If you are a fan of action movies you might like to know that Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has endorsed Joe Biden as President of the United States. The Rock transformed his pro-wrestling career into fame as a film star, and now The Fast and The Furious hero has appeared in a video interviewing a clearly delighted Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris.
Brad Pitt, Taylor Swift and Cher have also endorsed Biden-Harris. On the Trump side, Kirstie Allie tweeted she was voting for Trump “because he’s NOT a politician. I voted for him 4 years ago for this reason and shall vote for him again for this reason.”
During those four years Mr Trump was in fact the US President, but hey, ho, perhaps that somehow still doesn’t make him “a politician”, at least for Allie. Actor Jon Voight also backed Trump saying in a video: “Biden is evil”.
Whether anyone has ever changed their mind as a result of a celebrity endorsement of a candidate is a bit of a mystery. Those who enjoyed Jon Voight's performance in the 1969 film Midnight Cowboy quite possibly do not care very much 50 years later whether he thinks Joe Biden is evil or Donald Trump is a genius.
But here is a different take on celebrity endorsement, this time in Britain. The 23-year-old Manchester United player Marcus Rashford is a football star. He scored a hat-trick against RB Leipzig last week and in his spare time he is trying to feed some of the 1.4 million children in England who qualify for free school meals.
These meals are only available during school term time in England, while Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own separate education systems. Those three parts of the UK are providing school meals to needy children during school holidays, while the Westminster government of Boris Johnson has bluntly refused to do so for England.
It means that as Mr Johnson’s flip-flopping administration imposes yet another coronavirus lockdown, it looks increasingly Scrooge-like, with Christmas holidays arriving next month.
Rashford has won public sympathy, an award from the Queen, and the support of many generous businesses, some of them small, family-owned shops or cafes providing food or vouchers for families in need.
Sports stars and Hollywood giants talking about cancer, dementia, racism or child poverty from their own experience humanise a problem
There has also been support from many local councils in England which – while often themselves strapped for cash – want to make sure hungry children get at least one good meal a day.
The Conservative Party was once described by its former leader Theresa May as “the Nasty Party”, lacking empathy and kindness. A few brave Conservative MPs rebelled against Mr Johnson and voted in favour of extending the free school meals programme in England.
Other Conservative MPs suggested that feckless parents will swap meal vouchers for drugs or alcohol. There is scant evidence of this, and in any case, it is a heartless argument. Should we not feed hungry children because their parents are inadequate?
Meanwhile the British charity Comic Relief has announced it will no longer send celebrities to Africa as part of their campaigns. The singer Ed Sheeran was accused of “poverty porn” on a Comic Relief trip to Liberia. Another celebrity, Stacey Dooley, posted on Instagram a picture of herself with a less-than-happy-looking Ugandan child. Her caption said “OBSESSSSSSSSSSED”. The Labour MP David Lammy responded that there were too many “tired and unhelpful stereotypes” about Africa, and that “the world does not need any more white saviours”.
The bigger issue is whether celebrity endorsement helps a cause or damages it. The evidence is mixed.
In the 2016 US presidential election, celebrity endorsements possibly damaged Hillary Clinton, since they allowed Donald Trump to emphasise that she was part of an out-of-touch elite. That is ironic, given that Mr Trump owed his election victory to his own celebrity status on a TV reality show.
But the Rashford campaign is different from celebrity froth. His life story means he is not campaigning about something outside his experience. He is talking about child poverty and poverty was part of his own childhood.
Rashford was a poor kid whose family needed help because they did not have enough money. His sincerity and authenticity is obvious and heartfelt and, in such cases, celebrity endorsements work wonders.
Sports stars and Hollywood giants talking about prostate cancer, breast cancer, dementia, racism or child poverty from their own or their family’s experience humanise a problem.
A celebrity can gain attention in our otherwise busy lives. And celebrity sells. That is why you might see that famous actor drinking a cup of that famous coffee, or that sports personality recommending a brand of running shoes.
As for an actor or musician recommending a US President in the most divisive election of modern times, well, even if you don’t admire their political judgement you should have some respect for their bravery.
Gavin Esler is a broadcaster and UK columnist for The National
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.”
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Roger Federer's 2018 record
Australian Open Champion
Rotterdam Champion
Indian Wells Runner-up
Miami Second round
Stuttgart Champion
Halle Runner-up
Wimbledon Quarter-finals
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US Open Fourth round
Shanghai Semi-finals
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Indoor Cricket World Cup
Venue Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE squad Saqib Nazir (captain), Aaqib Malik, Fahad Al Hashmi, Isuru Umesh, Nadir Hussain, Sachin Talwar, Nashwan Nasir, Prashath Kumara, Ramveer Rai, Sameer Nayyak, Umar Shah, Vikrant Shetty
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
About Housecall
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Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech
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White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
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A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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The Specs:
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More from Aya Iskandarani
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only. Readers are encouraged to seek independent legal advice.
