KRYVYI RIH, UKRAINE - MAY 04: Svitlana, 36, holds her sons Artem, 7, and Kyrylo, 5, while taking shelter in a kindergarten on May 04, 2022 in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine. They had escaped the frontline village of Kyselivka, now under Russian control, in Ukraine's southern Kherson region. Her husband and the boys' father was already working abroad before the war and will meet them in Poland. The Ukrainian city and district of Kryvyi Rih, known as an industrial center and the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelensky, lies less than 70km north of Russian-occupied areas in nearby Kherson Oblast, where invading Russian forces have sought to create a land bridge between the Crimean peninsula and the eastern Donbas region. (Photo by John Moore / Getty Images)
KRYVYI RIH, UKRAINE - MAY 04: Svitlana, 36, holds her sons Artem, 7, and Kyrylo, 5, while taking shelter in a kindergarten on May 04, 2022 in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine. They had escaped the frontline village of Kyselivka, now under Russian control, in Ukraine's southern Kherson region. Her husband and the boys' father was already working abroad before the war and will meet them in Poland. The Ukrainian city and district of Kryvyi Rih, known as an industrial center and the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelensky, lies less than 70km north of Russian-occupied areas in nearby Kherson Oblast, where invading Russian forces have sought to create a land bridge between the Crimean peninsula and the eastern Donbas region. (Photo by John Moore / Getty Images)
KRYVYI RIH, UKRAINE - MAY 04: Svitlana, 36, holds her sons Artem, 7, and Kyrylo, 5, while taking shelter in a kindergarten on May 04, 2022 in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine. They had escaped the frontline village of Kyselivka, now under Russian control, in Ukraine's southern Kherson region. Her husband and the boys' father was already working abroad before the war and will meet them in Poland. The Ukrainian city and district of Kryvyi Rih, known as an industrial center and the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelensky, lies less than 70km north of Russian-occupied areas in nearby Kherson Oblast, where invading Russian forces have sought to create a land bridge between the Crimean peninsula and the eastern Donbas region. (Photo by John Moore / Getty Images)
KRYVYI RIH, UKRAINE - MAY 04: Svitlana, 36, holds her sons Artem, 7, and Kyrylo, 5, while taking shelter in a kindergarten on May 04, 2022 in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine. They had escaped the frontline villag

UK provides more aid to help most vulnerable in Ukraine


Neil Murphy
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Britain is providing £45 million ($56.1 million) in funding to help the most vulnerable people in Ukraine and at its borders, the UK government has said.

The money will go to UN agencies and charities delivering aid and supporting survivors of sexual violence in the war-torn nation, from which the Russian invasion has forced millions of people to flee.

This means the UK’s full £220 million humanitarian aid package for Ukraine has been allocated.

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “Britain has stood shoulder to shoulder with the people of Ukraine throughout this conflict. As one of the largest humanitarian donors, we will continue to make sure those bearing the brunt of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s vile war have the lifesaving aid they need.

“British aid is supporting the most vulnerable in Ukraine, particularly women and children, who are facing increased risk of sexual violence and exploitation.”

Of the £45 million, £15 million will go to the UN’s Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, which distributes food, water, shelter and other necessities, as well as working to prevent sexual violence.

“This generous contribution from the United Kingdom will enable the UN’s Ukraine Humanitarian Fund to scale up the delivery of fast, effective and lifesaving aid to people who are caught up in this unfolding nightmare,” said Martin Griffiths, the UN under secretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief co-ordinator.

Another £15 million will go to children’s agency Unicef to provide food to pregnant women and mental health support for children.

Aid organisations in Moldova and other neighbouring countries will receive £10 million to protect those fleeing the war, while £5 million will go to the International Federation of the Red Cross in Ukraine.

