ABU DHABI // Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice-President and Ruler of Dubai, has approved the expansion of International Humanitarian City.
The move, in response to urgent demand from UN and leading NGO agencies, most notably the Red Crescent, UNHCR, ICRC and the World Food Programme, will see the facility grow by more than 300,000 square feet.
More warehouse space will offer greater support to aid agencies struggling to cope with growing global demand for emergency services.
It will also help IHC members better pre-position stocks in the event of new pandemics, natural disasters and more armed conflicts and conduct more training of aid workers.
Conflicts in Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Nigeria and other trouble spots has led to displacement of more than 65 million people and a rise in the need for emergency aid in the form of food, shelter, and medicine.
Demand for aid is now at its highest since World War II and agencies need additional warehousing and logistics support to cope.
Founded in 2003, IHC is the world’s largest humanitarian logistics hub. Its members include nine United Nations agencies, apart from nearly 50 NGOs and businesses working in the aid sector.
When IHC moved to its current location in Dubai Industrial City near Jebel Ali Port and Al Maktoum Airport in 2011, it tripled in size but demand for space has continued to climb rapidly.
The IHC has played a pivotal role in first responses to crises in places as far away as Haiti and Vanuatu. The global hub for humanitarian services has played an especially critical role in moving goods to trouble spots in the MENA region and East Africa. UN and NGO members import and trans-ship massive amounts of aid supplies worth hundreds of millions of dirhams.
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Company Profile
Name: HyveGeo
Started: 2023
Founders: Abdulaziz bin Redha, Dr Samsurin Welch, Eva Morales and Dr Harjit Singh
Based: Cambridge and Dubai
Number of employees: 8
Industry: Sustainability & Environment
Funding: $200,000 plus undisclosed grant
Investors: Venture capital and government
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Can NRIs vote in the election?
Indians residing overseas cannot cast their ballot abroad
Non-resident Indians or NRIs can vote only by going to a polling booth in their home constituency
There are about 3.1 million NRIs living overseas
Indians have urged political parties to extend the right to vote to citizens residing overseas
A committee of the Election Commission of India approved of proxy voting for non-resident Indians
Proxy voting means that a person can authorise someone residing in the same polling booth area to cast a vote on his behalf.
This option is currently available for the armed forces, police and government officials posted outside India
A bill was passed in the lower house of India’s parliament or the Lok Sabha to extend proxy voting to non-resident Indians
However, this did not come before the upper house or Rajya Sabha and has lapsed
The issue of NRI voting draws a huge amount of interest in India and overseas
Over the past few months, Indians have received messages on mobile phones and on social media claiming that NRIs can cast their votes online
The Election Commission of India then clarified that NRIs could not vote online
The Election Commission lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police asking it to clamp down on the people spreading misinformation
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Director: Makoto Shinkai
Stars: Nanoka Hara, Hokuto Matsumura, Eri Fukatsu
Rating: 4/5
