Conditions inside Manston have been criticised regularly as it became the focal point for processing a record number of people. PA
Conditions inside Manston have been criticised regularly as it became the focal point for processing a record number of people. PA
Conditions inside Manston have been criticised regularly as it became the focal point for processing a record number of people. PA
Conditions inside Manston have been criticised regularly as it became the focal point for processing a record number of people. PA

Man dies at UK migrant processing centre sparking calls for investigation


Simon Rushton
  • English
  • Arabic

A man has died at the controversial migrant processing centre in England, the British government said.

The Home Office, which is responsible for handling migration issues, said a person, understood to be male, died in hospital on Saturday morning after “becoming unwell”. The opposition Labour party and charities have demanded an investigation.

Conditions inside Manston have been criticised regularly as it became the focal point for processing a record number of people landing on England’s south coast.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman made a special visit to the overcrowded Manston site after migrants complained that some of them have been forced to spend a month there.

The dead man is believed to have fallen ill on Friday after arriving in the UK as part of a small boat crossing on November 12.

Efforts are under way to inform the man's next of kin. There has been no indication of the man’s nationality or age.

The small boats crisis has dominated headlines over the past few weeks, with ministers under fire for overcrowding chaos at the holding centre in Kent.

“We express our heartfelt condolences to all those affected,” a statement posted on Twitter by the Home Office said.

A postmortem examination is due to be carried out and the Independent Office for Police Conduct has been notified.

“We take the safety of those in our care extremely seriously and are profoundly saddened by this event.

“A postmortem examination will take place so it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time,” the statement said.

A Home Office spokesperson said there was “no evidence at this stage to suggest that this tragic death was caused by an infectious disease”.

They added: “We take the safety and welfare of those in our care extremely seriously and provide 24/7 health facilities with trained medical staff at Manston.”

At one point as many as 4,000 people were being detained at the site, which is designed to hold just 1,600. This number later dropped to within capacity.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said there will need to be a “full investigation” into the incident.

“We send deepest condolences to the family of the man who has died after staying at Manston. There will need to be a full investigation into what has happened in this tragic case.”

Two charities also joined calls for investigations, the Refugee CCounccil and Inquest, which helps families of people who have died in state-related deaths.

“Every person in Manston must be looked after with the care and attention they need, so when a tragic death likes this takes place it is always a matter of serious concern,” said Refugee Council chief executive Enver Solomon.

“It is vital that a thorough and speedy investigation takes place to understand what happened and whether all the necessary procedures were followed.”

Inquest's director Deborah Coles said: “There have been repeated warnings about the impoverished conditions in Manston and the impact on the mental and physical health of vulnerable people in state detention.”

She added: “We need a fundamental overhaul of a failing and inhumane asylum system. Our thoughts are with all those affected.”

About 40,000 people have arrived in the UK so far this year after making the treacherous trip from France, crossing one of the world's busiest shipping lanes in dinghies and other small boats.

In 2018, there were only 299 people who made the journey. The next year, 1,843 crossings were recorded, followed by 8,466 in 2020 and 28,526 last year

Asylum seekers are meant to be at Manston for only short periods of time while undergoing security and identity checks, before being moved to the Home Office's asylum accommodation.

Some people have been held for longer periods due to a lack of alternative accommodation, with concerns raised over poor conditions.

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Sunday: South Africa v Argentina, Port Elizabeth, 11pm (UAE)

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Expo details

Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia

The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.

It is expected to attract 25 million visits

Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.

More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020

The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area

It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South

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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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eamana%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Karim%20Farra%20and%20Ziad%20Aboujeb%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERegulator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDFSA%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinancial%20services%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E85%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESelf-funded%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

Updated: November 19, 2022, 11:10 PM