WASHINGTON // Flanked by two of his immediate predecessors - George W Bush and Bill Clinton - President Barack Obama announced yesterday the launch of a new fund-raising effort for Haiti and vowed a sustained US commitment to rebuilding the island nation in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake.
"By coming together in this way, these two leaders send an unmistakable message to the people of Haiti and to the people of the world," Mr Obama said, speaking in the White House Rose Garden. "In these difficult hours, America stands united. We stand united with the people of Haiti, who have shown such incredible resilience, and we will help them to recover and to rebuild."
The two former presidents have set up the Clinton Haiti Fund to raise money and the profile of the recovery effort, which Mr Obama described as "one of the largest relief efforts in our history."
"These gentlemen are going to do an extraordinary job. But really what they are going to be doing is just tapping into the incredible generosity, the ingenuity, the can-do spirit of the American people in helping our neighbours in need," he said.
For Mr Bush, the relief work marks a return to the public spotlight. "That earthquake destroyed a lot, it didn't destroy their spirit," said Mr Bush, who was making his first return to the White House.
"The people of Haiti will recover and rebuild and, as they do, they know they'll have a friend in the United States of America."
"We want to stay with this over the long run," added an emotionally charged Mr Clinton, who has served as the UN special envoy to Haiti since May. "I have no words to say what I feel. I was in those hotels that collapsed. I had meals with people who are dead."
The strong show of support comes nearly four days after the powerful earthquake flattened buildings in the country and as hope of finding more survivors is growing dim. Still, US officials said rescue efforts would continue.
"There is still a window," Tim Callaghan, senior regional adviser for Latin America and the Caribbean at the office of foreign disaster assistance, said from Haiti in a conference call with reporters. "We will work non-stop".
The 36 US search and rescue teams currently on the ground in Haiti have rescued 15 people so far, about half of whom are US citizens, Mr Callaghan said, noting that it can take more than 12 hours to dig out a survivor once he or she is located.
Hillary Clinton, the secretary of state, was scheduled to arrive in Haiti on Saturday. She will be the highest ranking US official to witness the devastation firsthand.
"I think her presence there will help smooth operations between the Haitian officials - some who are reticent in relinquishing some power - and US officials," Raymond Joseph, the Haitian ambassador in Washington, told CNN.
Mrs Clinton was to arrive on a flight that had already been scheduled to deliver aid, Denis McDonough, the National Security Council chief of staff, said, responding to concerns that Mrs Clinton's arrival would disrupt the relief efforts.
Mrs Clinton will leave Haiti on an aeroplane transporting rescued US citizens, Mr McDonough said.
Damage to the airport and seaport in Port-au-Prince have hampered the flow of aid and medical personnel into the country.
Still, Mr McDonough said some 180 tonnes of relief supplies have landed in Haiti so far and that a water purification systems would soon be up and running.
The US secretary of defence, Robert Gates, signed a Haiti disaster relief execution order that will authorise US$20 million in immediate relief funds.
Five emergency health centres have now been established in the country and a US hospital ship, the USNS Comfort, which has 1,000 patient beds and multiple operating and recovery rooms, was en route.
Mr Obama has pledged $100 million in assistance and dispatched 10,000 troops, who were expected to arrive in Haiti on Monday.
@Email:sstanek@thenational.ae
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6.30pm Meydan Classic Trial US$100,000 (Turf) 1,400m
Winner Bella Fever, Dane O’Neill (jockey), Mike de Kock (trainer).
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
More on animal trafficking
McLaren GT specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 630Nm
Price: Dh875,000
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RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
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Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
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Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
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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.
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Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
What went into the film
25 visual effects (VFX) studios
2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots
1,000 VFX artists
3,000 technicians
10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers
New sound technology, named 4D SRL
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
Yuki Means Happiness
Alison Jean Lester
John Murray
Directed by Sam Mendes
Starring Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays
4.5/5
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A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mane points for safe home colouring
- Natural and grey hair takes colour differently than chemically treated hair
- Taking hair from a dark to a light colour should involve a slow transition through warmer stages of colour
- When choosing a colour (especially a lighter tone), allow for a natural lift of warmth
- Most modern hair colours are technique-based, in that they require a confident hand and taught skills
- If you decide to be brave and go for it, seek professional advice and use a semi-permanent colour
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OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
Top tips to avoid cyber fraud
Microsoft’s ‘hacker-in-chief’ David Weston, creator of the tech company’s Windows Red Team, advises simple steps to help people avoid falling victim to cyber fraud:
1. Always get the latest operating system on your smartphone or desktop, as it will have the latest innovations. An outdated OS can erode away all investments made in securing your device or system.
2. After installing the latest OS version, keep it patched; this means repairing system vulnerabilities which are discovered after the infrastructure components are released in the market. The vast majority of attacks are based on out of date components – there are missing patches.
3. Multi-factor authentication is required. Move away from passwords as fast as possible, particularly for anything financial. Cybercriminals are targeting money through compromising the users’ identity – his username and password. So, get on the next level of security using fingertips or facial recognition.
4. Move your personal as well as professional data to the cloud, which has advanced threat detection mechanisms and analytics to spot any attempt. Even if you are hit by some ransomware, the chances of restoring the stolen data are higher because everything is backed up.
5. Make the right hardware selection and always refresh it. We are in a time where a number of security improvement processes are reliant on new processors and chip sets that come with embedded security features. Buy a new personal computer with a trusted computing module that has fingerprint or biometric cameras as additional measures of protection.
