played with another child. Lockdowns have had many consequential and life-changing impacts around the world.
It was also revealed this week that the UK has the highest death rate for coronavirus. As The National reported, statistics show that deaths in Britain are 40 per cent above average over the past month. Across the Atlantic, the final hours of the Trump administration in the US were marked by the Covid-19 death toll in the country breaching 400,000.
So when and how does this all end?
The first thing to say is that eradication now seems unlikely. As long ago as last March, scientists were warning that coronavirus could be with us for years, and last week Stephane Bancel, CEO of vaccine developer Moderna, offered an even more bleak assessment that coronavirus may be with us forever.
The challenge for leadership and officials the world over will be to work out what level of infection is low enough to get lockdowns ended and economies and societies moving more freely once again, while rolling out vaccination drives to quickly get more people protected against the virus.
The general focus on how many new cases are announced each day is becoming less instructive with each passing day. Other metrics, such as how many cases are active, how quickly patients are recovering, what is the excess death rate and how many vaccines have been administered should inform public policy in the next phase of the pandemic. Taken together they present a more accurate picture of where we are right now.
The UAE's commitment to accessible testing from the early days of the pandemic – more than 23.8 million tests have also been undertaken in the UAE since records began – has been supplemented in recent weeks by a comprehensive vaccine drive.
The National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority coronavirus tracker reported on Tuesday that more than 2.1m doses of the Sinopharm vaccine had already been administered nationwide to a population of just under 10 million people. Progress has been rapid.
Bloomberg’s global vaccine tracker estimates that 51.9m vaccine doses had been delivered worldwide in 51 countries by the middle of this week.
The challenge everywhere will be to work out what level of infection is low enough to get societies moving freely again
At the current rate of vaccine distribution, the tide may turn within months, but we should be prepared to do it all again next year. Annual vaccinations are likely to be a feature of our lives for years to come. Frequent workplace testing will be with us for a while, too.
The long-term impact of the coronavirus crisis will also require policymakers to be adaptable and agile. It may also spur new thinking on existing problems.
This week in Abu Dhabi, the window was opened onto what post-pandemic policymaking may look like. Speaking during sustainability week, Dr Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE's special envoy for climate change, said that after coronavirus, climate change was the most critical challenge confronting the world today.
Other officials made similar comments, reflecting both resolve and realism.
Nawal Al Hosany, the UAE's permanent representative to the International Renewable Energy Agency, said the battle to prevent climate change was winnable. Abdullah Al Nuaimi, the UAE's Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said the country would accelerate its transition to a green economy as part of its post-pandemic plans.
Masdar's chief executive Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi wrote in these pages this week that a collective will had emerged from the pandemic, and that the way the world has responded to the challenges it posed has shown that we can work together to seek effective solutions.
The race to find effective vaccines quickly to tackle coronavirus will be remembered as one of the most extraordinary events of the early 21st century. It might yet spur another sprint towards mitigating climate change and a further embrace of renewable energy. That would be a welcome and partially unexpected postscript to the challenges that all of us faced last year.
Nick March is an assistant editor-in-chief at The National
THE DETAILS
Director: Milan Jhaveri
Producer: Emmay Entertainment and T-Series
Cast: John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat
Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press
More from Neighbourhood Watch
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
SPECS
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Wednesday's results
Finland 3-0 Armenia
Faroes Islands 1-0 Malta
Sweden 1-1 Spain
Gibraltar 2-3 Georgia
Romania 1-1 Norway
Greece 2-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Liechtenstein 0-5 Italy
Switzerland 2-0 Rep of Ireland
Israel 3-1 Latvia
Quick%20facts
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Afro%20salons
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Our legal advisor
Rasmi Ragy is a senior counsel at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Prosecutor in Egypt with more than 40 years experience across the GCC.
Education: Ain Shams University, Egypt, in 1978.
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Fifa Club World Cup:
When: December 6-16
Where: Games to take place at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi and Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain
Defending champions: Real Madrid
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKinetic%207%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rick%20Parish%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Clean%20cooking%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self-funded%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
QUARTER-FINAL
Wales 20-19 France
Wales: T: Wainwright, Moriarty. Cons: Biggar (2) Pens: Biggar 2
France: T: Vahaamahina, Ollivon, Vakatawa Cons: Ntamack (2)
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
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How to tell if your child is being bullied at school
Sudden change in behaviour or displays higher levels of stress or anxiety
Shows signs of depression or isolation
Ability to sleep well diminishes
Academic performance begins to deteriorate
Changes in eating habits
Struggles to concentrate
Refuses to go to school
Behaviour changes and is aggressive towards siblings
Begins to use language they do not normally use
About Seez
Company name/date started: Seez, set up in September 2015 and the app was released in August 2017
Founder/CEO name(s): Tarek Kabrit, co-founder and chief executive, and Andrew Kabrit, co-founder and chief operating officer
Based in: Dubai, with operations also in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon
Sector: Search engine for car buying, selling and leasing
Size: (employees/revenue): 11; undisclosed
Stage of funding: $1.8 million in seed funding; followed by another $1.5m bridge round - in the process of closing Series A
Investors: Wamda Capital, B&Y and Phoenician Funds
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Tesalam Aleik
Abdullah Al Ruwaished
(Rotana)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The currency conundrum
Russ Mould, investment director at online trading platform AJ Bell, says almost every major currency has challenges right now. “The US has a huge budget deficit, the euro faces political friction and poor growth, sterling is bogged down by Brexit, China’s renminbi is hit by debt fears while slowing Chinese growth is hurting commodity exporters like Australia and Canada.”
Most countries now actively want a weak currency to make their exports more competitive. “China seems happy to let the renminbi drift lower, the Swiss are still running quantitative easing at full tilt and central bankers everywhere are actively talking down their currencies or offering only limited support," says Mr Mould.
This is a race to the bottom, and everybody wants to be a winner.
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster with a decades-long career in TV. He has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others. Karam is also the founder of Takreem.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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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
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The team
Videographer: Jear Velasquez
Photography: Romeo Perez
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory
Models: Meti and Clinton at MMG
Video assistant: Zanong Maget
Social media: Fatima Al Mahmoud
