As soon as the British prime minister allowed himself to be persuaded by the slick tongue of Piers Morgan to do a candid television interview he was on a hiding to nothing. I think he'll live to regret baring his soul and weeping publicly about the sad death of his baby daughter and the illness of his son.
Morgan has been pals with the Browns since his days as the editor of the Daily Mirror newspaper, days that ended abruptly after he published "faked" photographs of British soldiers appearing to abuse Iraqi prisoners.
Since then he has become a successful television star, outspoken columnist, interviewer and consummate self-publicist, with a talent for making his interview subjects weep. It's all very well for the luvvies to do it. We expect the likes of Katie Price to sob on Morgan's shoulder but Gordon Brown is not a glamour model with a book to publicise.
The sight of such a normally reserved person breaking down on national television was uncomfortable at best and distasteful at worst.
Nobody could ever doubt the anguish that he and his wife Sarah suffered after the baby Jennifer died, nor the struggle they have had to come to terms with their son's cystic fibrosis, but those things are not for public consumption or entertainment. Prime ministers should not be made to feel that it would make them appear more voter-friendly if they spill their guts on prime time TV. Prime ministers are supposed to have more dignity.
With weeks to go until the announcement of a general election, Brown's advisers clearly think his image needs a bit of softening up. He never did have that man-of-the-people cosiness of Tony Blair, or the latter's ability to spout sentiments such as "she was the people's princess" complete with convincing chin wobble in the wake of a national tragedy like the death of Princess Diana.
People might have accurately surmised that those words were written by the spin doctor Alastair Campbell, who had his very own lip-trembling Diana moment during a bit of tough questioning last week, but Blair made them sound like his own grief-stricken thoughts at the time.
Brown just can't deliver emotion convincingly even if it's utterly genuine. It was just embarrassing after so many public assertions that "my children aren't props". He should have stuck to his guns on that one, rather than trying to play the public-sympathy card in such a shameless way.
Whether I voted for him or not, I've always believed he was a decent sort of bloke whose slightly grumpy and unpolished public image just proved he was more of a "straightforward kinda guy" than his predecessor.
To my mind, his performance in the Morgan interview smacked of a desperate leader on the skids who would do anything to be re-elected.
It may be the fashion to reveal every emotional cough and spit, but the more overtly transparent politicians are, the more my suspicious mind wonders what they're trying to divert my attention from.
Pre-election PR stunts based on such an obvious appeal to public sentiment don't do it for me when it comes to choosing a political leader. This was a spin too far.
The rehabilitation of sporting heroes who fall from grace seems to be taking place in double quick time these days. In a matter of weeks, John Terry has gone from England's goal-scoring hero to a supposed lying, cheating villain with an exotic mistress and back to loving family man pictured in the Sunday newspapers tenderly kissing the wife he so callously betrayed. And all before you can say Jack Robinson - or do I mean Max Clifford?
Pictures like this are supposed to convince us that all's well in the squeaky-clean world of the beautiful game during the run-up to the World Cup. Euphemisms such as "drawing a line under it" and "moving on" are trotted out and the unfortunate wife is expected to shut up and get on with her life.
Soaking up the Dubai sunshine in five-star luxury, Toni Terry apparently didn't take long to reflect on what she would lose in terms of lifestyle if she divorced her husband, whose track record for fidelity does not augur well for their long-term future as a couple.
Emma Watson is a sweet-faced girl and by all accounts very nice and unspoilt. She must be thanking her lucky stars that at the age of nine she was plucked from obscurity to star in the first Harry Potter movie as Hermione Grainger, having only acted in school plays.
At the age of 18 she is not the greatest actress in the world - in fact, she doesn't even come close - but she is said to have made £20 million (Dh115m) last year, making her Hollywood's highest-paid female star.
If it weren't so "Riddikulus" it would be enough to make you "Diffindo" (a spell that splits seams). Where is Meryl Streep on the list, Susan Sarandon, Judi Dench or any number of fabulous actresses who can make you laugh and cry in the same entrancing moment and who seldom make it on to the Rich Lists.
