More than three years after Covid-19 was declared "a public health emergency of international concern" by the World Health Organisation – the highest level of alert – the UN agency has stated that the emergency is over, bringing a long period of global upheaval to a symbolic close.
"It is with great hope that I declare Covid-19 over as a global health emergency". The announcement by WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will have brought relief to millions of people around the world, even as countries in the past year have continued to return to relative normality. Official word from the health body, however, is still greatly valued for its knowledge-based authority and for its universal health guidelines in the days when reliable information on the virus was limited.
Before the Covid-19 vaccines were developed and made accessible internationally, and especially in the first two years of the pandemic, the WHO provided a roadmap to the world and sensibly advised caution when uncertainty was high and the virus was more lethal than it is today after mass inoculations. The caveat remains that the end of the emergency does not mean Covid-19 is over as a global health threat. But just as we once frequently heard how we were "all in it together", it would appear that we have come a long way. Indeed, officially, we are all out of it together.
A moment to reflect on how far we have come, globally and nationally here in the UAE, is not out of place
Since the end of 2019, from the very early days of Covid-19, people all over the world have endured untold personal losses to varying degrees. The ending of the state of emergency – even in the very phrasing of the term – imparts a poignance to the confirmation that the worst is officially behind us. It is little wonder then that some WHO personnel grew emotional during the announcement, urging people to learn from the lessons of these past years.
A moment to reflect on how far we have come, globally and nationally here in the UAE, is not out of place. Dr Ghebreyesus's words are a sombre reminder of the profound ways in which the world changed, including how millions of people lived their lives. Even though the WHO stated a pandemic only in March 2020, the state of emergency came into force on January 30 that year. In the period between the early days of the emergency and Friday's announcement, the world lost more than 6.9 million people to the virus. In the UAE, we were fortunate to have a robust healthcare system and measures aimed at protecting the population, many other countries were not as prepared or able.
Since the time of lockdowns, masks, gloves, PCR tests, social distancing, and measures that may have often been a necessary inconvenience, in the past several months, much of the world has gradually turned a page and begun to live with the virus, without being held captive to its mutations and continued presence.
The world will increasingly adjust to the virus and to new cases of infections that have not wholly stopped, but drastically reduced. There is, however, no denying that the official word from the health authority gives countless people a sense of closure.
While the Covid-19 losses have been immense, we can live our lives confident in the knowledge robust and efficient health systems are in place – particularly in the UAE, in the case of future pandemics. Even as the world moves on, countries must remain vigilant and adequately prepared.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Result
Arsenal 4
Monreal (51'), Ramsey (82'), Lacazette 85', 89')
West Ham United 1
Arnautovic (64')
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The biog
Name: Salem Alkarbi
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Biggest rival: Al Nasr
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MEYDAN CARD
6.30pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group One (PA) US$65,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (Turf) 1,200m
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) $100,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm Singspiel Stakes Group Two (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,800m
8.50pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
9.25pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group Two (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,600m
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8.50pm Zakouski
9.25pm: Kimbear
10pm: Chasing Dreams
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ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
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Uefa Nations League: How it Works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
