Latest news with #Baker


Campaign ME
2 hours ago
- Business
- Campaign ME
GMG, Amazon partner to transform online shopping for MENA customers
Retail and well-being conglomerate GMG has entered a strategic partnership with Amazon to transform the online shopping experience for customers across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The partnership combines Amazon's advanced technology, fast delivery capabilities, and trusted online shopping expertise, with GMG's extensive retail portfolio across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This move also supports GMG's vision of combining its strong physical retail presence with seamless digital experiences to shape the future of retail in the region. Through the partnership, GMG aims to provide customers with deals and attractive prices across a wide selection from its key categories, including sports, health and beauty, and everyday goods. Mohammad A. Baker, Deputy Chairman and CEO of GMG, stated, 'This partnership with Amazon represents a pivotal chapter in our digital commerce strategy. As consumer behaviours evolve, we are committed to delivering exceptional experiences driven by technology, speed, and relevance. 'With the Middle East's ecommerce market projected to reach $50bn by 2025, this collaboration is timely and strategic. Together, we will establish an unparalleled ecommerce experience that embodies the dynamism and ambition of the retail sector in the Middle East,' Baker added. As part of the collaboration, GMG and Amazon will enable quicker delivery of high-demand products across grocery, lifestyle and wellness categories. GMG will also accelerate its omnichannel strategy by harnessing Amazon's best practices in artificial intelligence (AI), logistics, and customer service technology. Additionally, the partnership will expand access to globally recognised and trusted brands within the GMG portfolio, catering to rising demand for fast, convenient, and quality-focused services – all through the Amazon shopping experience that customers have come to trust. Ronaldo Mouchawar, Vice President, Amazon Middle East, Africa, and Turkey, said, 'Driven by our customer obsession and long-term thinking, we are proud to collaborate with GMG, a partner who shares our innovative spirit.' 'By combining Amazon's online retail expertise with GMG's diverse portfolio, we are making it easier for customers across the region to access the brands and products they love. Together with GMG, we look forward to delighting millions of customers across MENA with this exciting new offering.' With a diversified retail footprint and a growing digital presence, GMG's partnership with Amazon in the region also signals a shared vision to further build a dynamic online retail landscape that delivers speed, convenience, and quality at scale. Over the coming months, customers across the region will start to see new GMG offerings go live on and


The National
6 hours ago
- Health
- The National
Gaza mothers 20 times more likely to die in childbirth since conflict began
Gaza's mothers are 20 times more likely to die in childbirth 20 than before Israel 's war on the strip, UN health officials have revealed. Birth rates have also dropped by 40 per cent, and more than 5,000 recent newborns were underweight, premature or required intensive care, according to the UN's fund for reproductive and maternal health, UNFPA. The agency's director for the Arab world, Laila Baker, told The National that Israel's killing of mothers, the starvation of children and the attacking of an IVF hospital where thousands of embryos 'that were the lifelines' were destroyed, were all 'indicators of genocidal acts'. She said Israel has also blocked the entry of hygiene products to Gaza, claiming they are 'dual use items' that could have a military purpose. 'They say that sanitary pads which are included in our hygiene kits can be used to stop the bleeding of wounded people,' Ms Baker said. In place of sanitary pads, girls and women have had to use rags cut from filthy tents – causing infections to rise, she said. A UN report in March found that Israel's systematic destruction of sexual and reproductive healthcare centres checks two categories of genocidal acts in two war crimes treaties, the Rome Statute and the Genocide Convention. Little relief Amid massive international pressure over Gaza's starvation, Israel said it would start allowing aid into the enclave after more than 120 days of deprivation that has encompassed the most vital of products including flour, baby formula and sanitary pads. Following Israel 's announcement, what little aid entered on Sunday never made it to UN warehouses because desperate and hungry civilians took what they could from the lorries to secure something for their families, the World Food Programme (WFP) told The National. 'It does not take a genius to connect the dots that when you don't have proper nutrition for women who need twice the food and water while pregnant and nursing, that will have an immediate impact on them and their children if they even survive,' Ms Baker said. Additionally, women tend to prioritise others over themselves even when there's a scarcity in water, hygiene, space and food, which places an additional strain on those already suffering, she added. The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Sunday said that of the 74 recorded hunger-related deaths in 2025, 63 had occurred in July − including 24 children aged under five, one child older than five and 38 adults. On Tuesday, a report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said famine was unfolding in Gaza. 'Mounting evidence shows that widespread starvation, malnutrition and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths,' the report said. The head of the International Rescue Committee, David Miliband, warned that thousands of Gaza's children will either be rescued or allowed to die depending on whether land crossings are opened and unfettered humanitarian access is granted to the people in Gaza. 'That is the choice before us,' he said.


