Donald Trump gives the media the thumbs up after disembarking from 'Trump Force One' at Aberdeen airport. AFP
Donald Trump gives the media the thumbs up after disembarking from 'Trump Force One' at Aberdeen airport. AFP
Donald Trump gives the media the thumbs up after disembarking from 'Trump Force One' at Aberdeen airport. AFP
Donald Trump gives the media the thumbs up after disembarking from 'Trump Force One' at Aberdeen airport. AFP

Trump says 'it's great to be home' as he visits Scotland amid legal trouble


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Donald Trump said it is “great to be home” as he arrived in Scotland on a visit to his golf courses.

The former US president said on Truth Social — the social media platform he owns — that he will open a “spectacular” second course at the Menie Estate in the north-east of Scotland.

He and his son Eric arrived at Aberdeen Airport at about 11.30am and were met by two pipers, a red carpet and a 10-vehicle motorcade.

Before getting into one of the cars, Mr Trump said: “It’s great to be home, this was the home of my mother.”

His mother, Mary, was born on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides before emigrating to the US.

Following his time in Scotland, he will head to his golf course in Doonbeg on Ireland’s west coast.

Despite the visit, Mr Trump, who is running for the White House again in 2024 and is seen by many as the presumptive Republican nominee, said his campaign is “on my mind”, claiming that a victory for him would make America “greater than ever before”.

“Will be leaving for Scotland & Ireland soon in order to see and inspect my great properties there,” he wrote.

'Trump Force One' at Aberdeen airport, after carrying the former US president to the north-east coast of Scotland. AFP
'Trump Force One' at Aberdeen airport, after carrying the former US president to the north-east coast of Scotland. AFP

He said he would be meeting "many wonderful friends, and cutting a ribbon for a new and spectacular second course in Aberdeen".

“Very exciting despite the fact that it is ‘make America great again’ that is on my mind, in fact, America will be greater than ever before.”

Mr Trump's journey out of the US comes as he faces legal trouble in his native New York over his business practices.

He has pleaded not guilty to charges of falsifying business records to hide damaging information ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Mr Trump had spent two days at his Turnberry course in Ayrshire while in office in 2018, meeting prime minister Theresa May and Queen Elizabeth II during the visit.

Asked last week if he will meet Mr Trump, who has made controversial statements about Muslims in the past, Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf said: “I would find it difficult, I have to say, to meet with him without raising the significance of concerns I have of the remarks that he’s made in the past.”

SANCTIONED
  • Kirill Shamalov, Russia's youngest billionaire and previously married to Putin's daughter Katarina
  • Petr Fradkov, head of recently sanctioned Promsvyazbank and son of former head of Russian Foreign Intelligence, the FSB. 
  • Denis Bortnikov, Deputy President of Russia's largest bank VTB. He is the son of Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB which was responsible for the poisoning of political activist Alexey Navalny in August 2020 with banned chemical agent novichok.  
  • Yury Slyusar, director of United Aircraft Corporation, a major aircraft manufacturer for the Russian military.
  • Elena Aleksandrovna Georgieva, chair of the board of Novikombank, a state-owned defence conglomerate.
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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.

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Our legal advisor

Rasmi Ragy is a senior counsel at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.

Experience: Prosecutor in Egypt with more than 40 years experience across the GCC.

Education: Ain Shams University, Egypt, in 1978.

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The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index

The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index

Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.

The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.

“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.

“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”

Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.

Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.

“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.

Updated: May 01, 2023, 12:25 PM`