American investor George Soros is passing control of his multibillion dollar foundation to his son Alexander.
The Hungarian-born father, 92, told the Wall Street Journal in an interview published on Sunday that his son, 37, the second youngest of five children, had earned it.
Reviled by conservatives, and often the target of anti-Semitic conspiracies, George Soros used his wealth amassed as a financier in the 1970s and 80s to create the Open Society Foundations, which supports a broad arrange of causes and non-profits worldwide, ranging from good governance and democracy-building programmes to liberal public policy initiatives.
He has also been one of the biggest Democratic Party donors in the US.
Alexander, who goes by Alex, told the Wall Street Journal he is “more political” than his father, and that one of his top aims would be to push back against a possible second term by former president Donald Trump.
“As much as I would love to get money out of politics, as long as the other side is doing it, we will have to do it, too,” he said.
Under his direction, the younger Soros said the OSF would continue down a similar path his father charted, pushing free speech, criminal justice reform, minority and refugee rights and backing liberal politicians.
But he also wants to embrace voting rights, abortion and gender equity initiatives.
The board of OSF had quietly elected Alex Soros as its chairman in December, the Wall Street Journal reported, adding that he is also the president of his father's “super PAC” – a type of organisation in the US that can spend unlimited amounts of money on politics.
An OSF representative confirmed to AFP on Sunday that “Alex is chair of the Open Society Foundations,” without any further details on the timing of the change.
The US newspaper also said he is the sole family member on the investment committee for Soros Fund Management, the firm that oversees family and foundation money.
About $125 million has been set aside for the super PAC over the coming years while most of the $25 billion in the Soros Management Fund will be directed towards the OSF, the Journal reported.
More focused on domestic politics than the elder Soros, Alex is already helping Democrats to increase their appeal with Latino voters and improve black voter turnout.
“Our side has to be better about being more patriotic and inclusive,” he said. “Just because someone votes Trump doesn't mean they're lost or racist.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
more from Janine di Giovanni
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Results
Stage seven
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 3:20:24
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 1s
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 5s
General Classification
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 25:38:16
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 22s
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 48s
