On July 6, Debby Fullerton will be able to hold her grandson Noah for the first time in over a year and a half.
Like many others around the world, the pandemic has robbed the 69-year-old grandmother from the Canadian province of New Brunswick of precious family time and relegated her and Noah’s interactions to a six-inch screen.
“My gosh, I'm so excited,” said Ms Fullerton. “I had a few nights that I didn't have great sleep because I was so excited that this is going to finally happen. It's beyond words; I just can't wait.”
Ms Fullerton received her first shot of the Pfizer vaccine in mid-April. Her second shot, which she said is likely to be from Moderna, has been scheduled for June 30.
In early March, when Ms Fullerton first spoke to The National, only 1.9 million Canadians had received a first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.
Supply shortages in Europe and Canada’s inability to produce the vaccine in-house left the country at the mercy of others.
“The government never made any attempt, as far as I can see, or any serious attempt to get domestically produced vaccines,” said Joel Lexchin, professor emeritus of the faculty of health at York University in Toronto.
While its neighbour to the south raced out of the gate putting millions of shots into its citizens’ arms every day, Canadians were stuck in their homes with little idea of when it might be their turn.
In an attempt to offset its inability to produce the vaccine, Canada made deals with seven different manufacturers, ordering more doses per capita than any other country in the world.
To date, Canada has spent more than CAD$1 billion (about $810,000) to secure access to 400 million doses of vaccine - enough to fully inoculate the country five times over.
But in the beginning, that wasn’t enough.
"Canada's ability to acquire vaccines or to get vaccines that it had paid for initially was very slow," Dr Lexchin told The National.
Researchers and health professionals called the early distribution programme a disaster.
In March, Ms Fullerton thought the best she could hope for was to receive her first shot in July and her second sometime in autumn.
But Canada’s sputtering vaccination programme has finally found traction thanks to improved supply.
As of June 16, the country had distributed more than 34 million doses of vaccine and about 70 per cent of eligible Canadians have received a first dose, putting Canada near the very top of the world in terms of vaccinations.
“It's fantastic, given where we were,” said Dr Jillian Kohler, professor in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, whose research focuses on fair access to essential medicines. “The uptake has been tremendous.”
The national strategy has been to provide as many Canadians as possible with a first shot, which means delaying second doses by up to several months.
The strategy has won admirers around the world.
“Oh, Canada. Your aggressive first-dose vaccination strategy is looking good,” tweeted Eric Topol, an American physician and scientist.
But there are still concerns surrounding the country’s handling of the vaccination programme.
"It's almost like every day, the eligibility, the policy directions change," Dr Kohler told The National. "It's very hard to have faith in the credibility of the government."
What is clear, though, is Canadians have a huge appetite for the vaccine.
Unlike the US, which has seen vaccination efforts stall with around 51 per cent of the population partially vaccinated and 45 per cent fully vaccinated, Canadians continue to race to be vaccinated.
“We don't see the level of vaccine hesitancy that we're seeing in some other countries,” said Dr Lexchin.
He attributes that in part to the country's ability to keep politics out of the process.
“You don't see any major party leader in Canada saying, ‘Don't get a vaccine’, federally or provincially,” he said. “Even the right-wing ones, like Jason Kenney in Alberta, are in favour of vaccines. So, you don't see that kind of vaccine hesitancy really tied to political ideology the way you do in the US.”
The rise in vaccinations has come as welcome news to many after a brutal spring.
In April, before vaccination efforts were beginning to gain steam, the country was hit by a massive third wave of Covid-19, with about 10,000 new cases reported per day. Now, that number is comfortably below 1,000.
And Canadians like Ms Fullerton can start to plan their long-awaited reunions.
She is already busy cooking up plans for a lobster dinner, a Canadian maritime specialty, for when her daughter and son-in-law, who live 4,500 kilometres away in Edmonton, Alberta, arrive.
But most importantly, she will be able to hug her grandson Noah for the first time since he was a few weeks old in January 2020.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
WandaVision
Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany
Directed by: Matt Shakman
Rating: Four stars
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
More on animal trafficking
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
MATCH INFO
RB Leipzig 2 (Klostermann 24', Schick 68')
Hertha Berlin 2 (Grujic 9', Piatek 82' pen)
Man of the match Matheus Cunha (Hertha Berlin
Company%20profile
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The Bio
Amal likes watching Japanese animation movies and Manga - her favourite is The Ancient Magus Bride
She is the eldest of 11 children, and has four brothers and six sisters.
Her dream is to meet with all of her friends online from around the world who supported her work throughout the years
Her favourite meal is pizza and stuffed vine leaves
She ams to improve her English and learn Japanese, which many animated programmes originate in
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm)
Burnley v Huddersfield Town (7pm)
Everton v Bournemouth (7pm)
Manchester City v Crystal Palace (7pm)
Southampton v Manchester United (7pm)
Stoke City v Chelsea (7pm)
Swansea City v Watford (7pm)
Leicester City v Liverpool (8.30pm)
Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Newcastle United (7pm)
Monday
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion (11pm)
Company%20profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Quick facts on cancer
- Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases
- About one in five men and one in six women will develop cancer in their lifetime
- By 2040, global cancer cases are on track to reach 30 million
- 70 per cent of cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries
- This rate is expected to increase to 75 per cent by 2030
- At least one third of common cancers are preventable
- Genetic mutations play a role in 5 per cent to 10 per cent of cancers
- Up to 3.7 million lives could be saved annually by implementing the right health
strategies
- The total annual economic cost of cancer is $1.16 trillion
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates