Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
Another group of 150 injured Palestinians from Gaza will be flown to Tunis on Tuesday to receive essential medical care in hospitals, Tunisian President Kais Saied, after 29 arrived on Sunday.
“This is our duty and we will work to support you in every way possible,” Mr Saied told Gazan patients on a visit to the country’s Military Hospital on Monday morning.
“This is the first batch [of Palestinian patients] that have arrived in Tunisia and another one will arrive within two days … Tunisia is always open for you and we will put all of our efforts and capabilities at your service."
Mr Saied reaffirmed Tunisia’s position regarding the continuing war in the Gaza Strip and said Palestinians have the right to retrieve all of their historic land.
“Where is humanity in the free world?" Mr Saied said in a video published on the official Tunisian presidency Facebook page. "Where is the humanitarian law that they've established?”
Twenty-nine injured Palestinians from Gaza arrived in Tunis on a military plane late on Sunday night to receive crucial medical treatment in public and private hospitals.
The group was accompanied by a military and a civilian medical crew, as well as representatives of the Tunisian Red Crescent.
The flight, which took off from Egypt’s Arish airport was carrying patients including children aged one to 13 and youngsters aged 19 t0 21, alongside 21 of their guardians.
The injured, mostly suffering from severe burns and fractures, have been admitted for treatment throughout the capital Tunis, including at the country’s top Military Hospital.
The Ministry of Health together with the Tunisian Red Crescent have also set up a field hospital in Ben Arous governorate south of Tunis for more Palestinian patients the country is expected to receive.
It has been equipped with 120 beds, 30 of them for intensive care, as well as a specialised team of healthcare professionals, including surgeons who are ready to perform all necessary procedures, Ben Arous governor Ezzedine Chalbi told state news agency Tap on Sunday.
Mohamed Ben Youssef, Tunisia’s ambassador in Cairo, told local radio Mosaique on Monday that co-ordination with Egyptian authorities was under way to transfer the second group of injured Palestinians.
“We are currently co-ordinating with Egyptian authorities, which has been quite responsive, to conclude the final list of the injured [Palestinians] that will arrive in Tunisia in the upcoming few days,” Mr Ben Youssef said.
The plane carrying the injured Palestinians also had a load of essential medical equipment.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Related
LIST OF INVITEES
Shergo Kurdi (am)
Rayhan Thomas
Saud Al Sharee (am)
Min Woo Lee
Todd Clements
Matthew Jordan
AbdulRahman Al Mansour (am)
Matteo Manassero
Alfie Plant
Othman Al Mulla
Shaun Norris
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
