Hope Consortium: Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed: Covid-19 vaccine must be available without discrimination


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The coronavirus has tightly bonded the world's nations together - and they must work together to overcome the pandemic, the UAE's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation said.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed said countries including the Emirates recognised their responsibility to help others.

The minister spoke at an online conference organised by the Hope Consortium, an Abu Dhabi-based logistics group set up to deliver vaccines across the globe.

"A year after discovering the pandemic, we as an international community have become certain now that the nations' prosperity can be accomplished with joined efforts and cooperation with other countries," he said.

We believe that every person has the right to obtain the vaccine without discrimination

"The whole world has become bonded in a tight way and our plight has become one now - in a way that international health security depends now on the well-being of all societies."

He told attendees that about 1,000 experts, entities and public and private companies now form the consortium, which includes major logistics companies such as Etihad Cargo.

Its work will ensure "fair access the vaccines... and developing real solutions to the logistics challenges that we have to defeat to go back to a normal situation again".

He said: "The UAE, which is considered a leading international logistics hub, has played a pivotal role to ensure countries are supplied with the essential materials to get out of this crisis.

"We acted fast to provide medical supplies and food aids to all the world. This is thanks to its international infrastructure, its logistical capacity and its close geographical location to Africa, Asia and Europe.

Sheikh Abdullah, pictured at a recent event, spoke hours after UAE struck a deal to begin production of Sinopharm in the Emirates. AP
Sheikh Abdullah, pictured at a recent event, spoke hours after UAE struck a deal to begin production of Sinopharm in the Emirates. AP

"In the UAE, we believe that every person has the right to obtain the vaccine without discrimination.

"At the onset of Covid-19, the UAE has acted fast so that every citizen and resident is tested and treated."

Sheikh Abdullah spoke less than 24 hours after the UAE struck a deal with China to develop the Sinopharm vaccine in the Emirates.

The shots went in to immediate production at Emirati drug maker Julphar's plant in Ras Al Khaimah.

It was also confirmed that a new vaccine plant will be set up in Abu Dhabi's Kizad freezone to produce the shots - made under the name Hayat-Vax.

The two-day Hope Consortium event will focus on the global distribution of vaccines to tackle the pandemic.

Attendees later heard from Jose Manuel Barroso, the former prime minister of Portugal and former president of the European Commission.

Mr Barroso is now chair of the board of the Gavi Vaccine Alliance, a leader in the Covax drive to ensure developing countries get access to Covid-19 vaccines.

He said progress had been made to ensure poorer countries get shipments, but that hurdles lie ahead.

Mr Barroso used the example of India, which even as a major manufacturer of vaccines, was 63 days behind the UK in its roll-out of the vaccine.

Rich nations must 'dose share' with poorer ones

"And outside of India, which is one of the biggest producers of vaccines, through Covax it took 83 days for the first vaccines - when compared with the UK - to come through Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire in Africa."

He said the situation was better than in previous pandemics, when it may have taken years to reach poorer nations - but that more must be done.

"Still they are behind. We have to be honest about this," he said.

"We have a real problem of inequality.

"And one of the solutions we have to think, besides the private sector, is dose sharing by the rich countries.

"The rich countries have accumulated huge surpluses of vaccines. Most likely they will not need them.

"And so we are already working with them to see if we can do in a relatively coordinated manner, a dose sharing mechanism for those countries - which have four or five times more vaccines than what they need."

Speakers include Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the WHO, Stanley Erck, president and chief executive of drug maker Novavax.

Since its establishment late last year, the Hope Consortium has delivered 20 million vaccines to 26 countries.

RESULTS
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Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

TO A LAND UNKNOWN

Director: Mahdi Fleifel

Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa

Rating: 4.5/5

Fast%20X
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The specs

Engine: 2x201bhp AC Permanent-magnetic electric

Transmission: n/a

Power: 402bhp

Torque: 659Nm

Price estimate: Dh200,000

On sale: Q3 2022 

Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021

Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.

The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.

These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.

“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.

“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.

“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.

“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”

Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.

There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.

“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.

“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.

“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”

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How to help

Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:

2289 - Dh10

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Isle of Dogs

Director: Wes Anderson

Starring: Bryan Cranston, Liev Schreiber, Ed Norton, Greta Gerwig, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Scarlett Johansson

Three stars

I Feel Pretty
Dir: Abby Kohn/Mark Silverstein
Starring: Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams, Emily Ratajkowski, Rory Scovel
 

'My Son'

Director: Christian Carion

Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis

Rating: 2/5

Red flags
  • Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
  • Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
  • Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
  • Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
  • Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

SANCTIONED
  • Kirill Shamalov, Russia's youngest billionaire and previously married to Putin's daughter Katarina
  • Petr Fradkov, head of recently sanctioned Promsvyazbank and son of former head of Russian Foreign Intelligence, the FSB. 
  • Denis Bortnikov, Deputy President of Russia's largest bank VTB. He is the son of Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB which was responsible for the poisoning of political activist Alexey Navalny in August 2020 with banned chemical agent novichok.  
  • Yury Slyusar, director of United Aircraft Corporation, a major aircraft manufacturer for the Russian military.
  • Elena Aleksandrovna Georgieva, chair of the board of Novikombank, a state-owned defence conglomerate.
'The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey'

Rating: 3/5

Directors: Ramin Bahrani, Debbie Allen, Hanelle Culpepper, Guillermo Navarro

Writers: Walter Mosley

Stars: Samuel L Jackson, Dominique Fishback, Walton Goggins

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Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
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  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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RACE CARD

4pm Al Bastakiya – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Dirt) 1,900m

4.35pm Dubai City Of Gold – Group 2 (TB) $228,000 (Turf) 2,410m

5.10pm Mahab Al Shimaal – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,200m

5.45pm Burj Nahaar – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m

6.20pm Jebel Hatta – Group 1 (TB) $260,000 (T) 1,800m

6.55pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 – Group 1 (TB) $390,000 (D) 2,000m

7.30pm Nad Al Sheba – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (T) 1,200m

The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

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Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)