Latest: Petition urges Jill Biden to undo Melania Trump's changes to the White House Rose Garden
As the first lady, Melania Trump, prepares to leave the White House, she has defended the renovations she has made on the "People's House" in an 850-word message posted to the White House website.
During her four years as the first lady, Melania has taken on a number of renovation projects. Most notably, she has redesigned the White House's bowling alley, tennis pavilion and Rose Garden, and faced criticism for each.
"The projects that I have overseen during the last four years are ones which I believe will not only preserve the house’s heritage but enhance the experience of its beauty and solemnity for generations to come," she wrote.
"Through a team of dedicated advisers whose passion rose above mere cosmetic alterations, my attention was brought to areas of the house which were in great need of structural restoration and preservation."
Hinting that incoming first lady Jill Biden may not complete the work she has started, Melania wrote: "The restoration and conservation of the priceless Zuber wallpaper in the Family Dining Room, perhaps the most ambitious project of the administration, remains to be completed, and will be, I hope, admired by all who see its beauty."
Melania leaves the White House with lower approval rating than a number of her predecessors. She currently has a 47 per cent approval rating, compared with Michelle Obama's 69 per cent, Laura Bush's 67 per cent and Hillary Clinton's 56 per cent, according to a CNN poll.
Her approval rating is, however, higher than that of her husband, departing resident Donald Trump, who rings in with 33 per cent.
Scroll through the gallery below to see images of the White House Rose Garden:
This is not the first time Melania has defended her work at the White House. In March, she retweeted images of the tennis pavilion, with the message: "I encourage everyone who chooses to be negative and question my work at the White House to take time and contribute something good and productive in their own communities. #BeBest".
"Be Best" is a reference to the public awareness campaign promoted by the first lady, focusing on well-being for youth and cracking down on cyberbullying.
The essay was released on the same day as a video message from the first lady.
"I ask all Americans to use caution and common sense to protect the vulnerable, as millions of vaccines are now being delivered," Melania said. "In the midst of hardship, we have seen the best of America shine through."
She also touched on the recent violence in Washington and the Capitol riots, without directly referencing them, by saying: "Violence is never the answer and will never be justified."
Watch First Lady Melania Trump's farewell video message here:
The video, encouraging people to "be best" and to "choose love", comes after the first lady was criticised for refusing to give Dr Biden a tour of the White House, failing to take part in a tradition that has run for more than 100 years.
According to Biden staff, the incoming first family will be greeted at the White House by an usher.
Track Melania Trump's style evolution here:
How Filipinos in the UAE invest
A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.
Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).
Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.
Company%C2%A0profile
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PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
