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Egypt’s enemy is UAE’s enemy, says Shaikh Saif
Egypt’s enemy is UAE’s enemy, says Shaikh Saif Allan Jacob / 11 February 2014 Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior states the country’s resolve to wipe out forces that bring instability. The UAE reiterated its backing for the Egyptian government and its people and said any ‘enemy of Egypt is an enemy of the UAE’. Lt-General Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, chose the second Government Summit on Monday to spell out the country’s determination to keep out “any enemy” from spreading its influence in the region. “Egypt was very dear to the late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, is dear to the heart of the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, dear to His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. Egypt is dear to all of us,’’ he said, while stating the country’s resolve to wipe out forces that bring instability. Shaikh Saif said Shaikh Zayed was preparing Shaikh Khalifa “for a bigger role” when he sent him to Egypt during the Arab conflict with Israel in 1973. “We stood by them against the enemy Israel then, and Shaikh Khalifa, Shaikh Zayed’s eldest son, was sent on the mission,” he said. Exceptional leadership Elaborating about the values of leadership, he said the Founding Father of the UAE, Shaikh Zayed, had instilled in his sons and citizens certain qualities that had been the hallmark of governance. He shed light on the how UAE ministers lead from the front and said: “If you want exceptional children, you should be exceptional parents; good students should be taught by exceptional teachers, officials should be exceptional.” “If you’re not an exceptional minister, you will not be able to continue in the ministry,” he said to applause. He said the UAE raised the bar for governance and its leaders Shaikh Khalifa, Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan have their ears to the ground. “They monitor what is happening, and interaction between the public and the government is constant. Performance of ministries and departments are measured and there is accountability at all levels,” he said. The President and the Prime Minister, he said, have the same goals and ensure projects are implemented. Citizens are encouraged to participate in decision-making and ministers interact with people on social media. Development goals Even during the economic crisis in 2008, the country’s leaders did not put a freeze on development projects, the Minister said. “We built roads, buildings, bought aircraft; now real estate is booming again and people are coming in droves for tourism and investment. There is a 40 per cent increase in investments.” Shaikh Saif said the country launched three satellites, hosted the Formula 1 race, Irena headquarters, and won the bid to host Expo 2020. “All this was possible because of internal security measures which have made the UAE a haven of peace. From number 32 on the list, we are number one for security in the region today, which is no mean achievement. We have ensured there is no organised crime in the country,” the Minister said. He also lauded the military for being a strong pillar of the country, and said it made the UAE proud in places as far as Afghanistan and Kosovo. Smart government stems from imagination Shaikh Zayed saw how far the country could progress back in the fifties, so does Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum today, he said. “Shaikh Mohammed says the government should be electronic because he sees the future. Good leaders see the larger picture and are determined to take their vision through to its logical conclusion.” allan@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Dubai Police’s social media accounts hacked
Dubai Police’s social media accounts hacked Staff Reporter / 10 February 2014 The hacker identified as @TheHorsemenLulz attacked the Dubai Police’s Twitter account, posting a message accompanied by an illustration of horsemen wearing Guy Fawkes masks. The Dubai Police’s official social media accounts were hacked on Sunday night. The hacker identified as @TheHorsemenLulz attacked the Dubai Police’s Twitter account, posting a message accompanied by an illustration of horsemen wearing Guy Fawkes masks. “Dubai Police is spying on you, Isn’t it fair that we the people do the same back? hacked by @TheHorsemenLulz,” the message read. The Dubai Police said the official account has been hacked and they were trying to recover it. “Why is this hacked tweet + image still here?? since an hour, how come they didn’t get rid of it yet?” wondered @Dantani in a tweet. A check on the Twitter account later in the night revealed that the authorites were working to fix the glitch. “Sorry, that page doesn’t exist! Thanks for noticing — we’re going to fix it up and have things back to normal soon,” a message on the account said. The hacker also posted a photo of the Dubai Police’s Tumblr account. “Tumblr account of Dubai Police has been hacked,” TheHorsemen posted. The hacker listed Pinterest and LinkedIn as other Dubai Police accounts that have been hacked. –news@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Expat parents not spending quality time with children
Expat parents not spending quality time with children Staff Reporter / 10 February 2014 TV and Internet primary culprits followed by daily chores, finds out 999 survey. Parents are spending much less time with their children compared to when they were growing up, according to a survey of more than 1,200 expatriates conducted by 999 magazine. The survey, conducted in January, points out that on average, expatriate parents in the UAE spend just 50 minutes of quality time with their children on a normal working day with a slight improvement on Thursdays (75 minutes). A variety of pressures of modern life — including increased workloads of parents and children, longer commuting time, and a near invasion of the lives by TV and the Internet — is eating into family time, maintain parents. The new poll shows that the UAE’s expatriate families have a little more than 11 hours together in total each week, with weekends the best time for family bonding. Even when families do get together, more than 62 per cent say the quality of time spent is not great as most of it is spent either in front of the TV, doing homework, reading, playing computer games or some other tasks that don’t qualify as quality family time. Experts are warning against the dangers of not spending enough quality time with children, maintaining that family time can be therapeutic and acts as a deterrent to potential serious problems. There are a number of issues that can come up when children receive little parental involvement and guidance, insists Dr Mehvash Ali, a licensed clinical psychologist in the US, who is currently working as Director for the Academic Centre at the American University of Sharjah. These include attention issues, acting out behaviour or conduct disorders, low self-esteem, low academic achievement, lack of religious values, and social problems, she maintains. “In later life, such children are at higher risk of developing mental health issues including mood disorders, anxiety, eating disorders, and substance abuse. They are also more at risk of dropping out of school/college or having lower than expected academic achievement,” explains Dr Ali. According to the survey results, longer working hours in general and longer commuting time are the primary culprits for UAE families spending less time together as a majority of respondents cited these as the number one reason. Television and the Internet are among major reasons why expatriate families don’t spend quality time together, cited by 14 and 11 per cent of respondents, respectively. Household chores were the top reason for eight per cent of respondents while five per cent of the parents said that their children were of an age where they did not want to spend time with their parents. Lt-Colonel Awadh Saleh Al Kindi, Editor-in-Chief of 999, says, “Time spent with family results in fewer bouts of depression as members feel secure in being part of a supportive family. In addition, parental involvement helps parents themselves to de-stress because this provides them with an opportunity to be away from work-related activities.” (With inputs from Wam) news@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