The National
6 hours ago
- Health
- The National
Gaza mothers die in childbirth 20 times more often due to Israel's war
Gaza's mothers are dying in childbirth 20 times more often than before Israel 's war on the strip, UN health officials have revealed. Birth rates have also dropped by 40 per cent, and more than 5,000 recent newborns were underweight, premature or required intensive care, according to the UN's fund for reproductive and maternal health, UNFPA. The agency's director for the Arab world, Laila Baker, told The National that Israel's killing of mothers, the starvation of children and the attacking of an IVF hospital where thousands of embryos 'that were the lifelines' were destroyed, were all 'indicators of genocidal acts'. She said Israel has also blocked the entry of hygiene products to Gaza, claiming they are 'dual use items' that could have a military purpose. 'They say that sanitary pads which are included in our hygiene kits can be used to stop the bleeding of wounded people,' Ms Baker said. In place of sanitary pads, girls and women have had to use rags cut from filthy tents – causing infections to rise, she said. A UN report in March found that Israel's systematic destruction of sexual and reproductive healthcare centres checks two categories of genocidal acts in two war crimes treaties, the Rome Statute and the Genocide Convention. Little relief Amid massive international pressure over Gaza's starvation, Israel said it would start allowing aid into the enclave after more than 120 days of deprivation that has encompassed the most vital of products including flour, baby formula and sanitary pads. Following Israel 's announcement, what little aid entered on Sunday never made it to UN warehouses because desperate and hungry civilians took what they could from the lorries to secure something for their families, the World Food Programme (WFP) told The National. 'It does not take a genius to connect the dots that when you don't have proper nutrition for women who need twice the food and water while pregnant and nursing, that will have an immediate impact on them and their children if they even survive,' Ms Baker said. Additionally, women tend to prioritise others over themselves even when there's a scarcity in water, hygiene, space and food, which places an additional strain on those already suffering, she added. The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Sunday said that of the 74 recorded hunger-related deaths in 2025, 63 had occurred in July − including 24 children aged under five, one child older than five and 38 adults. On Tuesday, a report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said famine was unfolding in Gaza. 'Mounting evidence shows that widespread starvation, malnutrition and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths,' the report said. The head of the International Rescue Committee, David Miliband, warned that thousands of Gaza's children will either be rescued or allowed to die depending on whether land crossings are opened and unfettered humanitarian access is granted to the people in Gaza. 'That is the choice before us,' he said.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Astros fan favorite manager returning for 2026 World Baseball Classic
Dusty Baker is back. Not in Houston, but back in the game of baseball. The charismatic 76-year-old manager that managed the Astros past the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2022 World Series was announced as the manager for the Nicaragua national baseball team in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, the MLB announced Monday in an official post on their X platform. Baker, a two-time All-Star who also won the 1981 World Series as a player with the Los Angeles Dodgers, started his managing career in 1993, seven years after retiring from his playing days. He would manage the San Francisco Giants, winning NL Manager of the Year three times in 1993, 1997, and 2000, and led the team to the 2002 World Series, where they would fall to the Anaheim Angels in a full seven-game series. After his time in The Bay was up, he would manage the Chicago Cubs from 2003 to 2006, before sitting out the 2007 season and then managing the Cincinnati Reds from 2008 to 2013. After another short sabbatical, Baker would manage the Washington Nationals in the 2016 and 2017 seasons, both of which saw the team clinch the divisional title, before coming on as the Astros manager in 2020, leading them to the World Series in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, victorious in the latter. After retiring following the 2023 season when the Astros were eliminated in the American League Championship Series by the eventual World Series champions, the Texas Rangers, Baker would go on to join the Giants' front office as a Special Advisor to Baseball Operations. Baker's 2,183 managerial wins rank seventh-most in MLB history, and the most all-time by an African American manager.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Astros fan favorite manager returning for 2026 World Baseball Classic
Dusty Baker is back. Not in Houston, but back in the game of baseball. The charismatic 76-year-old manager that managed the Astros past the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2022 World Series was announced as the manager for the Nicaragua national baseball team in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, the MLB announced Monday in an official post on their X platform. Baker, a two-time All-Star who also won the 1981 World Series as a player with the Los Angeles Dodgers, started his managing career in 1993, seven years after retiring from his playing days. He would manage the San Francisco Giants, winning NL Manager of the Year three times in 1993, 1997, and 2000, and led the team to the 2002 World Series, where they would fall to the Anaheim Angels in a full seven-game series. After his time in The Bay was up, he would manage the Chicago Cubs from 2003 to 2006, before sitting out the 2007 season and then managing the Cincinnati Reds from 2008 to 2013. After another short sabbatical, Baker would manage the Washington Nationals in the 2016 and 2017 seasons, both of which saw the team clinch the divisional title, before coming on as the Astros manager in 2020, leading them to the World Series in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, victorious in the latter. After retiring following the 2023 season when the Astros were eliminated in the American League Championship Series by the eventual World Series champions, the Texas Rangers, Baker would go on to join the Giants' front office as a Special Advisor to Baseball Operations. Baker's 2,183 managerial wins rank seventh-most in MLB history, and the most all-time by an African American manager.