As US President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats held a series of events on Thursday to mark the anniversary of the January 6 attack on the Capitol, Republicans maintained their silence.
With the House of Representatives out of session and no votes in the Senate, Republican leaders and much of the caucus managed to avoid the commemorations on Capitol Hill.
The relative silence marks an abrupt turnaround from the same day a year ago, when Republican leaders pleaded with former president Donald Trump to call off the violent mob that tried to overturn the presidential election results.
Their overwhelming reticence to speak out also highlights the former president’s continued hold over the party, as the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach him over his role in last year’s events find their political careers in jeopardy.
While he cancelled a competing speech that initially scheduled for January 6, Mr Trump nonetheless issued a statement repeating lies that the 2020 presidential election was “rigged".
He is still expected to repeat his unfounded claims of mass voter fraud during a rally in Arizona next week, previewing a potential campaign message for the 2024 elections.
Mr Trump also took aim at the House committee given the task of investigating the events of January 6, which has become a lightning rod of criticism within Mr Trump’s party.
Most Republicans have boycotted the committee, with the exception of Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, both of whom voted for Mr Trump’s impeachment.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was one of the few Republicans to issue a statement condemning last year’s failed insurrection, but he refrained from mentioning Mr Trump, instead accusing Democrats of politicising the attack.
“The United States Capitol, the seat of the first branch of our federal government, was stormed by criminals who brutalised police officers and used force to try to stop Congress from doing its job,” said Mr McConnell.
He went on to accuse Democrats of exploiting the anniversary “to advance partisan policy goals that long predated this event”, saying the opposing party sought “to damage the Senate in a different way from within” — a reference to calls from some within the party to reform the filibuster, thereby making it easier to pass Mr Biden’s legislative agenda without Republican support.
The messaging marked a departure from last year, when Mr McConnell said Mr Trump was “practically and morally responsible for provoking” the attack.
Mr McConnell travelled to Georgia with several colleagues from his caucus on the January 6 anniversary to attend the funeral of Johnny Isakson, a former Republican senator who died last month.
Unlike Mr McConnell, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy declined to even issue a statement — though he echoed similar accusations that Democrats were politicising the event to “divide the country” this week.
Still, Mr McCarthy said last year that Mr Trump “bears responsibility” for the attack and that he had desperately pleaded with the former president by phone to call off the attack.
Republican leaders have likely taken note of the fates of their colleagues who most vociferously condemned Mr Trump’s role in the failed insurrection — going so far as to side with Democrats in his second impeachment vote.
Mr Kinzinger and Anthony Gonzalez are both retiring at the end of the year following backlash among their constituents and members of their own party for siding against Mr Trump.
And Ms Cheney — who was one of the few Republicans to show up on Capitol Hill on the anniversary of the attack with her father, former vice president Dick Cheney — faces an uphill primary battle against a Trump-backed challenger during this year’s midterm election cycle.
Ironically, Ms Cheney’s challenger, Harriet Hageman, was a major critic of Mr Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign.
It is unsurprising that Republican voters have come down hard on Mr Trump’s critics.
A Qunnipiac University poll from October found that 78 per cent of Republicans want the former president to run again in 2024, and 66 per cent of the party’s voters did not view January 6 as an attack on the US government.
Perhaps capitalising on this, two of Mr Trump’s close allies — Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor-Greene — did show up on Capitol Hill on the anniversary.
But instead of attending the memorial, they instead held a press conference during which they echoed conspiracy theories suggesting that the FBI may have instigated the January attack.
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%208
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OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
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.”
WISH
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The%20specs
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The specs: 2018 Genesis G70
Price, base / as tested: Dh155,000 / Dh205,000
Engine: 3.3-litre, turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 370hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 510Nm @ 1,300rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.6L / 100km
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Essentials
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Malaysia Airlines all fly direct from the UAE to Kuala Lumpur and on to Penang from about Dh2,300 return, including taxes.
Where to stay
In Kuala Lumpur, Element is a recently opened, futuristic hotel high up in a Norman Foster-designed skyscraper. Rooms cost from Dh400 per night, including taxes. Hotel Stripes, also in KL, is a great value design hotel, with an infinity rooftop pool. Rooms cost from Dh310, including taxes.
In Penang, Ren i Tang is a boutique b&b in what was once an ancient Chinese Medicine Hall in the centre of Little India. Rooms cost from Dh220, including taxes.
23 Love Lane in Penang is a luxury boutique heritage hotel in a converted mansion, with private tropical gardens. Rooms cost from Dh400, including taxes.
In Langkawi, Temple Tree is a unique architectural villa hotel consisting of antique houses from all across Malaysia. Rooms cost from Dh350, including taxes.
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh12 million
Engine 8.0-litre quad-turbo, W16
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch auto
Power 1479 @ 6,700rpm
Torque 1600Nm @ 2,000rpm 0-100kph: 2.6 seconds 0-200kph: 6.1 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Credits
Produced by: Colour Yellow Productions and Eros Now
Director: Mudassar Aziz
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jassi Gill, Piyush Mishra, Diana Penty, Aparshakti Khurrana
Star rating: 2.5/5
Two products to make at home
Toilet cleaner
1 cup baking soda
1 cup castile soap
10-20 drops of lemon essential oil (or another oil of your choice)
Method:
1. Mix the baking soda and castile soap until you get a nice consistency.
2. Add the essential oil to the mix.
Air Freshener
100ml water
5 drops of the essential oil of your choice (note: lavender is a nice one for this)
Method:
1. Add water and oil to spray bottle to store.
2. Shake well before use.
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
