China dispatches team of medical experts to help Saudi Arabia with COVID-19

This photo taken on February 20, 2020 shows doctors looking at a lung CT image at a hospital in Yunmeng county, Xiaogan city, in China's central Hubei province. (AFP)
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Updated 16 April 2020
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China dispatches team of medical experts to help Saudi Arabia with COVID-19

  • The Chinese team will help the Kingdom with prevention, control, diagnosis and treatment of the coronavirus
  • The two countries will continue close cooperation to safeguard people’s health, says the Chinese foreign ministry

ISLAMABAD: China has dispatched a team of medical experts to Saudi Arabia to help local authorities contain the coronavirus outbreak, China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday.

In a regular briefing, Zhao said the Chines team “organized by the National Health Commission and consisting of specialists selected by the Health Commission of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region has left for Saudi Arabia.”

He said that after COVID-19 broke out in China, the Saudi leadership was among the first to express sympathies and support.

“The Saudi government and people from all walks of life extended a helping hand to us with batches of supplies. Currently as Saudi Arabia faces the same challenge, China, likewise, stands firmly with it and is ready to provide assistance as its ability permits,” the Chinese spokesperson said.

Zhao added that the Chinese specialists sent to Saudi Arabia were experts in lab-testing, prevention and control of infectious diseases, critical case treatment, nursing, and traditional Chinese medicine.

The team will share its experience with the Saudi side and provide guidance and training in prevention, control, diagnosis and treatment of the COVID-19 illness.

“They will also provide technical guidance, protective supplies, and traditional Chinese medicine consulting for staff of the Chinese embassy and Chinese businesses, Chinese nationals and ethnic Chinese in Saudi Arabia,” Zhao said.

The spokesperson said that the virus respected no borders and called for a joint response. “As comprehensive strategic cooperative partners, China and Saudi Arabia will continue close cooperation to safeguard people’s life and health and vanquish the common enemy to all human beings.”

In Saudi Arabia, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases are 5,369 with at least 73 deaths. Earlier this week, the Saudi Ministry of Health spokesman said that the country had tested more than 150,000 people.


Following latest standoff, India calls on IAEA to take charge of Pakistan’s nukes

Updated 2 min 36 sec ago
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Following latest standoff, India calls on IAEA to take charge of Pakistan’s nukes

  • India and Pakistan became nuclear powers after they conducted tit-for-tat nuclear tests in 1998 
  • Decades-old animosity has made the region, world's most populous, one of its most dangerous nuclear flashpoints

NEW DELHI: The International Atomic Energy Agency should take charge of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday, days after the nuclear-armed neighbors ended their worst military conflict in nearly three decades.

Deadly fighting broke out between the old enemies last week after India struck what it said were “terrorist camps” in Pakistan in retaliation for an attack in Indian Kashmir last month that killed 26 men, which it said was backed by Pakistan.

Islamabad had denied the allegations and both countries sent missiles and drones into each other’s airspace in the days that followed, before they reached a truce on Saturday.

“Are nuclear weapons safe in the hands of such an irresponsible and rogue nation?” Singh said while addressing soldiers in Indian Kashmir’s summer capital Srinagar. “I believe that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons should be taken under the supervision of IAEA.”

There was no immediate response from Pakistan to Singh’s comment.

The IAEA is a Vienna-based UN watchdog which monitors nuclear programs to ensure they are peaceful.

India and Pakistan became nuclear powers after they conducted tit-for-tat nuclear tests in 1998 and their decades-old animosity has made the region — the world’s most populous — one of its most dangerous nuclear flashpoints.

The latest military conflict between the South Asian neighbors spiraled alarmingly on Saturday and there were briefly fears that nuclear arsenals might come into play as Pakistan’s military said a top body overseeing its nuclear weapons would meet.

But the Pakistani defense minister said no such meeting was scheduled.

Military analysts said this may have been Pakistan’s way of hinting at its nuclear option as Islamabad has a “first-use” policy if its existence is under threat in a conflict.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that India would strike at “terrorist hideouts” across the border again if there were new attacks on India and would not be deterred by what he called Islamabad’s “nuclear blackmail.”

Pakistan rejected Modi’s statements as being “provocative and inflammatory assertions,” saying it represents a dangerous escalation.

Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan have fought three wars in the past, two of them over the Himalayan region of Kashmir, which they both claim in full but rule in part.

India also blames Pakistan for supporting militants battling security forces in its part of Kashmir, but Islamabad denies the accusation.


Jordan evacuates second group of cancer patients from Gaza

Updated 6 min 51 sec ago
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Jordan evacuates second group of cancer patients from Gaza

AMMAN: Jordan’s government on Wednesday began evacuating four child cancer patients and 12 family members from Gaza.

They are the second group of patients evacuated for treatment under the Jordan Medical Corridor initiative, started in March this year, that aims to treat 2,000 Gazan children.

The children and their families were evacuated by the Royal Jordanian Air Force in cooperation with the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health.

They will be treated at the King Hussein Cancer Center.

The first evacuees were 29 children and 44 family members. Seventeen of these children have since returned to Gaza with their families after completing their treatment.


