Leen Farghali fell from the 10th floor of an apartment block last week.
Leen Farghali fell from the 10th floor of an apartment block last week.
Leen Farghali fell from the 10th floor of an apartment block last week.
Leen Farghali fell from the 10th floor of an apartment block last week.

Parents 'praying' for daughter, 1, fighting for life after 10th floor horror fall in Ras Al Khaimah


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A 19-month-old girl is battling for her life after a horror fall from the tenth floor of an apartment block in Ras Al Khaimah.

Leen Farghali, from Egypt, suffered severe injuries after falling from a living room window and landing on the windshield of a car parked below at about 11pm on Sunday.

She was rushed to Saqr Hospital in the emirate, where she remains in a critical condition in the intensive care unit.

She is receiving treatment for multiple fractures and severe head trauma.

Doctors believe the fact her fall was broken by a car may have "saved her life".

Leen's father, Mahmoud Farghali, 32, said his daughter remains under sedation

"She is strong and we are praying for her," he said.

"The doctors are keeping her under sedation in order to keep her from feeling any pain, she will be not handle it.

"She sustained multiple fractures due to the fall and suffers from a severe head trauma, they are still trying to analyse her medical situation."

Mr Farghali said his daughter had climbed on a couch before reaching a window, which she fell out of, while her mother was preparing a school bag the couple's six-year-old son, Abdullah.

"I went to buy something from the supermarket when my wife called me saying that Leen had fallen from the window," said Mr Farghali, who lives with his wife and two children in the Khuzam suburb of Ras Al Khaimah.

"I called the police and they immediately sent an ambulance and we reached the hospital at 11:30pm.

"My wife was playing with Leen and went to prepare Abdullah's schoolbag and came back at the time when Leen was falling.

"We recently bought the couch and we didn't know that Leen will climb it and reach the window it never occurred to us that she will be able or think of doing this."

Mr Farghali has thanked hospital staff for their sterling support during the family's hour of need.

"My wife is in shock and I'm trying to be strong, the doctors are doing their best and a committee of doctors are coming to analyse her medical situation and come up with a treatment plan.

"Everybody is supporting us during this critical time but seeing her lying there unconscious, not laughing or playing, gives pain to the heart.

"I appreciate all the hospital's efforts in providing the best to my daughter but I will be more thankful if we manage to move her to a children specialised hospital like Al Jalila Hospital in Dubai or Tawam Hospital in Al Ain."

The doctor in charge of the intensive care unit at the hospital said her condition remains critical, but staff are working tirelessly to support her.

Footage from Emirati journalist Mundher Al Shamsi of the car that a one-year-girl landed on after falling from the tenth floor of a building.
Footage from Emirati journalist Mundher Al Shamsi of the car that a one-year-girl landed on after falling from the tenth floor of a building.

"We have sent her for more scans to get an update on her condition," said the doctor, who asked not to be named.

"She is still in critical condition and we are doing everything we can.

"We don't know how she survived the fall but we think that landing on the car's windshield has saved her life."

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Avedis Hadjian, (IB Tauris)
 

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.”

How has net migration to UK changed?

The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.

It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.

The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.

The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.

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.

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