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The partnership with Alfardan Jewellery has played a key role in Rose’s successful expansion in Doha, according to leading Indian jewellery house Rose's founder and senior sales director (luxury) Purnima Sheth.Rose returns to Qatar for the 20th edition of the Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition (DJWE), which takes place at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre until February 11.“Alfardan has been our partners for the past 7-8 years and gave us the platform to showcase our brand in the Qatari market. Over the years, our business during the show grew exponentially leading up to DJWE in 2020, which was our best show in the region at that time,” she told Gulf Times.Following the cancellation of shows due to the Covid-19 outbreak, Rose experienced a surge in orders from Qatar. This prompted the realisation that the brand needed a more permanent presence in the country, leading to the collaboration with Alfardan.Sheth disclosed that the enthusiastic response from the people of Qatar contributed significantly in influencing Rose’s choice to establish four stores in Doha. The admiration for the brand’s distinctive designs, which seamlessly blend various gemstones with diamonds, was a key factor in making this decision.“This was important because while our clients were happy to place orders via our Instagram channel, jewellery is still a touch-and-feel category and it was thus valuable to have pieces in Qatar to allow new customers to see our quality before placing orders,” she said.Regarding Rose’s international expansion strategy, Sheth highlighted the Middle East as an essential market, with the brand participating in over 10 shows across the region annually.According to Sheth, Rose is also in the process of setting up an office in Dubai to better serve its Middle Eastern clients. Rose’s presence in Doha mirrors its flagship stores in Mumbai and New Delhi.To stay innovative and relevant in the competitive jewellery market, she reveals that Rose adapts to evolving consumer preferences and industry trends. Underlining the brand’s responsiveness to changes, she cited the example of introducing a line of fine jewellery after observing a shift in consumer preferences towards everyday wear post-pandemic.About DJWE, Sheth lauded the organisers and underscored the significance of the event in their calendar, noting that: “This is one of the biggest events of our calendar and allows us to showcase our collection alongside the industry’s best and we have been enthused by the response of our patrons in Qatar who have appreciated our designs and craftsmanship and patronised us over the years.”“We have been participating in DJWE for the last several years. In our opinion, DJWE is the largest and best show in this part of the world as it is the only existing show that brings all the brands of watches and jewellery under one roof for the customer. We look forward to taking part in DJWE for many years to come,” she added.

There are many geopolitical risks at the start of 2024, discussed at the World Economic Forum’s summit in Davos. The impact of each one can be impossible to anticipate, so it helps to stay open-minded and responsiveThe beginning of the year is as good a time as any to take an overview of the challenges facing the world. January is the month in which many of the world’s leaders gather in the Swiss town of Davos for the annual summit of the World Economic Forum to engage in such an exercise.It is never possible to anticipate the scale or nature of emerging risks with precision. In January 2020, for example, there was only a little concern regarding the spread of a new coronavirus, yet the Covid-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns ended up having more social and economic impact that year than anything else.Four years on, conflict in the Middle East is probably the biggest source of concern while Covid-19 is becoming a memory. Israel shows no sign of backing down in its military campaign to annihilate Hamas, with huge cost of civilian life, while Hamas resists fiercely and still holds hostages. The attacks by Houthi forces on shipping in the Red Sea, and retaliatory attacks by Western powers on Houthi bases in Yemen, are a direct consequence. While Qatar mediated to arrange a ceasefire in Gaza and return of some of the hostages in November, that truce turned out to be short-lived. Meanwhile, tension has erupted between Iran and Pakistan, with armed forces from both sides firing at alleged terrorist groups in the other’s territory.Containing or preventing regional conflicts was a major concern at Davos, and it took its place in the agenda alongside commercial and other economic issues, such as the rise of artificial intelligence, other technologies, the prospects for interest rates and economic growth. At least the world has escaped the recession that was feared a year earlier, and the