A priest holding a crucifix, goes in procession in northwestern Italy, as part of a Good Friday's Way of the Cross procession, during the country's lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus. AFP
A priest holding a crucifix, goes in procession in northwestern Italy, as part of a Good Friday's Way of the Cross procession, during the country's lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus. AFP
A priest holding a crucifix, goes in procession in northwestern Italy, as part of a Good Friday's Way of the Cross procession, during the country's lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavi
As of yesterday, Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, killed more than 100,000 people around the world. This grim record is expected to rise in the coming weeks, with 200,000 deaths projected in the US alone, according to the Trump administration. Ever-climbing death tolls and infection rates seem to have become facts of life since the new strain of the virus was discovered last December. But behind each number, there is a story – that of a person's life taken away too soon, leaving a family to grieve, often unable to attend their loved one’s funeral.
We arrive at this tragic milestone at a time of great religious significance. Today, Christians in most parts of the world will not be able to go to church for Easter and spend time with their loved ones. Pope Francis at an empty St Peter’s Basilica on Good Friday marked a solemn moment.
With Ramadan set to start in less than two weeks’ time, the month of April is set to be particularly challenging for worshippers. Anti-coronavirus measures in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere require places of worship to close their doors to the public. These containment measures are crucial to contain the pandemic and decrease the risk of infection, but, as a consequence, many worshippers have now found themselves separated from their respective communities during a difficult time.
Some countries have been affected disproportionately by this ongoing tragedy. Nearly two-thirds of all those who have succumbed to the disease hail from Europe. The mortality rate in Italy exceeds 12 per cent, while the number of deaths in Italy, France and Spain alone constitute nearly half of all fatalities in the world. Meanwhile, the US, which is already the hardest-hit nation, reached the grim milestone of half a million cases nationwide yesterday. It has now surpassed Italy with the highest number of recorded coronavirus-related fatalities for any country.
Nearly every inch of the globe has been affected by the pandemic in one way or another.
War-torn Yemen, which had not reported any cases of the virus, announced its first official Covid-19 patient last weekend. Half of all the country's hospitals have been destroyed by years of war, and medical staff lack the personal protection equipment necessary to treat patients without risking infection.
Nearly every inch of the globe has been affected by the pandemic in one way or another.
If the disease is allowed to propagate in war zones and poor areas with little access to appropriate healthcare or aid, the result can only be catastrophic. The international community must help Yemen, along with other nations ridden by poverty and conflict, to combat an impending coronavirus outbreak.
In times of great hardship, authorities have intensified testing and quarantine measures to protect their people. Medical staff are also working around the clock, sometimes in dire circumstances. They are risking their lives at the frontlines of the pandemic to save others, and deserve our respect and support. The least we can do to help those affected by the virus, and the families of the deceased, is to stay in and stay safe, so as not to jeopardise other people's lives and our own.
Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances
All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.
Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.
Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.
Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.
Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.
Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
It
Director: Andres Muschietti
Starring: Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor
Three stars
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final When: July 1 Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
If you go...
Etihad flies daily from Abu Dhabi to Zurich, with fares starting from Dh2,807 return. Frequent high speed trains between Zurich and Vienna make stops at St. Anton.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
South Africa (1st innings) 123-2: Markram 78; Masood 1-4
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.”
Amith's predicted winners:
6.30pm: Down On Da Bayou
7.05pm: Etisalat
7.40pm: Mulfit
8.15pm: Pennsylvania Dutch
8.50pm: Mudallel
9.25pm: Midnight Sands
Match info
Arsenal 0
Manchester City 2
Sterling (14'), Bernardo Silva (64')
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
The specs: 2019 BMW i8 Roadster
Price, base: Dh708,750
Engine: 1.5L three-cylinder petrol, plus 11.6 kWh lithium-ion battery
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
Europa League semi-final, second leg
Atletico Madrid (1) v Arsenal (1) Where: Wanda Metropolitano When: Thursday, kick-off 10.45pm Live: On BeIN Sports HD
