Pope Francis arrived for a three-day visit to Hungary on Friday, calling for "creative efforts" towards peace in Europe as the government in Budapest touts him as an ally on Ukraine.
The Pope met Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban on a trip to meet fellow Catholics and "bear witness to the importance of building bridges between peoples".
But in an apparent rebuke to Mr Orban's populist government, he called for Europe to open "secure and legal corridors" for migrants and proclaimed "the need for openness towards others".
He urged a return to "European soul" of those who laid the groundwork for modern Europe after the Second World War, with an appeal for nations had to "look beyond national boundaries".
Hungary has been a dissenting voice in the EU by providing no arms to Ukraine and calling for peace talks with Russia, when many of the bloc's leaders say Moscow has shown no willingness to make concessions.
The Pope has described the war as an "absurd folly" but has held back from directly criticising Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In his speech on Friday he called for "creative efforts for peace" to drown out "the soloists of war".
"Hungary shares the Pope's views on the need for peace," said Balasz Orban, a close adviser to the Prime Minister (no relation), as the Pope arrived on Friday.
Hungarian President Katalin Novak said the Pope could speak directly to both parties in the conflict.
"He is the one who can build bridges and break through the walls," she said.
Pope Francis, 86, will not stray outside the capital because of fragile health, the Hungarian government said. Priests have been invited to travel to Budapest.
The Pope is expected to meet some of the Ukrainian refugees who have remained in Hungary after 2.5 million fled across the border following Russia's invasion.
He has previously made veiled criticism of the Orban government's hardline stance on refugees and migration.
Mr Orban regularly speaks of defending "Christian Europe" from mass migration, while the Pope often asks for compassion for refugees.
But he last year thanked Hungary for taking in Ukrainians fleeing the war with Russia.
The Kremlin-friendly Mr Orban has irked allies by opposing sanctions on Ukraine and presiding over what many see as an increasingly autocratic regime.
Last month he described Hungary and the Vatican as the only states sharing a "true commitment to peace within Europe".
He said on the eve of the Pope's visit that "in troubled times like ours, it is essential to remember what keeps us together".
The Pope will address Catholic clergy on Friday after his meetings with the Hungarian leadership.
On Saturday he plans to meet children, poor people, refugees members of the Greek Catholic community.
He will finish his visit with a mass in Budapest's Kossuth Lajos Square and meetings with academics on Sunday.
It is the Pope's 41st foreign trip and his first full visit to Hungary after a brief stopover in 2021. Pope John Paul II, who was from Poland, made trips in 1991 and 1996.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
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.”
Ways to control drones
Countries have been coming up with ways to restrict and monitor the use of non-commercial drones to keep them from trespassing on controlled areas such as airports.
"Drones vary in size and some can be as big as a small city car - so imagine the impact of one hitting an airplane. It's a huge risk, especially when commercial airliners are not designed to make or take sudden evasive manoeuvres like drones can" says Saj Ahmed, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research.
New measures have now been taken to monitor drone activity, Geo-fencing technology is one.
It's a method designed to prevent drones from drifting into banned areas. The technology uses GPS location signals to stop its machines flying close to airports and other restricted zones.
The European commission has recently announced a blueprint to make drone use in low-level airspace safe, secure and environmentally friendly. This process is called “U-Space” – it covers altitudes of up to 150 metres. It is also noteworthy that that UK Civil Aviation Authority recommends drones to be flown at no higher than 400ft. “U-Space” technology will be governed by a system similar to air traffic control management, which will be automated using tools like geo-fencing.
The UAE has drawn serious measures to ensure users register their devices under strict new laws. Authorities have urged that users must obtain approval in advance before flying the drones, non registered drone use in Dubai will result in a fine of up to twenty thousand dirhams under a new resolution approved by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai.
Mr Ahmad suggest that "Hefty fines running into hundreds of thousands of dollars need to compensate for the cost of airport disruption and flight diversions to lengthy jail spells, confiscation of travel rights and use of drones for a lengthy period" must be enforced in order to reduce airport intrusion.
