As heir to the throne and Queen Elizabeth II's first minister, Prince Charles and Boris Johnson should be used to their paths crossing, but when the pair shake hands in Rwanda later this week expectations are for both to wear a grimace, not a smile.
Standing in for the monarch and head of the British Commonwealth, Prince Charles suffered setback in the lead up to the meeting when a newspaper reported he had privately described a UK government deal with Rwanda to deport illegal arrivals as appalling. The remarks potentially brought the monarchy into dispute with the government but also offered offence to Rwanda, which is hosting the Commonwealth Summit for the first time since it joined in 2009.
While the prince has repeatedly called for humanitarian treatment of refugees, the British prime minister has stuck by his government's deportation policy despite a last-minute intervention by the European Court of Human Rights grounding the inaugural flight last week.
The interaction between the prince and Mr Johnson, who do not enjoy a warm relationship, will be scrutinised at the meeting in the Rwandan capital of Kigali of 54 Commonwealth countries, which vary in size from the Pacific archipelago of Tuvalu (population 11,000) to India (population 1.3 billion).
That awkwardness could intensify as Prince Charles is likely to be asked about his views on the Rwanda deportations during bilateral meetings, particularly with developing countries. He may also comment on it to the media, although as heir to the British throne he is meant to remain politically neutral.
Mr Johnson pointedly sidestepped the issue in an opinion piece he wrote for The Daily Telegraph on Monday in which he set out his own personal mission statement for the group. The UK prime minister, said the Commonwealth was “ever more significant and valuable” with its members “encompassing about a third of humanity”.
He said Britain was using its “regained sovereignty” post-Brexit to sign Commonwealth free-trade agreements, with 33 achieved so far, and planned to cement one with India “the biggest of them all, by Diwali in October”.
From Rwanda, Mr Johnson will fly to a castle in the Bavarian Alps for a G7 summit at the weekend. It will contrast sharply from the scenario in Cornwall last year, when he hosted the first in-person G7 meeting since the outbreak of the pandemic, with the agenda dominated by Covid-19 and climate change.
During the three-day summit at Schloss Elmau, the seven nations will focus on imposing greater sanctions on Russia, as well as the need to plan for Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction.
Germany has also invited the leaders of India, Indonesia, Argentina, Senegal and South Africa and, given China’s economic woes, will look to refocus the G7 on collaborative science and technology agreements.
After the three-day summit, the G7 leaders from Nato countries will head to the Spanish capital to join their colleagues for one of the alliance’s most important meetings.
Foremost will be how the 30 members formulate a strategy to help Ukraine defeat Russia, discussing the weapons and funding they will provide and for how long.
Uncompromising countries, such as the US, UK and Poland, will ask others, including France and Germany, to hold firm without urging Ukraine to cede any territory to Russia.
If the alliance remains resilient, then Ukraine can expect a significant increase in more advanced weaponry, including Europe’s highly accurate artillery pieces.
Another priority will be cajoling Turkey into dropping its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining Nato, possibly with some American pressure combined with the offer of military aid.
The three major summits could set the agenda for several years.
As Mr Johnson's official spokesman told The National: “All three are significant summits, broadly united with the theme that we are all facing global challenges at the moment.
“Whether it's war in Europe, coming out of the pandemic or inflation, the summit will get together world leaders to discuss what can be done on these important issues to make progress, not least on how we go further in supporting Ukraine.”
Prince Charles in Barbados – in pictures
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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.
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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
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Edited by Sarah Cleave, Comma Press
Cryopreservation: A timeline
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Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
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Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The years Ramadan fell in May
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The biog
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Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
Match info
Premier League
Manchester United 2 (Martial 30', Lingard 69')
Arsenal 2 (Mustafi 26', Rojo 68' OG)
HOW TO WATCH
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Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
Greatest Royal Rumble results
John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match
Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
Rocketman
Director: Dexter Fletcher
Starring: Taron Egerton, Richard Madden, Jamie Bell
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
More coverage from the Future Forum
Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