cost-of-living crisis is lessening.Most of the world is not at war, and the many elections due to be held in 2024 will almost certainly see a peaceful transition of power if the defending government is defeated, and much trade will carry on as normal. Around half the world’s population will head to the polls in 2024. National elections will be held in the US, India, Mexico, and South Africa, along with elections for the European Union’s Parliament. A general election in the United Kingdom has not yet been confirmed, but is due to take place towards the end of the year.Many commentators, both at Davos and elsewhere, are concerned about Donald Trump becoming US president, which looks increasingly likely. Given that he has already served for four years, the fear would seem over-stated, at least superficially. But his second term, assuming he is elected, could be very different. Internally, he has signalled an intention to seek retribution on his enemies in politics, and his regime is likely to be hostile to immigrants.On foreign affairs, Trump has announced that he will appease Putin in Russia and seek a swift end to the conflict in Ukraine, but President Zelensky and the European Union are aware of this and are planning contingency. The impact on global trade and business both of a Trump presidency may turn out to be limited – he is pro-business and pro-oil, for example. He has proposed import tariffs but these are unlikely to be significantly disruptive to trade. Trump is, however, an unpredictable character.The CEO of the Qatar Investment Authority Mansoor Ebrahim al-Mahmoud, interviewed by Bloomberg TV at the Davos summit, reiterated the pragmatism of the sovereign wealth fund by reaffirming its commitment to a long-term investment policy, and will not be influenced by headlines and short-term trends. The QIA has identified Europe and Japan as regions with investment potential, while the US remains the most significant destination for investment. The fund has a global perspective. In terms of sectors, he highlighted the importance of AI and healthcare, enterprise software and digitalisation.The Davos meeting is often described negatively, as a talking shop for the ultra-elite. Yet the elite will always be with us, and it is better that they talk to each other than fail to engage.The author is a Qatari banker, with many years of experience in the banking sector in senior positions.

Sharon Van Rouwendaal won the 10km open water title event for the second time on Saturday at the Doha World Aquatics Championships. After a highly tactical race, in the bay of Doha’s Old Harbour, the 30-year-old Dutch swimmer, Olympic champion in 2016, won in 1 hour 57 minutes and 26 seconds.Van Rouwendaal, who won the title in Budapest two years ago, edged Spain’s Maria de Valdes by one tenth of a second. Portugal’s Angelica Andre took bronze 1.40sec back. Reigning Olympic champion Ana Marcela Cunha of Brazil was fifth, four seconds behind the winner. The top 13 finishers locked up qualifying spots at this summer’s Paris Olympic Games.At the Hamad Aquatic Centre, Osmar Olvera Ibarra gave Mexico its second diving gold medal in the history of the World Aquatics Championships, winning the men’s 1m springboard. Olvera became the first diver from a country other than China to claim the top spot in the event since Alexandre Despatie of Canada in 2005.Paolo Espinosa is the only other Mexican diving world champion, capturing gold on the 10m platform at Rome in 2009. The 19-year-old Olvera was a silver medallist on both 1m and 3m springboard at last summer’s world championships in Fukuoka, Japan.Olvera led the morning preliminaries and cruised through the final, posting a score of 431.75 points over six dives. The silver went to Li Shixin of Australia at 395.70, while Ross Haslam of Britain took the bronze in 393.10.China, which has dominated diving at both the Olympics and world championships, claimed its first gold in Doha when 13-year-old Huang Jianjie and Zhang Jiaqi won the mixed 10m synchronised platform. With its focus firmly on Paris, China sent a scaled-back team to Doha, giving other nations a chance to shine. The diving superpower didn’t enter the first two events on Friday and is assured of its fewest gold medals at worlds since settling for eight in 2017. Over the last three championships, China has claimed 37 of 39 gold medals.In the mixed event, Huang and 19-year-old Zhang romped to victory for China with 353.82 points. Zhang added to the gold won at Fukuoka while paired with Wang Feilong.Jo Jin Mi and Im Yong Myong of North Korea took the silver in 303.96, while the bronze went to Kevin Berlin Reyes and Alejandra Estudillo Torres of Mexico at 296.13. Many top athletes are skipping Doha, which is hosting the worlds a year behind schedule because of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is the first time the world championships have been held in the same calendar year as the Summer Games.

