SHEBBA FARMS, LEBANON // That there is a bomb shelter in the basement of the nearly completed Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Hospital could be considered unusual, until the lead engineer on the US$16 million (Dh58.7m) project, Issam Haydar, points to a radio antenna on a nearby mountain top.
"That's the Israeli -observation post for the occupied Golan Heights," he said. "The fence between Lebanon and the occupied section of Shebba Farms is just 500 metres away, so we need a place to protect the patients and doctors in case of an attack."
The hospital is a gift from Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, the President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, to the mostly Sunni and Druze residents of Shebba Farms, a remote mountain town isolated even further by regional politics.
Shebba sits at the three-way meeting of Syria, Lebanon and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Israeli soldiers can frequently be seen patrolling along the hi-tech fence intended to keep out Lebanese resistance fighters, who have used the rugged mountain terrain for attacks on occupying troops.
And even for a reporter to visit the tense area requires a slew of official permissions from the Lebanese authorities and unofficial calls to Hizbollah, the militant Shiite group, which tightly controls access to the area for security reasons. The National was granted access to the area under an agreement with the Lebanese military not to photograph or conduct interviews outside of the hospital complex.
These security controls have had a devastating effect on the local community, which shrinks from about 35,000 people in summer to less than 10,000 in winter due to brutal weather and a lack of economic development caused by the security restrictions on travel through the area and the ongoing tensions between the three countries.
"There's never been any real economic development here, so most of the young people leave for Beirut or abroad," said Mr Haydar, who hails from Khaym, a nearby Shiite town considered a Hizbollah stronghold and the location of the infamous Israeli prison used throughout the occupation of South Lebanon from 1978 to 2000.
"This hospital, when completed, will offer the most modern health services to 35,000 to 40,000 people who have never had a real clinic, let alone a hospital before. In the past, anyone who needed a hospital had to travel to Majayoun."
In good weather it can take up to 90 minutes by car to reach Majayoun, the closest major town to the area, but in winter, the roads are frequently impassable.
The effort to bring modern medical care to the people in this most remote of corners in Lebanon began in 2007 and the hospital is now essentially completed and in the process of installing equipment. Scattered throughout the facility, which rivals even Beirut's American University Hospital for modern fixtures, are top-end machines from X-ray and MRI devices, to postnatal care for premature infants.
Expected to become operational this month, the hospital will have 40 beds for in-patient care and the capacity to serve as a clinic for the entire region, said Mr Haydar.
But it is not just the modern facilities that are so striking about the facility: its location, nestled among the most beautiful mountains in the Middle East, has Mr Haydar joking that the project is misguided.
"Of course there is a great need for this facility, but when you stand here and look into the mountains and their beauty, I wish that we could be building a tourist resort so that people can come visit this land and help us develop economically," he said. "This view is almost wasted on a hospital."
mprothero@thenational.ae
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
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Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
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If you go…
Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.
Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days.
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
