British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be able to breath an enormous sigh of relief following this week’s White House summit with US President Joe Biden.
Prior to the meeting, there had been concerns that the tensions between the two leaders that had arisen over the bungled US withdrawal from Afghanistan might have a negative impact on their nascent relationship.
The British government, which had loyally supported the American-led coalition for two decades, made little effort to disguise its deep unhappiness at Mr Biden’s unilateral decision to end American involvement, as well as Washington’s subsequent incompetent handling of the withdrawal itself.
For his part, Mr Biden, who is known to bear grudges against those who do not give him due respect, was said to be less than impressed by the discourteous tone adopted by some senior Tories, who took to using Donald Trump’s disparaging term for the American leader as “sleepy Joe”.
Mr Johnson was particularly concerned that this diplomatic frisson might affect Mr Biden’s support for the British government’s ambitious climate change agenda, with Mr Johnson keen to demonstrate his green credentials ahead of November’s Cop26 climate change conference in Glasgow.
In the event, given the cordial nature of the exchanges between the two leaders when they finally met in the Oval Office this week, Mr Johnson’s fears were quickly allayed as Mr Biden, keen to move on from the fiasco in Afghanistan, made the climate change agenda the primary focus of the summit.
Mr Johnson, who has made promoting “Global Britain” a central pillar of government policy, has staked a great deal of personal political capital on making Cop26 a success. To that end, he is attempting to persuade the world’s major powers to make lasting commitments to tackling carbon emissions while also making firm financial commitments to help developing nations tackle the issue.
A central feature of Mr Johnson’s climate change agenda is to persuade developed nations to fulfil commitments made in the 2015 Paris Agreement to commit $100 billion a year by 2020 to help developing countries to cut their emissions, a move scientists believe will minimise the impact of climate change.
Even though the Paris Agreement generated much attention at the time, developed nations have been less forthcoming in honouring their commitments, with commitments of just under $80bn a year being reached prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
The British government made little effort to disguise its deep unhappiness at Mr Biden over Afghanistan
Mr Johnson therefore used his appearance at the UN General Assembly this week to warn that more must be given by rich economies to support developing countries’ transition to net zero. “In coming together to agree the $100bn pledge, the world’s richest countries made an historic commitment to the world’s poorest – we now owe it to them to deliver on that,” Mr Johnson told the UN.
“Richer nations have reaped the benefits of untrammelled pollution for generations, often at the expense of developing countries. As those countries now try to grow their economies in a clean, green and sustainable way we have a duty to support them in doing so – with our technology, with our expertise and with the money we have promised.”
Britain has already made some progress in persuading developed nations to increase their contributions. At June’s G7 summit, which was hosted by Mr Johnson in Cornwall, all G7 countries committed to enhance their contributions during the next five years, with new pledges amounting to $4bn per year in additional finance being made by major economies.
But with fewer than 50 days to go until the UK-hosted COP26 Summit, Mr Johnson is keen to build on the success of the G7 summit and ensure that the $100bn target is finally met.
In this context Mr Biden’s announcement that he was planning to double funds for helping developing nations with climate change represents a major breakthrough for Mr Johnson. Mr Biden’s announcement, which will require Congressional approval, would bring the total American contribution to around $11.4bn a year, a move the Biden administration claims will make the US a global leader in climate change finance.
Making the announcement, Mr Biden told the UN: “We are fast approaching a point of no return. To keep within our reach the vital goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, every nation needs to bring the highest possible ambitions to the table when we meet in Glasgow for Cop26, and then have to keep raising our collective ambition over time.”
Mr Biden’s commitment to support Mr Johnson’s bold climate change agenda was certainly welcome news for Mr Johnson, who had arrived in New York playing down expectations that the $100bn target could be met. The British leader said Mr Biden’s announcement was a “very good start” towards achieving the goal, and said the president’s funding pledge would take them “a long way towards” his target. “This is very good news in the sense the United States has stepped up to the plate with a massive contribution.”
There was other good news for Mr Johnson in the form of Mr Biden’s announcement that the US was to relax travel restrictions between the US and Britain, starting in November, thereby ending a ban first introduced by the Trump administration in March last year.
But while both leaders were keen to move on from the tensions that arose over the Afghan crisis, not everything went Mr Johnson’s way during his White House meeting, as the US leader made it clear that it would be some time before Mr Johnson’s much-vaunted free trade deal with the US would be completed.
Nevertheless, given the transatlantic tensions that were evident prior to Mr Johnson’s US trip, the British Prime Minister can return home safe in the knowledge that, on the climate change issue at least, the so-called special relationship between Britain and the US is firmly back on track.
Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
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
Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE
Sector: Online rental marketplace
Size: 40 employees
Investment: $2 million
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh289,000
Company profile
Company name: Dharma
Date started: 2018
Founders: Charaf El Mansouri, Nisma Benani, Leah Howe
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: TravelTech
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investors: Convivialite Ventures, BY Partners, Shorooq Partners, L& Ventures, Flat6Labs
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
DIVINE%20INTERVENTOIN
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat
Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press
Company%20profile
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The%C2%A0specs%20
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Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
How it works
A $10 hand-powered LED light and battery bank
Device is operated by hand cranking it at any time during the day or night
The charge is stored inside a battery
The ratio is that for every minute you crank, it provides 10 minutes light on the brightest mode
A full hand wound charge is of 16.5minutes
This gives 1.1 hours of light on high mode or 2.5 hours of light on low mode
When more light is needed, it can be recharged by winding again
The larger version costs between $18-20 and generates more than 15 hours of light with a 45-minute charge
No limit on how many times you can charge
Wonka
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The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
Results
2pm: Al Sahel Contracting Company – Maiden (PA) Dh50,000 (Dirt) 1,200m; Winner: AF Mutakafel, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
2.30pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: El Baareq, Antonio Fresu, Rashed Bouresly
3pm: Shadwell – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,950m; Winner: Lost Eden, Andrea Atzeni, Doug Watson
3.30pm: Keeneland – Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,000m; Winner: Alkaraama, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
4pm: Keeneland – Handicap (TB) Dh76,000 (D) 1,800m; Winner: Lady Snazz, Saif Al Balushi, Bhupat Seemar
4.30pm: Hive – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
5pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – (TB) Handicap Dh64,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Lahmoom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
Price, base: Dh1,731,672
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm
Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm
Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km
Ferrari
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INDIA'S%20TOP%20INFLUENCERS
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