Features

HONG KONG — When two Spanish footballers took to the controls of "FIFA 20" after the coronavirus pandemic saw their La Liga match cancelled, a stadium-sized virtual audience watched online.

The huge digital crowd last week is part of a spectacular boom for the digital gaming industry, as record numbers flock to online servers for distraction, entertainment and friendship with the "real world" seemingly falling apart.

Real Betis striker Borja Iglesias kicked the winning goal using his own digital likeness in the 6-5 battle against Sevilla, which was broadcast on popular video game streaming platform Twitch.

It took place at the same time the original derby had been scheduled, before Spain's premier tournament was postponed as part of containment measures that have also seen the country's 46 million people largely confined to their homes.

"We do all of this to entertain all of you, so that you can be at home enjoying it, insofar as it is possible with this epidemic," the host of the broadcast told his audience of 60,000.

Nearly every country around the globe has reported cases of COVID-19 infection, with frantic efforts to contain the disease prompting the near total shutdown of some of the world's biggest cities.

Online gaming has proved a welcome diversion for many people chafing at movement restrictions, the cancellation of countless public events and a relentless onslaught of news about the pandemic.

"It made me feel less depressed about being in a small space for a long time," said Yang An, who was made to quarantine for two weeks in China after returning to Shanghai from her hometown last month.

She told AFP that she passed the time by playing for up to eight hours a day on her Nintendo Switch handheld console.

Surging demand

Internet providers have scrambled to shore up their networks in the face of surging demand.

Gaming traffic on Verizon's network shot up an "unprecedented" 75 per cent in the space of a week, the US telco said recently.

Software companies have also rushed to accommodate a record number of users.

Rockstar Games, publisher of the Wild West-themed adventure title "Red Dead Redemption", promised players it would keep its online servers running smoothly after it told its global workforce to work from home.

The company also teased a roll-out of extra in-game activities to keep housebound player glued to their controllers.

Online gaming communities could "go some of the way to create the public space that's been lost" in the wake of the pandemic, said Christian McCrea, a media studies lecturer specialising in games at Australia's RMIT University.

He pointed to Pokemon Go — a smartphone game that became a worldwide phenomenon in 2016 when it lured millions of people onto the streets for a virtual monster hunt — which was this month tweaked by its developer to make it easier for users to play at home.

'Big impact'

McCrea said gaming habits were likely to see a massive transformation in the months ahead, with the prospect of further economic ructions and long stretches of social isolation looming on the horizon.

"Overall the big impact will be younger kids at home for months on end with parents out of work," he told AFP. "Games will be at the centre of a lot of their spare time."

Video games have long been blamed for a causing a suite of health issues, from repetitive strain injuries to eyesight problems.

The World Health Organisation classified gaming addiction as an illness in 2018, the same year China launched a crackdown on the industry on concerns that youngsters were spending too much time online.

But veteran gamers now ironically appear among those best-placed to navigate the pandemic and its impact on everyday life.

Twitch streamer "Loeya" told her million-plus fans in a broadcast last week that travel restrictions and school closures in her native Sweden and elsewhere were unlikely to alter her own mostly indoors, game-heavy schedule.

"Technically I self-quarantined myself, like, three years ago," the 22-year-old joked.

PARIS — From a mother unable to smell her baby's nappy to a lawmaker who suddenly could not taste food, some coronavirus patients have described a loss of olfactory senses — and experts say this might be a new way to detect the virus.

Ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists in Britain, the United States and France have noted a growing number of patients in recent weeks with anosmia — the abrupt loss of smell — and have said this could be a sign of COVID-19 in people who otherwise appear well.

Official figures suggest the coronavirus has infected some 400,000 people as the pandemic proliferates around the world, but with many cases going undetected experts have become concerned about the potential for people without symptoms to spread the virus.

The World Health Organisation lists the most common signs of COVID-19 as fever, tiredness and dry cough.

In Britain, ENT doctors have urged health authorities to advise people with a sudden loss of smell or taste to self-isolate even if they have no other symptoms.

"Anything we can do to delay transmission is absolutely vital," Claire Hopkins, the president of the British Rhinological Society, told AFP.

