Italy trains Lebanese military in leadership skills

(ANSAmed) - Beirut, March 27 - The closing ceremony of the first leadership course organised by the bilateral military mission (Mibil) in Lebanon took place at the Lebanese army's NCO training college in Baalbeck on Tuesday. The two-week course saw participation from 180 third- and final-year students in view of their assignment to various army units. It was led by a mobile training team made up of officer psychologists and trainers using a methodology that alternates traditional frontal instruction with practical activities. The Italian mission is now evaluating the possibility of extending the teaching method to officer pupils. Mibil has been organising and running army training courses in Lebanon since 2015. Following the international meeting in Rome on March 15 the training activities are set to increase. (ANSAmed).

Lebanese piano playing cleric expelled from seminary

by timesofoman.com Beirut: A cleric has been expelled from his seminary in Lebanon after a video of his piano playing, posted online, drew criticism from conservatives, he said. Sayed Hussein Al Husseini, 38, a keen pianist and amateur poet, posted the footage. But the sight of a main in turban and robe performing - even demure classical music - at the piano was a step too far for some. Husseini said the Al Thaqalain seminary in Beirut had expelled him, cancelling his stipend. It declined to comment. Husseini posted the video earlier in March on his social media account and said that within one hour it was viewed more than 10,000 times. In addition to the music, Husseini regularly posts love poems he has written.

Lebanese parliament to discuss 2018 budget

BEIRUT, March 26 (Reuters) - Lebanon's parliament will discuss the government's proposed 2018 budget - which forecasts a slightly reduced deficit of $4.8 billion - on Wednesday and Thursday, state news agency NNA reported on Monday, citing Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. The coalition government, which includes most major parties represented in the parliament, agreed on the budget on March 12. The Lebanese government, one of the most indebted in the world, is under pressure to show it is willing to institute fiscal reforms before an international donor meeting in April. Last year the government passed Lebanon's first state budget since 2005 after years of wrangling between rival parties had all but brought political activity to a halt. The 2018 budget forecasts spending of 23.85 trillion Lebanese pounds ($15.79 billion) and 18.69 trillion pounds of revenues, while including no new taxes. ($1 = 1,510.0000 Lebanese pounds)

The 24-year-old daughter of tech billionaire Michael Dell shares what ‘growing up Dell’ taught her about life and business

by Melia Robinson - Business Insider -- As the daughter of a computer industry pioneer, Alexa Dell, the 24-year-old daughter of Michael Dell, didn't assume she would someday work in tech. Looking back, her journey into the app space seems kind of inevitable. Alexa Dell said she grew up "having a front seat to the master class" led by her father in the '90s. She was inspired by the work her father and "for a lack of a better word, his friends" did in making the world more connected through personal computers and the internet. "The idea that if we can make the world a smaller place with technology, we can really exponentially expand the boundaries of innovation and what's possible within the world," Dell said. "That movement was incredibly intriguing to me, and I wanted to be part of that." In 2013, Dell dropped out of Columbia University to pursue a career in tech. She now runs a business consulting firm and works as an adviser to dating app company Bumble. Business Insider recently caught up with Dell at the SXSW film festival and tech conference in her hometown of Austin, Texas, to hear her life lessons from growing up as a Dell.

It's OK to have lots of interests

Dell had no shortage of interests growing up, including photography, fashion, tech, and editorial. Her parents, Michael and Susan, encouraged Dell and her three siblings to explore their interests and find what fires them up. As a high school student, Dell spent her summers in New York City working at fashion houses. In 2013, Dell left college to work at a dating app company that she declines to name. The experience offered a glimpse into life at a startup, where she said a person's good ideas mattered more than their age, status, or gender. Startups wanted to affect change quickly. "I could much faster and much more efficiently present and execute on my ideas," Dell said, adding: "I knew the space would be best-fitting for the change I wanted to have."

'Hard work is the foundation of success'

Dell said there never was a "bring your daughter to work day" at her father's company, but as a child, she often visited the headquarters in Red Rock, Texas, near her childhood home. She watched him build a multinational corporation out of a startup that was once based in Michael Dell's freshman year dorm room. While studying at University of Texas at Austin, Michael launched the company formerly known as PC's Limited with a $1,000 family loan. "The advice that he's given me is that hard work is really the foundation of success," Dell said.

