Princess Haya: Dubai ruler's wife in UK 'in fear of her life' - BBC News

Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein, a wife of the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, is in hiding in London and said to be in fear for her life after fleeing her husband.

Sheikh Mohammed, 69, who is a billionaire racehorse owner and has often been seen conversing with the Queen at Ascot, has posted a furious poem on Instagram accusing an unidentified woman of "treachery and betrayal".

The Jordanian-born and British-educated Princess Haya, 45, married Sheikh Mohammed - owner of Godolphin horse racing stables - in 2004, becoming his sixth and "junior wife".

Sheikh Mohammed reportedly has 23 children by different wives.

Princess Haya fled initially this year to Germany to seek asylum. She is now said to be living in a £85m ($107m) town house in Kensington Palace Gardens, in central London, and preparing for a legal battle in the High Court.

So what prompted her to flee her luxurious life in Dubai and why is she said to be "afraid for her life"?

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Sources close to her have said that Princess Haya had recently discovered disturbing facts behind the mysterious return to Dubai last year of Sheikha Latifa, one of the ruler's daughters. She fled the UAE by sea with the help of a Frenchman but was intercepted by armed men off the coast of India and returned to Dubai.

Princess Haya then, along with the former Irish president Mary Robinson, defended Dubai's reputation over the incident.

• Images of 'missing' Dubai princess released
• Row over Dubai 'missing' princess meeting

The Dubai authorities said the runaway Sheikha Latifa had been "vulnerable to exploitation" and was "now safe in Dubai". But human rights advocates said she was forcibly abducted against her will.

Since then, it is alleged, Princess Haya has learnt new facts about the case and consequently came under increasing hostility and pressure from members of her husband's extended family until she no longer felt safe there.

A source close to her said she fears she may now be abducted herself and "rendered" back to Dubai. The UAE embassy in London has declined to comment on what it says is a personal matter between two individuals.

There is, however, a wider, international element to this story.

Princess Haya, who was educated at Bryanston School in Dorset then Oxford University, is thought likely to want to stay in the UK.

If her estranged husband demands her return then this poses a diplomatic headache for Britain, which has close ties to the UAE.

The case is also awkward for Jordan since Princess Haya is the half-sister of Jordan's King Abdullah. Nearly a quarter of a million Jordanians work in the UAE, sending back remittances, and Jordan cannot afford a rift with Dubai.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-48843168

2019-07-03 00:16:40Z
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UK's Hunt: we expect China to abide by the 1984 Hong Kong treaty - Reuters

BELFAST (Reuters) - Britain expects China to abide by a 1984 treaty which guarantees basic freedoms to the former British colony of Hong Kong for 50 years, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Tuesday.

FILE PHOTO - Jeremy Hunt, a leadership candidate for Britain's Conservative Party, speaks during a hustings event in Belfast, Northern Ireland, July 2, 2019. AP Photo/Peter Morrison/Pool via REUTERS

In an interview with Reuters during a visit to Northern Ireland, Hunt also said he believed a way could be found to avoid a hard border in Ireland after Brexit.

China has called the violent protests in Hong Kong this week a challenge to its rule after demonstrators stormed the territory’s legislature.

Millions have rallied against a bill which seeks to allow people in Hong Kong to be extradited to the mainland for trial in courts controlled by the Communist Party.

China and Britain signed a Joint Declaration in 1984 on the terms of the return of Hong Kong but Beijing has said the accord is a historical document with no practical significance.

Hunt said: “It is a legally binding document which has force for 50 years. Just as China expects other countries to follow their international legal obligations, the United Kingdom does the same.”

Hong Kong was returned by Britain to China in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” formula that allows freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China, including the right to protest and an independent judiciary.

China said on Monday Britain no longer has any responsibility for Hong Kong and should stop “gesticulating” about it.

When asked if China could be sanctioned for events in Hong Kong, Hunt said:

“I hope it won’t come up anything like that at all because there is a way through this which is for the government of Hong Kong to listen to the legitimate concerns of the people of Hong Kong about their freedoms.”

HUAWEI

Hong Kong is not the only current issue straining UK relations with China. Britain has found itself caught up in a diplomatic row between Washington and Beijing over the use of Chinese firm Huawei’s equipment in its 5G telecoms network.

The United States has told its allies not to use Huawei equipment because of concerns it could allow China to spy on sensitive communications.