  • Family members mourn at the graveside of soldier Yuri Varyanytsia during the burial of three soldiers in the Field of Mars at Lychakiv cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine. Getty Images
    Family members mourn at the graveside of soldier Yuri Varyanytsia during the burial of three soldiers in the Field of Mars at Lychakiv cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine. Getty Images
  • A pedestrian takes a picture as she walks past the wreckage of a Russian armoured vehicle outside the National Museum of Military History of Ukraine in Kyiv. AFP
    A pedestrian takes a picture as she walks past the wreckage of a Russian armoured vehicle outside the National Museum of Military History of Ukraine in Kyiv. AFP
  • A man rides his bicycle over a heavily damaged bridge near Pechenegi village in the Kharkiv region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. AFP
    A man rides his bicycle over a heavily damaged bridge near Pechenegi village in the Kharkiv region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. AFP
  • Pro-Russian troops fire from a tank near the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. Reuters
    Pro-Russian troops fire from a tank near the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. Reuters
  • Workers sew uniforms and material for flack jackets at a military clothing factory in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine. Getty Images
    Workers sew uniforms and material for flack jackets at a military clothing factory in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine. Getty Images
  • A dog provides company at a flat damaged by a missile attack in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine. AFP
    A dog provides company at a flat damaged by a missile attack in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine. AFP
  • Patron, a dog trained by Ukrainian forces to sniff out explosives, near Kyiv. EPA
    Patron, a dog trained by Ukrainian forces to sniff out explosives, near Kyiv. EPA
  • Lone skater Roman Kovalenko, 18, amid the damage at Peace Square in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine. All of his friends have fled. AFP
    Lone skater Roman Kovalenko, 18, amid the damage at Peace Square in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine. All of his friends have fled. AFP
  • A Ukrainian sapper carries unexploded materiel during demining works at an airport in the town of Hostomel, north-west of Kyiv. AFP
    A Ukrainian sapper carries unexploded materiel during demining works at an airport in the town of Hostomel, north-west of Kyiv. AFP
  • Shelling of the Azovstal steel plant complex in Mariupol. Reuters
    Shelling of the Azovstal steel plant complex in Mariupol. Reuters
  • Violinist Irene Duval rehearses before a fundraiser to support Ukrainians arriving in the UK, at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London. PA
    Violinist Irene Duval rehearses before a fundraiser to support Ukrainians arriving in the UK, at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London. PA
  • A serviceman stands guard at the destroyed Ukrainian Antonov An-225 'Mriya' cargo aircraft in Hostomel. AFP
    A serviceman stands guard at the destroyed Ukrainian Antonov An-225 'Mriya' cargo aircraft in Hostomel. AFP
  • Galina Malets falls to her knees before the funeral service for her brother, fallen soldier Igor Malets, 59, in Lviv. Getty
    Galina Malets falls to her knees before the funeral service for her brother, fallen soldier Igor Malets, 59, in Lviv. Getty
  • Explosions at the Azovstal steel plant in besieged Mariupol, where Ukrainian forces continue to hold out against Russian invaders. AFP
    Explosions at the Azovstal steel plant in besieged Mariupol, where Ukrainian forces continue to hold out against Russian invaders. AFP
  • A Ukrainian woman collects her belongings after her apartment was damaged by a missile explosion in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine. AFP
    A Ukrainian woman collects her belongings after her apartment was damaged by a missile explosion in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine. AFP
  • An apartment block damaged by a missile explosion in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine. AFP
    An apartment block damaged by a missile explosion in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine. AFP
  • Devastation around an apartment block hit by a missile in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine. AFP
    Devastation around an apartment block hit by a missile in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine. AFP
  • Ukrainian men at the site of a missile explosion in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine. AFP
    Ukrainian men at the site of a missile explosion in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine. AFP
  • An elderly refugee from Avdiivka, eastern Ukraine, at a lunch provided by church group Awakening in Pokrovsk. AFP
    An elderly refugee from Avdiivka, eastern Ukraine, at a lunch provided by church group Awakening in Pokrovsk. AFP
  • Natalia Rudneva, 59, was injured in overnight shelling in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, that put her son in hospital. AP
    Natalia Rudneva, 59, was injured in overnight shelling in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, that put her son in hospital. AP
  • Shocked occupants of an apartment building in Kramatorsk, Donbas, that was destroyed by overnight shelling . AP
    Shocked occupants of an apartment building in Kramatorsk, Donbas, that was destroyed by overnight shelling . AP
  • A man outside his house in Mariupol, in territory under the government of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic, eastern Ukraine. The sign reads 'Bomb shelter, children'. AP
    A man outside his house in Mariupol, in territory under the government of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic, eastern Ukraine. The sign reads 'Bomb shelter, children'. AP
  • A woman passes Donetsk People's Republic militia tanks in Mariupol, eastern Ukraine. AP
    A woman passes Donetsk People's Republic militia tanks in Mariupol, eastern Ukraine. AP
  • A refugee camp outside Mariupol, in territory controlled by the government of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic. AP
    A refugee camp outside Mariupol, in territory controlled by the government of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic. AP
  • The damaged St Godmothers Cover Church next to a bullet-riddled Ukrainian flag in Malyn, Ukraine. Getty Images
    The damaged St Godmothers Cover Church next to a bullet-riddled Ukrainian flag in Malyn, Ukraine. Getty Images
  • St Godmothers Cover Church, in Malyn, Ukraine. Getty Images
    St Godmothers Cover Church, in Malyn, Ukraine. Getty Images
  • The ruins of an apartment building in Borodianka, Ukraine. Getty Images
    The ruins of an apartment building in Borodianka, Ukraine. Getty Images
  • Firefighters from the self-declared Donetsk People Republic Emergency Situations Ministry battle a blaze at an oil depot after missiles struck the facility in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces in Makiivka, 15 kilometres east of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine. AP
    Firefighters from the self-declared Donetsk People Republic Emergency Situations Ministry battle a blaze at an oil depot after missiles struck the facility in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces in Makiivka, 15 kilometres east of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine. AP
  • People wait for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to begin a speech televised on a screen in City Hall Square in Copenhagen, Denmark. Reuters
    People wait for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to begin a speech televised on a screen in City Hall Square in Copenhagen, Denmark. Reuters
  • An aerial view of the destroyed Hotel Ukraine in the northern city of Chernigiv. AFP
    An aerial view of the destroyed Hotel Ukraine in the northern city of Chernigiv. AFP
  • A woman who recently lost her husband arrives with her dog at a charity centre in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine. AFP
    A woman who recently lost her husband arrives with her dog at a charity centre in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine. AFP
  • A family of Ukrainian evacuees near a donation collection point in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Reuters
    A family of Ukrainian evacuees near a donation collection point in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Reuters
  • The ruins of a residential building in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernigiv, which was heavily damaged during the Russian invasion. AFP
    The ruins of a residential building in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernigiv, which was heavily damaged during the Russian invasion. AFP
  • People pay their respects during the funeral for Ukrainian serviceman Ruslan Borovyk in St Michael's Cathedral in Kyiv. AP
    People pay their respects during the funeral for Ukrainian serviceman Ruslan Borovyk in St Michael's Cathedral in Kyiv. AP
  • Crew chiefs and engineers with the 158th Fighter Wing meet before launching F-35A Lightning II fifth-generation aircraft at the Vermont Air National Guard Base, South Burlington, US. More than 200 Vermont air guard personnel, plus equipment and eight F-35s, are now in Europe. AP
    Crew chiefs and engineers with the 158th Fighter Wing meet before launching F-35A Lightning II fifth-generation aircraft at the Vermont Air National Guard Base, South Burlington, US. More than 200 Vermont air guard personnel, plus equipment and eight F-35s, are now in Europe. AP
  • Svitlana, 36, holds her sons Artem, 7, and Kyrylo, 5, while sheltering in a kindergarten in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine. Getty Images
    Svitlana, 36, holds her sons Artem, 7, and Kyrylo, 5, while sheltering in a kindergarten in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine. Getty Images
  • Men report to enlist in Ukrainian Territorial Defence Force units in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine. Getty Images
    Men report to enlist in Ukrainian Territorial Defence Force units in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine. Getty Images
  • A burning oil storage unit on the outskirts of Donetsk, Ukraine. Reuters
    A burning oil storage unit on the outskirts of Donetsk, Ukraine. Reuters
  • Russian MiG-29SMT jet fighters, forming the symbol Z in support of Russian military action in Ukraine, fly over Red Square in Moscow during a rehearsal for the Second World War Victory Parade on May 9, 2022. AFP
    Russian MiG-29SMT jet fighters, forming the symbol Z in support of Russian military action in Ukraine, fly over Red Square in Moscow during a rehearsal for the Second World War Victory Parade on May 9, 2022. AFP
  • A warehouse after shelling in Severodonetsk, as fighting rages across Ukraine's east after a US warning that Moscow is preparing to formally annex eastern regions. AFP
    A warehouse after shelling in Severodonetsk, as fighting rages across Ukraine's east after a US warning that Moscow is preparing to formally annex eastern regions. AFP
  • Katya, 11, waits for her mother's treatment to end at the Severodonetsk Hospital in Severodonetsk. AFP
    Katya, 11, waits for her mother's treatment to end at the Severodonetsk Hospital in Severodonetsk. AFP
  • Antonina, 60, at a funeral home where she works and now lives with neighbours in Severodonetsk. AFP
    Antonina, 60, at a funeral home where she works and now lives with neighbours in Severodonetsk. AFP
  • A Russian serviceman patrols a street near the sea port of Berdyansk, Ukraine. AFP
    A Russian serviceman patrols a street near the sea port of Berdyansk, Ukraine. AFP
  • A woman during the rally in front of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office in Kyiv. AFP
    A woman during the rally in front of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office in Kyiv. AFP
  • Svitlana Karpenko, 53, at what is left of her house in Sloboda, Chernihiv region, Ukraine. She said it was destroyed by shelling. Reuters
    Svitlana Karpenko, 53, at what is left of her house in Sloboda, Chernihiv region, Ukraine. She said it was destroyed by shelling. Reuters
  • The turret from a destroyed Russian tank stuck in the ground in Zalissia, Kyiv region, Ukraine. Reuters
    The turret from a destroyed Russian tank stuck in the ground in Zalissia, Kyiv region, Ukraine. Reuters
  • Lyubov Lenko, 61, in front of her house in Budy, Chernihiv region, Ukraine, that she says was destroyed by shelling. Reuters
    Lyubov Lenko, 61, in front of her house in Budy, Chernihiv region, Ukraine, that she says was destroyed by shelling. Reuters
  • Nina Stefuryak, 2, playing in a park in front of a building destroyed by shelling in Borodianka, Kyiv region, Ukraine. Reuters
    Nina Stefuryak, 2, playing in a park in front of a building destroyed by shelling in Borodianka, Kyiv region, Ukraine. Reuters
  • Mealtime at a centre for displaced people in Zaporizhzhia. AP
    Mealtime at a centre for displaced people in Zaporizhzhia. AP
  • Volunteers assist a man after his arrival from Mariupol at a centre for displaced people in Zaporizhzhia. AP
    Volunteers assist a man after his arrival from Mariupol at a centre for displaced people in Zaporizhzhia. AP
  • People disembark a van to be registered by police after arriving in Zaporizhzhia. Getty Images
    People disembark a van to be registered by police after arriving in Zaporizhzhia. Getty Images
  • Firefighters damp down the ashes of a fire that destroyed a children's play area in Gorky Park in Kharkiv, Ukraine. EPA
    Firefighters damp down the ashes of a fire that destroyed a children's play area in Gorky Park in Kharkiv, Ukraine. EPA
  • A woman touches a piano as she inspects the damage in a classroom after shelling at Kharkiv National Kotlyarevsky University of Arts. EPA
    A woman touches a piano as she inspects the damage in a classroom after shelling at Kharkiv National Kotlyarevsky University of Arts. EPA
  • US President Joe Biden and Lockheed Martin chief executive Jim Taiclet with Javelin anti-tank missile assembly workers during a tour of a Lockheed Martin weapons factory in Troy, Alabama, US. Reuters
    US President Joe Biden and Lockheed Martin chief executive Jim Taiclet with Javelin anti-tank missile assembly workers during a tour of a Lockheed Martin weapons factory in Troy, Alabama, US. Reuters
  • Residents collect humanitarian aid in Borodyanka, Ukraine. Getty Images
    Residents collect humanitarian aid in Borodyanka, Ukraine. Getty Images

Ms Truss also announced the UK would send more medical supplies, in addition to more than five million items already delivered, including about 380,000 packs of medicine and wound care packs to treat 220,000 wounded.

Britain has already committed £2 million of food supplies to parts of Ukraine encircled by Russian forces.

Seventeen lorries have delivered more than 50,000 kilograms of pasta, 10,000kg of rice, 60,000 tins of corned beef and more than 80,000 litres of water.

About £30 million in humanitarian support is going to Poland to help refugees there and to send supplies into Ukraine.

A team of war crimes experts – including specialists in conflict-related sexual violence – are travelling to Poland from Britain to help the Ukrainians gather evidence of Russian atrocities.

Ms Truss has said British intelligence will support efforts to hold the Russian political leadership to account.

On Tuesday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to “carry on supplying Ukraine, alongside your other friends, with weapons, funding and humanitarian aid” as he addressed the country’s parliament.

About 16 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance within Ukraine and seven million are internally displaced, the UN said.

Its figures indicate 5.5 million refugees have spilled into neighbouring countries.

The low down

Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films

Director: Namrata Singh Gujral

Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark

Rating: 2/5

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.”

How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
  1. Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
  2. Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
  3. Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
  4. Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
  5. Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
  6. The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
  7. Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269

*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year

WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

Scoreline

Arsenal 0 Manchester City 3

  • Agüero 18'
  • Kompany 58'
  • Silva 65'
Updated: May 05, 2022, 12:19 AM