People sit on the Champs de Mars at sunset in front of the Eiffel Tower, May 17, Paris, on the first weekend after France eased lockdown measures taken to curb the spread of Covid-19. Ludovic Marin / AFP
People sit on the Champs de Mars at sunset in front of the Eiffel Tower, May 17, Paris, on the first weekend after France eased lockdown measures taken to curb the spread of Covid-19. Ludovic Marin / AFP
People sit on the Champs de Mars at sunset in front of the Eiffel Tower, May 17, Paris, on the first weekend after France eased lockdown measures taken to curb the spread of Covid-19. Ludovic Marin /
This week I went to the most perfect yet unexpected Parisian dinner party of my life. I say unexpected, because we were not one week out of confinement and yet it seemed as though nothing had happened. As though the two months I spent in isolation in the Alps in a village of less than 40 people was a distant dream.
I took a taxi, not brave enough to face the metro. Riding past Les Invalides, the complex that contains the military museums of France as well as a retirement home and hospital for veterans, I saw people everywhere. They were masked, but walking in family groups of threes or fours; laughing, chatting.
Hotel des Invalides during the first weekend after two months of strict lockdown in Paris, France, 17 May. France began a gradual easing of its lockdown measures. Julien de Rosa / EPA
When I arrived, I waited to see my hostess’ reaction but she opened her arms so we hugged. She is a dear friend and our reunion was emotional. But we hugged gingerly, not testing fate.
We congratulated each other on surviving, and tried not to talk about coronavirus. Two friends arrived and gave each other 'la bise' the traditional French way of saying hello: a kiss on both cheeks.
Two more arrived and did not kiss but used the familiar elbow 'bise' we have been used to the past two months. "La Bise and social distancing do not go hand and hand," France 24 reported recently. Will this change French society?
Eight of us sat round a table breaking bread, eating wild boar that my friend’s son had shot during confinement in the country. We spoke of the Rolling Stones, opera, Emmanuel Macron and art.
It was the first time I had a conversation without talking about daily death rates and virus loads, although I did have a brief chat with the hostess about Kawasaki disease. I noticed that both of us shifted the subject quickly.
The month of May in France is traditionally a time of long weekends when people go to the country.
We still have a ban of only travelling 100 miles from our homes. But when I left the dinner, everyone seemed to have arranged to go away for the long weekend coming up, as though it were an ordinary year.
Some were planning to walk through the forests that are now open to the public and where people are crowding to get fresh air after months of confinement.
The market is crashing, said a friend who is a real estate broker, which is good for me as I have a lot of work, but it means people are losing their homes
Some had rented Airbnb chateaux which are empty. Others were talking about their coming holidays in Italy – the borders open to tourists from June 1. One friend announced that Athens is opening up the Acropolis.
But over the strawberry tarts, I wondered if life would ever really return to normal – or will the psychological effect of Covid-19 forever float over us like a cloud – la flottement as the French call it.
Earlier that day I went out for a walk. I am still not used to being able to travel freely without my attestation – mandatory to move outside of one’s home.
An ice cream seller wears a protective mask during the first weekend after Paris opened up after two months of strict lockdown, France, 17 May. Julien de Rosa / EPA
A friend and I wanted to go for a drink, and I know a cafe where you can get a glass and stand outside with social distance. It was closed.
But we strolled and saw teenagers hanging out at the bus stop smoking cigarettes; elderly couples masked arm in arm, dog walkers and joggers. “Back to normal,” my friend observed, “or maybe not.”
The Luxembourg Gardens, the centre of all life on the Left Bank sixth arrondissement where I live, were still ominously locked and closed.
Then it struck me: Paris was packed with people, perhaps walking too closely and not observing the Covid-19 rules we have now internalised, but there were no tourists.
Usually I walk down my street in the summer and hear languages: Korean, Mandarin, Italian, Dutch; people looking at maps or stopping to ask me directions. Now, there was only French people walking, French being spoken.
Crossing the Seine to the apartment where my dinner was taking place, I selfishly mentioned to the taxi driver that Paris was beautiful without hordes of tourists. “It will kill us if they don’t come back,” he reprimanded me sharply. “Paris is the most visited destination in the world. We need them.”
The one subject everyone does talk about is money. At the dinner, I spoke to a friend who is a successful real estate broker. She told me she has never been so busy: not with rentals, but with people who lost their jobs and want to sell their apartments quickly.
“The market is crashing,” she said. “Which is good for me as I have a lot of work, but it means people are losing their homes.”
The anxiety that consumed us for two months seems to be shifting. Now we are less worried about getting the virus as to how we survive the economic fallout.
The end of lockdown has made me wonder what long-term psychological effect the lockdown will have on us as a society long term.
During the siege of Sarajevo, for instance, a psychiatrist friend told me that she reckoned the entire population suffered from extreme and untreated post traumatic stress disorder. That made sense.
Fierce daily bombardment, the death of nearly 14,000 people in the city alone, plus a medieval siege where they were deprived of water, heat, electricity, medical supplies and food, would naturally make people suffer psychologically.
