Today marks a hundred days since a new strand of the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, was officially reported to the World Health Organisation in China. What happened next is no mystery. The virus is considered likely to have originated in one wet market in China, and from there spread to more than 200 countries and territories, with an exponential infection rate. In early March, there were roughly 88,000 confirmed cases.
By the end of the month, that number was greater than 850,000. Now, Covid-19, the disease caused by this coronavirus, has affected more than 1.3 million people worldwide and killed nearly 76,000.
It is difficult to grasp how much daily life has changed in the past 100 days since the onset of the pandemic. The once-bustling roads of Abu Dhabi, Beirut, London, and beyond have gone silent, and the notion of travelling now seems a distant one. Self-isolation, lockdowns and mass testing have disrupted many routines and foiled many plans, but they are a small price to pay to protect ourselves and our loved ones from disease. Even with these measures, however, lives have been lost.
In the UAE, more than 2,000 people are known to have been infected. While 167 have successfully recovered thus far, 11 have died. It is worth remembering those who have perished, and doing everything necessary to spare others from the same fate. The only way to do this is to continue acting responsibly and heeding the guidance of health authorities.
While many of us can safely remain in our homes, perhaps doing our jobs remotely, many essential workers– from medical staff and pharmacists to supermarket employees, transportation workers, delivery workers and cleaners – continue travelling to their places of work, to the benefit of the wider community. These members of our society have always deserved our appreciation, but they deserve it now more than ever.
It is heartening that, in the face of great adversity, the global community is showing resilience and resolve. The citizens of Wuhan, for instance, initiated a daily 8pm applause from their balconies to inspire one another with courage during the lockdown, and to praise the health workers for their critical role relentlessly to end the crisis.
Self-isolation, lockdowns and mass testing have disrupted daily life, but they are a small price to pay to protect ourselves and our loved ones
This simple gesture has since been replicated on the balconies of the world, from China to the UAE, Italy and Spain. In Dubai, volunteers have brought food and essentials to those quarantined in the Gold Souk on a daily basis, while others have made donations to help people in need and workers who may have lost their main source of income due to the pandemic.
Much of the world has adapted public policy to curb the spread of the virus. In Wuhan, travel restrictions are due to be relaxed for the first time in three months, giving hope to the rest of the world that its ongoing measures will bear fruit. With enough collective effort and will, they will do so sooner rather than later.
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
Grade 9 = above an A*
Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
Grade 7 = grade A
Grade 6 = just above a grade B
Grade 5 = between grades B and C
Grade 4 = grade C
Grade 3 = between grades D and E
Grade 2 = between grades E and F
Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Leaderboard
63 - Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)
64 - Rory McIlroy (NIR)
66 - Jon Rahm (ESP)
67 - Tom Lewis (ENG), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
68 - Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)
69 - Justin Rose (ENG), Thomas Detry (BEL), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Danny Willett (ENG), Li Haotong (CHN), Matthias Schwab (AUT)
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE) Where: Anfield, Liverpool Live: BeIN Sports HD Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Al Jazira's foreign quartet for 2017/18
Romarinho, Brazil
Lassana Diarra, France
Sardor Rashidov, Uzbekistan
Mbark Boussoufa, Morocco
Checks continue
A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.
The device has a screen reader or software that monitors what happens on the screen
The screen reader sends the text to the speech synthesiser
This converts to audio whatever it receives from screen reader, so the person can hear what is happening on the screen
A VOISS computer costs between $200 and $250 depending on memory card capacity that ranges from 32GB to 128GB
The speech synthesisers VOISS develops are free
Subsequent computer versions will include improvements such as wireless keyboards
Arabic voice in affordable talking computer to be added next year to English, Portuguese, and Spanish synthesiser
Partnerships planned during Expo 2020 Dubai to add more languages
At least 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment or blindness
More than 90 per cent live in developing countries
The Long-term aim of VOISS to reach the technology to people in poor countries with workshops that teach them to build their own device
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors Power: 659hp Torque: 1075Nm On sale: Available for pre-order now Price: On request
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
