In Washington, there is a hawkish foreign policy establishment composed of both Democrats and Republicans, bent on “championing the old-time gospel of American leadership on the world stage” as the US news website Politico recently put it, known as “the blob”. That group of people is associated with the use of armed force. But there is another kind of “blob” made up of elite liberal opinion-formers and leaders on both sides of the Atlantic, comprising all of the Democratic Party, some Republicans, most heads of Western European governments, countless NGOs and think tanks, and much of the respectable mainstream – and probably all of the state-run – media.
This blob will be very unhappy indeed at the expected landslide victory by Ferdinand Marcos Jr in the Philippines’ presidential election. “Bongbong”, as he is known, is the unrepentant son of a kleptocratic dictator, they will say. Nostalgia for the rule of Ferdinand Marcos Sr (1965-86) shows that the country’s democracy is in danger, and that the Philippines is succumbing to the insidious appeal of populist authoritarianism that has swept much of the globe. Whereupon members of this blob never forget to mention Brexit, the UK’s decision to leave the EU, and the election of Donald Trump as US president in 2016.
This very wide range of people with enormous influence and power see these events not as part of the give and take of politics. They see them as morally wrong. Further, they believe them to be illegitimate outcomes because, they assert, they were won with misinformation.
As if on cue, here was the Philippine journalist and Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa on Monday. Referring to the election of the decidedly no-nonsense Rodrigo Duterte as president in 2016, and then to Mr Marcos’s likely succession, she accused their supporters of “impacting” and “changing” reality. She said: “This is a global information ecosystem. Like in 2016, we were the first domino to fall followed by Brexit, Trump, Bolsonaro – well here you go again. Brazil has elections in October, the US has elections in November. So if we fall, stay tuned, it’s coming for you.”
The bigger point is that it is misguided, oversimplistic and offensive for many to paint these political events as all instances of one trend. Neither should the voters responsible be lumped together as one.
The religious right supported Mr Trump, for instance, because he gave them a lot of what they wanted, including a Supreme Court that seems poised to reverse Roe v Wade. Not all Trump supporters were the “Maga” rednecks of liberal satire.
Brexit supporters on the left – the historical home of British Euroscepticism – bristle resentfully at being associated with anyone who voted for Mr Trump, and cannot see how their opposition to leaders of the EU’s executive arm not being elected by their subjects could possibly translate to supporting populist authoritarianism.
Wait for the analyses pointing out that many of Marcos’s supporters were 'poor'
Many Filipinos voted for Mr Marcos as – rightly or wrongly – they viewed him and his family as individuals who actually made a difference to ordinary people's lives. This includes people who were alive when Marcos Sr was in power.
But the transatlantic blob would insist that no one in full possession of the facts and of sound mind could support any of these results. If they are not being misled by misinformation or suffering, as the Marxists say, from “false consciousness” (like low-income Americans who vote for tax cuts that will never benefit them), there then must be other reasons. Here the members of this blob manage to conceal the contempt they feel for those who support the “wrong” policies or people most of the time – which makes it all the more instructive when the mask slips.
If contempt sounds too strong a word, remember Hillary Clinton’s description of about half of Mr Trump’s supporters in 2016. You could put them, she said, “into what I call the basket of deplorables… They're racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic – you name it”. Given Mr Trump’s score of 46 per cent in the presidential race, that appears to be Mrs Clinton’s unvarnished opinion of 23 per cent of the US electorate. Similarly I recall an arch-Remainer relative telling me bitterly that the Brexit vote was down to “stupid northerners who didn’t know what they were voting for”.
Lack of brain power is often elided with lack of wealth. Wait for the analyses pointing out that many of Mr Marcos’s supporters were “poor”. As it happens I know several Filipinos who are huge supporters of Bongbong. Yes, their incomes are low, but I can attest to their intelligence. Why should their views be any less valid?
But to this blob, choices of which they don’t approve are unacceptable. This doesn’t just go against the democratic values they constantly preach, it is also profoundly disrespectful. It would be more constructive if, instead of being so hasty to condemn, they spent more time trying to understand why others support policies or politicians they find so distasteful.
Then next time a country produces a president Bongbong or Trump they might not be so surprised. They might also be better able to engage with voters whose decisions they dislike if, rather than dismissing them as a mass of “deplorables” deserving only of their condescension, they considered them as individuals, who may be driven by a multiplicity of reasons. They might find, to their surprise, that some of these individuals' motivations are quite reasonable. If they can get over themselves, members of the blob might even learn from them.
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Trolls World Tour
Directed by: Walt Dohrn, David Smith
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake
Rating: 4 stars
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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
First-round leaderbaord
-5 C Conners (Can)
-3 B Koepka (US), K Bradley (US), V Hovland (Nor), A Wise (US), S Horsfield (Eng), C Davis (Aus);
-2 C Morikawa (US), M Laird (Sco), C Tringale (US)
Selected others: -1 P Casey (Eng), R Fowler (US), T Hatton (Eng)
Level B DeChambeau (US), J Rose (Eng)
1 L Westwood (Eng), J Spieth (US)
3 R McIlroy (NI)
4 D Johnson (US)
FIXTURES
All games 6pm UAE on Sunday:
Arsenal v Watford
Burnley v Brighton
Chelsea v Wolves
Crystal Palace v Tottenham
Everton v Bournemouth
Leicester v Man United
Man City v Norwich
Newcastle v Liverpool
Southampton v Sheffield United
West Ham v Aston Villa
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Tell-tale signs of burnout
- loss of confidence and appetite
- irritability and emotional outbursts
- sadness
- persistent physical ailments such as headaches, frequent infections and fatigue
- substance abuse, such as smoking or drinking more
- impaired judgement
- excessive and continuous worrying
- irregular sleep patterns
Tips to help overcome burnout
Acknowledge how you are feeling by listening to your warning signs. Set boundaries and learn to say ‘no’
Do activities that you want to do as well as things you have to do
Undertake at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. It releases an abundance of feel-good hormones
Find your form of relaxation and make time for it each day e.g. soothing music, reading or mindful meditation
Sleep and wake at the same time every day, even if your sleep pattern was disrupted. Without enough sleep condition such as stress, anxiety and depression can thrive.
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2019 GMC Yukon Denali
Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 621Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.9L / 100km
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes.
Where to stay
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.
India cancels school-leaving examinations
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The five pillars of Islam
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Company%20profile%20
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