A mask-clad civil society volunteer marches with an effigy depicting the SARS-CoV-2 virion, the agent responsible for the COVID-19 coronavirus disease, during an awareness campaign about the novel coronavirus pandemic, urging people to remain at home, in Syria's northwestern city of Idlib in Idlib province on March 24, 2020. (Photo by Abdulaziz KETAZ / AFP)
Syrian Kurdish passengers who were stranded in Damascus arrive in Qamishli in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province on April 5, 2020, after being stranded in Damascus for the past weeks. (Photo by DELIL SOULEIMAN / AFP)
A drone image taken on April 9, 2020, shows a sanitation worker disinfecting a camp for displaced Syrians next to the Idlib municipal stadium in the northwestern Syrian city, during a campaign to limit the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)
A medic checks the body temperature of young passengers, as a preventive measure against the coronavirus, upon their arrival by bus in Syria's Kurdish area from Iraqi Kurdistan via the Semalka border crossing in northeastern Syria on February 26, 2020. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)
A picture taken on April 27, 2020 shows Syrians who returned from Turkey standing at a quarantine facility in the countryside of the town of Jisr al-Shughur, west of the mostly rebel-held Syrian province of Idlib, on April 27, 2020 during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. / AFP / Abdulaziz KETAZ
epa08392436 A truck for prevention against the COVID-19 coronavirus disease, operated by local NGO 'Violet Organization', drives through the streets of Idlib, Syria, 29 April 2020. EPA/YAHYA NEMAH
Artist Aziz al-Asmar paints a mural wishing for the well-being of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is in quarantine after being treated by a doctor who tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19), inside a damaged building in the town of Binnish in Syria's northwestern Idlib province on March 24, 2020. (Photo by Muhammad HAJ KADOUR / AFP)
A member of the Kurdish Internal Security Forces of Asayesh urges children to return home, in Syria's northeastern city of Hasakeh on April 30, 2020, following measures taken by the Kurdish-led local authorities there, to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus. / AFP / DELIL SOULEIMAN
Syrian boys pose for a picture during an awareness workshop on Coronavirus (COVID-19) held by Doctor Ali Ghazal at a camp for displaced people in Atme town in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, near the border with Turkey, on March 14, 2020. (Photo by AAREF WATAD / AFP)
A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on March 20, 2020 shows Syrian Red Crescent vehicles spraying disinfectant along a street in the capital Damascus, as part of measures against the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus disease. (Photo by - / SANA / AFP) / == RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / HO / SANA" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS ==
A volunteer from the Violet organisation disinfects a mosque in Syria's northwestern city of Idlib on April 25, 2020, from coronavirus (COVID-19) during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)
Only a few people walk in the century-old covered bazaar of Hamidiya in Syria's capital Damascus on March 24, 2020, after measures were taken by the authorities to fight the novel coronavirus pandemic. - Across much of the Syrian capital, with squares and markets once thronging with people even during the war, are now almost entirely empty. Five cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the country since Sunday, and the authorities have ordered all non-essential businesses closed. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
Researchers are examining the possibility of using inhalers to introduce stem cells into a patients lungs. AFP
A member of the Syrian Violet NGO disinfects a triage tent erected for suspected coronavirus patients outside the Ibn Sina Hospital in Syria's northwestern Idlib city on March 19, 2020. - Syrian authorities on March 13 announced measures aimed at preventing coronavirus from reaching the war-torn country, including school closures and a ban on smoking shisha in cafes, state media reported. (Photo by Abdulaziz KETAZ / AFP)
A young pupil follows a lesson on a mobile telephone inside a tent, in a camp for displaced Syrians in the village of Kafr Yahmoul in the northwestern Idlib province, amid the coronavirus pandemic on April 3, 2020. - Like in much of the world, educators in Syria are taking classes online after the country's various regions sent pupils home hoping to stem the COVID-19 pandemic. But distance learning is no small feat in a country battered by nine years of war, where fighting has displaced millions and the electricity supply is sporadic at best. (Photo by Aref TAMMAWI / AFP)
It was always a matter of time. Late last week, the first coronavirus case was discovered in Idlib, a province in Syria bordering Turkey where hundreds of thousands are living in crowded refugee camps after fleeing war. Without urgent measures to contain any potential outbreak, it could spell disaster for one of the most vulnerable communities in the world.
News of the first infection emerged last Thursday, and by Tuesday the number of confirmed cases had risen to four, including two in Idlib and two in opposition areas in rural Aleppo. All, according to the UN’s Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), are healthcare workers, which means it is likely that they were in contact with patients who visited their clinics or hospitals. They are all currently in isolation and contact tracing is under way to see who else may be infected.
