The Covid-19 crisis has rewarded decisive leaders with strong support in opinion polls and punished those deemed to be weak and ineffectual, research by The National has shown.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has achieved record opinion polls on Monday for her handling of the crisis, while US President Donald Trump is on the verge of losing office.
Leaders who acted quickly to impose tough restrictions on movement and stop the virus spreading have had their leadership ratings soar, while the popularity of those who were indecisive has plummeted.
The table of global infections suggests a correlation between late and weak lockdowns and high death rates, with the US, UK and Brazil all near the top.
How to handle Covid
New Zealand is considered to be one of the best examples of how to tackle the virus after Ms Ardern launched an aggressive response.
As with the UAE but unlike many other countries, restrictions were implemented before New Zealand experienced its first death.
Ms Ardern announced bold and sweeping emergency measures that included banning meetings with friends and all car travel except for essentials.
“We only have 102 cases," she said on March 22. "But so did Italy, once.”
Ms Ardern warned of the possibility of tens of thousands of deaths, and New Zealanders fell into line except for a health minister, who was demoted after taking his family to the beach.
“I expect better and so does New Zealand,” Ms Ardern said in response.
Her leadership is reflected in the latest poll that puts support for her Labour Party at 61 per cent, the highest recorded in the country's polling history.
New Zealand has become the first major country to become almost Covid-free and has relaxed restrictions to the point that people are allowed to hug each other.
Only 22 have died in a population of five million. Twenty-one people are infected with only three cases in the past week.
Ms Ardern, who turned 40 this week, also demonstrated strong leadership during the Christchurch mosque massacre last year.
Others praised for pandemic leadership
Another woman leader praised for clear decision-making is German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Of all the major European countries, Germany weathered the pandemic best with an early lockdown and effective contact tracing.
The latest German polls show that 71 per cent are satisfied or very satisfied with Mrs Merkel's prowess.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has also experienced a surge in popularity, despite his country initially being the worst-hit because of its strong air links to China.
Mr Conte oversaw one of the strictest lockdowns, which helped reduce the spread of infection.
He was rewarded with an endorsement rating that went from 50 per cent in March to 61 per cent in June.
Trump and Johnson damned by delaying
In contrast, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson dithered over lockdown measures, introducing them only after almost 400 people had died.
Mr Johnson’s net favourability rating has plummeted to minus 12 per cent down from minus 7 per cent last month.
The latest poll today also reveals that nearly two thirds of the UK public agreed \that the government “seems to be making up its coronavirus policy as it goes along”.
But perhaps Mr Trump has been worst hit.
At the start of the year, polls predicted that he had a good chance of re-election in November’s presidential race.
But his bungled handling of the crisis has given his Democratic rival Joe Biden a strong, eight-point lead.
Mr Trump had originally suggested that Covid-19 was not a serious problem, but the US has suffered almost 4.4 million infections and 150,000 deaths.
The leader of Brazil, the country with the second highest number of infections at 2.5 million, has also had a sharp fall in popularity.
Jair Bolsonaro, who sacked two health ministers, has belittled the virulence of the coronavirus, calling it a “little flu” and answering “So what?” when asked about his response to nearly 500 deaths in a day.
At one point, Mr Bolsonaro's net poll rating was minus 25 per cent, but that lifted slightly to minus 12 per cent after he contracted Covid-19.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
High profile Al Shabab attacks
- 2010: A restaurant attack in Kampala Uganda kills 74 people watching a Fifa World Cup final football match.
- 2013: The Westgate shopping mall attack, 62 civilians, five Kenyan soldiers and four gunmen are killed.
- 2014: A series of bombings and shootings across Kenya sees scores of civilians killed.
- 2015: Four gunmen attack Garissa University College in northeastern Kenya and take over 700 students hostage, killing those who identified as Christian; 148 die and 79 more are injured.
- 2016: An attack on a Kenyan military base in El Adde Somalia kills 180 soldiers.
- 2017: A suicide truck bombing outside the Safari Hotel in Mogadishu kills 587 people and destroys several city blocks, making it the deadliest attack by the group and the worst in Somalia’s history.
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
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
In numbers
Number of Chinese tourists coming to UAE in 2017 was... 1.3m
Alibaba’s new ‘Tech Town’ in Dubai is worth... $600m
China’s investment in the MIddle East in 2016 was... $29.5bn
The world’s most valuable start-up in 2018, TikTok, is valued at... $75bn
Boost to the UAE economy of 5G connectivity will be... $269bn
PROFILE BOX
Company name: Overwrite.ai
Founder: Ayman Alashkar
Started: Established in 2020
Based: Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai
Sector: PropTech
Initial investment: Self-funded by founder
Funding stage: Seed funding, in talks with angel investors
WHAT%20IS%20'JUICE%20JACKING'%3F
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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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More on animal trafficking
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
The specs: 2019 GMC Yukon Denali
Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 621Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.9L / 100km
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Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch
Power: 710bhp
Torque: 770Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 2.9 seconds
Top Speed: 340km/h
Price: Dh1,000,885
On sale: now
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
MATCH INFO
Karnataka Tuskers 110-5 (10 ovs)
Tharanga 48, Shafiq 34, Rampaul 2-16
Delhi Bulls 91-8 (10 ovs)
Mathews 31, Rimmington 3-28
Karnataka Tuskers win by 19 runs
If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).