Hopkins, who published an open letter on the issue on Friday with ENT UK chief Nirmal Kumar, said she was not surprised when she heard initial reports from Iran and France of COVID-19 patients reporting a loss of smell.

Around 40 per cent of cases of sudden loss of smell in adults are caused by post-viral anosmia, she said, and previously known coronaviruses are thought to account for up to 15 per cent.

But she said the turning point came when an Italian colleague working in a hospital in the worst-hit north of the country mentioned he had observed a high incidence of loss of smell among frontline health workers.

This led to a flurry of posts on professional message boards.

"We all started to note an increase in patients who were young and otherwise completely asymptomatic presenting with new onset sense of smell loss," said Hopkins.

Nine out of the 20 patients she saw last week had recently lost their ability to smell.

"That's extremely unusual," she said, adding that several of these patients had called Britain's health authorities concerned about COVID-19 but were told there was no need to self-isolate because it was not a recognised symptom.

'Significant symptoms'

Experts in several countries have flagged anosmia as a potential sign of COVID-19.

In France the head of the health service, Jerome Salomon, on Friday said ENT specialists had observed a "surge" in anosmia cases and said while it was still relatively rare, it had been seen in younger patients with "mild" symptoms.

The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery on Sunday noted growing anecdotal evidence that anosmia and dysgeusia — taste disorder — were "significant symptoms" of the virus.

In Germany, virologist Hendrik Streeck from the University of Bonn, went house to house in Heinsberg, where around 1000 people were put under a two-week quarantine in February because of a local outbreak.

He said some two thirds of infected people reported losing their sense of smell and taste for a few days.

"It went so far that one mother could no longer smell her child's full nappy. Others couldn't smell their shampoo anymore and their food started to taste bland," he told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper.

Help for health workers

A lack of testing in many countries means that often only those with the most severe symptoms are confirmed to have the virus.

But several high-profile patients with milder cases have reported a loss of olfactory senses.

Nadine Dorries, the first British politician to test positive, said she lost both her sense of smell and taste.

"Eating and drinking warm or cold that's all I can tell," she posted on Twitter last week.

French basketball player Rudy Gobert, 27, whose positive coronavirus test prompted the NBA to shut down its season, tweeted he had not "been able to smell anything for the last 4 days" on Sunday.

Abscent, a UK charity that provides support and advice on olfactory training to a relatively small community of people who have lost their sense of smell, has seen interest "skyrocket", according to founder Chrissi Kelly.

Hopkins has been "inundated" with emails since her statement was published.

Many people reported that close contacts and family members had also experienced anosmia symptoms within recent weeks. This is unusual, she said: "We certainly don't get clusters within groups of friends and family reported in the same way."

She said the advice on sense of smell loss could be particularly useful as a sign for medical workers to get a test or self-isolate, even without other symptoms.

"A healthcare worker who is infected unknowingly and spreading infection around colleagues is a disaster because we need to keep the workforce as healthy as possible," she said. 

By Kelly Macnamara

As Hollywood continues to take measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, spring’s most anticipated blockbusters have been postponed indefinitely and movie theatres around the globe have shuttered.

Now studios are opting out of reporting box office figures at all for the foreseeable future, according to a statement from measurement firm Comscore, marking the first time the company (which was preceded by Rentrak and Nielsen EDI) has interrupted its weekly box office reporting since the early 1980s. (Even during the 1994 Northridge quake, which affected all of Southern California’s movie studios, partial reporting was released.)

“Due to this unprecedented situation, Comscore will be temporarily suspending our usual Sunday North American Top 10 Estimates, Global chart and commentary,” the statement read. “We will update the status of studio reporting.”

Last weekend, city officials in Los Angeles and New York ordered cinemas and other venues to close, causing box office receipts to plummet to historic lows.

AMC, Regal and Cinemark, the three largest theatre chains, all announced that they’d be shutting down nationwide, indefinitely. And with major spring releases including “No Time to Die,” “Peter Rabbit 2,” “A Quiet Place: Part II,” “F9,” “Mulan” and “Black Widow” suspending their releases for months, the landscape for in-theatre moviegoing appears bleak at least through May. (Warner Bros. still has the sequel “Wonder Woman 1984" on the schedule for the first weekend in June.)

