President Sheikh Mohamed has announced a large-scale humanitarian operation to support Palestinian civilians. Photo: Ministry of Presidential Affairs
President Sheikh Mohamed has announced a large-scale humanitarian operation to support Palestinian civilians. Photo: Ministry of Presidential Affairs
President Sheikh Mohamed has announced a large-scale humanitarian operation to support Palestinian civilians. Photo: Ministry of Presidential Affairs
President Sheikh Mohamed has announced a large-scale humanitarian operation to support Palestinian civilians. Photo: Ministry of Presidential Affairs

UAE

UAE to transport 1,000 Gazan cancer patients to Emirati hospitals

President Sheikh Mohamed issues directive just hours after first injured children arrived in the capital for treatment

Jessica Morgan

November 18, 2023

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  • Arabic

The UAE will treat 1,000 Palestinian cancer patients in its hospitals after Gaza's health system collapsed due to Israel's war in the enclave.

The decision by President Sheikh Mohamed on Saturday will include treatment for patients of all ages, state news agency Wam said.

The move came just hours after the first of 1,000 injured children arrived in Abu Dhabi on a medical flight. Many require complex treatment for lost limbs and burns.

The 2,000 patients will be accompanied by family or guardians.

The first arrivals on Saturday, comprising about 15 children and their families, were transported to the UAE's Burjeel Hospital, NMC Royal Hospital and Sheikh Khalifa Medical City where more than 20 doctors, nurses and emergency medical technicians awaited them.

President Sheikh Mohamed on November 5 announced a humanitarian operation to support Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

Under Gallant Knight 3, the Ministry of Defence's Joint Operations Command is co-ordinating with the Emirates Red Crescent, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation and Zayed bin Sultan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation to provide support in Gaza.

The UAE is in the process of setting up a field hospital in the Gaza Strip.

Doctors registered with the Ministry of Health and Prevention and the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi can volunteer.

Those registered with the Red Crescent and the UAE humanitarian and charitable institutions can also volunteer. Officials opened online registration last week for medical workers keen to lend a helping hand to relief efforts.

The UAE has so far sent 51 planes carrying 1,400 tonnes of food, medical and relief supplies to the Gaza Strip.

  • Injured children from Gaza were brought to the UAE. All photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Injured children from Gaza were brought to the UAE. All photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Injured children were brought to Abu Dhabi International Airport
    Injured children were brought to Abu Dhabi International Airport
  • The move is part of humanitarian efforts by the UAE
    The move is part of humanitarian efforts by the UAE
  • Injured children from Gaza arrive in the UAE
    Injured children from Gaza arrive in the UAE
  • About 1,000 people in total are expected to come to the UAE for treatment from Gaza
    About 1,000 people in total are expected to come to the UAE for treatment from Gaza
  • Patients board the aircraft in Al Arish, Egypt. The chartered plane brought injured children from Gaza to the UAE.
    Patients board the aircraft in Al Arish, Egypt. The chartered plane brought injured children from Gaza to the UAE.
  • Patients board the aircraft in Al Arish.
    Patients board the aircraft in Al Arish.
  • More than 20 doctors, nurses and emergency medical technicians from the UAE’s Burjeel Hospital, NMC Royal Hospital and Sheikh Khalifa Medical City assessed patients.
    More than 20 doctors, nurses and emergency medical technicians from the UAE’s Burjeel Hospital, NMC Royal Hospital and Sheikh Khalifa Medical City assessed patients.
  • Patients were evacuated late on Friday when the Rafah border opened during a humanitarian pause after more than six weeks of continuous Israeli bombardment on Gaza.
    Patients were evacuated late on Friday when the Rafah border opened during a humanitarian pause after more than six weeks of continuous Israeli bombardment on Gaza.
  • Patients were taken to UAE following an initiative from UAE President Sheikh Mohamed that will allow injured Palestinian children from Gaza to be flown in for treatment at UAE hospitals.
    Patients were taken to UAE following an initiative from UAE President Sheikh Mohamed that will allow injured Palestinian children from Gaza to be flown in for treatment at UAE hospitals.
  • Medics arrive in Al Arish ahead of bringing the injured to the UAE.
    Medics arrive in Al Arish ahead of bringing the injured to the UAE.
  • Gallant Knight 3 was launched on November 5 under the leadership of the Joint Operations Command at the Ministry of Defence, along with other partners.
    Gallant Knight 3 was launched on November 5 under the leadership of the Joint Operations Command at the Ministry of Defence, along with other partners.
  • The initiative also provides volunteering opportunities for doctors registered with the Ministry of Health and Prevention and the Department of Health Abu Dhabi
    The initiative also provides volunteering opportunities for doctors registered with the Ministry of Health and Prevention and the Department of Health Abu Dhabi
  • Since the announcement of the UAE operation, Gallant Knight 3, the UAE has flown out several cargo planes carrying equipment and medical supplies for the hospital
    Since the announcement of the UAE operation, Gallant Knight 3, the UAE has flown out several cargo planes carrying equipment and medical supplies for the hospital
  • Patients boarded the aircraft in Al Arish after being evacuated from Gaza
    Patients boarded the aircraft in Al Arish after being evacuated from Gaza
  • The injured people and their relatives are the first batch of 1,000 women and children to be evacuated to the UAE
    The injured people and their relatives are the first batch of 1,000 women and children to be evacuated to the UAE
  • For those not medically fit to fly out of Al Arish, the Emirati Red Crescent is to build a field hospital near the Rafah border where patients can receive treatment.
    For those not medically fit to fly out of Al Arish, the Emirati Red Crescent is to build a field hospital near the Rafah border where patients can receive treatment.

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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
The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

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RACE CARD

6.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh82.500 (Dirt) 1,400m

7.05pm Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m

7.40pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (Turf) 2,410m

8.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,900m

8.50pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (D) 1,600m

9.25pm Dubai Trophy (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (T) 1,200m

10pm Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,400m

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Mia Man’s tips for fermentation

- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut

- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.

- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.

- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.

 

It's up to you to go green

Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.

“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”

When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.

He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.

“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.

One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.  

The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.

Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.

But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin

Director: Shawn Levy

Rating: 3/5

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.

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.”

WISH
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'Worse than a prison sentence'

Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.

“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.

“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.

“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.

“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.

“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”

Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

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

 

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RESULTS
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Off-roading in the UAE: How to checklist
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Match info

Bournemouth 0
Liverpool 4 (Salah 25', 48', 76', Cook 68' OG)

Man of the match: Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)

Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
  • 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
  • 2nd Test Thursday-Monday at Colombo
  • 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
Abu Dhabi GP schedule

Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm

Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm

Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm

If you go

The flights

There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.

The trip

Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.

The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.

 

Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

MO
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Updated: November 18, 2023, 12:13 PM
UAESheikh Mohamed bin ZayedPalestine