An 85-year-old British man was shot and his wife died of starvation after they were left behind during the evacuation of UK nationals from Sudan.
Repeated calls for help by the family of Abdalla Sholgami and his wife Alaweya Rishwan, 80, went unanswered, according to an investigation by BBC Arabic.
The couple, who were visiting Sudan, were told they would not receive any assistance and would have to cross the war zone to board the British evacuation flight.
Mr Sholgami, a London hotel owner, eventually had to leave the house, which was next door to the British embassy, in search of food and water. He was shot three times and taken to a hospital in another area of Khartoum for treatment.
The house was surrounded by snipers, so the family could not reach Ms Rishwan, who suffered from a disability. She was found dead of starvation days later by an employee of the Turkish embassy.
Their granddaughter told the BBC: “One of the diplomats in the Turkish embassy [said] I am sorry to tell you this but we went inside and your grandmother passed away.”
She said the house was a “maximum of four steps” from the British embassy.
“It just breaks my heart to think she died alone,” she said. “And she died because she was alone. And she is still alone to this very moment. And she might be buried alone, with none of her family members around her.”
Mr Sholgami has since escaped Sudan to safety in Egypt.
The Foreign Office told the BBC the case was “extremely sad”.
“The continuing military conflict means Sudan remains dangerous,” a spokesman said.
“The UK is taking a leading role in the diplomatic efforts to secure peace in Sudan.”
The Foreign Office said the ability to provide consular assistance is “extremely limited” and cannot provide in-person support in Sudan.
The crisis in Sudan - in pictures
More than 2,300 people were evacuated by the UK Government from Sudan on 28 flights after fighting began in April.
The fighting between Sudan's military and a powerful paramilitary force has displaced more than 1.3 million people, the UN migration agency said on Wednesday.
The International Organisation for Migration said the clashes have forced more than a million people to leave their homes to safer areas inside Sudan.
About 320,000 others have fled to the neighbouring countries of Egypt, South Sudan, Chad, Ethiopia, the Central African Republic and Libya.
The fighting started on April 15 after months of escalating tensions between the military, led by Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces commanded by Gen Mohamed Dagalo.
A week-long ceasefire to allow aid deliveries has been in place since Monday night and has largely held, despite reports of heavy clashes in cities including the capital.
The truce, brokered by the US and Saudi Arabia in talks in Jeddah, includes a monitoring mechanism involving the army and the RSF, as well as representatives from Washington and Riyadh.
This week, Annette Weber, EU envoy to the Horn of Africa, told The National that Sudan’s warring sides must consolidate the current ceasefire and allow for immediate humanitarian access, with the backing of a united African front.
“It is clear that we need an African component, we need the African Union to take the lead on this issue,” Ms Weber said during a visit to Abu Dhabi.
Ms Weber said the EU fully supported the idea of an African lead orchestrating a political and humanitarian solution to the crisis with a “task force that encompasses the League of Arab States, the EU, the Quad [the US, UK, Saudi Arabia and the UAE]".
“If there is a strong negotiator then it would be in our interest to have the African lead and to have someone to bridge the Arab-African composition of Sudan,” she said.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
Hydrogen: Market potential
Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.
Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
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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TOP 5 DRIVERS 2019
1 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 10 wins 387 points
2 Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, 4 wins, 314 points
3 Max Verstappen, Red Bull, 3 wins, 260 points
4 Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, 2 wins, 249 points
5 Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1 win, 230 points
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2
Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')
Barcelona 0
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
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Young women have more “financial grit”, but fall behind on investing
In an October survey of young adults aged 16 to 25, Charles Schwab found young women are more driven to reach financial independence than young men (67 per cent versus. 58 per cent). They are more likely to take on extra work to make ends meet and see more value than men in creating a plan to achieve their financial goals. Yet, despite all these good ‘first’ measures, they are investing and saving less than young men – falling early into the financial gender gap.
While the women surveyed report spending 36 per cent less than men, they have far less savings than men ($1,267 versus $2,000) – a nearly 60 per cent difference.
In addition, twice as many young men as women say they would invest spare cash, and almost twice as many young men as women report having investment accounts (though most young adults do not invest at all).
“Despite their good intentions, young women start to fall behind their male counterparts in savings and investing early on in life,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, senior vice president, Charles Schwab. “They start off showing a strong financial planning mindset, but there is still room for further education when it comes to managing their day-to-day finances.”
Ms Schwab-Pomerantz says parents should be conveying the same messages to boys and girls about money, but should tailor those conversations based on the individual and gender.
"Our study shows that while boys are spending more than girls, they also are saving more. Have open and honest conversations with your daughters about the wage and savings gap," she said. "Teach kids about the importance of investing – especially girls, who as we see in this study, aren’t investing as much. Part of being financially prepared is learning to make the most of your money, and that means investing early and consistently."