An active lifestyle makes for a happier work-life

Alexa Dell's Instagram has a rare few family photos. In a post captioned "Squad goals," Dell poses atop Grand Canyon National Park with her parents dressed in athletic wear. "Both my parents are very active," Dell said. She learned from her parents that a healthy lifestyle can lead to increased productivity at work. Dell's home office has a treadmill desk where she prefers to take conference calls. "It's great because your blood is circulating and you can think better, you can think more clearly," Dell said. "That's something I kind of learned from them."

Details of Saudi Crown Prince’s innovation-packed visit to Boston

Al Arabiya -- Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman visited the IBM Watson Health Center and Mechatronics Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston on Saturday on the second leg of his US tour. During the visit, IBM Watson's Senior Vice-President, David Kenny, briefed the Crown Prince with a video presentation on artificial intelligence and improved research performance on drugs using artificial intelligence. Prince Mohammed met with MIT President Leo Rafael Reif, who accompanied the Crown Prince on a tour of the institute and visited the Mechatronics Lab, which uses modern technologies in artificial limbs.

At the Institute's Innovation Exhibition, the crown prince saw many examples of modern AI innovations and selected technical products for a number of Saudi universities and companies. our agreements were signed between MIT, Aramco, SABIC, the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology. The signing of these scientific and technological cooperation agreements took place on the sidelines of the Innovation to Impact Forum held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The most prominent of these agreements was a partnership between MIT and KAUST to collaborate on a new Saudi project named "Future Destination." The partnership includes joint agreements on research, student exchanges and entrepreneurship. With the framework of its research and scientific cooperation with MIT, KAUST reviewed the use of bio-energy in the field of oil and gas exploration, and using alternative energy for smart cities and various other areas, including networks for the Internet of Things, in addition to the introduction of a new generation of sensors to monitor the state of the Red Sea and its organisms, to preserve the environment and protect them for future generations. In the KAUST pavilion at the Forum, four programs were presented. The first, an advanced research program, seeks to invest in future technologies. The second program aims to promote innovation at all stages through a technology investment project in emerging companies. The third aims to establish an environment that will contribute to increasing bilateral trade between Saudi Arabia and the United States. The fourth program aims at qualifying talented researchers in Saudi Arabia through the Technology Leaders Program, which provides a unique opportunity to advance Saudi researchers and students. In the SABIC booth, specialized products were exhibited in the plastics engineering industry, and specialized techniques in the manufacture of automobiles, sanitary equipment and medical devices. At the Aramco pavilion, the Saudi Aramco Research Center in Boston presented models of the Center's programs, including the 70% crude oil conversion of chemicals, oil and gas simulation program, 3D manufacturing, nanotechnology and CO2 conversion to chemicals to reduce emissions.

Grace Kelly's granddaughter 'set to wed' French-Lebanese beau

By emirateswoman.com --She’s ninth in line to the throne of Monaco, an established writer, and a darling of the fashion scene—and it looks like Charlotte Casiraghi can now add bride-to-be to her CV. The style icon, who is the granddaughter of Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly, is rumoured to be engaged to French-Lebanese film producer Dimitri Rassam following a year-long romance. The 31-year-old sported a diamond on her ring finger at the annual Rose Ball in Monte Carlo on Saturday night, as she attended with her 36-year-old beau. The couple was also joined at the social event—which was hosted by designer Karl Largerfeld—by Casiraghi’s mother, Princess Caroline, and brother Pierre. Casiraghi, who is Princess Caroline’s eldest daughter, wore a Saint Laurent gown for the occasion, featuring a luxuriant feathered neckline. HOLA! magazine reported earlier this month that the two are set to marry this summer in Sicily, where Rassam’s family own a villa.

The groom-to-be is the son of late French-Lebanese film producer Jean-Pierre Rassam and French actress and fashion model Carole Bouquet. Rassam Jnr was educated in France, and started his own production company aged 23. His production credits include 2015’s The Little Prince, 2017’s Le Brio, and the upcoming Playmobil The Movie. If the rumours are true, it won’t be the only regal wedding 2018 will see, with Britain’s Prince Harry and Suits actress Meghan Markle set to exchange vows on May 19. Congratulations to the happy couple!