Disney announced Thursday that “given the current large number of theatre shutdowns around the globe,” it would suspend global weekend reporting “for the time being.”

Several studios have already announced plans to move their recent releases to video-on-demand. In fact, all of last weekend’s top 10 films now have VOD plans, with the exception of 20th Century Studios’ “Call of the Wild” and Sony’s “Bad Boys for Life.”

Today Disney revealed the early digital release of Pixar’s “Onward,” which had been the No. 1 film for two consecutive weekends. It now will be available for digital download in the United States on Friday night. It hits Disney+ streaming on April 3.

Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog,” Lionsgate’s “I Still Believe,” Sony’s “Bloodshot” and Warner Bros.’ “The Way Back” and “Birds of Prey” also will land on VOD in the coming weeks.

Universal made recent theatrical releases “The Hunt,” “Emma” and “The Invisible Man” available for digital rental as of today. And the studio’s “Trolls World Tour” is still scheduled to hit whatever theatres might play it April 10, with a simultaneous digital launch that day.

By Sonaiya Kelley

Launched last year globally and arriving in the Middle East for the 2020 model year, the latest face-lifted Ford Ranger incarnation includes a mild aesthetic refresh and the introduction of more advanced technology.

Carrying on with Ford’s venerable 2.2-litre and 3.2-litre turbodiesel and 2.5-litre petrol engines for our region, the revised Ranger line-up includes a raft of improved and updated driver assistance and infotainment across the board.

However, other regions also receive variants of the smaller more powerful 2-litre turbodiesel engine first seem on the more performance oriented Ranger Raptor model.

A much less radical redesign than when the Ranger first received its last major styling overhaul and a new, more aggressive and charismatic, and now signature fascia back in 2015, the latest update carries on with a similar broad and dominant hexagonal grille flanked by dramatic, squinting and heavily browed headlights.

Little changed at initial glance, the Ranger’s visual aggression has however been dialed back slightly. With its grille and lower intake combo now intersected by a more visibly delineated bumper, the Ranger’s cleaner new look exhibits a horizontal, rather than vertical emphasis.

Abundant ability

A capable carryover, the junior of the Ranger’s two turbodiesel engines might not have quite the same effortless muscle and abundant torque as the mighty 3.2-litre 5-cylinder version, but as a 2.2-litre four-cylinder it outperforms most competitors. Using common-rail direct injection and positioned longitudinally to drive the rear wheels in normal conditions, the Ranger’s 2.2-litre TDCI engine produces 158BHP at 3,200rpm and 284lb/ft torque through a wide 1,600-2,500rpm band. This allows the Ranger to carry its 2.1-tonne mass through 0-100km/h in 12.8-seconds and onto 175km/h, while returning 8l/100km combined cycle fuel economy.

Coming one second slower through the 0-100km/h benchmark than its own manual gearbox version, the Ranger 2.2 TDCI is nevertheless a lively drive in its class. Meanwhile turbo lag from very low rpm is less than most similar trucks, and is well masked by its auto gearbox, which does a good job of keeping the Ranger’s revs in its generously rich mid-range. Response from standstill, flexible and confident in mid-range, and comparatively willing at top-end, the Ranger 2.2 TDCI is however in its comfort zone when driven through its maximum torque sweet spot.

Cornering and cruising composure 

In terms of refinement, gear shifts are smooth and diesel clatter is less than most and is well subdued in mid-range driving. Driven on mostly smooth roads during test drive, the Range was comfortable, settled and stable at speed, despite its rugged body on frame construction and tough live-axle and leaf spring rear suspension.

Over rutted, pocked and far from perfect highway segments the Range felt composed with little jittering, with its tall sidewall 255/70R16 tyres well absorbing impacts and its ride quality being settled and buttoned down given its commercial vehicle underpinnings.

Riding on more sophisticated double wishbone suspension at the front and with its balanced front-engine and nominal rear-drive set-up, the Ranger turns eager and tidy into corners. Benefitting from Ford’s knack for good steering feel despite its big tyres and long steering ratio, one can easily place the Ranger on road.

Well controlled with comparatively little lean for so tall a vehicle, one however needs to accelerate progressively out of corners to avoid traction control intervening to prevent axle hop, which can happen with almost any truck with similar rear suspension.