However, Britain’s National Security Council, chaired by Prime Minister Theresa May, agreed in April to allow Huawei restricted access to non-core parts of the 5G network, but that decision has been put on hold following the U.S. intervention.

“We have to make sure we protect our intelligence-sharing relationship with the United States,” said Hunt, one of two contenders to replace May and who was in Belfast for a hustings of Conservative members who will elect the country’s next leader.

“We are going through an assessment of the technical and strategic risks but my starting point is that we should avoid technological dependency on any other countries for those critical networks.”

BREXIT NO-DEAL CAN BE BLOCKED

The main issue for Hunt and his rival, former foreign minister Boris Johnson, remains Britain’s exit from the European Union. Both men have said they would be prepared to leave without any agreement and Johnson has vowed that Brexit would occur before the current Oct. 31 deadline, “do or die”.

However, lawmakers have indicated they would not allow a no-deal Brexit and Hunt said parliament could block it.

“It has succeeded before and it may succeed again which is why the safest and quickest way of getting out of the European Union is to choose a prime minister who can negotiate a deal that can get through parliament,” he said.

One of the main Brexit sticking points has been the Irish backstop, an insurance policy to prevent the return of a hard border between British-ruled Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.

Hunt said a technological answer could be found, even though Britain’s official in charge of Brexit border preparation warned earlier this year there was no such solution in existence anywhere else in the world.

“What I would say is that there is nowhere anywhere in the world that is like the island of Ireland, with its very unique history and the resilience of its people and the way that it has overcome challenges in a way that frankly has been the envy of the world,” Hunt said.

“So I think we can find a solution on the island of Ireland that may well blaze a trail around the world for how invisible borders can actually work.”

Writing by Guy Faulconbridge and Michael Holden; editing by Stephen Addison

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-leader-hunt-china-intervie-idUSKCN1TX1QJ

2019-07-02 13:46:00Z
CAIiEO5Yb9Viu2EZ-4vP-mqPHnYqFQgEKg0IACoGCAowt6AMMLAmMJSCDg

House prices remain subdued - BBC News

Funding CircleCopyright: Funding Circle

Peer-to-peer lending was going to be the next big thing in small-business lending, filling the gap left after the financial crisis a decade ago when many banks sharply curtailed their activity.

The idea was pleasingly simple, and also spoke to individual’s desires to support entrepreneurs and make money while doing so.

Funding Circle and other companies set up exchanges that matched lenders – often members of the public – with small businesses that needed money. It was hailed as a disruptive business model that would make life hard for the big banks, and tech investors swing behind it, making Funding Circle one of the first, and most lauded of Britain’s “unicorns” – private companies valued at more than $1bn.

All the while though, critics have sniped.

Peer-to-peer lenders would never be able to do the kind of due diligence that banks’ small business departments had done for years – and they would inevitably be left with the dross that had been passed over for bank loans.

Some investors carped that they had been matched with dud companies, while regulators have periodically issued warnings about the need for greater scrutiny of borrowing companies.

This morning’s unscheduled trading update from Funding Circle seems to flesh out some of those fears – a downturn has led the company to tighten its lending criteria. The share price neatly sums up investors new found caution – it floated on the London exchange just 10 months ago, at 440p a share. It now trades at 149p.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/live/business-48800228

2019-07-02 11:16:51Z
CBMiL2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9saXZlL2J1c2luZXNzLTQ4ODAwMjI40gEA

Business Live: Tues 2 July - BBC News

Funding CircleCopyright: Funding Circle

Peer-to-peer lending was going to be the next big thing in small-business lending, filling the gap left after the financial crisis a decade ago when many banks sharply curtailed their activity.

The idea was pleasingly simple, and also spoke to individual’s desires to support entrepreneurs and make money while doing so.

Funding Circle and other companies set up exchanges that matched lenders – often members of the public – with small businesses that needed money. It was hailed as a disruptive business model that would make life hard for the big banks, and tech investors swing behind it, making Funding Circle one of the first, and most lauded of Britain’s “unicorns” – private companies valued at more than $1bn.

All the while though, critics have sniped.

Peer-to-peer lenders would never be able to do the kind of due diligence that banks’ small business departments had done for years – and they would inevitably be left with the dross that had been passed over for bank loans.

Some investors carped that they had been matched with dud companies, while regulators have periodically issued warnings about the need for greater scrutiny of borrowing companies.

