Boris Johnson carries a wreath during the Remembrance Sunday service in London on Sunday. The British Prime Minister finds himself in a bind after Joe Biden's win. AP Photo
Boris Johnson carries a wreath during the Remembrance Sunday service in London on Sunday. The British Prime Minister finds himself in a bind after Joe Biden's win. AP Photo
Boris Johnson carries a wreath during the Remembrance Sunday service in London on Sunday. The British Prime Minister finds himself in a bind after Joe Biden's win. AP Photo
Boris Johnson carries a wreath during the Remembrance Sunday service in London on Sunday. The British Prime Minister finds himself in a bind after Joe Biden's win. AP Photo

Why Joe Biden's win just put Boris Johnson in a Catch-22 situation


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In 2018, Joe Biden sat down for an interview with the former leader of Britain’s Liberal Democratic party, Nick Clegg. Mr Biden was asked about Brexit. As usual, he spoke his mind. Many American foreign policy experts, including those in the President-elect’s team, fret about Britain’s declining role in the world as a result of leaving the European Union.

Mr Biden said: “I was really disappointed in terms of US interests. If we had any voice in Europe, it was you. I was not surprised, because in times of confusion and great change I think we all become susceptible to demagogues and charlatans who in order to aggrandise their power find a scapegoat.”

In the past few days, asked by a reporter if he had any words for the BBC, Mr Biden had two: “I’m Irish.”

The amusing quip and the deeply felt concern illuminate what the British government must deal with after four-and-a-half years when bluster from pro-Brexit “demagogues and charlatans” finally becomes a reality.

Negotiations between Britain and the EU continue about a deal, as we stagger towards Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s self-imposed deadline of December 31. But Mr Johnson faces exactly the same dilemma with which he undermined his predecessor Theresa May. Will it be a painful Brexit or a pointless Brexit?

"Painful" would be crashing out of the EU without a deal, thereby deliberately and significantly damaging the British economy. Enormous lorry parks are being constructed in Kent to cope with predicted tailbacks from the port of Dover, the main trade route to France. Government sources speak of special "Kent passports", permits without which lorries will not be able to reach the coast. This painful Brexit will hit as Britain also faces the deepest economic slowdown in living memory as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

But if Mr Johnson does secure a deal with the EU, his personal position may become even more precarious. Any deal will, predictably, be branded a "sell-out" by Mr Johnson's political opponents, including Nigel Farage. Some within his own party may also be disgusted at a pointless Brexit. And since any new deal with Europe will be worse than the one Britain already has, the majority of British citizens who now believe Brexit is a mistake will be furious that after almost five years of negotiations we are making ourselves poorer with few benefits.

Mr Johnson thought it would go differently. He had a warm relationship with the Trump family. US President Donald Trump called him (ungrammatically) "Britain Trump". An unnamed source in the Biden camp told a British newspaper that Mr Johnson is regarded rather as a "shapeshifting creep". Others believe that the Prime Minister fits Mr Biden's description of "demagogues and charlatans who in order to aggrandise their power find a scapegoat". Mr Biden himself, however, is a good friend of Britain even if he is not a fan of Mr Johnson.

For some years I was a neighbour of the former Labour party leader Neil Kinnock. Mr Biden admired Mr Kinnock so much that he once plagiarised one of Mr Kinnock's speeches, something that caused a mini-scandal at the time. But Mr Kinnock laughed uproariously at the implied compliment, and Mr Biden shared the joke. The two became friends and Mr Kinnock told me the President-elect was also a true American friend of the UK.

Traffic crosses the border into Northern Ireland from the Irish Republic alongside a Brexit Border poster. AFP
Traffic crosses the border into Northern Ireland from the Irish Republic alongside a Brexit Border poster. AFP

Besides, some years ago during a row between the then British prime minister and the US president, the British ambassador to Washington wryly informed me that the prime minister and the president will always have to get along because those were “the rules” of diplomacy. A US State Department official said much the same when he told me “the totality of the relationships” between the UK and US was so great that whatever their differences the two leaders would work constructively together.

All this means that the hugely pragmatic and personally generous Mr Biden wants a strong relationship with the UK, and will therefore tolerate Mr Johnson. The bad news is that what a few deluded British commentators still call "the special relationship" exists more in the British imagination than in the American reality. When Mr Biden says "I'm Irish", he is reaffirming his commitment to peace in Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement. That's his "special relationship". Any chicanery from Mr Johnson on Ireland will make life exceedingly difficult for the UK.

In any case, if it comes to a post-Brexit US-UK trade deal, it may take years – and no president ultimately decides. Congress does, in particular the finely balanced Senate. The US Trade Representative has held public hearings on Brexit during which US lobbyists from the farming, health care, aviation and other sectors demanded that any trade treaty with the UK must open up British markets to their products and interests. Members of Congress will obviously seek the greatest benefit for these powerful lobbies that provide jobs in their states, and contribute to their own campaign funds.

Mr Johnson’s needs and hopes are not on any American politician’s list of priorities, especially those who – like Mr Trump himself – see Mr Johnson as just Mr Trump’s British “Mini-Me”.

Gavin Esler is a broadcaster and UK columnist for The National

Volvo ES90 Specs

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Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

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Russia's Muslim Heartlands

Dominic Rubin, Oxford

'Skin'

Dir: Guy Nattiv

Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

T20 World Cup Qualifier

October 18 – November 2

Opening fixtures

Friday, October 18

ICC Academy: 10am, Scotland v Singapore, 2.10pm, Netherlands v Kenya

Zayed Cricket Stadium: 2.10pm, Hong Kong v Ireland, 7.30pm, Oman v UAE

UAE squad

Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Darius D’Silva, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Junaid Siddique, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Waheed Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Zahoor Khan

Players out: Mohammed Naveed, Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed

Players in: Junaid Siddique, Darius D’Silva, Waheed Ahmed

German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30 

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.

Which honey takes your fancy?

Al Ghaf Honey

The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year

Sidr Honey

The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest

Samar Honey

The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments

SQUADS

India
Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur

New Zealand
Kane Williamson (captain), Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wicketkeeper), Henry Nicholls, Ish Sodhi, George Worker, Glenn Phillips, Matt Henry, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Trent Boult

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

While you're here
Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face

The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.

The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran. 

Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf. 

"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said. 

Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer. 

The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy. 

 

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

Army of the Dead

Director: Zack Snyder

Stars: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera

Three stars

Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
  • Wear a protective helmet
  • Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
  • Do not drive outside designated lanes
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About Karol Nawrocki

• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.

• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.

• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.

• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.

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