Capability and comfort

A rugged workhorse with good turning circle, maneuverability, cargo capacity and up to 3,500kg towing capability, the Ranger is also a thoroughly off-road machine. In addition to generous 232mm ground clearance, 800mm water fording capacity and 28 degree approach, 24 degree break-over and 27 degree departure angles for traversing inhospitable terrain and obstacles, the Ranger’s four-wheel-drive system engages for added off-road ability.

Four-wheel-drive can also be set in low gear ratio mode for enhanced traction and high power crawling for towing or caring loads over particularly bad terrain and inclines, while an optional locking rear differential further improves traction.

Driven in double cab guise with mid-range XLS specification, the Ranger is spacious, comfortable and well – if not over – equipped as a dual work and private use pick-up truck, and features user-friendly layouts, quality fabric upholstery, good visibility and excellent supportive front seats. Generously accommodating five passengers and featuring an assortment of airbags, child seat latches, stability control and other safety features, the new Ranger line includes numerous available driver assistance features. Depending on spec level and market these include lane keeping, hill descent, parking rollover mitigation and many more advanced features.

• Engine: 2.2-litre, common-rail turbo-diesel, in-line 4-cylinders
• Bore x stroke: 86 x 94.6mm
• Compression ratio: 15.7:1
• Valve-train: 16-valve, DOHC
• Gearbox: 6-speed automatic
• Driveline: Four-wheel-drive, low gear transfer case, locking rear differential
• Gear ratios: 1^st 4.171:1; 2^nd 2.342:1; 3^rd 1.521:1; 4^th 1.143:1; 5^th 0.867:1; 6^th 0.691:1
• Reverse / final drive: 3.4:1 / 3.73:1
• High / low range: 1:1 / 2.48:1
• Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 158 (160) [118] @3,200rpm
• Specific power: 72BHP/litre
• Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 284 (385) @1,600-2,500rpm
• Specific torque: 129Nm/litre
• 0-100km/h: approximately 12.8-seconds
• Top speed: 175km/h
• Fuel consumption, combined; 8-litres/100km
• CO2 emissions, combined: 209g/km
• Fuel capacity: 80-litres
• Length: 5,382mm
• Width: 1,867mm
• Height: 1,815mm
• Wheelbase: 3,220mm
• Ground clearance: 232mm
• Track: 1,560mm
• Overhang, F/R: 928/1,234mm
• Headroom, F/R: 1,022/986mm
• Legroom, F/R: 1,058/902mm
• Shoulder room, F/R: 1,440/1,430mm
• Load floor length: 1,549mm
• Load floor width, min/max: 1,139/1,560mm
• Load floor depth: 511mm
• Loading height: 835mm
• Cargo volume: 1,180-litres
• Water fording: 800mm
• Approach angle: 28°
• Break-over angle: 24°
• Departure angle: 27°
• Kerb weight: 2,119kg (est.)
• Payload: 1,081kg (est.)
• Towing capacity, braked: 3,500kg
• Gross vehicle mass: 3,200kg
• Gross train mass: 6,000kg
• Suspension, F/R: Double wishbones, coilovers / leaf springs, live axle
• Steering: Electric-assisted rack & pinion
• Lock-to-lock: 3.5-turns
• Turning circle: 12.7-metres
• Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs / drums
• Tyres: 255/70R16

SINGAPORE — From lab-grown "seafood" to dumplings made with tropical fruit instead of pork, rising demand for sustainable meat alternatives in Asia is spawning creative products to appeal to local palates.

Meat and seafood consumption in Asia is projected to soar, fuelled by growing middle classes in booming economies, but green groups warn of the environmental damage such a trend could bring.

Demand for plant-based meat alternatives is still nascent in Asia, but is nevertheless rising by about 30 per cent annually and is particularly strong in developed markets such as South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore, industry players say.

"We do see that there is a growing environmental consciousness among consumers around the world — and that's not different in Asia," said Andre Menezes of Country Foods, which distributes products made by US alternative meat outfit Impossible Foods in Singapore.

Meat consumption is an environmental threat as cattle produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas, while logging forests, which take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, to make way for animals destroys natural barriers to climate change, environmentalists warn.

Eating seafood meanwhile can deplete already under-pressure fish stocks.