A Doha-based ultrarunner is eyeing more achievements while imparting strong messages on health awareness.Indian expatriate Noufal C C is all set to take part in the upcoming Riyadh and Mumbai marathons.“My dream is to achieve the Ironman title after completing the series of long-distance triathlon races that consist of a 2.4-mile (3.9km) swim, a 112-mile (180.2km) bicycle ride and a marathon 26.22-mile (42.2km) run,” Noufal told Gulf Times.In December 2023, Noufal completed the 90km ultramarathon from Doha to Dukhan. He finished first among the 120 runners. For Noufal, his accomplishment in the ultramarathon was the fruit of years-long training and practice, under coach Rajendra Yadav.“I start my training and practice early in the morning. I start to walk randomly after parking my car somewhere. Sometimes, I need to take a taxi to reach my car after walking for hours,” he recalled.Little did Noufal know when he reached Doha in 2013, that years later he would venture into ultrarunning. “Covid-19 changed everything and left us all more health conscious. I started to engage in physical activities to beat the lifestyle diseases.”Later, Noufal joined Wellness Challengers, a group of walking and running enthusiasts in Qatar, and started to attend health awareness programmes while taking part in regular physical activities.At Wellness Challengers, members use Strava app to track exercise. The status of physical engagement is shared in the app along with pictures of the location. Wellness Challengers helped Noufal get acquainted with like-minded people and to be instilled with a passion for conquering new heights. Noufal owes much to his friends at Wellness Challengers, his wife Adila Marjana and sons Zahran Mohamed and Mohamed Zayn for their support of his ventures.“I want to inspire and draw more people towards walking and running. Physical engagement is inevitable for both physical and mental health,” Noufal added.

Kamila Valieva’s doping ban has resulted in the Russia Olympic Committee team being demoted from the gold to bronze medal in the 2022 Winter Olympics team skating event, the International Skating Union (ISU) said on Tuesday.The then 15-year-old’s positive test in December 2021, for which she received a four year ban on Monday, has led the ISU to perform “a re-ranking of the Team event” from the Beijing Games.The USA has been promoted to the gold medal with Japan moving up to silver.Canada will be disappointed as they finished fourth in Beijing and in other sports would have expected to be promoted to bronze.However, unlike in athletics, the regulations of the ISU only provide for collective disqualification in the event of a positive doping control of one of the athletes during the competition, not eight weeks before as was the case with Valieva.Her four-year ban from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was confirmed on Monday.In her defence, Valieva blamed “contamination by cutlery” she shared with her grandfather, who was treated with the drug trimetazidine after receiving an artificial heart, and who drove her to training every day.However doubt surrounds the value of trimetazidine to athletes, which is normally used to treat angina, due in particular to its “numerous side effects” ranging from “gait disorders” to “hallucinations”.In Beijing in February 2022, Valieva became the first female skater to land a quadruple jump in Olympic competition, as she helped Russia secure team gold.The next day, she was told she had tested positive before the Games for trimetazidine.From the start, the case has presented a dilemma. Valieva’s age should have guaranteed her confidentiality under WADA rules for “protected persons” younger than 16. Partly as a result of the Valieva case, the ISU is raising the lower age limit for its senior category from 15 to 17 from this year, citing the “physical, mental and emotional health” of competitors.RUSADA tested the skater on December 25, 2021, as she won the Russian championships.They sent the sample to the WADA-accredited laboratory in Stockholm. The laboratory found a minute concentration of trimetazidine but, delayed by the Covid pandemic, the result was not delivered until during the Beijing Olympics.Under the pressure of suspicion and the worldwide media attention, Valieva cracked in the individual event in Beijing, stumbling four times in the free skate and finishing in tears as she tumbled from first to fourth.At the end of the year, RUSADA ruled that Valieva bore “no fault or negligence” for the positive test.

Swiss watch exports set a record for the third year running in 2023, rising 7.6 percent to 26.7 billion Swiss francs ($31 billion), an industry group said on Tuesday.Exports were boosted by sales in their largest market, the United States, where they rose 35.1 percent for the full year, the watchmakers' federation said.On the other hand, exports to China fell 6.9 percent even though there was a slight bounce at the end of the year."Swiss watchmaking benefitted from steady demand in the luxury goods market," the federation said.It warned, however:"2024 looks calmer for both exports and the number of people employed in the sector, with results expected to remain high or only increase slightly."In 2023, exports also rose strongly to Hong Kong (up 15.2 percent), Japan (up 26.8 percent) and the United Arab Emirates (up 11.8 percent).Besides China, there were also declines in the UK (down 12.1 percent), Singapore (down 7.4 percent), Germany (down 2.3 percent) and South Korea (down 3.0 percent).Swiss watch exports rapidly rebounded after the Covid-19 pandemic, setting records in 2021 and 2022.Sales were lifted by "revenge spending" -- with consumers splashing built-up cash on luxury products as confinements eased.

Thailand and China have signed off on a visa waiver agreement at talks between their foreign ministers as the two countries look to boost ties.The agreement inked yesterday by Thai Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi allows people from the two nations to travel to one another’s country visa-free from March 1.Thai officials hope the deal will encourage more Chinese to come and boost the kingdom’s vital tourism sector, which has struggled to bounce back from the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.“This agreement is a symbol of our long-lasting friendship, trust and confidence ... and help to stimulate the tourism industry in both countries,” Parnpree said.Wang welcomed the agreement, saying that Thai and Chinese people “are one family”.“This visa-free era will bring people-to-people exchanges to a new height,” Wang said.Precise details of the visa arrangements were not announced yesterday, but earlier this month Thai officials said the deal would allow stays of up to 30 days per visit.“There will be a big increase in the number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand,” Wang said.The number of Chinese tourists to Thailand plunged to 3.5mn last year from 11mn in 2019 before the pandemic.Beijing and Bangkok also pledged to speed-up the construction of the China-Thailand railway and work together in combating transnational crimes, Wang said.Before his talks with Parnpree, Wang held two days of talks in Bangkok with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan covering the sensitive issues of Taiwan and the attacks in the Red Sea by Houthi rebels.

If developing economies found it hard to manage their debts in 2023, they are likely to face even more formidable challenges this year. Though most possess relatively small debt stocks and are not considered insolvent, many are in dire need of liquidity. As long as this remains true, they will struggle not only to manage their debts, but also to invest in the green transition.Developing economies have faced a series of external shocks in recent years, including the Covid-19 pandemic, war-related disruptions of food and energy supply chains, and an uptick in global inflation. Moreover, their access to capital markets has been curtailed, preventing them from rolling over maturing loans, as they would do in normal times. As a result, countries have been forced to channel a large share of their tax and export revenues to service their debt, avoiding default at the cost of priorities like infrastructure investment, social-welfare programs, and climate action.The outlook for these countries is likely to worsen in the next few years. According to estimates by the Finance for Development Lab (FDL), large debt payments are coming due in 2024 and 2026 for at least 20 low- and lower-middle-income countries. As countries hit this “debt wall,” their already fragile fiscal positions will deteriorate further. This does not bode well for climate action.Climate change is not some distant menace; its effects are already being felt worldwide, especially in climate-vulnerable developing economies. But international summits on the topic last year sent a disappointing message: while developed economies pledged to increase climate financing by 2030, developing-economy policymakers are struggling against severe fiscal constraints. With medium-term strategies being used to address a short-term threat, developing and emerging economies have been expressing frustration, including at the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact that was held in Paris last June.Multilateral development banks can provide an essential lifeline, but their capacity would have to be strengthened – and quickly. According to World Bank data, the new concessional loans the world’s poorest countries received from MDBs in 2022 were smaller than these countries’ debt-service payments, a large share of which went to private and bilateral creditors. Increasing capital flight from the developing world – driven not least by monetary tightening in advanced economies – will intensify the needs of illiquid lower-income countries.But it is not only a matter of financial capacity. MDBs have so far been inconsistent, at best, when it comes to supporting countries struggling to repay their debts. For example, both Kenya and Ethiopia have been under pressure to repay their private and Chinese creditors, which are now collecting more in debt-service