For millions of Muslims around the globe, Ramadan has been upended for two years running by the Covid-19 pandemic.
But this year, amid regional conflicts and price rises, people across the Middle East say they have bigger concerns.
“This Ramadan, no one’s thinking about Covid,” construction worker Ahmed El Gizawy told The National in Cairo. "What is on everyone’s minds are the rising prices nationwide. Even bread is expensive now. Many people, me included, are really struggling under this strain."
In Baghdad, Iraq, Ahmed Ali, a government employee, emerged from a hypermarket carrying one small plastic bag.
“All prices are up and we are just weeks ahead of Ramadan,” the government employee said.
War in Ukraine and currency crunches send prices skywards
The war in Ukraine has sparked a rise in prices of basic goods, particularly those made with wheat or oil.
The price of bread in Egypt has increased by up to 50 per cent in light of the Russia-Ukraine war. This Ramadan, the largest loaves will cost about 1.5 Egyptian pounds, up from 1 pound last year.
“Many Egyptians, particularly the lower classes, forgot about Covid-19 long ago. I think they began treating it like it was the will of God and they continued with their lives. It was only a big problem for people during the lockdown, when they couldn’t work or feed their families.”
Mr El Gizawy said that rising fuel prices had delayed a lot of construction projects. He was been at home, waiting for the construction site where he works to start back up again, with colleagues constantly calling him in fear of losing their jobs.
In Jordan, 14 litres of cooking oil has soared in from $24 to $32 in the past month. A 10-kilogram bag of rice rose in price by $3, to $15.
Lina, a Jordanian mother of two, said her extended family had been buying extra rice, meat, sugar and oil, and stocking up on gas cylinders for cooking.
We have felt the pinch and I can estimate the impact on my budget at about 30 per cent, and that will be reflected in what I’m going to buy
Ahmed Ali,
Iraq
“This is the first Ramadan since Covid where families can eat together, so people are buying more,” she said.
The recent currency devaluation due to significant decline in oil revenue pushed Iraq into a budget deficit by the end of 2020. This combined with the war in Ukraine, has forced the price of some food items up by as much as 50 per cent.
“The soaring in prices has badly hit those with limited income and the middle-class, while the well-off people don’t feel it,” Ahmed Ali, 30, said.
Since late 2020, anger has mounted among the public since the Iraqi dinar fell by about 23 per cent against the dollar. Iraq imports most of its items, food and otherwise.
“We have felt the pinch,” Mr Ali said. “I can estimate the impact on my budget at about 30 per cent and that will be reflected in what I’m going to buy.”
Lebanon braces for the worst Ramadan in decades
Few nations in the region are in as much trouble as Lebanon. It is suffering from the problems affecting other nations, plus the impact of years of economic meltdown.
In Ramadan 2021, the average cumulative monthly cost of iftar for a family of five was two and a half times the country’s monthly minimum wage, the American University of Beirut’s Crisis Observatory Unit found.
”The most basic dishes that we can prepare for Ramadan this year will be crazy-expensive,” said Sawsan Ramadan, an office manager.
“Even hosting or attending gatherings this month will be a financial burden on many.”
Almost 80 per cent of Lebanon’s population lives in poverty, according to the UN. The Lebanese lira has lost more than 90 per cent of its value since October 2019, leaving essentials unaffordable to many.
A raging storm amid electricity shortages are making it difficult for families to keep warm, and exorbitant fuel prices have made transport a luxury.
“If we talk about food and iftar preparations, this year it is very costly and unaffordable. Hosting is not even a thought, because I personally cannot think of having festive season for Ramadan while people are dying of hunger,” Aida Fakhoury, a clinical quality specialist, told The National.
Governments act to reassure citizens
Jordanian officials have offered reassurance that the country is well stocked for basic goods, despite high unemployment and a stagnant economy.
A Syrian owner of a large restaurant in Amman with a middle-class clientele said he did not expect much improvement in business this Ramadan, because the past nine months had been slow despite the easing of coronavirus restrictions.
“The economy is in the doldrums and people in general are not spending except on basic goods,” he said.
The Iraqi government has suspended customs duties on food products, basic consumer goods and construction materials for two months. It has said it will pay civil servants and pensioners whose income does not exceed one million dinars (almost $700) a monthly allowance of about $70.
Last week, the Iraqi Trade Ministry said it was in the process of distributing seven-item Ramadan food baskets as part of its subsidy programme. Each hamper contains rice, sugar, cooking oil, tomato paste, beans, lentils and chickpeas. They will be handed out three times over the course of the holy month.
Egypt this week announced a multibillion-pound relief package including tax breaks, wage rises and pensions, as well as a widened state support programme for poor families. The government has also created a special fund of 130 billion Egyptian pounds to mitigate the effects of the Ukraine war on the Egyptian economy.
Covid-19 almost forgotten
Antique shop salesman Omar Ibrahim, 37, doesn’t feel there is any worry over Covid-19 or that any expected restrictions will hamper Ramadan traditions in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.
After peaking in early February with a record 2,301 infections, Egypt’s daily coronavirus cases have been on the decline. The country’s health ministry recently announced its Covid-19 updates would be reduced in frequency from daily to weekly.
“For me this year, Ramadan feels a little different. It’s right around the corner, but there isn’t the usual excitement, because everyone’s attention is on Russia’s war with Ukraine and how it’s making prices here skyrocket “ Mr Ibrahim said.
THREE
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Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
If you go
The flights
Emirates (www.emirates.com) and Etihad (www.etihad.com) both fly direct to Bengaluru, with return fares from Dh 1240. From Bengaluru airport, Coorg is a five-hour drive by car.
The hotels
The Tamara (www.thetamara.com) is located inside a working coffee plantation and offers individual villas with sprawling views of the hills (tariff from Dh1,300, including taxes and breakfast).
When to go
Coorg is an all-year destination, with the peak season for travel extending from the cooler months between October and March.
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
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The%20specs
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Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
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Sheer grandeur
The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.
A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
