The coronavirus not only infected Bassim Al Kaabi and his family but also took away their livelihood.
The Baghdad taxi driver’s earnings have dried up since Iraqi authorities imposed long lockdowns in mid-March to contain the local outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"We thought life would be back to normal in a short period of time," Mr Al Kaabi, 45, told The National. "But things have gone from bad to worse. The virus is still around and work is gone."
The coronavirus crisis is having a devastating socio-economic impact in the war-ravaged nation and threatens to increase poverty, according to an assessment by Iraq’s Ministry of Planning.
A ministry report published last week said the outbreak would push an additional 4.5 million Iraqis, about 11.7 per cent of the population, into poverty this year.
That would increase the national poverty rate to 31.7 per cent from 20 per cent in 2018, bringing the total number of poor to 11.4 million, it added. Iraq’s population stands at about 40 million.
“The results capture a worrying situation especially for the most vulnerable segments of the population,” Minister of Planning, Khaled Al Najem, said in the report.
The situation requires “a more effective response and one that focuses on social protection and cash transfers to the poorest”, according to Mr Al Najem.
At the same time, the government needs to continue and increase “investments in services such as health and education, and to support poor families, especially the younger members, to find employment”, he said.
But that goal could be hard to achieve.
Falling global prices have reduced Iraq’s oil revenue, which makes up nearly 95 per cent of state income, by more than 50 per cent. The economy had already been affected by mass anti-government protests over poor service and official corruption that began in October.
As a result, the government is struggling to pay salaries, is forced to delay projects and is working to introduce unpopular financial reforms.
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Coronavirus in the Middle East
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In the good times, Mr Al Kaabi’s daily net income averaged $40 (Dh147). Now he earns about $6 a day selling fuel on the street to support his wife, four children and his father.
The poverty threshold in Iraq is $3.20 per person per day.
“I was happy whenever I came back to my kids with full pockets,” said the resident of Baghdad’s eastern suburb of Sadr City. “We used to go out during the night, mainly to the park, have drinks and dinner.”
The family has now been reduced to just essentials, and the list of what they can afford is steadily shrinking – one chicken a week, a few eggs and dairy products with bread for breakfast. Dinner is falafel provided by a friend.
To make ends meet, Mr Al Kaabi had to sell his wife's gold ring and chain, followed by their oven. Using the air cooler is a luxury they cannot afford despite the scorching summer heat.
In early June, Mr Al Kaabi’s wife contracted the coronavirus, followed by him and his daughter. They stayed at home after testing positive for the virus, with Mr Al Kaabi relying on help from friends to pay for medicines and food until they recovered early this month.
“It’s a tragedy,” he said. “We have nothing but patience.”
The government can do nothing for people like Mr Al Kaabi, according Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs spokesman Najim Al Akabi.
Mr Al Akabi said that due to a delay in approving this year's budget, the ministry failed to add about 600,000 new poor families – who were identified before the outbreak – to the list of nearly 1.4 million families eligible for cash assistance. The monthly payments range from $160 to $264 depending on the size of the family, he said.
“We expect the poverty rate to go even higher, to at least 34 per cent, as large segments of society are badly hit by the outbreak,” said Mr Al Akabi. “We are unable to help all those due to lack of funding.”
Hadi Jalo Marie, chairman of the Political Decision Centre think tank in Baghdad, said the increase in poverty increased the risk of unrest across the country.
“There are no policies to solve problems in Iraq; instead there is only a patchwork approach,” Mr Marie said.
“Along with other woes, the poverty rate will definitely fuel the anti-government sentiment and we’ll see more demonstrations.”
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
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
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Price: From Dh590,000
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The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
WandaVision
Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany
Directed by: Matt Shakman
Rating: Four stars
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
On sale: now
Price: from Dh195,000
Wayne Rooney's career
Everton (2002-2004)
- Appearances: 48
- Goals: 17
Manchester United (2004-2017)
- Appearances: 496
- Goals: 253
England (2003-)
- Appearances: 119
- Goals: 53
Profile of Bitex UAE
Date of launch: November 2018
Founder: Monark Modi
Based: Business Bay, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: Eight employees
Investors: Self-funded to date with $1m of personal savings
8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21
- Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
- Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
- Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
- Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
- Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
- Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
- Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
- Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Mica
Director: Ismael Ferroukhi
Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani
3 stars
Five personal finance podcasts from The National
To help you get started, tune into these Pocketful of Dirham episodes
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Balance is essential to happiness, health and wealth
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What is a portfolio stress test?
·
What are NFTs and why are auction houses interested?
·
How gamers are getting rich by earning cryptocurrencies
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Should you buy or rent a home in the UAE?
Company profile: buybackbazaar.com
Name: buybackbazaar.com
Started: January 2018
Founder(s): Pishu Ganglani and Ricky Husaini
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech, micro finance
Initial investment: $1 million
MATCH INFO
Newcastle United 3
Gayle (23'), Perez (59', 63')
Chelsea 0
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