US alternative meat titans have already seen the opportunity in Asia, with Impossible Foods seeking to establish a presence in China and rival Beyond Meat, which makes plant-based burgers, planning to open a production facility in the region.

But they face competition from local startups, who are thinking beyond simply making faux burgers, and may be better in tune with what consumers want in a diverse region that is fiercely proud of its culinary traditions.

They are planning products ranging from Chinese-style steamed dumplings filled with fake pork made from jackfruit — a yellow, chewy tropical fruit — to imitation crab and fish balls, a processed seafood snack popular across Asia.

Fruity, not meaty

Startup Karana is behind the jackfruit dumpings, which it plans to launch this year, and is also developing buns filled with imitation barbecue pork to mimic a mainstay of "dim sum" restaurants — where customers choose from an array of small dishes.

Company co-founder Blair Crichton hopes to create familiar products that can win over meat eaters.

"We're not necessarily going to be promoting that it's jackfruit... it's about packaging it in a way that is familiar to consumers," he told AFP.

Singapore-based startup Sophie's BioNutrients is working with scientists at a local university to grow microalgae in nutrient-rich soybean residue, a waste product from the food processing industry.

They plan to convert the algae to protein powder, which will then be used to make imitation seafood products, such as fish balls and crab.

The process does not deplete seafood stocks or cause environmental damage, which traditional fishing can.

The company's founder Eugene Wang said people in many Asian countries saw food as their best tradition — and that simply trying to sell them plant-based patties would not cut it.

"If you want to market to these people, you want to sell it in a burger format? No way," said Wang, whose company received Sg$1.0 million ($700,000) funding from the city-state's sovereign wealth fund Temasek.

Wang also founded Sophie's Kitchen, a US company selling plant-based crab cakes and shrimp in North America, Britain and Australia, but he is planning a range for Asian palates under the new company, which is independently operated.

Several sustainable food startups have chosen to launch in Singapore and use it as a base to sell products across the region, with Temasek providing some financial backing.

Still, such companies may have a hard time convincing consumers with traditional tastes to change to their products.

Seow Chin Juen, an analyst focusing on food and nutrition in the region at consultancy Euromonitor International, said the "novelty aspect" was currently driving most sales of alternative meats.

But this was "not sufficient to convert mass market consumers to consume these products on a regular basis", he added.

Olivia Hayden Ong, a 28-year-old food and lifestyle writer in the city-state, was also sceptical people would rush to switch to jackfruit dumplings and algae fish balls.

"I think it'll be slow [to catch on]... we still like our chicken rice, we still like our spare ribs," she told AFP.

By Catherine Lai

PARIS — Disney+ is about to expand its streaming service to Europe just as large swathes of the continent are locked down because of the coronavirus.

Here are some of the main streamers competing to entertain the millions in COVID-19 confinement across the world.

Netflix

The American giant, which dominates the streaming market, began life in 1998 as DVD-by-mail rental company before dipping into video on demand as a perk for its customers.

It set the template for the monthly subscription model that others were to follow in 2007, and now claims 167 million subscribers in 190 countries.

Netflix has successfully moved into production, with acclaimed films like the Oscar-winning "Marriage Story" and Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman" adding to its mix of mostly bought-in top-end series.

"House of Cards", "Money Heist", "Stranger Things" and "The Witcher" are among its biggest hits.

While series and documentaries have been its bread and butter, the streamer is now moving into game shows, reality TV and light entertainment.

With a basic monthly subscription starting at 7.99 euros (£8.99 in the UK), viewers have access to a vast library (4,000 films and 47,000 television programmes in the US, according to Ampere Analysis).

Amazon Prime Video

While the e-commerce giant launched it first video service in 2006, it wasn't until four years ago that it really attacked the international streaming market.

It has since courted some of the biggest names in Hollywood and is making a one billion-dollar series adaptation of "Lord of the Rings" to bulk up its catalogue of 12,000 films and 50,000 bought-in television episodes.

Amazon's hefty archive also includes a number of daily soaps, which have hugely boosted its numbers.

Now available in 200 countries, it claims to have 150 millions subscribers, with the service free to Amazon Prime customers, which also takes in speedy delivery and music streaming.

