US President Donald Trump pauses for a moment of silence at the start of Thursday's press conference. EPA
US President Donald Trump pauses for a moment of silence at the start of Thursday's press conference. EPA
US President Donald Trump pauses for a moment of silence at the start of Thursday's press conference. EPA
US President Donald Trump pauses for a moment of silence at the start of Thursday's press conference. EPA


Trump uses moment of national tragedy to rage against diversity hiring


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  • Arabic

January 30, 2025

For a few short moments on Thursday, President Donald Trump tried to unite a nation in shock over the worst US air disaster in more than a decade.

Standing in the White House briefing room the morning after 67 people were killed when a passenger plane collided with a military helicopter near Washington, Mr Trump did what presidents do: he bowed his head and requested a moment of silence to honour the victims.

“This is a dark and excruciating night in our nation's capital and in our nation's history, and a tragedy of terrible proportions. As one nation, we grieve for every precious soul that has been taken from us,” Mr Trump told those in attendance, including Vice President JD Vance and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

But shortly thereafter, he veered away from whatever script he had been reading. Without providing any evidence, and even as bodies were still being pulled from the Potomac River, Mr Trump suggested the crash was probably the result of the Federal Aviation Administration's diversity hiring practices under the Democrats. The Trump administration has made overturning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes a priority, claiming that unqualified minority candidates are given an unfair advantage in hiring processes.

“It just could have been” because of diversity hiring, Mr Trump said. When asked to elaborate on why he thought this, he said: “Because I have common sense and unfortunately a lot of people don't.”

A military helicopter approaches the Pentagon as a passenger jet passes in the distance on October 22, 2024. Thomas Watkins / The National
A military helicopter approaches the Pentagon as a passenger jet passes in the distance on October 22, 2024. Thomas Watkins / The National

He blamed the previous administrations of Barack Obama and Joe Biden for promoting diversity hiring at federal agencies, claiming that during his first administration he had enforced standards that slipped when he left office in 2021.

“When I arrived in 2016, I made that change very early on because I always felt this was a job … that had to be [for people of] superior intelligence, and we didn't really have that,” he said. “When I left office and Biden took over, he changed [standards] back to lower than ever before.”

DEI programmes, a flashpoint in America's culture wars, were established across the US in part to address historical racial injustices that created barriers to employment for minority groups. But critics say the initiatives are non-meritocratic and discriminate against white people.

Mr Trump said that under diversity programmes, the FAA had sought to recruit workers with “severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions”.

Despite lashing out at DEI programmes, Mr Trump then conceded: “The helicopter obviously was in the wrong place at the wrong time and a tragedy occurred.”

He also took aim at Pete Buttigieg, who was transport secretary in the Biden administration, calling him “a disaster".

“He’s run it right into the ground with his diversity,” Mr Trump said.

Mr Buttigieg responded on X, calling the comments “despicable".

“As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying,” Mr Buttigieg said.

Mr Trump later signed an order withdrawing federal diversity initiatives, saying his presidential memorandum on aviation safety would undo “damage” done by the Biden administration.

Wednesday's crash marked the first major disaster of Mr Trump's new term and his response to it hearkened back to the final weeks of his first stint in office, when he would hold freewheeling and sometimes confusing news conferences addressing the Covid-19 pandemic.

I cross the Lincoln Memorial Bridge that spans Potomac River at least once a week and frequently see military helicopters flying fast and low across the waterway, often headed towards the Pentagon, as nearby passenger jets fly out of or approach Ronald Reagan National Airport. The crowded airspace seems lucky to have avoided any mishaps until now, but we still don't know what went wrong.

What appears clear is that the American Airlines flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, was on a normal descent into the airport when it collided with a military Black Hawk helicopter, whose crew was flying a training exercise while equipped with night-vision goggles.

Why the Black Hawk was allowed to be in the same airspace as a commercial air traffic route will be the subject of intense scrutiny, but for the President of a grieving nation to come out and blame hiring practices without even knowing what transpired is irresponsible.

President Harry Truman famously had a sign on his White House desk that stated “The Buck Stops Here”. As Mr Trump is now in power, he would be well advised to take responsibility and stop blaming everyone else.

MATCH INFO

Norwich City 1 (Cantwell 75') Manchester United 2 (Aghalo 51' 118') After extra time.

Man of the match Harry Maguire (Manchester United)

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While you're here
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Sarfira

Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal 

Rating: 2/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Royal wedding inspired menu

Ginger, citrus and orange blossom iced tea

Avocado ranch dip with crudites

Cucumber, smoked salmon and cream cheese mini club sandwiches

Elderflower and lemon syllabub meringue

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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What is a Ponzi scheme?

A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.

SPECS
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How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now

Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.

The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.

1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):

a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33

b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.

2. For those who have worked more than five years

c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.

Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.

Essentials

The flights

Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours. 

The package

Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.

The%20specs
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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES

All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated

Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid

Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona

The Brutalist

Director: Brady Corbet

Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn

Rating: 3.5/5

How to apply for a drone permit
  • Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
  • Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
  • Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
  • Submit their request
What are the regulations?
  • Fly it within visual line of sight
  • Never over populated areas
  • Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
  • Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
  • Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
  • Should have a live feed of the drone flight
  • Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
New schools in Dubai
The biog

Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives. 

The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast. 

As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau

He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker. 

If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah

 

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PROFILE OF HALAN

Started: November 2017

Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport and logistics

Size: 150 employees

Investment: approximately $8 million

Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar

What sanctions would be reimposed?

Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:

  • An arms embargo
  • A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
  • A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
  • A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
  • Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
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.

Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica

Best Agent: Jorge Mendes

Best Club : Liverpool   

 Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)  

 Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker

 Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo

 Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP

 Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart

Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)

Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)

Best Women's Player:  Lucy Bronze

Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi

 Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)

 Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)

 Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs

RESULTS

Bantamweight:
Zia Mashwani (PAK) bt Chris Corton (PHI)

Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) bt Mohammad Al Khatib (JOR)

Super lightweight:
Dwight Brooks (USA) bt Alex Nacfur (BRA)

Bantamweight:
Tariq Ismail (CAN) bt Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)

Featherweight:
Abdullatip Magomedov (RUS) bt Sulaiman Al Modhyan (KUW)

Middleweight:
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) bt Christofer Silva (BRA)

Middleweight:
Rustam Chsiev (RUS) bt Tarek Suleiman (SYR)

Welterweight:
Khamzat Chimaev (SWE) bt Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA)

Lightweight:
Alex Martinez (CAN) bt Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)

Welterweight:
Jarrah Al Selawi (JOR) bt Abdoul Abdouraguimov (FRA)

PROFILE OF CURE.FIT

Started: July 2016

Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori

Based: Bangalore, India

Sector: Health & wellness

Size: 500 employees

Investment: $250 million

Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)

Skoda Superb Specs

Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol

Power: 190hp

Torque: 320Nm

Price: From Dh147,000

Available: Now

Company%20Profile
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Sly%20Cooper%20and%20the%20Thievius%20Raccoonus
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sucker%20Punch%20Productions%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sony%20Computer%20Entertainment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlayStation%202%20to%205%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Updated: January 30, 2025, 11:23 PM