Who wants the summer Olympics to go ahead in Tokyo next month? Some polls show a majority of Japanese respondents oppose holding the Games, already delayed from 2020 because of Covid-19, this summer – although public opposition may be weakening as we get closer to the starting date of July 23. The government's chief medical adviser, Dr Shigeru Omi, only this month told a parliamentary committee it would be "abnormal" to hold the Olympics during a worldwide pandemic.
The highly respected New England Journal of Medicine warned that the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) determination to proceed was "not informed by the best scientific evidence". Even Japan's Emperor Naruhito has weighed in – a very rare intervention by a head of state who is constitutionally prohibited from making politically contentious statements. "The emperor is extremely worried about the current status of coronavirus infections," Yasuhiko Nishimura, the grand steward of the Imperial Household Agency, told a news conference last week. "Given the public's worries, he appears to be concerned about whether the event would cause infections to spread."
US President Joe Biden may have given his support for the Tokyo Olympics to take place as planned when he met Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on the sidelines of the recent G7 summit, but the latest US State Department's travel advisory is blunt: "Reconsider travel to Japan due to Covid-19." At least that was better than the one issued in May: "Do not travel."
The reasons for the reluctance are obvious. Only five per cent of the Japanese people have been fully vaccinated so far. The number of cases in the country as a whole are on a downward trend, but they are going up in Tokyo, leading Mr Suga to declare on Monday: “We must be on a high state of alert in dealing with the virus.”
Despite severe restrictions on the numbers of spectators at the games, there will still be a huge influx of people – journalists, trainers, diplomats, officials and, of course, athletes. As the SoftBank tycoon Masayoshi Son tweeted last month: "If 100,000 people from 200 countries descend on vaccine-laggard Japan and the mutant variant spreads, lives could be lost, subsidies could result if a state of emergency is called, and gross domestic product could fall. If we consider what the public has to endure, I think we could have a lot more to lose."
It should not need to be stated that in countries that have yet to achieve herd immunity or high levels of vaccination, mass events of any kind are just asking for trouble. Grave diggers in Jakarta have been overwhelmed by the sharp rise in Covid-19-related deaths in Indonesia, which is partly attributable to the millions who evaded travel restrictions to go to their home towns to celebrate Eid Al Fitr.
In Malaysia, the government had managed to get the number of daily new cases down to the low three figures in June 2020. What sabotaged the good work achieved by a hard lockdown was an election in the state of Sabah, on the island of Borneo. The then chief minister called it last September because he feared losing his position, due to defections in the state assembly. He and his allies were defeated in the polls by a coalition aligned to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, so he lost his job anyway – but the unnecessary vote, with all the electioneering and impossible-to-police gatherings that went with it, led to a spike in infections not only in the state but then in the rest of the country. Having almost completely opened up, Malaysia is now enduring another gruelling lockdown as a result.
It is hard not to conclude that the impetus to keep the Olympics on is all about the money
As for Japan, the numbers of new and highly transmissible variants may be low at present. But two members of Uganda's Olympic team who arrived in the last few days have tested positive for Covid-19, and one had already travelled in a bus with local officials before being identified as being infected. It doesn't matter what "safeguards" are put in place: they could never possibly be 100 per cent effective, and restrictions on spectators, such as a ban on "talking loudly", just don't cut it. How would the latter be enforced, in any case? Will officials run around the stands saying "shhhh"?
One of the two Ugandans had the Delta variant. Australian officials have discovered that it can be passed on during encounters of only 5-10 seconds, as opposed to the 10-15 minutes of proximity we had previously been warned about over the past year or so. The risks are so enormous, it would be foolish to proceed. Dr Naoto Ueyama, chairman of the Japan Doctors Union, put it starkly last month. "Since the emergence of Covid-19, there has not been such a dangerous gathering of people coming together in one place from so many different places around the world," he said.
The IOC and Mr Suga beg to differ. They point to stringent protocols, testing, social distancing, and isolating the athletes at the Olympic Village. Mr Suga is also believed to be banking on a bounce from a successful games if he calls a snap election shortly after they finish.
But it is hard not to conclude that the impetus to keep the Olympics on is all about the money – partly the sunk costs on the part of the host nation in terms of building infrastructure and so on, but far more about the billions of dollars from broadcasting revenue that the IOC will not receive if they are cancelled.
Dr Ueyama put his finger on it when he asked: “The question is for whom are the Olympics being held and for what purpose?” It would be the most grotesque irony if an event that celebrates athleticism and health ended up causing new waves of infections as athletes, spectators and others return home and unwittingly pass new variants of the virus on – let alone the devastation it could cause in Japan.
So to paraphrase a famous sporting slogan, the Tokyo Olympics: Just. Don’t. Do. It.
Sholto Byrnes is an East Asian affairs columnist for The National
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
Rooney's club record
At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17
At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Indika
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Liverpool’s fixtures until end of 2019
Saturday, November 30, Brighton (h)
Wednesday, December 4, Everton (h)
Saturday, December 7, Bournemouth (a)
Tuesday, December 10, Salzburg (a) CL
Saturday, December 14, Watford (h)
Tuesday, December 17, Aston Villa (a) League Cup
Wednesday, December 18, Club World Cup in Qatar
Saturday, December 21, Club World Cup in Qatar
Thursday, December 26, Leicester (a)
Sunday, December 29, Wolves (h)
THE SPECS
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Price: From Dh59,700
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Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Ukraine
Capital: Kiev
Population: 44.13 million
Armed conflict in Donbass
Russia-backed fighters control territory
Lexus LX700h specs
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Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
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Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
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Jebel Ali Dragons 26 Bahrain 23
Dragons
Tries: Hayes, Richards, Cooper
Cons: Love
Pens: Love 3
Bahrain
Tries: Kenny, Crombie, Tantoh
Cons: Phillips
Pens: Phillips 2
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Plan to boost public schools
A major shake-up of government-run schools was rolled out across the country in 2017. Known as the Emirati School Model, it placed more emphasis on maths and science while also adding practical skills to the curriculum.
It was accompanied by the promise of a Dh5 billion investment, over six years, to pay for state-of-the-art infrastructure improvements.
Aspects of the school model will be extended to international private schools, the education minister has previously suggested.
Recent developments have also included the introduction of moral education - which public and private schools both must teach - along with reform of the exams system and tougher teacher licensing requirements.
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The years Ramadan fell in May
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
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The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
