The UK paid tribute to almost 160,000 British Commonwealth and Allied troops who took part in D-Day, the operation to drive out the forces of Nazi Germany, during a ceremony on Wednesday.
King Charles III, Queen Camilla, the Prince of Wales and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak led commemorations in Portsmouth, a major staging post for the key Second World War battle and the main departure point for the 5,000 ships that sailed to Normandy for the operation.
“Today we come together to honour those nearly 160,000 British Commonwealth and Allied troops who, on June 5 1944, assembled here and along these shores to embark on the mission which would strike that blow for freedom and be recorded as the greatest amphibious operation in history,” King Charles said.
“So, as we give thanks for all those who gave so much to win the victory, whose fruits we still enjoy to this day, let us once again commit ourselves always to remember, cherish and honour those who served that day and to live up to the freedom they died for.”
The commemoration began with a fly-past by Dakota aircraft before host Dame Helen Mirren took to the stage to narrate a history of how D-Day unfolded and affected those who took part.
France is also hosting its own D-Day celebrations, with President Emmanuel Macron travelling on Wednesday to the western region of Brittany to pay tribute to French citizens who resisted German occupation during the Second World War.
“Let us live up to our legacy of bravery,” Mr Macron said in a speech.
On Wednesday Anne, the Princess Royal, paid tribute to British D-Day veterans as she met former servicemen gathered in Normandy.
She joined veterans and their families at the Royal British Legion’s poignant service of commemoration at Bayeux War Cemetery, where the congregation was surrounded by the graves of more than 4,000 soldiers.
An international ceremony is scheduled for Thursday at Omaha Beach in Normandy, which will be attended by more than 30 heads of state including Mr Sunak, Prince William, US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Russia has not been invited because of the continuing war in Ukraine.
The Portsmouth ceremony featured veterans reading dramatic accounts of the invasion, including an emotional letter written to a wife by a soldier who was killed the day after D-Day.
“We will always remember those who served and those who waved them off,” said Prince William.
“The mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters who watched their loved ones go into battle, unsure if they would ever return.”
Mr Sunak read the message from Gen Bernard Montgomery, commander of the Allied forces on D-Day, which was delivered to all troops before the invasion.
The event ended with a gun salute from the frigate HMS St Albans, which sailed past in the Solent, and a rendition of the national anthem before a fly-past by the Red Arrows and Typhoon jets.
Across the water in France, where the main ceremonies will take place on Thursday, thousands of tourists assembled on D-Day beaches and at Second World War cemeteries.
Veterans and world leaders gather to mark 80th anniversary of D-Day – in pictures
Collectors drove army jeeps, and US, Canadian, British and French flags adorned buildings.
“It's very important not to forget this sacrifice,” British tourist Daniel Reeves, 27, said as he visited the US war cemetery in Colleville-Sur-Mer this week.
It's “absolutely amazing and extremely emotional, especially when you see them, the veterans, and they say: 'Thank you, my friend',” said British visitor Karen Swinger.
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Griselda
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ARGENTINA SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Franco Armani, Agustin Marchesin, Esteban Andrada
Defenders: Juan Foyth, Nicolas Otamendi, German Pezzella, Nicolas Tagliafico, Ramiro Funes Mori, Renzo Saravia, Marcos Acuna, Milton Casco
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes, Guido Rodriguez, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Roberto Pereyra, Rodrigo De Paul, Angel Di Maria
Forwards: Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Lautaro Martinez, Paulo Dybala, Matias Suarez
SPECS
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PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Kamindu Mendis bio
Full name: Pasqual Handi Kamindu Dilanka Mendis
Born: September 30, 1998
Age: 20 years and 26 days
Nationality: Sri Lankan
Major teams Sri Lanka's Under 19 team
Batting style: Left-hander
Bowling style: Right-arm off-spin and slow left-arm orthodox (that's right!)
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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Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Book%20Details
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