Aid workers have long warned of the dangers of an outbreak in a place like Idlib and the devastating effects it could have. To understand the risks, we need to take a step back and examine the situation as a whole.
Migrants walk towards the Greek border in Pazarkule, in the Edirne district. Thousands of migrants stuck on the Turkey-Greece border clashed with Greek police. AFP
Children sit on a beach near Skala Sykamineas on the Greek Lesbos island after crossing the Aegean sea between Turkey and Greece. AFP
Migrants help each other after an attempt to enter Greece from a location near Edirne, Turkey, by crossing the Maritsa river. AFP
Migrants walk towards the Greek border in Pazarkule, in the Edirne district. AFP
Migrants on a dinghy cross the Evros river to reach Greece, pictured from the Turkish border city of Edirne, Turkey. Reuters
Migrants carry a dinghy to cross the Evros river to reach Greece, pictured near the Turkish border city of Edirne, Turkey. Reuters
Migrants gather around a fire as they wait to cross the Evros river to reach Greece, near Doyran Village, near the Turkish border city of Edirne, Turkey. Reuters
A group of migrants are detained after being caught by police on the side of the highway near the Greek-Turkish border. Getty Images
Migrants on a dinghy cross the Evros river and reach Greece, pictured from the Turkish border city of Edirne, Turkey. Reuters
Migrants walk along the Evros river to reach Greece, near the Turkish border city of Edirne, Turkey. Reuters
Migrants sit waiting near the buffer zone at Turkey-Greece border, at Pazarkule, in Edirne district. AFP
A migrant passes to the buffer zone during clashes with Greek police at the Turkey-Greece border, at Pazarkule, in Edirne distric. Thousands of migrants stuck on the Turkey-Greece border clashed with Greek police. AFP
A migrant walk towards the Greek border in Pazarkule, in the Edirne district. AFP
Idlib is one of the last remaining areas outside the Syrian government’s control after nine years of attempted revolution and civil war. It is under the control of armed groups, some of whom used to be affiliated to Al Qaeda but severed ties a few years ago. The province, which is in north-western Syria, is home to about 4.1 million people, including 2.7 million who were displaced during the war and who need humanitarian assistance, and most of whom are women and children.
A ceasefire has been in place in Idlib since March. But before that, the civilian population endured the full brutality of the Syrian government and its allies, from unrelenting air strikes to chemical weapon attacks and the bombing of hospitals, schools and refugee camps. When loyalist soldiers reclaimed parts of Idlib earlier this year, some of them dug up and desecrated bodies of the dead in local cemeteries.
Almost 800,000 people fled the fighting in Idlib between December and March, and the vast majority of them still live in crowded tents near the border because they are too afraid of returning to their homes only for the fighting to erupt again. It is horrifying to contemplate the possibility of an outbreak in one of those camps, with the lack of water and crowded conditions making practices such as social distancing and frequent handwashing and sanitising a pipe dream.
Idlib is also in a poor position to grapple with a public health crisis. The Assad regime has systematically bombed hundreds of healthcare facilities in areas controlled by the opposition, and this has left few hospitals and clinics able to deal with an outbreak. Another seven hospitals have suspended routine operations to limit the spread of the virus in medical facilities.
This photo taken in April shows a large refugee camp on the Syrian side of the border with Turkey, near the town of Atma, in Idlib province. AP Photo
Instead of making it easier for aid agencies to send medicine and testing kits across the border to arrest the spread of the pandemic in these impoverished areas of Syria, both Russia and China held up the renewal of a UN mandate to deliver cross-border aid, finally agreeing to a last-minute deal that saw the closure of one of the two remaining border crossings through which humanitarian aid flows from Turkey into the rebel-controlled parts of the country.
Idlib and its environs are not the only vulnerable areas in Syria. The country as a whole is beaten down by nine years of conflict followed by a grave economic crisis that is threatening the food security of citizens. The Syrian pound has collapsed, making even basic staples too expensive for many families, and poverty and unemployment are rampant with no reconstruction aid expected any time soon. The recent Caesar sanctions imposed by the US against the regime will choke off any remaining lifelines.
As of Tuesday, the Syrian Ministry of Health had confirmed 417 cases of Covid-19, including 19 deaths and 136 recoveries, with the majority being in Damascus and its countryside. There are also cases in the Kurdish-controlled north-east. The mix of restrictions on movement and economic activity that were briefly imposed has cost many people their livelihoods, while the recent lifting of these restrictions is likely to contribute to the spread of the coronavirus. Neither is a scenario that Syria can afford.