China says ready to 'expand practical cooperation' with Russian army

Updated 11 min 58 sec ago
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China says ready to 'expand practical cooperation' with Russian army

BEIJING: China said Thursday it was ready to "expand practical cooperation" with the Russian army, after President Xi Jinping's recent visit to Moscow for a lavish World War II Victory Day parade.
"The Chinese military stands ready to work with the Russian side to further deepen strategic mutual trust, step up strategic communication, and expand practical cooperation," the ministry of defence said in a statement on social media platform WeChat.


MP Materials, Ma’aden to jointly develop rare earths supply chain in Saudi

Updated 23 min 6 sec ago
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MP Materials, Ma’aden to jointly develop rare earths supply chain in Saudi

LONDON: US rare earths miner MP Materials has signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia’s flagship mining company Ma’aden to jointly develop a rare earth supply chain in the Middle Eastern country.

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the US-Saudi Investment Forum, where President Donald Trump secured a $600 billion investment from the Kingdom covering the energy, defense and mining sectors.

Saudi Arabia has been pushing to become a global critical minerals hub at a time when minerals processing is fast becoming a necessity for tech-focused economies looking to produce their own building blocks for AI, electric vehicles and other sectors.

Last month, Reuters reported Ma’aden was weighing a rare-earths partnership with at least one of four foreign firms, including MP Materials, China’s Shenghe Resources, Australia’s Lynas Rare Earths or Canada’s Neo Performance Materials.

The partnership between MP Materials and Ma’aden would include mining, separation, refining and magnet production of rare earth minerals.

“Today’s announcement is an important first step toward rebalancing the global supply chain ... especially in robotics and physical AI — while deepening the strategic alliance between the United States and Saudi Arabia,” said MP Materials CEO James Litinsky.

Ma’aden’s CEO Bob Wilt said the partnership was an integral step toward establishing mining as “the third pillar” of the Saudi economy.

Shares of MP Materials rose nearly 5 percent before the bell.


UAE’s LuLuFin partners with Pakistan’s ABHI fintech for financial inclusion, remittances 

Updated 24 min 56 sec ago
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UAE’s LuLuFin partners with Pakistan’s ABHI fintech for financial inclusion, remittances 

  • Last year, ABHI secured $15 million in debt financing to expand UAE operations
  • In 2023, it was selected as one of the Future 100 companies of the UAE

KARACHI: Pakistani fintech ABHI, which expanded its operations to the UAE and Saudi Arabia last year, has partnered with leading global financial services conglomerate, LuLu Financial Holdings, to enhance financial inclusion and remittance solutions, ABHI said in a statement on Thursday. 

Founded in 2021, ABHI raised $17 million in a Series A funding round led by Speedinvest. Last year, it secured a whopping $15 million in debt financing through a credit facility by Shorooq partners and Amplify Growth Partnership companies to expand its operations in the United Arab Emirate. It also operates in Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh.

The fintech company provides employees an opportunity to withdraw their earned salary any day through its Earned Wage Access facility and other products. In 2023, it was selected as one of the Future 100 companies of the UAE.

“As part of the partnership, workers in the UAE will be able to access their earned wages instantly and remit funds to their families back home through LuLu Exchange — without having to wait for payday,” the ABHI statement said on the partnership with LuLuFin.

“Through the initiative, workers in the UAE will benefit from Earned Wage Access and Send Now, Pay Later services, giving them greater financial flexibility and control over their income.”

By offering instant access to earned wages and enabling timely remittances, the partnership addresses a key financial need among expatriate workers, empowering them to support their families with greater ease and security, ABHI said. 

The Pakistani fintech will provide the operational framework for LuLuFin, enabling customers to access their earned wages before their scheduled payday and allowing employees to send money internationally instantly with the flexibility to defer payment. 

The service will be rolled out across all major corridors, with the launch for Pakistani customers scheduled for May.

“This partnership with ABHI represents a bold step toward redefining financial connectivity for global diasporas. By leveraging cutting-edge technology, we aim to create a seamless bridge for expatriates to support their families, setting the stage for a future where financial inclusivity knows no borders,” Thampi Sudarsanan, Chief Executive Officer, LuLu Exchange UAE, said.

Omair Ansari, the Co-Founder & CEO of Abhi Middle East Limited, said the partnership with LuLu Financial Holdings marked a “significant step in enabling expatriates to access their hard-earned wages seamlessly and support their families back home without financial strain.”

“By integrating ABHI’s technology with Lulu’s extensive market expertise, we are dedicated to promoting financial inclusion and providing underserved communities with greater flexibility and convenience in managing their finances,” Ansari added. 

In January, ABHI announced it had acquired FINCA microfinance bank to improve financial inclusion for millions of Pakistanis across the country.

FINCA Pakistan, part of a global FINCA network, operates in 108 cities across Pakistan, providing state-of-the-art deposit and payment solutions, including micro-credit facilities aimed at improving livelihoods.

In February, ABHI launched the ABHI Microfinance Bank in collaboration with TPL Corp.