For the six Harry Potter films Watson has made more than £10m and being chosen as the face of Burberry boosted her earnings considerably, as has launching her own brand of right-on clothing for the ethical fashion label People Tree.
So "Evanesco", oh ye doubters, or "Expelliarmus" if you prefer it. This kid is one Bedazzling Hex.
Goldie Hawn has made a career out of being the dippy blonde. It's hard to believe that it's four decades since she burst giggling on to television screens in Rowan and Martin's Laugh In.
She's been married and divorced twice, has three children, including the actress Kate Hudson, and has lived with her handsome actor partner Kurt Russell for years.
She even won an Oscar for her 1969 performance in Cactus Flower.
In short, she has it all but I guess it's not enough. She's doing her best to be taken seriously as an educationalist.She became involved in eastern philosophy in 1972 and is a practising Buddhist although she was brought up in the Jewish faith.
She describes herself as a Jewish Buddhist and runs an educational charity that teaches a Buddhist awareness technique and positive-thinking skills including breathing exercises known as MindUp that claim to boost a child's ability to absorb knowledge.
Now she is cosying up to the Tory party in the UK and wants help them start a showcase school in Britain incorporating the ideas if they win the next election.
Pity the poor kids. Aren't they suffering enough? A better idea would be to teach them to read and write.
Young Noah Cyrus dressed up like a dominatrix, Princess Tiami Andre in false eyelashes and lipstick and Suri Cruise teetering around in designer heels. These silly showbiz parents seem to have lost all sense of proportion allowing their children to be photographed looking like jailbait. Today's world is too full of dangerous people to send out signals that it's OK to parade innocent babes like that in public. There's nothing wrong with dressing up, but it should be in the safety of their homes.
In an interview to mark his 50th birthday, the Duke of York says he is not convinced that lessons have been learnt from failed royal marriages, but that he will try to make sure his nephews Princes William and Harry avoid past mistakes. Never the most cerebral of princes, Airmiles Andy nevertheless has a point. Nobody ever learns from other people's mistakes.
Abu Dhabi has been named as the most liveable city in the Gulf in a new survey. Researchers used 30 indicators across five categories - stability, health care, culture and environment, education and infrastructure- in the Economist Intelligence Unit survey, with the capital scoring 85 on stability and 75 on health and education. Surprisingly its score for culture was only 58.1, but when Saadiyat Island is launched with its Guggenheim, Louvre and Zayed National Museums, and Performing Arts Centre in 2013 this score will undoubtedly shoot up.
Nice to know we're in the right place.
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 258hp at 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.4L/100km
Price, base: from D215,000 (Dh230,000 as tested)
On sale: now
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday Benevento v Atalanta (2pm), Genoa v Bologna (5pm), AC Milan v Torino (7.45pm)
Sunday Roma v Inter Milan (3.30pm), Udinese v Napoli, Hellas Verona v Crotone, Parma v Lazio (2pm), Fiorentina v Cagliari (9pm), Juventus v Sassuolo (11.45pm)
Monday Spezia v Sampdoria (11.45pm)
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group F
Manchester City v Hoffenheim, midnight (Wednesday, UAE)
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
THE BIG THREE
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
19 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 5 (2011, 14, 15, 18, 19)
French Open: 2 (2016, 21)
US Open: 3 (2011, 15, 18)
Australian Open: 9 (2008, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21)
Prize money: $150m
ROGER FEDERER
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 8 (2003, 04, 05, 06, 07, 09, 12, 17)
French Open: 1 (2009)
US Open: 5 (2004, 05, 06, 07, 08)
Australian Open: 6 (2004, 06, 07, 10, 17, 18)
Prize money: $130m
RAFAEL NADAL
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 2 (2008, 10)
French Open: 13 (2005, 06, 07, 08, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20)
US Open: 4 (2010, 13, 17, 19)
Australian Open: 1 (2009)
Prize money: $125m
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League last 16, second leg
Liverpool (0) v Atletico Madrid (1)
Venue: Anfield
Kick-off: Thursday, March 12, midnight
Live: On beIN Sports HD
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
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Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
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.”
