Alphonso Davies came from humble beginnings. His parents fled civil war in Liberia, settling in a refugee camp in Ghana, where he was born. At age five, he moved to Edmonton, Canada and became a Canadian citizen. And at 19, he’s already on the path to becoming a football legend.
Davies’s meteoric rise over the past few months with German side Bayern Munich is extraordinary. From a virtual unknown, he has become a key fixture in the team that won the treble this year – the Bundesliga, the German Cup and the Champions League. Davies, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has pointed out, is a refugee to Canada who has become the first Canadian ever to hold the Champions League trophy Davies, and that has made Canadians proud.
This heroic success story came a year after Bianca Andreescu, the daughter of Romanian immigrants, defeated Serena Williams in the US Open to become the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam singles’ title.
Davies and Andreescu come from very different backgrounds, but their triumphs are immigrant success stories in a time of closed borders and fear of the other. In recognising the contributions of immigrants and other newcomers, as well as the challenges they have faced to make it in their new homes, we must ensure that today’s closed borders don’t become permanent iron curtains.
The coronavirus pandemic has ushered in extraordinary limits on travel and movement around the world. Early on, many countries shut down their borders for all but essential travel in an effort to curb the virus’s spread. These measures have been necessary insofar as they contribute to that effort. Many borders remain closed – one significant example being the Canada-US border, the longest undefended frontier on the planet, sealed for the longest period in 200 years as a result of America’s failure to grapple with the pandemic. Many borders are reopening, but coupled with severe restrictions ranging from quarantine requirements to pre-flight tests and the screening of arrivals, in addition to measures like mandatory mask-wearing.
The coronavirus pandemic has ushered in extraordinary limits on travel and movement around the world
The world was already becoming more closed in the years leading up to the pandemic. The populist tide that followed the 2015 refugee crisis, when millions of people from the Middle East and beyond sought safe haven on Europe’s shores, brought many xenophobic nationalists to power. The administration of US President Donald Trump has proferred more anti-immigrant rhetoric than any of its recent predecessors. Some public officials in Britain, Eastern Europe, India, Brazil, Italy and elsewhere have stoked xenophobic sentiments in their election campaigns, sought to block the flow of refugees across the sea and governed on platforms that reject deviation from a mythic past of racial purity.
Canada, despite having a relatively stringent, merit-based immigration system, did not join this wave. It took in tens of thousands of Syrian refugees, and continued to advocate publicly for a more humane approach. This does not mean that racial inequalities do not exist – lower income neighborhoods have suffered more in the pandemic, the state has a long history of abusing and separating indigenous children from their parents and debate is ongoing on systemic racism in the police force.
Moreover, the fear of immigrants has been supplanted by a broader fear of the other as a result of the pandemic. We now fear infection, a hidden virus that threatens our survival through chance interactions with strangers.
As restrictions ease, one issue not discussed enough is the logjam that is now obstructing our efforts to revive openness in the world. The pandemic has ushered in widespread delays to the processing of visas and immigration applications. This has been an acute problem in Canada, which relies on a steady flow of immigrants for its long-term economic growth.
A permanent residency (PR) application, which usually takes about a little over a year, may now take two years to be processed, according to immigration lawyers. I’m still waiting on my own PR, which I applied for in February 2019. It’s easier to wait if you’re already in a safe country like Canada, but imagine being one of many refugee families waiting desperately to be reunited with your loved ones. All over the less fortunate parts of the world, there are mothers waiting for their children in limbo, or husbands waiting for their wives to be granted visas by the powers that be.
It will take a long time before we all collectively recover from the pandemic, both its physical and psychological effects. But in the struggle to defeat the virus, we should not lose sight of the societies and nations we want to build. These are the societies that make someone like Alphonso Davies possible.
Kareem Shaheen is a veteran Middle East correspondent in Canada and columnist for The National
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
More on Quran memorisation:
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
The years Ramadan fell in May
The five pillars of Islam
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Wonka
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
EVIL%20DEAD%20RISE
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