Non-Amazon Prime customers must pay 5.99 euros a month (£7.99 in the UK).

Its biggest hits so far have been the Emmy-winning "dramedy" (comedy drama) series "Transparent", "The Man in the High Castle" and "The Grand Tour", where the petrol-head former presenters of BBC's "Top Gear" hit the road again.

Apple TV

Launched in November in 100 countries, Apple TV is one of the cheapest at 4.99 euros ($4.99) per month, with a free year's subscription if you buy an Apple telephone or computer.

But so far it has a limited catalogue, with the emphasis instead put on original programming carried by starry names.

Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell star in "The Morning Show", its TV news drama, and Oprah Winfrey has also been persuaded on board with a new programme of her own.

"Sixth Sense" creator M. Night Shyamalan has scored a critical hit for them with his psychological chiller series "Servant", and Steven Spielberg has signed up for a fantasy horror series called "Amazing Stories".

Disney+ and Hulu

Disney+ has swept up 29 million subscribers in North America and Australasia in the five months since its launch in November. Many more are likely to follow from Tuesday when it pushes into seven European countries with France to follow on April 7.

At 6.99 euros a month (£5.99 in the UK), it is aimed squarely at families with a plethora of Disney classics as well as the Marvel and "Star Wars" franchises.

Disney also holds a majority stake in streamer Hulu, which scored a hit with "The Handmaid's Tale".

Already well anchored in the US and Japan — where it has 30 million subscribers — plans are afoot for a European expansion, a Disney executive told AFP.

Peacock

The arrival of two American entertainment heavyweights, NBCUniversal and WarnerMedia, could change the streaming game.

NBCUniversal will begin its roll out of Peacock next month with 15,000 hours of shows like "Downton Abbey", "Will & Grace" and "Law & Order" leading its deep series archive that goes back to the 1980s.

With a free and premium version for $5 a month, it will be paid for with advertising, which Peacock said will be limited to five minutes an hour.

Viewers must pay another $5 to go ad-free, with the service tapping into the Sky network's programmes and films in Europe.

Several free-to-air streamers are also in the mix, led by Tubi — which styles itself "the Free Netflix".

It rely on advertising, but Tubi told AFP that ads would be limited to three or four minutes an hour as it expands into Europe, Asia and Australia.

HBO Max

The US cable network responsible for some of the most acclaimed television of the last 20 years — from "The Wire" and "The Sopranos" to "Game of Thrones" — will start streaming in May.

HBO Max will cost $14.99 a month in the US for a rich catalogue that includes the Warnermedia empire and classic shows like "South Park" and "Friends".

It will later expand into Europe and Latin America.

By Séverine Rouby and Fiachra Gibbons

Encounters with Fate and Destiny: A Life in International Politics

Shukri Z. Al Dajani

London/New York: I.B. Tauris, 2018

Pp. 235

The word fate is often associated with its derivative, fatalism — a feeling of powerlessness or a submissive attitude to events, akin to passivity. Fate and destiny are alluded to numerous times in Shukri Al Dajani’s autobiography, but with opposite implications. He repeatedly notes how chance encounters turn out in his favour; his frame of mind is consistently pro-active. Of the major turning point in his career when he flies from Dar es Salaam to Beirut, to take up his new post with the ILO (International Labour Organisation), he writes, “A firm believer in fate and destiny, I was neither worried nor afraid of the unknown. More importantly, I had the will and determination to succeed in my new environment both professionally and socially”. (p. 98)

Now, at the end of his career, which had him shuttling between African, Arab and European countries, he writes with quiet confidence and objectivity about the difficulties he faced and the accomplishments of which he is proud, about narrow escapes, encounters with world leaders, and hours upon hours of painstaking, behind-the-scenes work.

