World Bank ranks UAE, Bahrain as top nations in Arab world for human capital

Agencies

October 1, 2020

Dubai/Manama, Oct 1: The World Bank has ranked the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain as top destinations in the Arab world to invest in human capital.

The Human Capital Index 2020 measures potential productivity in the health and education sectors across 98 percent of the world’s population — with a focus on the knowledge, skills and health that a child born today is expected to accumulate by their 18th birthday.

The UAE ranked 44th against a global benchmark and first in the Arab world in the index, followed closely by Bahrain at 46th.

Singapore took the first-place spot globally, with Japan ranking second and Korea coming third.

The UAE recorded a score of 0.67 compared to a previous ranking of 0.62.

Bahrain scored 0.65 points, up more than 8 percent from its 0.60 ranking based on the same factors 2010 — four times the global average.

According to the report, Bahrain performed particularly well in the field of education, ranking first among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries for academic achievement, and among the top five countries globally for the performance of girls over boys in education.

According to the Bahrain News Agency report, World Bank researchers noted: “More human capital is associated with higher earnings for people, higher income for countries, and stronger cohesion in societies. It is a central driver of sustainable growth and poverty reduction.”

“Bahrain’s ranking in the Human Capital Index 2020 is testament to our wide-ranging economic reforms as well as years of investment in education and healthcare, ensuring that children born today are fully empowered to achieve their potential,” Tala Fakhro, the chief project officer for strategic research, market studies & project implementation at Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB), said.

“Bahrain has a long history of promoting gender equality and was the first Gulf state to allow women into education, so we are particularly proud to rank in the top five globally for the educational performance of girls."

“The Kingdom offers a highly skilled local and global workforce, with diverse demographics providing an ideal mix of qualities for businesses looking to hire top talent and sustain long-term growth,” she said.

With a rapidly growing population driving demand for new medical services and technologies, healthcare is a critical policy focus area for the Bahrain government.

In line with its Vision 2030, the Kingdom is focused on becoming a leading center for modern medicine, offering high-quality and financially sustainable care for patients throughout the GCC region.

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Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp restrict use of red triangle emoji over Palestinian resistance association

News Network

October 4,2024

According to a report, American multinational technology conglomerate Meta is restricting the use of the upside-down red triangle emoji, which has become a broader symbol of Palestinian resistance.

Meta is restricting the emoji on its Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp platforms, The Intercept reported on Thursday after reviewing internal content moderation materials.

Since the beginning of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, the resistance movement Hamas has regularly released footage of its successful strikes on Israeli military positions with red triangles superimposed above targeted soldiers and armor, the report said.

The use of the red triangle emoji has expanded online since October last year, becoming a widely used icon for people expressing their sentiments in favor of Palestine and against Israel.

Social media users use the emoji in their posts, usernames, and profiles as a badge of solidarity and protest against Israel’s crime against Palestinians.

The symbol has become so popular that the Israeli military has used it in its own propaganda.

In November, an Israeli military video that warned “Our triangle is stronger than yours, Abu Obeida,” addressing Hamas’s spokesperson, Al Jazeera reported.

Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has determined that the upside-down triangle emoji is a proxy for support for Hamas, according to internal policy guidelines obtained by The Intercept.

Meta is deleting the triangle that may be followed by further disciplinary action from the company depending on how severely it assesses its use.

According to the policy materials, the ban covers contexts in which Meta decides a “user is clearly posting about the conflict and it is reasonable to read the red triangle as a proxy for Hamas and it is being used to glorify, support or represent Hamas’s violence.”

Israel has killed at least 41,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. In Lebanon, the death toll has risen to more than 1,840 with 8,400 wounded.

The Israeli war machine ignited its genocidal campaign by targeting helpless Palestinians trapped in the Gaza Strip in October.

It was after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas conducted surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the regime's decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against the Palestinians.

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