payments than they are providing in new loans. But only Kenya received enough support from the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and others to refinance its debt that is maturing this year.By contrast, assistance to Ethiopia has declined in recent years. As a result, Ethiopia recently defaulted on its external debt, even though it amounts to just 25% of GDP. While the Kenya approach is not the solution – providing similar levels of support to all illiquid countries would require a tripling of MDB flows – this is clearly unacceptable.A better approach would focus on closing the gap between short-term debt concerns and long-term investment needs, by unlocking net-positive inflows for countries facing liquidity constraints. As the FDL has proposed, an agreement among debtors, creditors, and MDBs to permit countries to reschedule debts coming due – delaying maturities by 5-10 years – would create fiscal space for climate-friendly investments, financed by MDBs.For this liquidity bridge to work, MDBs would have to accelerate progress on implementing existing reform plans and increase funding substantially, while the IMF helps manage debt-rollover risks. Importantly, private and bilateral creditors would have to agree to the rescheduling. That is why, compared to the Debt Service Suspension Initiative that the G20 introduced in 2020, the proposal includes stronger incentives for private-sector creditors to participate, in addition to longer time horizons.There are good reasons to believe that creditors can be convinced to join the programme voluntarily. It is, after all, in their best interest to remain invested in solvent countries with strong growth prospects; no one benefits from debt crises like those that have ensnared Zambia and Sri Lanka. In any case, creditors would continue receiving interest payments, and as global interest rates fall and economic-growth prospects improve in the coming years, debtors may well be able to return to capital markets and resume repayment of the principal.Shaping a workable blueprint along these lines is a task for upcoming international gatherings, such as the G20 summit in Brazil later this year. Logistical and financial co-ordination will be needed to ensure sufficient liquidity. Co-ordination among the IMF, the World Bank, and regional development banks will also be essential to ensure that participating debtor countries pursue investments that genuinely support green growth.If nothing is done to help countries facing liquidity crises, the world will risk a wave of destabilising debt defaults, and progress on the green transition will be severely undermined, with catastrophic implications for the entire world. Because promising solutions like the liquidity bridge can prevent such outcomes, they deserve broad global support.— Project SyndicatelIshac Diwan is Research Director of the Finance for Development Lab. lVera Songwe is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and the Finance for Development Lab.

Qatar National Bank (QNB) said that the growth in emerging markets (EM) will continue to moderate in the coming years, given significant headwinds from weakening productivity and investment growth, the long-run deceleration of the Chinese economy, and stagnating global tradeIn its weekly commentary, QNB said, "Emerging markets (EM) have been a driver of global economic growth for many years. EM, defined as the group of countries that are in the process of rapid economic development, grew at rates that were three percentage points higher than those of the advanced economies for over two decades. In fact, growth in EM accelerated sharply in the early 2000s from 5-year average rates that were below 4 percent, to a peak of 7.6 percent in 2007. Beneath these impressive aggregate figures, numerous examples showed that a country could sustain a rapid pace of development and catch-up to advanced economies if appropriate measures through policies and reforms are taken."The ascent of the Chinese economy accounted for an important part of this aggregate development, both directly and indirectly. Directly, given China's significant weight in EM and growth rates of near 10 percent for several decades. Indirectly, as the effect on other economies materialised through supply-chain linkages, the demand for imported commodities, and a growing influence in international investment flows."However, the exceptional performance of EM began to lose strength after the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in 2007-2008, and later faced significant volatility during the Covid-pandemic and the subsequent recovery. Importantly, we expect that growth will converge to more moderate rates of around 4 percent until 2030. In this article, we analyse four main factors that will weigh on EM performance going forward."The bank explained, "First, investment growth of capital in EM is expected to fall below the average rates of the last two decades. Previous periods of strong investment growth were supported by robust credit expansion, capital flows, improvements in terms of trade (prices of exports relative to imports), and reforms aimed to enhance the investment climate. During 2000-2010 investment growth in EM averaged 9.4 percent, but then dropped to 4.8 percent during 2011-2021. This slowdown was extensive across all the EM regions and explained by factors including worsening terms of trade, elevated debt levels, higher economic and geopolitical uncertainty, and China's rebalancing towards consumption and away from investment and exports. Importantly, we expect this trend to persist. Given the critical role of capital accumulation for growth, the