A key difficulty in implementing Emiratisation - resistance to change - arose in the past few days when residents of Ras al Khaimah and Ajman complained about the huge development projects that are being planned in both emirates. "We never asked for any of these developments," one RAK resident told this newspaper. The head of Tanmia, the National Human Resource Development and Employment Authority, responded by saying that many Emiratis seemed to be unwilling to adapt to the rapidly changing times. "Residents of RAK and Ajman are afraid to modernise because they are stuck in the past and are far too conservative," said Feddah Lootah, Tanmia's general manager.
Both emirates estimate that they need to import 200,000 foreign workers each to build the billions of dirhams worth of projects that have been planned. Ms Lootah said that these figures were so high because of a lack of Emiratis willing to take the jobs on offer seriously. This is a sad assessment of the state of the Emirati workforce. While it is true that, like in other Gulf countries, Emiratis prefer to work in government jobs where there are better salaries, more job security and shorter working hours, it is also a fact that much more needs to be done in terms of education and training to prepare them to meet the challenges of modernisation.
One of the reasons that these development projects were placed in the northern emirates, according to Ms Lootah, was to give employment opportunities to Emiratis living there so that they would not end up waiting for jobs that would never materialise. The head of Tanmia blamed the negative attitude of Ajman and RAK residents on an education system that is not up to par with schools in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. She said that a lack of proper career guidance meant that many students from the northern emirates were not majoring in subjects in demand in the marketplace, such as engineering and accountancy. Another factor hindering Emiratisation is the reluctance of some families to allow their daughters to work in such fields as the hospitality industry. Ms Lootah said that Tanmia has 15 projects aimed at getting Emiratis jobs in the hospitality industry, but that they have not shown enough interest in them.
A solution to this impasse needs to come from both sides. Residents of the northern emirates will have to realise that without the new developments being created, there will not be sufficient jobs to absorb all of the unemployed. The local governments, for their part, will have to work harder at preparing young Emiratis to compete in a competitive market that is moving away from reliance on oil wealth or government-led development to sustain itself. The days of jobs for life toiling in a government entity are gone. Tourism has become the UAE's leading source of income after oil, and Emiratis will have to accept that fact if they want to successfully embrace the future.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The specs: 2018 GMC Terrain
Price, base / as tested: Dh94,600 / Dh159,700
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Power: 252hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 353Nm @ 2,500rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.4L / 100km
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances