Syria's leader Ahmad Al Shara and Jordan's King Abdullah agreed on Wednesday to work on improving border security, Jordan's royal palace said, addressing a long-running problem that has affected trade and the movement of people between the two countries.
Mr Al Shara's short visit to Jordan was his first since his supporters appointed him President in late January, and his third visit abroad after trips to Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The countries share a 360km border.
“His majesty affirmed the need to co-ordinate closely in view of the challenges concerning border security and curbing the smuggling of weapons and narcotics,” a Jordanian palace statement said.
Mr Al Shara was received personally by the king at Amman's Marka Airport and driven to Basman Palace, where the pair were joined by Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein for a meeting. He spent several hours in Amman before returning to Damascus.
Mr Al Shara leads Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, the group that led the toppling of former president Bashar Al Assad on December 8. Mr Al Assad's last visit to Jordan was in 2009, before relations between the neighbours broke down over the regime's crackdown on the Syrian upising in 2011.
Jordan re-established limited ties with Mr Al Assad in recent years with the aim of resuming legal flows of goods and people under what officials called a step-for-step approach to solving problems emanating from Syria, and from the ousted regime's Iran-backed militia allies.
But Jordan did not see enough co-operation from the Assad regime on drug smuggling and border security. Jordanian support for Mr Al Assad remained limited, especially in his wider goal of lifting western sanctions and obtaining funding for reconstruction projects in regime-controlled areas.
In December HTS forces were posted along the border with Jordan, a major conduit for the Captagon drug trade, which has diminished since the removal of the Assad regime. Syria's Foreign Minister, Asaad Al Shibani, who accompanied Mr Al Shara on Wednesday's trip, agreed with his counterpart Ayman Safadi in January that the nations would co-operate on tackling drugs and weapons smuggling.
Syrians are mostly banned from crossing into Jordan, while Jordanians need security clearance to visit Syria. Before the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, millions of Jordanians travelled to Syria each year for shopping, holidays and business.
King Abdullah said co-operation with Syria should be expanded to energy, water and commerce, according to the palace statement. Jordan, which hosted the first international conference on Syria a week after Mr Al Assad was forced to flee to Russia, has said it is willing to help rebuild Syria and contribute to its stability as the nation recovers from its 13-year civil war.
The monarch welcomed the outcome of a landmark national dialogue conference held at the presidential palace in Damascus on Tuesday, saying it was "an important step towards rebuilding Syria to attain the aspirations of the Syrian people".
The kingdom previously tried to sell electricity to the Assad regime but the deal fell through, partly because of sanctions on Syria, which have been eased since Mr Al Assad's removal. Mr Al Shara's government is aiming to consolidate control in outlying areas of the country, but it is facing resistance from several religious and ethnic groups. Among them are the Druze in the southern governorate of Suweida on the border with Jordan, with whom the kingdom maintains historical ties.
The situation in Syria's south has been complicated by an Israeli announcement last week that it would not permit the spread of HTS forces in the area, which borders Israel. Late on Tuesday, Israel struck sites south of Damascus belonging to the Assad regime after HTS personnel moved in. The king condemned the Israeli attacks, and “affirmed support for Syria's unity and sovereignty”.
Mr Safadi said that the Israeli aggression is a blatant violation of international law, and that Israel must stop its "provocative" attacks on Syrian territory. "We absolutely stand with Syria," he said on X.
Jordan was among Arab countries that normalised relations with the Assad regime in the three years before the former dictator was overthrown, partly because it was seen as a counter-force to Islamist militants. HTS was previously linked with Al Qaeda and still has foreign fighters, including Jordanians, among its senior ranks.
Mobile phone packages comparison
Race card
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m
6.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,400m
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 1,200m
7.50pm: Longines Stakes – Conditions (TB) Dh120,00 (D) 1,900m
8.25pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m
9pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 2,410m
9.35pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 2,000m
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
Company name: Farmin
Date started: March 2019
Founder: Dr Ali Al Hammadi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: AgriTech
Initial investment: None to date
Partners/Incubators: UAE Space Agency/Krypto Labs
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.”
The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Premier Futsal 2017 Finals
Al Wasl Football Club; six teams, five-a-side
Delhi Dragons: Ronaldinho
Bengaluru Royals: Paul Scholes
Mumbai Warriors: Ryan Giggs
Chennai Ginghams: Hernan Crespo
Telugu Tigers: Deco
Kerala Cobras: Michel Salgado
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
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More on Quran memorisation:
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate
Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
The biog
Name: Shamsa Hassan Safar
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Degree in emergency medical services at Higher Colleges of Technology
Favourite book: Between two hearts- Arabic novels
Favourite music: Mohammed Abdu and modern Arabic songs
Favourite way to spend time off: Family visits and spending time with friends