His story begins with impending danger. After a brief family history of the Dajani family, going back to the 15^th century, Shukri relates his experience of the Nakba in Jerusalem, when he was twelve years old. Living in Upper Bakaa, between two Jewish neighbourhoods, his family’s house was on the frontlines when conflict broke out in late 1947. He recalls a meeting of the men of the family to discuss how to defend themselves from the Zionist militias. “That evening marked the turning point of our life in Jerusalem… Within a matter of days, our happy and peaceful suburb was transformed into a garrison…” (p. 9)

He would not return again until 1993 under ILO auspices. The family was dispersed but reunited in Cairo and Shukri attended Victoria College in Alexandria, where he made life-long friends. He then enrolled at the American University in Cairo to major in political science. A year later, he travelled to Cardiff to train as a journalist. Work for the BBC enabled him to gain much-desired financial independence, and soon he was writing editorials for the “Western Mail”, plus a series entitled “I was a refugee” based on his personal experience and that of other Palestinians, which was well received and actually increased the newspaper’s circulation.

Adventure beckoned when Dajani was offered a job at the “Daily Nation” in Tanganyika. His relating of his experience there is one of the most interesting chapters in the book, for he arrived in 1961, as the country was on the cusp of independence. He was put in change of the government’s plan to establish a publishing house that would issue daily newspapers in English and Swahili. Dajani saw this as a “golden opportunity… to develop my career and benefit from the rare possibility of living the events of the birth of a nation, while being in the inner circle of those who were the key players of the process”. (p. 71)

Over the course of five years Dajani survived several harrowing episodes — driving solo on unpaved roads from Dar to Kampala, narrowly escaping the violence of the coup in Zanzibar and a subsequent mutiny in Tanzania, but it was being caught in the middle of an internal power struggle that made Dajani decide to return to the Arab world.

Soon he landed a job as Press Officer with the Kuwait Oil Company in 1973. Five years later, he was hired as the ILO’s Regional Information Officer for the Arab States, beginning a decades-long career that witnessed earth-shaking events and also more narrow escapes. According to Dajani, “Palestine was a central issue at the ILO from the mid-1970s till the late 1980s”, only to diminish “as a direct result of fragmentation of Arab unity and the socio-political turmoil… In fact, many Arab delegations make no more than a fleeting mention of Palestine in their interventions”. (pp. 138-9)

Still, Dajani accomplished much as he rose to the position of ILO Assistant Director-General. He co-headed important missions, mediated between Arab states, drew the Gulf states into the ILO despite their lack of trade unions, weathered the effects of US and Israeli bullying whenever any policy recognising Palestinian rights was adopted, and initiated extensive, vital projects in the West Bank and Gaza after the Oslo Accords.

In clear and flowing prose, Dajani imparts valuable insights into the dynamics of international politics, in addition to sharing touching personal experiences, spiced with sometimes humorous anecdotes and fascinating glimpses into his meeting with Arab leaders. His narrative is permeated with love and loyalty to his family, especially his father, Zaki Al Dajani, to whom he dedicates the book. He expresses gratitude to many friends and colleagues who helped him on his way, but most especially to Jordan for granting his family Jordanian nationality, praising the late King Hussein and other members of the royal family.

The book is enriched with many photos from all stages of Dajani’s career.

PARIS — "I've put the kids in the freezer, so everything's cool now."

Parents may be joking on social media about their childcare hell as more and more countries go into lockdown with the coronavirus.

But child protection professionals are not laughing.

They have real worries about the risks with families locked up 24/7 together for an indefinite period.

"You will no doubt want to throw your children out the window at some point. That's normal," psychologist Moira Mikolajczak told AFP.

"What isn't normal, is to do that," she warned, as she urged parents to give themselves a break and "not try to be Superman or Superwoman".

While governments across Europe from Ireland to Greece have been having schools send lessons and activity ideas by email to occupy bored children, social media is full of testimony from parents frazzled at having to be both teacher and playmate to their kids.

Grassroots groups, however, are trying to step into the gap with the French feminist collective #NousToutes ("All of Us"), which campaigns against domestic violence, mobilising with WhatsApp support groups and practical tips on how "not to blow your top".

"Being locked down gives us the chance to spend lots and lots of time with our children," the group said, tongue ever so slightly in cheek.

But when "we have to work from home and we are all stuck together in a small space, tensions can escalate."

'Step away!'

Its WhatsApp groups already have 4,000 members dispensing support and tips on how to stay zen.

First among them is "step away when you feel the tension mount [even if that means locking the toilet door]".

Parents should also watch funny videos with their children, "and program in 'off' times when you can be on your own... while someone else looks after the children".

The main thing is to try to avoid "words or gestures... that can hurt and wound... because we can behave in ways that we will regret immediately".

Mother-of-three Sarah, whose kids range in age from seven to just two months, is "staying relaxed" so far.

"Yesterday I took an hour for myself in my room, without a child hanging from me, and I did a meditation session via Instagram," the Parisian told AFP.

"It's going OK, but it's worrying for the long haul," she said as France neared the end of its first week in total lockdown.

If it is tough for the parents, it's no walk in the park for the children either — they too have been ordered home across large swathes of Europe and now in parts of the US.

"When we got into the living room when Mummy is working, there can be arguments," said 10-year-old Estheban.

"I am having to be a mother, a teacher, a cook, a cleaner and do my job as an executive in a bank from home at the same time," said Virginie, who has two sons aged 11 and six.

While most parents will cope, said Mikolajczak, Professor of Emotion and Health Psychology at the University of Louvain in Belgium, some will not.

"We can predict increases in parental burnout," she said, and sometimes there could even be "neglect and violence".

'Relax the rules'

Governments have the same worry, with the French children's ministry warning of a "higher risk of mistreatment... and since it will be happening at home, it will be hard to spot."

"Stay at home parents are more vulnerable to burnout," Mikolajczak said, an effect likely to be exacerbated by the fact they are there against their will.

"Western families are also not used to living on top of each other," she added.

Added to which families can no longer turn "to grandparents for help nor go out" somewhere to blow off steam.

Mikolajczak said structuring the children's day can really help with moments when they will play or work on their own.

And she urged parents to "be flexible and not afraid to relax some rules".

"Let it go," said Etienne, the father of two girls aged 10 and six, who has adopted the refrain from Disney's film "Frozen" to get him through the crisis.

In these exceptional times you cannot juggle everything, he said.

"At the beginning when the schools closed, I put myself under pressure. I didn't know what to do. I had no time for myself nor the kids.

"Then the penny dropped. I stopped working and since then it's going a lot better," he said.

 By Julie Charpentrat

GENEVA — The World Health Organisation recommended Tuesday that people suffering COVID-19 symptoms avoid taking ibuprofen, after French officials warned that anti-inflammatory drugs could worsen effects of the virus.

The warning by French Health Minister Olivier Veran followed a recent study in The Lancet medical journal that hypothesised that an enzyme boosted by anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen could facilitate and worsen COVID-19 infections.

Asked about the study, WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told reporters in Geneva the UN health agency's experts were "looking into this to give further guidance."

"In the meantime, we recommend using rather paracetamol, and do not use ibuprofen as a self-medication. That's important," he said.

He added that if ibuprofen had been "prescribed by the healthcare professionals, then, of course, that's up to them."

His comments came after Veran sent a tweet cautioning that the use of ibuprofen and similar anti-inflammatory drugs could be "an aggravating factor" in COVID-19 infections.

"In the case of fever, take paracetamol," he wrote.

The French minister stressed that patients already being treated with anti-inflammatory drugs should ask advice from their doctor.

Paracetamol must be taken strictly according to the recommended dose, because too much of it can damage the liver.

The COVID-19 pandemic causes mild symptoms in most people, but can result in pneumonia and in some cases severe illness that can lead to multiple organ failure.

Even before the pandemic, French authorities sounded the alarm over serious "infectious complications" linked to the use of ibuprofen, which is sold under various brands like Nurofen and Advil, and other anti-inflammatory drugs.

A spokesperson for British pharmaceutical company Reckitt Benckiser, which makes Nurofen, said in an email statement that the company was aware of concerns raised about "the use of steroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs) products, including ibuprofen, for the alleviation of COVID-19 symptoms."

"Consumer safety is our number one priority," the spokesperson said, stressing that "Ibuprofen is a well-established medicine that has been used safely as a self-care fever and pain reducer, including in viral illnesses, for more than 30 years."

"We do not currently believe there is any proven scientific evidence linking over-the-counter use of ibuprofen to the aggravation of COVID-19," the statement said.

The spokesperson said Reckitt Benckiser was "engaging with the WHO, EMA [the European Medicines Agency] and other local health authorities" on the issue and would provide "any additional information or guidance necessary for the safe use of our products following any such evaluation."