ISLAMABAD // Pakistani lawmakers elected a ruling party loyalist as the new prime minister yesterday, even though he has been accused of corruption and criticised for failing to solve the country's energy crisis - setting in motion what is likely to be a short and turbulent premiership. The election of Raja Pervaiz Ashraf is unlikely to reduce tensions among Pakistan's jostling power centres, an increasingly nasty political battle that is destabilising an already chaotic country. The latest round of turmoil was triggered earlier this week when judges at the activist Supreme Court disqualified former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for refusing to initiate a corruption investigation against his boss, President Asif Ali Zardari.
The opposition and some media contend that Mr Ashraf is corrupt. He also has been criticised for failing to fix a chronic energy shortage when he was minister of water and power in the Yusuf Raza Gilani government.
The election of Mr Ashraf, a politician who has served in several ministerial roles, came after the court on Monday declared Mr Gilani ineligible because it defied its order.
Mr Zardari, who is also the head of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP), picked Makhdoom Shahabuddin, the former textiles and health minister, to succeed Mr Gilani. But the president was forced to drop Mr Shahabuddin after a court issued warrants for his arrest for allowing the export of the stimulant ephedrine beyond sanctioned quotas when he was the health minister under Mr Gilani.
Mr Ashraf easily won the one-on-one contest with a candidate from the main opposition party, as the PPP and its allies hold a comfortable majority in the parliament.
"The victory of Raja Pervez Ashraf shows people have trust in democracy," Mr Zardari said in his message to Mr Ashraf shortly after his election.
Television networks yesterday repeatedly aired file footage of Mr Asharf promising that power cuts would be ended in the country by the end of 2009. They did not.
In recent days, Pakistanis have protested against prolonged power cuts, which can last up to 20 hours and have crippled industries.
Dubbed "Raja Rental" by the media, Mr Ashraf is accused of receiving kickbacks while awarding rental power projects during his tenure, charges Mr Ashraf denies.
Analysts say Mr Ashraf, who also served as minister for information technology, may come under renewed pressure from the judiciary, led by the maverick chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, to reopen corruption cases against Mr Zardari.
The cases date to the 1990s when Mr Zardari and his wife, the former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, were alleged to have laundered money using Swiss bank accounts. The Supreme Court has insisted that the government writes a letter to Swiss authorities asking to reopen one such case after the court struck down a law granting amnesty to Mr Zardari and thousands of political workers from criminal charges.
Mr Gilani refused to obey, citing constitutional immunity for the president, which ultimately led to his downfall.
Mr Zardari has hinted that Mr Gilani's successor would follow the same path.
"We will not allow trial of the grave of shaheed [martyred] Benazir Bhutto," several newspapers quoted him as telling his party legislators this week.
Analysts say the timing of the warrants for Mr Shahabuddin by a court on the request of the military-led anti-narcotics agency attests to strains in relations between the weak ruling coalition and the powerful military.
"These warrants would not have been issued without the blessings of the army," said Hasan Askari Rizvi, an independent political analyst.
Leaders of the PPP privately expressed fears that the judiciary and military are collaborating to oust the government.
"I don't think this government is going to survive more than few months. I don't think the judiciary and military will let them work," said Mr Rizvi.
General elections are due in Pakistan in 2013 but may be called early, possibly in October, as the government comes under pressure from opposition leaders.
"The next prime minister will be the slave of Asif Zardari," Imran Khan, a cricketer-turned-politician, told reporters in Karachi on Thursday. "Free and fair elections are the only solution to the present crisis."
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
with additional reporting by the Associated Press
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
STAY%2C%20DAUGHTER
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Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 – 1923
Editor Ze’ev Rosenkranz
Princeton
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
'Midnights'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EArtist%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Taylor%20Swift%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ELabel%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Republic%20Records%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Tim Paine (captain), Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
The five types of long-term residential visas
Obed Suhail of ServiceMarket, an online home services marketplace, outlines the five types of long-term residential visas:
Investors:
A 10-year residency visa can be obtained by investors who invest Dh10 million, out of which 60 per cent should not be in real estate. It can be a public investment through a deposit or in a business. Those who invest Dh5 million or more in property are eligible for a five-year residency visa. The invested amount should be completely owned by the investors, not loaned, and retained for at least three years.
Entrepreneurs:
A five-year multiple entry visa is available to entrepreneurs with a previous project worth Dh0.5m or those with the approval of an accredited business incubator in the UAE.
Specialists
Expats with specialised talents, including doctors, specialists, scientists, inventors, and creative individuals working in the field of culture and art are eligible for a 10-year visa, given that they have a valid employment contract in one of these fields in the country.
Outstanding students:
A five-year visa will be granted to outstanding students who have a grade of 95 per cent or higher in a secondary school, or those who graduate with a GPA of 3.75 from a university.
Retirees:
Expats who are at least 55 years old can obtain a five-year retirement visa if they invest Dh2m in property, have savings of Dh1m or more, or have a monthly income of at least Dh20,000.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE%20PREMIERSHIP
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Queen
Nicki Minaj
(Young Money/Cash Money)
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.
ENGLAND SQUAD
For first two Test in India Joe Root (captain), Jofra Archer, Moeen Ali, James Anderson , Dom Bess, Stuart Broad , Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes. Reserves James Bracey, Mason Crane, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Robinson, Amar Virdi.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Virtuzone GCC Sixes
Date and venue Friday and Saturday, ICC Academy, Dubai Sports City
Time Matches start at 9am
Groups
A Blighty Ducks, Darjeeling Colts, Darjeeling Social, Dubai Wombats; B Darjeeling Veterans, Kuwait Casuals, Loose Cannons, Savannah Lions; C Awali Taverners, Darjeeling, Dromedary, Darjeeling Good Eggs
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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