President Joe Biden kicked off his second Summit for Democracy on Wednesday with a $690 million pledge to strengthen democratic initiatives around the world.
"Democracy is hard work," Mr Biden said in his opening remarks. "The work of democracy is never finished."
The US leader added that defending democracy is the "defining challenge of our age".
This year’s two-day virtual event, which the US is hosting alongside Costa Rica, the Netherlands, South Korea and Zambia, will bring together 120 global leaders.
The guest list has sparked controversy for who will and won't be participating.
The US did not invite Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan or Hungary's Viktor Orban, but did invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mr Netanyahu is in the midst of a political storm after thousands of Israelis protested against his overhaul of the judicial system. Critics say it would strip power from the Supreme Court and give politicians unprecedented strength.
After pressure at home and abroad, the Israeli leader agreed to delay the sweeping measures but refused to abandon them.
“Israel was, is and it will always remain a proud, strong and vibrant democracy,” Mr Netanyahu said in his opening remarks at the summit.
He acknowledged that “Israel was undergoing, in its robust democracy, a very intensive public debate.”
The US has expressed concern over Israel’s plans to overhaul the judiciary.
“I hope he walks away from it,” Mr Biden said on Tuesday.
The Biden administration wants to use the summit to focus on making “technology work for and not against democracy”, a senior administration official told AP.
Strengthening democracy at home and abroad has been a major tenet of the US President's tenure in the Oval Office.
He took office as America’s own democratic process was under attack by Donald Trump, who still refuses to admit he lost the 2020 election and continues to promote conspiracy theories.
His supporters stormed the US Capitol and delayed the certification process by several hours.
This year's Summit for Democracy will focus on supporting and strengthening independent media, bolstering human rights and democratic reforms, fighting corruption, advancing technology for democracy and defending free and fair elections.
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Tank warfare
Lt Gen Erik Petersen, deputy chief of programs, US Army, has argued it took a “three decade holiday” on modernising tanks.
“There clearly remains a significant armoured heavy ground manoeuvre threat in this world and maintaining a world class armoured force is absolutely vital,” the general said in London last week.
“We are developing next generation capabilities to compete with and deter adversaries to prevent opportunism or miscalculation, and, if necessary, defeat any foe decisively.”
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 2 (Van Dijk 18', 24')
Brighton 1 (Dunk 79')
Red card: Alisson (Liverpool)
Gifts exchanged
- King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
- Queen Camilla - Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
- Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
- Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag
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.”
Results
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8
Power: 503hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 685Nm at 2,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Price: from Dh850,000
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
