Every time the government formation is in a deadlock in Lebanon, the idea of a technocrat cabinet is presented as the most appropriate way out of the crisis and usually gains popular support, wrote Khalid Saghia in an opinion piece titled The technocrat illusion in the Lebanese Arabic daily Al Akhbar.
The world of the technocrat is portrayed as a serene and objective sphere, where scientific facts and technical solutions prevail, far away from private interests and sectarian systems.
Technocrats are not politicians, so they do not yield to public pressure and do not seek to please the masses; hence the expectation that they look into problems only for the sake of the public interest. But this vision of the technocrat too optimistic.
First, in a normal political life, the technocrat who does not look at the facts through "a pair of ideological lenses" does not exist.
Second, we do not live in a normal political environment. We are in a period of acute political friction. Third, the administration itself is so corrupt that technocrats will have their hands and feet tied and will not be able to budge without referring to the same antagonist political forces.
For those reasons and more, the technocratic solution remains but another illusion to the masses for their entertainment during the coming Eid season.
In a joint press conference with the Spanish foreign minister, Miguel Moratinos and the Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian head of state said the normalisation steps by Arab states with Israel were possible if negotiations with the Palestinians resumed and settlements were frozen, wrote Fayez Rashid in the Qatari dailyAl Watan.
Mr Mubarak's declarations come at a time when Israel, with its right-wing government led by Benjamin Netanyahu, is committed to its settlement policy, particularly in Jerusalem. All the talk about a partial suspension of the settlements was but a political manoeuvre by the Israeli government.
Moreover, the two conditions put by the Egyptian minister for Arab states to engage in normalisation steps with Israel are in total opposition with the Arab peace initiative, which demands a series of actions on the part of Israel, mainly the full withdrawal from all the territories occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.
But the reality on the ground indicates that Israel considers both regions as its territory.
In Arab states do undertake any steps toward normalisation with Israel sole resumption of negotiations, that a would be a move in the wrong direction. Israel's strategy is to enter in long negotiations that can last for decades, so the media can talk about a peace process underway while pursuing its policies and arrogant stands.
We know that even before the swine flu pandemic outburst, some of our neighbouring countries had a medical clinical in every school, while we have one doctor for every 30 schools, with every school hosting 300 students, wrote Fawaz Aziz in the Saudi Arabian daily Al Watan.
This single doctor is required to visit all the schools within his sphere, give the students awareness and information lectures, return to his clinic and receive patients, including students and stuff, for consultation.
The Ministry of Education had announced its intention to stop providing medical services and transferring all its units to the Ministry of Health, which would have allowed it an economy of SR356 million. So far, it has not yet done so, nor has it improved the quality of the services provided, which remain mediocre and insufficient.
SR356 million is probably not enough to serve five million students in 32 schools, but if the ministry had transferred to this effect the SR400 million spared annually after the cancellation, two years ago, of the high school central exams, the health units would have provided better care.
In Kuwait, the Ministry of Education announced the rehabilitation, in co-ordination with the health authorities, of 120 school clinics, which the Ministry of Health accepted to equip and staff.
In a time of global media, it has become so easy to enter history with a single unusual move without being a war hero, a leader or an inventor, wrote Khalil Qindil in the Jordanian Arabic daily Addustour. The Iraqi journalist who threw a pair of shoes at the former US President George W Bush was no exception to this rule.
The event could have been concealed and wrapped in the kind of official declarations the Arab world was used to in the 1960s and 1970s. But at this very moment, there was TV, and the whole world was plugged in.
The "camera" nevertheless failed, in the case of Mountazar al Zaidi, to transmit the events that followed his shoe attack against the president of the most powerful country in the world.
The Iraqi shoe thrower is free but the man says he was tortured. He reveals that he was beaten with iron bars backstage, while he could still hear the voices in the conference room where the US president had his meeting.
How many crimes throughout the history of humanity no one ever knew anything about because there was no camera, whereas a unique scene of a man throwing a shoe made him a historic hero.
* Digest compiled by Mohamed Naji
mnaji@thenational.ae
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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