Insight and opinion from The National’s editorial leadership
October 17, 2021
British politicians are some of the most accessible in the world. Even the country's highly secure Parliament, with a dedicated branch of armed police, barriers and metal detectors, is designed to be open to the public, who can enter in a matter of minutes on a quiet day. Politicians are even more accessible in their local area.
This openness is a fundamental strength of the British system. But on Friday, it was violated in a suspected terror attack that killed David Amess, a Conservative politician and a father of five.
He was one of the UK's longest-serving members of Parliament, having been elected in 1983. His career is a success story of British politics. He did not have a privileged upbringing and grew up in London's predominantly working-class East End. But his 40-year tenure won him a knighthood, as well as the nickname "Mr Southend" from his constituents.
The priest at his parish church – Amess was a committed Catholic – summed up his impact on the area, saying he never saw him without a smile on his face and that "he carried that great east London spirit of having no fear and being able to talk to people and the level they're at. Not all politicians, I would say, are good at that".
Julia Amess, the widow of Conservative MP SIr David Amess, was comforted by relatives at Belfairs Methodist Church, where he died, on Monday morning. She stayed for about 15 minutes. PA
Julia Amess (second left), the widow of Conservative MP Sir David Amess, arrives at Belfairs Methodist Church to read tributes left to her late husband. PA
The Rev Clifford Newman of Belfairs Methodist Church hugs Sir David Amess's widow. AP
A daughter of SIr David Amess is comforted as she views flowers and tributes left for her late father. AP
One of Sir David Amess's daughters views flowers and tributes left for her late father at Belfairs Methodist Church. AP
Julia Amess, left, the widow of Sir David Amess, stands with friends and family members to view flowers and tributes left for her late husband. PA
The mayor of Southend, Councillor Margaret Borton, and mace bearer Adam Tregoning visit Belfairs Methodist Church to pay their respects. Getty Images
Police officers stand outside Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea, England. Getty Images
A Union Jack flies at half mast after the killing of British MP David Amess. Reuters
A book of condolence inside the Southend West Conservative Association's Iveagh Hall. Getty Images
Flowers with a note for Sir David Amess lie outside Parliament buildings in London. Reuters
A new piece of graffiti artwork depicting the late Sir David Amess appears on a wall in Leigh-on-Sea, England. Getty Images
A photograph of Sir David Amess is placed on a noticeboard outside the Iveagh Hall, the home of the Southend West Conservative Association in Leigh-on-Sea. AP
A Police officer arranges flowers and tributes outside Belfairs Methodist Church in Eastwood Road North. PA
Armed police officers at the scene near the Belfairs Methodist Church, where Conservative MP Sir David Amess died after he was stabbed several times at a constituency surgery. PA
A man was reported to have run into the building and targeted the veteran politician. Police said a suspect had been arrested. AP
A police officer guards the scene. PA
An air ambulance arrived at the scene, before his death was later confirmed by Essex Police. AP
A police cordon was erected around the crime scene and armed officers were seen standing outside the church. AP
In Parliament, he took and could back up clear political and moral positions. But ideology was not everything and he never really sought more senior, ministerial roles, choosing instead to stick by his locality. Tragically, this is where he was killed, while holding a local meeting with constituents.
Such meetings, known as "surgeries", are a fundamental aspect of British democracy. Their nature going forward will now be up for much discussion. Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood has even called for a temporary pause to all in-person meetings until more security is put in place. Amess is, after all, not the first MP in recent times to be killed in their constituency. In June 2016, Labour Party politician Jo Cox was murdered in Batley and Spen by a far-right extremist. In a tweet after Amess's killing, Cox's former husband, Brendan Cox, wrote: "My thoughts and love are with David’s family. This brings everything back."
Most politicians do not fear being killed for doing their jobs. But a wider culture of harassment and abuse of them is becoming normalised in countries that have permitted a toxic public discourse, whether it be in London or the US Capitol. Murder is arguably the final result of this terrible phenomenon and authorities in the UK must now consider new measures to keep MPs safe, be it police presence at meetings or even a permanent move to remote consultations.
That would be a great loss to the openness of British politics, however. To prevent it and others, people must learn to choose a more fundamental solution: constructive political dialogue over vitriol and anger. Personal and social responsibility to be tolerant will be the only permanent fix, not more security.
After all, as a colleague pointed out, one of the reasons Amess was so loved and respected was because he would have opposed more barriers between him and his constituents.
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
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
Super Rugby play-offs
Quarter-finals
Hurricanes 35, ACT 16
Crusaders 17, Highlanders 0
Lions 23, Sharks 21
Chiefs 17, Stormers 11
Semi-finals
Saturday, July 29
Crusaders v Chiefs, 12.35pm (UAE)
Lions v Hurricanes, 4.30pm
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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.”
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
How Voiss turns words to speech
The device has a screen reader or software that monitors what happens on the screen
The screen reader sends the text to the speech synthesiser
This converts to audio whatever it receives from screen reader, so the person can hear what is happening on the screen
A VOISS computer costs between $200 and $250 depending on memory card capacity that ranges from 32GB to 128GB
The speech synthesisers VOISS develops are free
Subsequent computer versions will include improvements such as wireless keyboards
Arabic voice in affordable talking computer to be added next year to English, Portuguese, and Spanish synthesiser
Partnerships planned during Expo 2020 Dubai to add more languages
At least 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment or blindness
More than 90 per cent live in developing countries
The Long-term aim of VOISS to reach the technology to people in poor countries with workshops that teach them to build their own device
9th row
Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
Lance Stroll (Williams)
10th row
Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
arcus Ericsson (Sauber)
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
