Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
President Sheikh Mohamed has instructed funds to be issued towards the delivery of a critical polio vaccination drive in Gaza, following the re-emergence of the virus in the Palestinian enclave.
The UN campaign will be supported by an allocation of $5 million from the UAE.
The vaccines will be delivered in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, Unicef and UNRWA, and will provide 640,000 Gazan children under the age of 10 with two doses, state news agency Wam reported.
It is hoped the drive will help stop the spread of the virus and prevent a wider regional outbreak.
The campaign will begin on Sunday, September 1, in phases, starting in central Gaza before moving to the south and north of the enclave.
Each phase will run for three days during area-specific humanitarian pauses, to enable children and families to go to health centres and community workers to reach children.
At least 90 per cent vaccination coverage is needed during each round to prevent the spread of polio, experts say, given the overcrowding, displacement and severely disrupted health, water and sanitation systems in Gaza.
Late on Thursday the World Health Organisation announced it had secured “a preliminary commitment for area-specific humanitarian pauses” in Gaza to allow UN health officials to administer polio vaccinations to thousands of children under the age of 10.
About 1.2 million vaccine doses have been delivered to Gaza ahead of the campaign starting on Sunday, a WHO official said on Friday.
About 400,000 additional doses are on the way to the territory, said Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative for the occupied Palestinian territories.
Campaign planning began after the virus was detected in Gaza in July and, earlier this month, the WHO confirmed that at least one child has been paralysed by the Type 2 polio variant, the first such case in the territory for 25 years.
The UAE has been at the forefront of humanitarian efforts in Gaza, delivering more than 40,000 tonnes of urgent supplies, including food, medical aid and shelter materials.
A field hospital has been established in southern Gaza, along with a floating hospital at the Egyptian port of Al Arish, which have collectively provided medical care to more than 27,000 sick and wounded Palestinians.
A further initiative seeks to provide treatment for more than 1,000 Palestinian children and 1,000 cancer patients in UAE hospitals. In addition, six water desalination plants have been established in Rafah, Egypt, with a capacity of six million litres per day, supplying water to more than 600,000 Gazans.
Security fears will remain a major concern throughout this campaign. The team “always fears an attack”, Juliette Touma of UNRWA told The National earlier on Friday, adding that no one and nowhere is safe in Gaza.
A successful delivery of the vaccinations would be a win for every child, she said, even in Israel. “Polio is such a vicious virus that doesn't know borders or checkpoints or lines of fire or lines of control, so we've got to reach every child as soon as possible.”
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
Brief scores:
Toss: South Africa, chose to field
Pakistan: 177 & 294
South Africa: 431 & 43-1
Man of the Match: Faf du Plessis (South Africa)
Series: South Africa lead three-match series 2-0
The years Ramadan fell in May
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Tottenham Hotspur 1 (Eriksen 80')
Inter Milan 0
The Lost Letters of William Woolf
Helen Cullen, Graydon House
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
If you go
The flights
Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes.
The car
Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals. A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.
The hotels
Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes.
More info
To keep up with constant developments in Portland, visit www.travelportland.com. Good guidebooks include the Lonely Planet guides to Northern California and Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