slowdown in investment points to a major headwind in the coming years."Second, historically, international trade has been one of the pillars of global economic perfomance, given its positive impact on output and productivity growth. The process of global integration was boosted by regional trade agreements, multilateral negotiations, and unilateral trade reforms. As a result, trade in goods as a share of global GDP reached unprecedented levels in 2008. Nevertheless, trade has stalled over the last decade driven by a trend towards de-globalization, which limits the margin for trade to give additional support to growth. Tariff reduction was an important driver of trade expansion previously, but now tariffs are already low on average in both advanced and emerging economies. Additionally, structural factors, such as the rebalancing of economies towards services, will naturally reduce the weight of trade in the economy. This process will weaken the role of goods trade as a growth engine in coming years."Third, the Chinese economy is undergoing a significant deceleration relative to its performance in previous decades, diminishing its role as a global growth driver. After 40 years of soaring growth rates averaging 9.5 percent during 1980-2019, this pace is likely to fall below 5 percent on average. The slowdown is driven by numerous structural factors including demographic headwinds, declining productivity growth, high debt levels, a slower pace of structural reforms, and the rising threat of geo-economic fragmentation. Given the importance of the Chinese economy for EM growth through direct and indirect channels, the slowdown in China implies an important challenge in the coming years."Finally, the broad-based slowdown in productivity growth in EM is expected to continue, adding another drag to economic growth. According to estimates by the World Bank, productivity in EM grew at an average rate of 2.2 percent in the period 2000-2010, and decelerated to 1.6 percent in 2011-2021. This trend will further consolidate, with average productivity growth declining to 1.4 percent during 2022-2030. The slowdown in productivity growth is due to various factors, including the deceleration in working-age population and educational attainment growth, and a smaller productivity gap with advanced economies which implies a weaker "catch-up" process. Furthermore, the extent to which EM will be able to leverage artificial intelligence to reverse the decline in productivity growth is highly uncertain."The bank concluded, "All in all, after two decades of exceptional performance, growth in EM will continue to moderate in the coming years, given significant headwinds from weakening productivity and investment growth, the long-run deceleration of the Chinese economy, and stagnating global trade. This raises the bar for the structural reforms needed by developing countries to continue their process of catch-up to advanced economies." (QNA)

Britain’s King Charles III was said to be “doing well” after undergoing scheduled prostate surgery on Friday, at the same private clinic where his daughter-in-law is recovering from an operation. The 75-year-old monarch, who is also head of state in 14 countries outside the UK, was seen arriving at The London Clinic earlier Thursday accompanied by his wife, Queen Camilla.Catherine Princess of Wales, whose husband Prince William is Charles’s elder son and heir, has spent 11 days at the same hospital after abdominal surgery. It is not known how long the king will spend in hospital but The Times newspaper said he was expected to stay for two days to recover.British media reports said that he was “doing well” after the surgery, quoting unnamed sources, and that he had earlier visited Kate ahead of his own treatment. “The king was this morning admitted to a London hospital for scheduled treatment,” Buckingham Palace said.“His Majesty would like to thank all those who have sent their good wishes over the past week and is delighted to learn that his diagnosis is having a positive impact on public health awareness.”Camilla was seen leaving the hospital after her husband’s surgery.Royal officials took the unusual step last week of issuing a bulletin on the king’s health, disclosing that he had an enlarged prostate but that the condition was benign.It came soon after news that Kate, 42, had undergone successful abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition.She was expected to spend up to two weeks recuperating, then several months away from public duties. Charles travelled to his private Sandringham estate in eastern England on January 19 to prepare for what royal officials said would be a “corrective procedure”, before returning to London on Thursday.Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday wished Charles a “speedy recovery” from the procedure, a Downing Street spokeswoman said. The king was told he had the condition, which is common in men aged over 50 and affects urination, after experiencing symptoms and having a check-up.He wanted to share his diagnosis publicly to encourage other men who may be experiencing symptoms to see their doctor. The king’s announcement has prompted a surge in internet searches for the term “enlarged prostate” on the state-run National Health Service (NHS) website.An enlarged prostate, symptoms of which include a frequent need to urinate and difficulty emptying the bladder, is not normally considered a serious condition or a risk indicator for prostate cancer. The charity Prostate Cancer UK said it had seen a more than 100% increase in people using its online risk checker on Thursday compared with Wednesday.Ian Eardley, a consultant urological