ABU DHABI // One of New York City's finest will be walking a new beat this autumn in the halls of the UAE's Critical National Infrastructure Authority.
The liaison officer from the New York City Police Department (NYPD) will be embedded full-time at the CNIA headquarters in the capital as early as October, according to The New York Sun newspaper, as part of a co-operation agreement on anti-terrorism training and intelligence sharing, signed last week between the NYPD and the CNIA.
The arrangement is one element in the NYPD's post-September 11 strategy of expanding its overseas investigation and intelligence-gathering capabilities.
Since the attacks, New York law enforcement officials have redeployed about 1,000 counter-terrorism officers to domestic and foreign locations.
According to The Associated Press, the Abu Dhabi posting will be the 11th international assignment, following similar deployments in London, Madrid, Paris, Lyon, Singapore, Montreal, Toronto, Santo Domingo, Tel Aviv and Amman.
The CNIA, which was formed in May 2007, is charged with co-ordinating protection of vital UAE infrastructure, such as oil and natural gas installations, transportation facilities and water desalination plants.
The posting underscores the perception among American security officials that the UAE is a target for terrorists.
The New York Sun noted comments by Raymond Kelly, commissioner of the NYPD, that UAE law enforcement officials needed additional security training "given how much of a target [Abu Dhabi] is".
"The United Arab Emirates is becoming a crossroads of the Middle East and Asia, and we think it's important for us to have a presence there," the Sun quoted Mr Kelly as saying.
"Clearly, Abu Dhabi is a central location. There's so much construction going on there," the commissioner added.
The article went on to quote the US State Department's website for the Emirates, which advises Americans to "exercise a high level of security awareness" while travelling here.
But Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a professor of political science at UAE University in Al Ain and an expert in international security, said the deal between the NYPD and the CNIA should be seen as nothing more than a routine meeting of minds meant to prevent future threats in both the UAE and the US.
"I think the UAE is a safe country and has been all the way through," said Mr Abdulla.
"I think that our guys have handled the security issue pretty well so far.
"They have done it that way because on many levels they have used the best technology available, but they have also sought co-operation from their allies. This co-operation falls in that domain."
But one pitfall of such bilateral co-operation agreements, said Mr Abdulla, was that any strengthening of ties between the Emirates and the US could provoke attacks from violent radicals, despite the UAE's record of political neutrality.
"I think terrorists all over the place know that the UAE and the GCC states have close co-operation with the United States and with Britain and France. This is not a secret any more," he said.
"There is plenty of information around and there is a high level and high degree of co-operation that goes on between Washington and Abu Dhabi and all the other capitals in the Gulf.
"However, in these things, wisdom dictates that you need to be careful. You don't need to float it in front of people, you don't need to speak about it, you don't need to go public with it. The United States, they have enemies all over the place."
@email:mbradley@thenational.ae
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company profile
Name: One Good Thing
Founders: Bridgett Lau and Micheal Cooke
Based in: Dubai
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 5 employees
Stage: Looking for seed funding
Investors: Self-funded and seeking external investors
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Company%20profile
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'Saand Ki Aankh'
Produced by: Reliance Entertainment with Chalk and Cheese Films
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Squad: Majed Naser, Abdulaziz Sanqour, Walid Abbas, Khamis Esmail, Habib Fardan, Mohammed Marzouq (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai), Khalid Essa, Muhanad Salem, Mohammed Ahmed, Ismail Ahmed, Ahmed Barman, Amer Abdulrahman, Omar Abdulrahman (Al Ain), Ali Khaseif, Fares Juma, Mohammed Fawzi, Khalfan Mubarak, Mohammed Jamal, Ahmed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Ahmed Rashid, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Wahda), Tariq Ahmed, Mahmoud Khamis, Khalifa Mubarak, Jassim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Yousef Saeed (Sharjah), Suhail Al Nubi (Baniyas)
Du Plessis plans his retirement
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said on Friday the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia in two years' time will be his last.
Du Plessis, 34, who has led his country in two World T20 campaigns, in 2014 and 2016, is keen to play a third but will then step aside.
"The T20 World Cup in 2020 is something I'm really looking forward to. I think right now that will probably be the last tournament for me," he said in Brisbane ahead of a one-off T20 against Australia on Saturday.
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Power: 640hp at 8,000rpm
Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: From Dh1 million
On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022
UAE SQUAD
Omar Abdulrahman (Al Hilal), Ali Khaseif, Ali Mabkhout, Salem Rashed, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Zayed Al Ameri, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Khalid Essa, Ahmed Barman, Ryan Yaslam, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmin (Al Wasl), Adel Al Hosani, Ali Hassan Saleh, Majed Suroor (Sharjah), Ahmed Khalil, Walid Abbas, Majed Hassan, Ismail Al Hammadi (Shabab Al Ahli), Hassan Al Muharrami, Fahad Al Dhahani (Bani Yas), Mohammed Al Shaker (Ajman)
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20Z%20FLIP%204
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The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: seven-speed PDK dual clutch automatic
Power: 375bhp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh332,800
On sale: now
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
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Company Profile
Company name: Fine Diner
Started: March, 2020
Co-founders: Sami Elayan, Saed Elayan and Zaid Azzouka
Based: Dubai
Industry: Technology and food delivery
Initial investment: Dh75,000
Investor: Dtec Startupbootcamp
Future plan: Looking to raise $400,000
Total sales: Over 1,000 deliveries in three months
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
