The Prince and Princess of Wales have visited Aberfan, the site of the worst mining-related disaster in British history, which killed 144 people, including 116 children.
At the village near Merthyr Tydfil, south-east Wales, Prince William and his wife Kate walked through the Aberfan Memorial Garden to pay their respects to the victims of the 1966 accident.
The disaster occurred after the collapse of a colliery spoil tip following three weeks of heavy rain, sending a landslide of ash slurry on to the village below.
The garden is located on the site of Pantglas Primary School, which was covered in tonnes of black sludge at 9.13am on October 21, minutes after pupils arrived for the last day before the half-term holiday.
People gathered on the street to greet the royal couple on Friday.
They were led around the memorial garden by Aberfan survivor David Davies, a former pupil at Pantglas Primary School, and Prof Peter Vaughan, Lord Lieutenant of Mid Glamorgan.
The Prince and Princess of Wales also met trustees from the Aberfan Memorial Trust who maintain the garden, and members of the Aberfan Wives group, who lost relatives in the disaster.
At the time of the accident, Prince William’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, waited eight days before going to Aberfan, despite her husband the Duke of Edinburgh and then-prime minister Harold Wilson visiting the day after the disaster.
Her decision not to visit sooner was said to have been one of the greatest regrets of the queen, who died last year.
An entire episode of Netflix drama The Crown was devoted to the disaster and the queen's response.
In 1974, the queen opened the Aberfan Memorial Garden to commemorate the victims and provide a place for bereaved families, survivors and the community to pay their respects.
She visited again in 1997, and for a final time in 2012, when she opened Ynysowen Community Primary School
The Prince and Princess of Wales were introduced to two Aberfan rescuers earlier in their trip, on Thursday, during a visit to the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park — until recently Brecon Beacons National Park — to meet the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team.
Bob Thomas, 75, and Nick Richards, 79, who helped in the aftermath of disaster, told royal couple about clearing the ash slurry, which Mr Thomas likened to moving “dry concrete”.
“It was really heavy and it must have come down like a train, because it has taken out a row of houses and the school,” he said.
Prince William told them: “It's a real pleasure to meet you both. My grandmother told me many times about Aberfan.”
Mr Thomas told the Prince of Wales that his grandmother “did the right thing in not coming immediately, because it would have been a distraction”.
That feeling was also expressed in a 2021 letter from one of the Aberfan Wives to King Charles III — at the time the Prince of Wales.
Gloria Davies told the prince that “it was wiser for them that they left it for a week to return”, as there was so much recovery work taking place.
Her note features in a new book, Charles: The King And Wales, by BBC journalist Huw Thomas.
The Aberfan disaster was the result of the collapse of one of seven spoil tips above the village. Created eight years earlier, it was more than 33m tall.
Against rules of the National Coal Board, the corporation that ran Britain's nationalised coal mining industry, it was sited on top of ground with springs, which made the structure less stable. Heavy rain worsened this, resulting in the landslide.
An official inquiry into the disaster blamed NCB leaders, who had ignored repeated warnings about the tip's dangerous condition from local residents and Merthyr Borough Council.
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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.
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“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.
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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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What you as a drone operator need to know
A permit and licence is required to fly a drone legally in Dubai.
Sanad Academy is the United Arab Emirate’s first RPA (Remotely Piloted Aircraft) training and certification specialists endorsed by the Dubai Civil Aviation authority.
It is responsible to train, test and certify drone operators and drones in UAE with DCAA Endorsement.
“We are teaching people how to fly in accordance with the laws of the UAE,” said Ahmad Al Hamadi, a trainer at Sanad.
“We can show how the aircraft work and how they are operated. They are relatively easy to use, but they need responsible pilots.
“Pilots have to be mature. They are given a map of where they can and can’t fly in the UAE and we make these points clear in the lectures we give.
“You cannot fly a drone without registration under any circumstances.”
Larger drones are harder to fly, and have a different response to location control. There are no brakes in the air, so the larger drones have more power.
The Sanad Academy has a designated area to fly off the Al Ain Road near Skydive Dubai to show pilots how to fly responsibly.
“As UAS technology becomes mainstream, it is important to build wider awareness on how to integrate it into commerce and our personal lives,” said Major General Abdulla Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief, Dubai Police.
“Operators must undergo proper training and certification to ensure safety and compliance.
“Dubai’s airspace will undoubtedly experience increased traffic as UAS innovations become commonplace, the Forum allows commercial users to learn of best practice applications to implement UAS safely and legally, while benefitting a whole range of industries.”
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