After nearly a decade of war, Syria is crumbling under the weight of a repressive, corrupt ruling elite, a pandemic and an economic downslide compounded by western sanctions. AP Photo
Souvenir plates bearing the Syrian flag and the portraits of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian President Bashar Al Assad are pictured in a shop in a bazaar in old Damascus. AFP
A man works in his metal workshop beneath a portrait of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad in old Damascus earlier this week. AFP
A Syrian boy carrying textiles is pictured in the bazaar in old Damascus. AFP
A Syrian shopkeeper waits for customers in a bazaar in old Damascus. AFP
Syrians walk in old Damascus in front of a portrait of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad. AFP
Syrian shoppers walk in the bazaar in old Damascus. AFP
Syrian men work in their bakery in old Damascus. AFP
Employees stack packets of the Syrian pound in the Central Syrian Bank in Damascus. AP Photo
An anti-Assad regime demonstration under way in Suweida, southern Syria, in early June 2020. AFP
Lockdowns to combat the spread of infection are likely to have an outsized effect on their livelihoods and make it harder to deliver desperately needed assistance
But these challenges are even more severe in the displaced and destroyed communities of Idlib. The collapse of the economy and possible coronavirus-related restrictions are going to be much worse for families that have been displaced many times over the course of the war, forced repeatedly to move and find shelter, leaving their lives behind, and for families that overwhelmingly rely on humanitarian aid for food, education and healthcare. Nearly three in every 10 children under five in north-western Syria are stunted because they are chronically underfed.
Lockdowns to combat the spread of infection are likely to have an outsized effect on their livelihoods and make it harder to deliver desperately needed assistance.
They have also had deeply troubling effects on women and children. OCHA says that domestic violence and sexual abuse are on the rise, as are practices such as child labour, early marriage, forced abortion and forced prostitution that bring in some financial relief for desperate families.
So far, just 2,500 Covid-19 tests have been administered in opposition areas. Throughout the country, only 12,000 tests have been administered, which means we have little grasp of the real scale of the pandemic in Syria.
Other countries in the region, including Egypt and Iran, are buckling under the strain of second waves of the coronavirus, unable to control a raging pandemic. Neither country is at war. Outbreaks of such magnitude will be far more devastating in Syria, and we must break the cycle of catastrophes.
Kareem Shaheen is a former Middle East correspondent based in Canada
Esperance de Tunis 1 Guadalajara 1
(Esperance won 6-5 on penalties) Esperance: Belaili 38’ Guadalajara: Sandoval 5’
ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY
Starting at 10am:
Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang
Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)
Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)
Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera
Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Five ways to get fit like Craig David (we tried for seven but ran out of time)
Start the week as you mean to go on. So get your training on strong on a Monday.
Train hard, but don’t take it all so seriously that it gets to the point where you’re not having fun and enjoying your friends and your family and going out for nice meals and doing that stuff.
Think about what you’re training or eating a certain way for — don’t, for example, get a six-pack to impress somebody else or lose weight to conform to society’s norms. It’s all nonsense.
Get your priorities right.
And last but not least, you should always, always chill on Sundays.
Red Star Belgrade v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight (Thursday), UAE
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre Power: 150hp Torque: 250Nm Price: From Dh139,000 On sale: Now
How to avoid crypto fraud
Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
Al Towayya in Al Ain
NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
Bareen International Hospital
NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
Don't get fined
The UAE FTA requires following to be kept:
Records of all supplies and imports of goods and services
All tax invoices and tax credit notes
Alternative documents related to receiving goods or services
All tax invoices and tax credit notes
Alternative documents issued
Records of goods and services that have been disposed of or used for matters not related to business
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto On sale: Now Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
SERIE A FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Sassuolo v Bologna (11.45pm)
Saturday
Brescia v Torino (6pm)
Inter Milan v Verona (9pm)
Napoli v Genoa (11.45pm)
Sunday
Cagliari v Verona (3.30pm)
Udinese v SPAL (6pm)
Sampdoria v Atalanta (6pm)
Lazio v Lecce (6pm)
Parma v Roma (9pm)
Juventus v Milan (11.45pm)
'Outclassed in Kuwait'
Taleb Alrefai,
HBKU Press
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
HIV on the rise in the region
A 2019 United Nations special analysis on Aids reveals 37 per cent of new HIV infections in the Mena region are from people injecting drugs.
New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.
Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.
Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.
Few statistics have been published on the number of cases in the UAE, although a UNAIDS report said 1.5 per cent of the prison population has the virus.