surgeon and national clinical director for NHS England, said the condition was “to some extent...an inevitable part of ageing for just about all men”. But the publicity was welcome, he said. “The nature of these things (is) if it becomes public knowledge it will lead to more men seeking help. That’s a good thing.”Charles has largely enjoyed good health throughout his life, barring sporting injuries from polo and skiing, and two bouts of Covid in 2020 and 2022. He has long been aware of what he calls his “sausage fingers”, though no reason has been given for his swollen digits. The transparency about his surgery is a clear break with the past.Charles’s mother, Queen Elizabeth II, suffered visibly declining health from October 2021 until her death in September 2022. Her withdrawal was based on what officials said were “episodic mobility problems” that affected her walking and standing, leading her to use a stick and even a motorised buggy at public events. Officially, her death at 96 was recorded as old age.But there have been claims from a trusted royal biographer that she had bone marrow cancer. The late queen’s father, King George VI, was a heavy smoker and had one lung removed in September 1951, though the full extent of his condition was not made public at the time. He never made a full recovery and died in February 1952. It was later revealed he had lung cancer.

South Africa's ICJ case has ruffled feathers in WestHas reinforced standing as champion of Global SouthRetaliation unlikely in midst of rivalry with ChinaSouth Africa's genocide case against Israel may have ruffled feathers in the capitals of vital Western trading partners, but it has boosted the country's standing as a champion of the downtrodden Global South.That gamble is likely to pay off, thanks to renewed rivalry for Africa's minerals and UN votes between the West, China and Russia, turbocharged by Russia's war on Ukraine.The International Court of Justice (ICJ) rejected Israel's petition to throw out the case on Friday, telling it to prevent its troops committing genocide against Palestinians, although it stopped short of ordering the ceasefire South Africa demanded.It did not decide the merits of the genocide allegations, which could take years."It was reasonably damning," said Susan Booysen, Director of Research at the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection."It was quite unambiguous ... in highlighting the abuses ... so I think it gives them (South Africa) quite a bit of esteem as an international spokesperson for human rights," she added.And while Israel's allies in Washington, Brussels and London might grumble, they can scarcely afford to alienate Africa's industrial and diplomatic heavyweight - especially with the United States' main superpower rival, China, wooing the continent with money, railways and tech transfers."If you're going to start punishing South Africa for going to the International Court of Justice, then you're going to have to start punishing a lot of other African countries (for supporting the Palestinians)," Steven Friedman, director of South Africa's Centre for the Study of Democracy, said."If you do that, then you might as well send (Chinese President) Xi Jinping a letter saying 'you've won'."Underscoring the point, on a visit to Angola on Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said of South Africa's ICJ case, "whether or not we have a disagreement, one particular matter doesn't take away from the important work that we're doing together in so many other areas."South Africa projects itself as critic of a world order it sees as mainly serving the interests of the United States and its rich-country allies, who promote international norms they enforce on foes but often not on friends nor even on themselves.During the Covid-19 pandemic, it was South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa who denounced the rich world for hogging all the vaccines, noted Chris Ogunmodede, analyst and editor of World Politics Review.South Africa was instrumental in marketing BRICS - the forum led by Brazil, Russia, India, China and itself - as an alternative to Western hegemony, with 40 nations queuing to join last year."(The ICJ case) is ... another indication of the important place South Africa seeks to occupy as (one of) the continent's leading voices on global affairs," Ogunmodede said.Taking a firm stand on the Gaza war - which has displaced some 1.9 million Palestinians, killed at least 26,000, according to Gaza officials, and inspired global outrage - enhanced this aim.South African officials often compare their erstwhile struggle against white minority rule to the Palestinian cause - a comparison Israel strongly disputes.That they takes no such unequivocal moral stance on Russia has raised eyebrows. Last year, the government unsuccessfully sought a waiver from its obligation to arrest President Vladamir Putin for alleged war crimes in Ukraine so he could attend a BRICS summit."(An) elementary principle of morality is that it can't be selective. South Africa did not do right by the Ukrainian people," author and columnist Ferial Haffajee wrote in the national Daily Maverick this month, but she praised South Africa for picking a first-rate legal team to fight the ICJ case.South Africans are proud of the strong rule of law that emerged from their anti-apartheid struggle, which often resolves rancorous domestic political disputes."Seeing their judges on the bench of the ICJ wearing South African scarves is like watching the Springboks (national rugby team) win the world cup," Chris Vandome, a senior southern Africa researcher at Chatham House, said."It's a point of pride."