But how will Covid-19 leave us damaged? I am lately researching the concept of moral injury, which has long been studied by the military.
It refers to an injury to a person’s moral compass – for instance, a soldier who is forced to watch or perform torture; or even a journalist like me who reported on war and witnessed events which go against everything I believe in.
Psychiatrists say it produces anger, shame and a sense of betrayal or moral disorientation.
I do believe the front line doctors and nurses who were forced to make terrible decisions like who got a ventilator or not will have some scar on their souls after this is over. But what about the rest of us?
In Europe, we are slowly coming out of our caves. Here, at least, during quarantine, we went inward: the French became more French; the Germans more German, the British, whose government fumbled the crisis badly, became more of an island than ever.
I wondered about xenophobia. How we will reintegrate with Asia again when many people I talk to have anger that the virus started there? I was meant to spend the summer teaching in Singapore. Will I ever get there now?
After the dinner, a friend drove me home, passing the Eiffel Tower. It has been closed to tourists since the quarantine but the lights were glowing over the waters of the Seine.
Since Gustave Eiffel built it in 1887, it has suffered the bombardment of the First World War and the German occupation. It was standing during the crucial 1968 civil unrest. It survived a spate of terrorist attacks in the 1980s and 90s, and the 2015 terrorist assaults on the Charlie Hebdo magazine and the Bataclan nightclub. It will survive Covid-19 just fine.
The Eiffel Tower gets visitors during the first weekend after two months of strict lockdown in Paris, France, 17 May. Julien de Rosa / EPA
Of course the tourists will come back. Of course we will get on long-haul flights eventually. I will get to Asia someday. But like everyone, I am not sure we will emerge without, in the words of Dr Anthony Feinstein, an expert on moral injury, “our souls scarred.”
Not just from the virus aftermath but from the realisation that we live in a world where we must confront global issues with a different dynamic.
Now that borders are opening, we must consider how we can work together to take care of the most vulnerable when and if the second wave hits.
The lesson we have learnt, I hope, is that we don’t exist in isolated, nationalistic bubbles; we must think internationally. Especially when it comes to invisible threats that know no borders.
Janine di Giovanni is a Senior Fellow at Yale’s Jackson Institute and the author, most recently, of 'The Morning They Came for Us: Dispatches from Syria'
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Our legal advisor
Rasmi Ragy is a senior counsel at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Prosecutor in Egypt with more than 40 years experience across the GCC.
Education: Ain Shams University, Egypt, in 1978.
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh130,000
On sale: now
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.”
UAE squad Rohan Mustafa (captain), Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Saqlain Haider, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Naveed, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Boota, Amir Hayat, Ashfaq Ahmed
Fixtures Nov 29-Dec 2
UAE v Afghanistan, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Hong Kong v Papua New Guinea, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Ireland v Scotland, Dubai International Stadium
Namibia v Netherlands, ICC Academy, Dubai
The specs: 2017 Maserati Quattroporte
Price, base / as tested Dh389,000 / Dh559,000
Engine 3.0L twin-turbo V8
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 530hp @ 6,800rpm
Torque 650Nm @ 2,000 rpm
Fuel economy, combined 10.7L / 100km
The specs: 2018 Audi RS5
Price, base: Dh359,200
Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
Review: Tomb Raider
Dir: Roar Uthaug
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Daniel Wu, Walter Goggins
two stars
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
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood. Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues. Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity. Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 374hp at 5,500-6,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm from 1,900-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.5L/100km
Price: from Dh285,000
On sale: from January 2022
Planes grounded by coronavirus
British Airways: Cancels all direct flights to and from mainland China
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific: Cutting capacity to/from mainland China by 50 per cent from Jan. 30
Chicago-based United Airlines: Reducing flights to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong
Ai Seoul: Suspended all flights to China
Finnair: Suspending flights to Nanjing and Beijing Daxing until the end of March
Indonesia's Lion Air: Suspending all flights to China from February
South Korea's Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air and Jin Air: Suspend all flights
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16 second leg
Paris Saint-Germain (1) v Borussia Dortmund (2)
Kick-off: Midnight, Thursday, March 12
Stadium: Parc des Princes
Live: On beIN Sports HD
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Biography
Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad
Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym
Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army
Favourite read: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m, Winner SS Lamea, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer).
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,400m, Winner AF Makerah, Sean Kirrane, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m, Winner Maaly Al Reef, Brett Doyle, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh90,000 1,600m, Winner AF Momtaz, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m, Winner Morjanah Al Reef, Brett Doyle, Abdallah Al Hammadi
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Regional Qualifier
The top three teams progress to the Asia Qualifier
Thursday results
UAE beat Kuwait by 86 runs
Qatar beat Bahrain by five wickets
Saudi Arabia beat Maldives by 35 runs
Friday fixtures
10am, third-place playoff – Saudi Arabia v Kuwait
3pm, final – UAE v Qatar
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
The biog
Name: Timothy Husband
Nationality: New Zealand
Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney
Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier
Favourite music: Billy Joel
Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia
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.
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11 What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time. TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
