I've become quite used to it now. Every time I return to my home town of London another seemingly permanent aspect of British life has been swept away, or has collapsed in chaos, or been sold or taken over.
For the past 12 months it was the UK's economic and commercial system - the banks and property lenders, the great High Street retailers, the public transport system - that went into a spasm, apparently every time I set foot in the Heathrow arrivals hall.
It was rather like being back in a town you once knew quite well but hadn't visited for a few years: "Wasn't there something there once, just on that patch of urban wasteland? Oh yes, I remember. It used to be a world-class financial system."
Last weekend was the most profound shock to date, because the British system of parliamentary democracy looks to be in danger of extinction.
The extravagant abuse of expenses claims by members of parliament, drip-fed on a daily basis on the front pages of The Daily Telegraph, is threatening to undermine British politics in a profound and radical manner.
It is difficult to know which is the more serious threat: the scorn and disrepute heaped on all politicians as a result of the expenses scandal, with a resulting potential for alienation from the entire political process; or the risk that voters at the next election, which has to be called before May next year, will shun the traditional political parties, especially Labour and Conservative, in favour of extremists from right and left.
I have never encountered a political atmosphere such as that which exists in London now. There is unprecedented outrage on the part of ordinary citizens, struggling to get through the ravages of economic recession, that their political masters should be shown to be such arch-agents of venality and downright fraud.
Politicians have been ripping off the system for years, it seems, claiming as legitimate expenses anything from grocery bills, adult movies and lavish chandeliers. They have also been breaking the capital gains tax laws on quite a lavish scale.
Serious commentators are talking about the "collapse" of normal political life and the need for radical reform of the "Mother of Parliaments".
Whatever else the scandal does, it is the final nail in the coffin for Gordon Brown (although this particular coffin is so riven through with metal it will take a crane to lower it to its final resting place).
Barring a miracle, the prime minister will be lucky to reach next year's election date without being toppled from leadership, but even if he survives it will only be to lead his party to ignominious defeat.
On the macroeconomic front, Mr Brown's legacy was thrown into sharp relief by recent reports from international agencies which showed just how badly the UK has been affected by the global crisis.
The IMF brought out a scathing indictment of Mr Brown's handling of the crisis, accusing him of incompetence and ineffectiveness in his reaction, implying that any incoming government would have to take more painful action, especially with regard to public spending.
The ratings agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) also stuck in the knife with a downgrading of Britain's economic prospects and, by implication, the creditworthiness of the government.
Calling the long-term outlook on the UK "negative", S&P raises the real possibility that the UK could lose its valued "AAA" status in the next couple of years, only the second of the major industrialised countries - Japan is already "AA" - to face such shame.
Losing that "A" would be a rather more serious threat to Britain than, say, a chef losing a Michelin star. And, of course, it would be, for joking aside this is a deeply unsettling matter.
The UK is faced with such a huge public sector debt, equal to total GDP by some estimates, that it will have to take drastic measures on cutting public spending, increasing taxes and seeking further access to international bond markets.
If its creditworthiness is reduced, it will find it all the harder to raise funding on decent terms. The real prospect of national bankruptcy looms over the UK.
For many individuals, that fate is already a reality. A study of the true state of individual debt in Britain suggested that almost one million people would be technically insolvent by the end of this year, and would be seeking to do some sort of deal with creditors and bankers.
It is a depressing prospect, especially with unemployment still rising inexorably. But with that gloomy prognosis came a simultaneous warning that politicians caught in the spotlight of public hatred might be contemplating suicide.
The true state of public opinion is that most debt-battered citizens would favour a ritual bout of hara-kiri en masse by Britain's parliamentarians.
It is not a healthy atmosphere over there at the moment.
fkane@thenational.ae
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
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
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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.
The biog
Title: General Practitioner with a speciality in cardiology
Previous jobs: Worked in well-known hospitals Jaslok and Breach Candy in Mumbai, India
Education: Medical degree from the Government Medical College in Nagpur
How it all began: opened his first clinic in Ajman in 1993
Family: a 90-year-old mother, wife and two daughters
Remembers a time when medicines from India were purchased per kilo
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)
Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)
Wednesday
Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)
Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)
Norwich City v Everton (9pm)
Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)
Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)
Thursday
Burnley v Watford (9pm)
Southampton v Arsenal (9pm)
Chelsea v Manchester City (11.15pm)
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
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
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
PRO BASH
Thursday’s fixtures
6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors
10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters
Teams
Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.
Squad rules
All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.
Tournament rules
The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.
How Apple's credit card works
The Apple Card looks different from a traditional credit card — there's no number on the front and the users' name is etched in metal. The card expands the company's digital Apple Pay services, marrying the physical card to a virtual one and integrating both with the iPhone. Its attributes include quick sign-up, elimination of most fees, strong security protections and cash back.
What does it cost?
Apple says there are no fees associated with the card. That means no late fee, no annual fee, no international fee and no over-the-limit fees. It also said it aims to have among the lowest interest rates in the industry. Users must have an iPhone to use the card, which comes at a cost. But they will earn cash back on their purchases — 3 per cent on Apple purchases, 2 per cent on those with the virtual card and 1 per cent with the physical card. Apple says it is the only card to provide those rewards in real time, so that cash earned can be used immediately.
What will the interest rate be?
The card doesn't come out until summer but Apple has said that as of March, the variable annual percentage rate on the card could be anywhere from 13.24 per cent to 24.24 per cent based on creditworthiness. That's in line with the rest of the market, according to analysts
What about security?
The physical card has no numbers so purchases are made with the embedded chip and the digital version lives in your Apple Wallet on your phone, where it's protected by fingerprints or facial recognition. That means that even if someone steals your phone, they won't be able to use the card to buy things.
Is it easy to use?
Apple says users will be able to sign up for the card in the Wallet app on their iPhone and begin using it almost immediately. It also tracks spending on the phone in a more user-friendly format, eliminating some of the gibberish that fills a traditional credit card statement. Plus it includes some budgeting tools, such as tracking spending and providing estimates of how much interest could be charged on a purchase to help people make an informed decision.
* Associated Press
Two products to make at home
Toilet cleaner
1 cup baking soda
1 cup castile soap
10-20 drops of lemon essential oil (or another oil of your choice)
Method:
1. Mix the baking soda and castile soap until you get a nice consistency.
2. Add the essential oil to the mix.
Air Freshener
100ml water
5 drops of the essential oil of your choice (note: lavender is a nice one for this)
Method:
1. Add water and oil to spray bottle to store.
2. Shake well before use.
LUKA CHUPPI
Director: Laxman Utekar
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Cinema
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Sanon, Pankaj Tripathi, Vinay Pathak, Aparshakti Khurana
Rating: 3/5
Fund-raising tips for start-ups
Develop an innovative business concept
Have the ability to differentiate yourself from competitors
Put in place a business continuity plan after Covid-19
Prepare for the worst-case scenario (further lockdowns, long wait for a vaccine, etc.)
Have enough cash to stay afloat for the next 12 to 18 months
Be creative and innovative to reduce expenses
Be prepared to use Covid-19 as an opportunity for your business
* Tips from Jassim Al Marzooqi and Walid Hanna