China’s central bank announced a deep cut to bank reserves on Wednesday, in a move that will inject about $140bn of cash into the banking system and send a strong signal of support for a fragile economy and plunging stock markets.The central bank’s announcement, coming just as stock markets were closing for the day, led to a bounce in benchmark stock indexes and the yuan, even as analysts said more policy measures were needed.The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) said it was making a 50-basis points (bps) cut, the biggest in two years, in the amount of cash banks must hold as reserves, effective from Feb. 5.More importantly, PBoC Governor Pan Gongsheng said the bank would release policies on improving commercial property loans either on Wednesday or Thursday night, giving hope to investors who have been frustrated by China’s efforts to put a floor under a real estate sector that underpins consumption and household wealth.The first cut in banks’ reserve requirement ratio (RRR) this year comes as the world’s second-largest economy struggles to mount a strong post-Covid recovery amid a housing crisis, local government debt risks and weakening global demand.It also comes just days after China’s benchmark indexes hit 5-year lows as even the last hopeful investors waiting for clarity and an eventual economic rebound appeared to be giving up on the $9tn market.“It’s a welcome step, but it’s not going to be a game-changer,” said Chris Scicluna, head of economic research at Daiwa Capital Markets in London. “There are still questions about the extent to which the ‘National Team’, and various institutions can try to pull together to try to support the market and start up the buying of stocks and draw a line under the sell-off there.”Stock markets in Hong Kong and China had stabilised slightly on Tuesday on reports of a cabinet meeting chaired by Premier Li Qiang to stabilise markets and of state-owned investment vehicles, known as the “national team”, being pressed into action, as they were during the 2015 crash.At Wednesday’s surprise press conference in Beijing, Pan said the RRR cut would free up 1tn yuan ($139.45bn) in cash for the economy, exceeding most analysts’ expectations.“The RRR cut is a sign that PBoC will stick to a loose monetary stance throughout this year, despite having missed market expectation of an medium-term lending facility (MLF) rate cut earlier,” said Xu Tianchen, senior economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit.“It’s also a sign that policymakers across the government want to ensure a good start for the economy by frontloading policy support. This is needed to achieve their ambitious growth target in a challenging year.” The cut in reserves follows earlier cuts of 25 bps for all banks in March and September last year. The PBoC would also cut re-lending and re-discount interest rates by 25 bps for the rural sector and small firms from January. 25, Pan said.“At present, China’s monetary policy still has enough room,” Pan said. “We will strengthen counter-cyclical and cross-cyclical adjustments, and create a good monetary and financial environment for economic operations.”Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index extended gains after the RRR cut was announced, ending the session up 3.6% to clock its biggest one-day gain in two months.China’s stock market tumbled 13% in 2023 and had extended its slide in the new year amid relentless foreign selling. The blue chip CSI300 Index has risen 3.5% from five-year lows struck last week, but is still down more than 6% this year.