Spending squeeze ‘could cost more than 10,000 Civil Service jobs’

The United Arab Emirates has issued a strong condemnation following the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Israeli Minister of National Security. In a statement released on December 26, the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs labeled the event as both provocative and an incitement against Muslims, branding it an act of extremism. Highlighting their firm stance, the Ministry underscored the necessity of providing complete protection for Al-Aqsa Mosque. They urged the cessation of provocative activities on the site and reiterated respect for the custodial role that the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan holds over these sacred spaces in line with international law. The Ministry also sounded the alarm over potential regional instability resulting from such provocations, cautioning against further escalation. Furthermore, the UAE called on Israel to cease its actions and appealed to the international community to bolster efforts for a political solution ensuring comprehensive peace and the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state. (With inputs from agencies.)

Chicago mayor releases 2023 tax returns (copy)Unionaire Group, a leading home appliances manufacturer, has unveiled plans to launch a state-of-the-art factory with an investment of approximately EGP 6bn, marking a significant expansion in Egypt’s manufacturing sector. The company is positioning the new facility to become the largest home appliances factory in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), with a target export capacity of nearly $100m annually. Operations at the factory are expected to begin in 2026. Mohamed Osman, Chairperson of Unionaire, revealed during a press conference that the company is set to invest between $200 million and $300m in expanding its Egyptian operations from 2025 to 2028. He also emphasized the company’s plans to form manufacturing partnerships in Morocco and Tunisia as part of its broader regional expansion strategy. The new factory, spanning 100,000 square meters, will also focus on third-party production for global companies, underlining Unionaire’s commitment to boosting Egypt’s position as an attractive investment hub. Osman noted the importance of Egypt’s robust infrastructure in fostering investment and the growing interest of international firms in entering the Egyptian market. As part of its technological innovation strategy, Unionaire also announced a range of new AI-integrated home and electrical appliances, including refrigerators, stoves, and air conditioners. These products reflect the latest advancements in global technology. Among the notable launches, the company introduced AI-powered stoves capable of cooking food without human intervention, marking the first such product in Egypt. Additionally, Unionaire has developed refrigerators equipped with technology that can eliminate bacteria and viruses, including the coronavirus, while also featuring bottom-freezer and dual-cooling systems. The company has also introduced an energy-efficient electric water heater, designed to heat water only during the specified period of use, reducing electricity consumption while providing comfort to consumers. Youssef Osman, Vice Chairperson of Unionaire, highlighted the company’s extensive experience in the Egyptian market, with 16 factories and nearly 30 years of operation. He also reiterated Unionaire’s commitment to offering consumers the best options, combining the latest technology with lower operational costs and longer product lifespans. Unionaire, recognized as the first company to manufacture air conditioners locally in Egypt, continues to push the envelope in both innovation and production capacity, aiming to expand its footprint in Egypt and abroad..

Spending squeeze ‘could cost more than 10,000 Civil Service jobs’

With the Department of Government Efficiency ( DOGE ) being announced as a sort-of empowered advisory agency adjunct to the incoming Trump administration, there is debate in India about replicating it. Some of the discussion has been pointed. Much of it has been circular and redundant. It merits deeper thought. ET Year-end Special Reads Corporate Kalesh: Top family disputes of India Inc in 2024 The world of business lost these eminent people in 2024 Fast, faster, fastest: How 2024 put more speed into your shopping Making government more efficient - indeed, making any institution more efficient - is a valid aspiration. Efficiency has many parameters. These include rightsizing - as opposed to merely downsizing - and making government more responsive by use of, for instance, technology. Streamlining government structures and regulations also plays a part. All of this operates under an overarching political philosophy, defined by the government. However, models, templates and ideas from one system cannot easily be transplanted. The Indian state needs efficiency, but does GoI need DOGE? Or, at least, DOGE as interpreted by DOGE's leadership? That is an extremely relevant question. It deserves more than loose thoughts expressed by social media ideologues. DOGE's primary focus is to reduce the size of the federal government by slicing off jobs created by executive order in recent years. The logic is that what was created by executive order can be undone by executive order. Cutting positions that will require Congressional approval can happen later. 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These could include certain types of 'soft diplomacy' positions in the State Department, or in education regulation. Done intelligently, this could be very popular with Republicans, and also melt obvious fat. Done with a sledgehammer, it could end up strengthening career civil servants, and removing a layer of political flexibility and subjectivity. Typically, there will be a bit of both, even if DOGE is ultimately judged a success. The situation in India is dissimilar. In core governance roles, relatively few positions have been created or filled by political discretion. True, there is a panoply of institutions and commissions. But these are often at the periphery of government. Further, an honest assessment of the Union government could well conclude that it requires not fewer employees but more, encompassing both technocrats and generalists. The Indian state needs to recede and give more space to entrepreneurship and civil society. But several ministries, departments and agencies are actually understaffed. These are both true, and mean very different things. Could some of this efficiency be injected by bringing in external talent? Again, it would be prudent not to jump to conclusions. Harmonisation of lateral entrants and career bureaucracy is a challenge in many systems. The selection of lateral entrants, too, is critical. India has a long history of such experiments. Some have worked, others have not. The best case studies involve individuals identified for specific positions and roles due to aptitude, skill set and alignment with chosen policy goals. Take India's semiconductor mission. It has made appreciable progress. But within the global semiconductor community, there is a genuine argument as to whether India can, and needs to, make such massive capital investments. Of course, GoI's policy direction is clear. Presume GoI wants to hire an outside specialist for the semiconductor mission. Should it choose the technically best-qualified candidate, who believes the semiconductor policy is flawed? Or the less but still appropriately qualified one, who believes the government is on the right path in committing resources to building a semiconductor ecosystem? A UPSC selection panel could go by objective criteria and nominate the first candidate. An enlightened political appreciation will pick the second. x selections of the second type are more likely to enhance efficiency than 2x selections of the first type. For that, you need not elaborate job application processes, but clear-headed ministers who know whom they want - and what they want to do. Does rewriting or removing laws and minor regulations - 'process reform', as this is referred to these days - enhance efficiency? The answer is a qualified one. While updating regulations and abolishing anachronistic laws have notable modernisation and aesthetic value, it's worth ascertaining which rules and laws are actual hindrances and which are simply around but are no longer being deployed. Many countries are burdened with obsolete laws and regulations not used in practice, and offer no real-world deadweight loss. Removing them is a good thing. But it does not automatically deliver economic outcomes or systemic efficiency. Activity, as Yes Minister cautioned us, is not always achievement. Finally, there are vestigial organisations. New Delhi is no stranger to agencies, councils and commissions that serve little purpose. Perhaps they answered a felt need at their founding. Perhaps they were sinecures for a political favourite. Either way, they have outlived utility and become self-serving cost centres. The Modi government has done much to dissolve, merge and zip such bodies. Yet, the striving never ends. Post facto clean-up is no substitute for institutionalised, built-in correctives. Rather than a one-time DOGE, a regular and systemic audit of government and quasi-government bodies to measure return on investment is better. Ideally, it should be intrinsic to an organisation's inaugural charter itself. It is not too late to start. Any such rigorous audit should look at not just bodies founded in the distant past but closely at institutions and agencies set up since 2014.