This morning’s unscheduled trading update from Funding Circle seems to flesh out some of those fears – a downturn has led the company to tighten its lending criteria. The share price neatly sums up investors new found caution – it floated on the London exchange just 10 months ago, at 440p a share. It now trades at 149p.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/live/business-48800228

2019-07-02 10:52:52Z
CBMiL2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9saXZlL2J1c2luZXNzLTQ4ODAwMjI40gEA

House prices remain subdued - BBC News

Funding CircleCopyright: Funding Circle

Peer-to-peer lending was going to be the next big thing in small-business lending, filling the gap left after the financial crisis a decade ago when many banks sharply curtailed their activity.

The idea was pleasingly simple, and also spoke to individual’s desires to support entrepreneurs and make money while doing so.

Funding Circle and other companies set up exchanges that matched lenders – often members of the public – with small businesses that needed money. It was hailed as a disruptive business model that would make life hard for the big banks, and tech investors swing behind it, making Funding Circle one of the first, and most lauded of Britain’s “unicorns” – private companies valued at more than $1bn.

All the while though, critics have sniped.

Peer-to-peer lenders would never be able to do the kind of due diligence that banks’ small business departments had done for years – and they would inevitably be left with the dross that had been passed over for bank loans.

Some investors carped that they had been matched with dud companies, while regulators have periodically issued warnings about the need for greater scrutiny of borrowing companies.

This morning’s unscheduled trading update from Funding Circle seems to flesh out some of those fears – a downturn has led the company to tighten its lending criteria. The share price neatly sums up investors new found caution – it floated on the London exchange just 10 months ago, at 440p a share. It now trades at 149p.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/live/business-48800228

2019-07-02 10:39:41Z
CBMiL2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9saXZlL2J1c2luZXNzLTQ4ODAwMjI40gEA

UK construction sector contracts - BBC News

Funding CircleCopyright: Funding Circle

Peer-to-peer lending was going to be the next big thing in small-business lending, filling the gap left after the financial crisis a decade ago when many banks sharply curtailed their activity.

The idea was pleasingly simple, and also spoke to individual’s desires to support entrepreneurs and make money while doing so.

Funding Circle and other companies set up exchanges that matched lenders – often members of the public – with small businesses that needed money. It was hailed as a disruptive business model that would make life hard for the big banks, and tech investors swing behind it, making Funding Circle one of the first, and most lauded of Britain’s “unicorns” – private companies valued at more than $1bn.

All the while though, critics have sniped.

Peer-to-peer lenders would never be able to do the kind of due diligence that banks’ small business departments had done for years – and they would inevitably be left with the dross that had been passed over for bank loans.

Some investors carped that they had been matched with dud companies, while regulators have periodically issued warnings about the need for greater scrutiny of borrowing companies.

This morning’s unscheduled trading update from Funding Circle seems to flesh out some of those fears – a downturn has led the company to tighten its lending criteria. The share price neatly sums up investors new found caution – it floated on the London exchange just 10 months ago, at 440p a share. It now trades at 149p.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/business-48800228

2019-07-02 09:45:00Z
CBMiL2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9saXZlL2J1c2luZXNzLTQ4ODAwMjI40gEA

House prices remain subdued - BBC News

Funding CircleCopyright: Funding Circle

Peer-to-peer lending was going to be the next big thing in small-business lending, filling the gap left after the financial crisis a decade ago when many banks sharply curtailed their activity.

The idea was pleasingly simple, and also spoke to individual’s desires to support entrepreneurs and make money while doing so.

Funding Circle and other companies set up exchanges that matched lenders – often members of the public – with small businesses that needed money. It was hailed as a disruptive business model that would make life hard for the big banks, and tech investors swing behind it, making Funding Circle one of the first, and most lauded of Britain’s “unicorns” – private companies valued at more than $1bn.

All the while though, critics have sniped.

Peer-to-peer lenders would never be able to do the kind of due diligence that banks’ small business departments had done for years – and they would inevitably be left with the dross that had been passed over for bank loans.

Some investors carped that they had been matched with dud companies, while regulators have periodically issued warnings about the need for greater scrutiny of borrowing companies.

This morning’s unscheduled trading update from Funding Circle seems to flesh out some of those fears – a downturn has led the company to tighten its lending criteria. The share price neatly sums up investors new found caution – it floated on the London exchange just 10 months ago, at 440p a share. It now trades at 149p.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/business-48800228

2019-07-02 09:18:06Z
CBMiL2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9saXZlL2J1c2luZXNzLTQ4ODAwMjI40gEA