The UAE has sent 100 tonnes of crucial aid to support the victims of devastating floods that have swept through Sudan.
A UAE aircraft was loaded with relief goods after the country was hit by a deluge that killed dozens and affected 100,000 homes, and badly hit neighbouring South Sudan.
"We stand in solidarity with Sudan following the devastating floods," said Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
"Our sincere condolences go out to the families of the victims and we pray for the swift recovery of the injured.
"Our thoughts remain with the Sudanese people during these difficult times."
The shipment, directed by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, was due to fly to arrive in Khartoum on Sunday nigh, with a delegation from the Emirates Red Crescent.
Among the goods were large quantities of food and shelter material, such as tents, blankets and tarpaulins, and sanitary materials.
The rain, which began in late July, has steadily worsened across the country, hitting its peak last week.
At the weekend, authorities declared the entire nation a natural disaster area, imposing a three-month state of emergency while thousands of volunteers joined civil defence in rescue operations.
Flooding caused by seasonal heavy rain, mostly in neighbouring Ethiopia, led the Nile River to rise about 17.5 metres in late August, the highest level it has reached in about a century, the Sudanese Irrigation Ministry said.
Labour and Social Development Minister Lina Al Sheikh said the flooding killed about 100 people, injured at least 46 and affected more than 500,000 people across the country.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra and chairman of the Emirates Red Crescent, ordered urgent humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, to be sent to Sudan.
Officials are addressing concerns over environmental sanitation by distributing pesticides and pest control equipment to reduce the transmission of infectious diseases, and providing pumps to drain floodwater and prevent contamination.
The UN refugee agency UNHCR said tens of thousands of refugees and internally displaced people were affected in Sudan, particularly in North Darfur province, where 15 people have died and 23 are missing.
“The UN and humanitarian partners are supporting national response with emergency shelter and household supplies, together with water, sanitation and hygiene assistance, food and health services,” the UN said.
The goods destined for Africa had been stored by UNHCR at International Humanitarian City in Dubai.
South Sudan, which is home to more than 11 million people, gained independence from Sudan in 2011.
The National photo project
Chris Whiteoak, a photographer at The National, spent months taking some of Jacqui Allan's props around the UAE, positioning them perfectly in front of some of the country's most recognisable landmarks. He placed a pirate on Kite Beach, in front of the Burj Al Arab, the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland at the Burj Khalifa, and brought one of Allan's snails (Freddie, which represents her grandfather) to the Dubai Frame. In Abu Dhabi, a dinosaur went to Al Ain's Jebel Hafeet. And a flamingo was taken all the way to the Hatta Mountains. This special project suitably brings to life the quirky nature of Allan's prop shop (and Allan herself!).
Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
Cases of coronavirus in the GCC as of March 15
Saudi Arabia – 103 infected, 0 dead, 1 recovered
UAE – 86 infected, 0 dead, 23 recovered
Bahrain – 210 infected, 0 dead, 44 recovered
Kuwait – 104 infected, 0 dead, 5 recovered
Qatar – 337 infected, 0 dead, 4 recovered
Oman – 19 infected, 0 dead, 9 recovered
Day 3 stumps
New Zealand 153 & 249
Pakistan 227 & 37-0 (target 176)
Pakistan require another 139 runs with 10 wickets remaining
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Country-size land deals
US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:
Louisiana Purchase
If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.
Florida Purchase Treaty
The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty.
Alaska purchase
America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".
The Philippines
At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million.
US Virgin Islands
It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.
Gwadar
The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
