DUBAI // The US health secretary yesterday praised the UAE's US$50 million (Dh183.6m) donation to fight polio in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The money will go to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) to deliver polio vaccines in the two countries, which are among only four in the world where polio is endemic.
Kathleen Sebelius, the US health and human services secretary, lauded the donation made by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to the Child Polio Eradication Programme in Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to the state news agency WAM.
An equal sum of $50m has been allocated to the programme by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Both donations were recognised yesterday during a meeting of the donor countries for the Child Polio Eradication Programme held on the sidelines of the WHO general assembly meeting in Geneva.
The 2010 annual report adopted by the WHO, Unicef and the Polio Eradication Programme revealed that the UAE had also provided $300,000 through the Red Crescent Association to purchase oral vaccines for children during the recent floods in Pakistan.
The meeting was attended by Dr Hanif Hassan Ali, the Minister of Health, Margaret Chan, the director general of the WHO, and Bill Gates, the chief executive of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as ministers of donor countries.
Mrs Sebelius recognised the UAE's efforts to help combat diseases such as polio in countries around the world. She noted the recent donation and provision of vaccines by Sheikh Mohammed.
Dr Hassan said the leadership of the UAE was keen to ensure a flow of aid to countries in need.
The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation also welcomed the donations by Sheikh Mohammed and Mr Gates.
Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
Captain Marvel
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn
4/5 stars
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
Mina Al-Oraibi: Iraq is in a fight to show its people who is really in charge
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The National Editorial: Iran's 'failed model' should be discontinued
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The specs: 2018 Maxus T60
Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km
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Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
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A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
The Outsider
Stephen King, Penguin
While you're here
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Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
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THE LOWDOWN
Romeo Akbar Walter
Rating: 2/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Robby Grewal
Cast: John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff and Sikandar Kher
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”