Alice Fordham checks in with the staff at Iraq's most intriguing boarding house.
Captain Rogers, an American cavalry officer in Baghdad, has a problem to address. One of his men has stopped folding napkins into ruffled cones and is inquiring whether he should seat four people on each side of the table, with one setting at the head for an unconfirmed ninth guest. Rogers considers. "Set it for 10," he decides - four on each side and one at each end. "It will give a nice, balanced presentation." That settled, Rogers turns away from the glass-topped table and gold chairs, strides across the marble floor, and takes a seat in the armchair in which Saddam Hussein gave his last interview, in February 2003.
This is the US Army's Joint Visitors' Bureau. Once the guesthouse of the Al Faw palace complex on the outskirts of Baghdad - used by Saddam and his family as a retreat - today it plays host to defence officials, US congressional delegations, Hollywood stars come to cheer up the troops, and the occasional embedded journalist. A vaulted vision of glitzy light fixtures and plush furniture, it is run by dozens of American soldiers who walk the corridors in combat uniforms and sand-coloured boots, their images reflected in vast mirrors, chatting about ping-pong matches and whose turn it is to drive the convoy tomorrow. The foyer is lit by a crystal globe surrounded by blue glass rings, beneath which soldiers slump on pink and gold sofas, do the crossword, and watch sport. An arched, stained glass window casts light onto a pile of flak jackets and helmets.
One small room, its ceiling covered with intricate geometric designs and dotted with chandeliers, has been converted into a dining facility, where the troops eat mass-produced meatloaf off plastic plates, glancing up at the baseball on TV. They work out in an improvised gym set up outside, between the scrolled and fluted columns on the deck, which looks out onto a man-made lake of water diverted from the Tigris. Fishing rods are available, as are golf clubs. A retired marine, now a contractor here on business, wallops balls into the water. A taped-up sign warns: "Don't hit your golf balls at the Al Faw palace."
A young cook from Oregon explains that when he deployed, he anticipated being a gunner in a Humvee. To wake up every morning and plan menus for dignitaries is, he says, "a blessing". Occasionally, some hard-bitten men who joined the military to see "some action" express the view that hotel management isn't what they signed up for. But most agree that meeting Angelina Jolie is in many ways better than sweltering tents and mortal danger.
Rogers shows me a vase given by Saddam to one of his aides with covert details of a tryst between the ruler and one of his mistresses written on its base. He is hopeful that the palace complex will be preserved for history. In America, he says, you can visit George Washington's old house, with everything mocked up as if the great man still lived there. One day they should do that with this place. If they ever do, however, a few details might have to be fudged: a single locked bookcase is all that remains of Saddam's library; a story still circulates that a first edition of Huckleberry Finn was found among the dictator's books, then filched by an unknown soldier.
I ask the Marine-turned-contractor what Saddam might think if he could see his old playground now. "I like to think futuristically," he said - not about the past.
Distancing one's daily work from the bigger Iraqi picture is, in my experience, a fact of military life here. The comedian Stephen Colbert played a series of shows this year in the vast foyer of the Al Faw palace. A young lieutenant joined him to sing The Star Spangled Banner to a rapt audience. Afterwards, when I asked her what Saddam might have thought, she just twinkled: "He might have thought: great acoustics!"
In many ways, soldiers' lives here are the same as those of their brothers- and sisters-in-arms on the big, dusty, purpose-built bases that now dot Iraq. Meals and assignments are timetabled and regimented, even if those assignments include mopping marble floors and carrying celebrities' luggage. Most things that are not compulsory are forbidden. The focus is on the job to be done and the months until the end of the mission. There are America flags everywhere. Baskin Robbins ice cream is served. Visiting generals get apple pie for dessert. Soldiers frequently refer to "here" as if they were still in America ? as in, "It'll be a long time before soccer gets more popular than real football over here." On a recent Sunday afternoon, an acoustic guitar duo flown in from America to entertain the troops played on the deck, and their performance was broadcast by radio across the base. A crowd of soldiers gathered around, the duo took requests, and country classics drifted across the water.
Already, minds here are on the next likely backdrop: Afghanistan. In Iraq, violent deaths have fallen since American troops withdrew from the cities a month ago. There is time to spend making a hotel pleasant for visitors, and it rather feels like the end of the war. In Afghanistan, coalition troops are losing an escalating battle, and there will be enough action for the most energetic soldier. The cook from Oregon explains that, in addition to his chef's certificate, he has a house clearance qualification ("it's kicking in doors"). Does he think he'll be cooking in Afghanistan? A derisory snort. "No, ma'am," he says, eyeing a stack of plates with Saddam's crest. "This posting, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience."
Alice Fordham is a freelance journalist who writes about current affairs and culture from all over the 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.”
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England v West Indies
England squad for the first Test Cook, Stoneman, Westley, Root (captain), Malan, Stokes, Bairstow, Moeen, Roland-Jones, Broad, Anderson, Woakes, Crane
Fixtures
1st Test Aug 17-21, Edgbaston
2nd Test Aug 25-29, Headingley
3rd Test Sep 7-11, Lord's
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
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital