Dubai ruler donates Dh60m to ‘Dress one million campaign’

July 31, 2013
dubai
Dubai: Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai has donated Dh60 million to the ‘Dress one million needy children campaign’, providing clothing to an additional one and a half million needy children and totalling the number of beneficiaries to three million.

The campaign ended on Ramadan 19 in order to coincide with the ninth death anniversary of the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Zayed Humanitarian Day, an annual event in memory of Shaikh Zayed.

Speaking on the end of the campaign Shaikh Mohammad said: “What made me happy the most was the spirit of giving that was spread throughout this holy month in our beloved country which came in light of Shaikh Zayed’s memory as well as people’s interaction to the campaign. This resulted in making three million children happy with the coming of Eid.”

He added that the campaign and the hundreds of other UAE initiatives that benefit millions of people around the world have succeeded in making the UAE the capital of giving and a charitable hand extending its assistance to all who are in need.

“The UAE will continue in fulfilling its Islamic and humanitarian duty in supporting deprived people. It is a path that was set by out founding fathers and God willing we will continue on this path. We will instil the spirit of giving in the coming generations so that the path of giving will continue being a key part of our future,” said Shaikh Mohammad.

The campaign which was launched on July 11 initially aimed to dress one million needy children around the world however after it succeeded in receiving the donations needed to achieve this target in just 10 days, Shaikh Mohammad ordered that the number of beneficiaries to increase.

Mohammad Abdullah Al Haj Zarouni, manager of Emirates Red Crescent’s Dubai branch which is implementing the campaign told Gulf News they have already provided clothing to one million children.

“The donation made by Shaikh Mohammad is no surprise as he is known for being a generous and kind leader. We have already dressed one million children and are currently working on reaching children in 46 countries,” said Zarouni.

Haj said that the countries and children reached so far by the campaign are: Bosnia 8,000 children, Senegal 20,000 children, Yemen 100,000 children and India where they started distributing clothing to the 200,000 children. In Albania they started distributing the clothes to 5,000 children, Egypt 100,000 children, Lebanon 50,000 children, Jordan 5,000 families and Tanzania 10,000 children. They also finished distributing clothing in Malawi, Uganda and 15,000 of the 100,000 children target in Pakistan.

“Tomorrow we have a delegation going to Indonesia where we distribute clothes in phases of 10,000 children. As for future countries that we will visit soon they will include the West Bank, Gaza, Mexico, Germany, South Africa, Kenya, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Romania, Thailand, Ethiopia and Malaysia.”

Shaikh Mohammad praised the effort of the Emirates Red Crescent and the other parties tat contributed in the success of the campaign.

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March 25,2020

Riyadh, Mar 25: A 46-year-old man died of coronavirus in Saudi Arabia, becoming the Kingdom’s second death, according to a health ministry’s spokesman.

The health ministry recorded 133 new infections, bringing the total to 900.

Of those newly confirmed cases, 18 are associated with recent travel, and were placed in quarantine upon their arrival in the Kingdom, the spokesman said.

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News Network
March 16,2020

Cairo, Mar 16: Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman said G20 summit will work to combat coronavirus and coordinate efforts to ease its economic burdens, state news agency SPA said on Sunday.

In a phone call with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Salman discussed international efforts to fight the flu-like disease, saying the next G20 summit, which will be hosted by the Kingdom, will work on finding medical solutions, SPA added.

The G20 Summit is an annual gathering of representatives of the world's largest economies.

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News Network
January 6,2020

Riyadh, Jan 6: Saudi Arabia was not consulted by its ally Washington over a US drone strike that killed a top Iranian general, an official said Sunday, as the kingdom sought to defuse soaring regional tensions.

Saudi Arabia is vulnerable to possible Iranian reprisals after Tehran vowed "revenge" following the strike on Friday that killed powerful commander Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad.

"The kingdom of Saudi Arabia was not consulted regarding the US strike," a Saudi official told AFP, requesting anonymity.

"In light of the rapid developments, the kingdom stresses the importance of exercising restraint to guard against all acts that may lead to escalation, with severe consequences," the official added.

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry made a similar call for restraint at the weekend and King Salman emphasised the need for measures to defuse tensions in a phone call on Saturday with Iraqi President Barham Saleh.

In a separate phone call with Iraq's Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stressed "the need to make efforts to calm the situation and de-escalate tensions", the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

The crown prince has instructed Prince Khalid bin Salman, his younger brother and deputy defence minister, to travel to Washington and London in the next few days to urge restraint, the pan-Arab Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported.

Prince Khalid will meet White House and US defence officials, the paper said, citing unnamed sources.

The killing of Soleimani, seen as the second most powerful man in Iran, is the most dramatic escalation yet in spiralling tensions between Washington and Tehran and has prompted fears of a major conflagration in the Middle East.

US President Donald Trump, who ordered the drone strike, has warned that Washington will hit Iran "very fast and very hard" if the Islamic republic attacks American personnel or assets.

The American embassy in Riyadh on Sunday warned its citizens living close to military bases and oil and gas installations in the kingdom of a "heightened risk of missile and drone attacks".

A string of attacks blamed on Iran has caused anxiety in recent months, as Riyadh and Washington deliberated over how to react.

In particular, devastating strikes against Saudi oil installations last September led Riyadh and Abu Dhabi to adopt a more conciliatory approach aimed at avoiding confrontation with Tehran.

Analysts warn that pro-Iran groups have the capacity to carry out attacks on US bases in Gulf states as well as against shipping in the Strait of Hormuz -- the strategic waterway that Tehran could close at will.

"Expect Iranian reprisals (directly or through partner groups in Iraq, Lebanon or elsewhere) to target US partners in the region including Saudi Arabia," said Thomas Juneau, an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa.

"Given the climate in the US, where support for Saudi in the media and Congress is at an all time low, it will be difficult for Trump to commit significant resources to come to its aid."

Yemen's pro-Iran Huthi rebels, locked in a five-year conflict with a Saudi-led military coalition, have also called for swift reprisals for Soleimani's killing.

"The aggression... will not go without a response," said Huthi political council member Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti.

"How the response is going to be, when and where will be determined by Iraq and Iran, and we will stand with them as a hub for the resistance."

It was unclear if the Huthi warning was directed in part at Saudi Arabia, which has stepped up efforts to end Yemen's conflict amid a lull in Huthi attacks on the kingdom.

Saudi Arabian military commanders recently met with counterparts from "friendly countries" to formulate a new strategy to tackle the Yemeni rebels, particularly those "opposing" a political solution, according to Asharq al-Awsat.

Riyadh has said it will host a separate meeting of foreign ministers of Arab and African coastal states on Monday.

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