Pope Francis began a visit to South Sudan on the final leg of his Africa tour on Friday, a day after 27 people were killed in the latest bout of violence, in Kajo-Keji County.
The head of the Roman Catholic Church will join leaders of the Church of England and the Church of Scotland in issuing a joint call for peace in the Christian-majority country that gained independence from predominantly Muslim Sudan in 2011.
Continued violence, including fighting in the south that killed 27 people on Thursday, has displaced about two million people and hampered the implementation of a 2018 peace deal to end a civil war that broke out in 2013.
The latest deaths occurred during clashes between cattle herders and a local militia in Kajo-Keji County, Central Equatoria state, a local country commissioner told Reuters.
People are hoping that the first papal visit to the country will provide the impetus for ending the violence.
“The Pope will bring us peace,” Monica Lado, a 40-year-old from Juba, told the Associated Press ahead of the three Christian leaders' arrival.
One of a group of 80 Catholics walked 300km in nine days from the central city of Rumbek to Juba to see the pontiff.
“As the Pope is coming, I believe what was killing us will stop,” said Victoria Yar, 58, after the long journey.
"Our country is being destroyed by the conflict and we hope that the pPope is coming with peace, and no one will be killed again," said Mary Yom, another member of the group. The mother of eight said she lost two children to the violence.
The Pope's South Sudan trip was first announced in 2017 but security concerns caused plans to continually slide. In 2019, the pontiff famously got down on his hands and knees and kissed the feet of South Sudan’s rival leaders, begging them to make peace during a joint prayer in the Vatican.
Pope Francis, 86, travelled to South Sudan from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he heard harrowing stories of violence from victims of that country's conflict, including the killings of relatives, sexual slavery, amputation and forced cannibalism.
The Pope condemned the atrocities as war crimes and appealed to all parties, internal and external, who orchestrate war in the DRC to plunder the country's vast mineral resources to stop getting rich with "money stained with blood".
Top investing tips for UAE residents in 2021
Build an emergency fund: Make sure you have enough cash to cover six months of expenses as a buffer against unexpected problems before you begin investing, advises Steve Cronin, the founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com.
Think long-term: When you invest, you need to have a long-term mindset, so don’t worry about momentary ups and downs in the stock market.
Invest worldwide: Diversify your investments globally, ideally by way of a global stock index fund.
Is your money tied up: Avoid anything where you cannot get your money back in full within a month at any time without any penalty.
Skip past the promises: “If an investment product is offering more than 10 per cent return per year, it is either extremely risky or a scam,” Mr Cronin says.
Choose plans with low fees: Make sure that any funds you buy do not charge more than 1 per cent in fees, Mr Cronin says. “If you invest by yourself, you can easily stay below this figure.” Managed funds and commissionable investments often come with higher fees.
Be sceptical about recommendations: If someone suggests an investment to you, ask if they stand to gain, advises Mr Cronin. “If they are receiving commission, they are unlikely to recommend an investment that’s best for you.”
Get financially independent: Mr Cronin advises UAE residents to pursue financial independence. Start with a Google search and improve your knowledge via expat investing websites or Facebook groups such as SimplyFI.
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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The years Ramadan fell in May
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Energy Research Centre
Founded 50 years ago as a nuclear research institute, scientists at the centre believed nuclear would be the “solution for everything”.
Although they still do, they discovered in 1955 that the Netherlands had a lot of natural gas. “We still had the idea that, by 2000, it would all be nuclear,” said Harm Jeeninga, director of business and programme development at the centre.
"In the 1990s, we found out about global warming so we focused on energy savings and tackling the greenhouse gas effect.”
The energy centre’s research focuses on biomass, energy efficiency, the environment, wind and solar, as well as energy engineering and socio-economic research.
