The high drama of last week’s missile strike on Syria temporarily takes the focus away from US president Donald Trump’s more insidious manoeuvre. Stealthily but surely, Mr Trump has been proceeding with his campaign promise to wall off America. He has not managed to start on the “big, beautiful” wall he envisages for America’s southern border with Mexico. But make no mistake, he has thrown up an invisible barrier between the United States and much of the world.
In just three months, Mr Trump has turned the US from a shiny, exciting destination of choice for tourists, highly skilled workers, college students and conference delegates, into a dark and forbidding place. Last month, Mr Trump’s secretary of state Rex Tillerson issued four separate memos to US embassies and consulates worldwide, urging them to identify “populations warranting increased scrutiny” among visa applicants. No definition was provided of the suspicious population sets. But, the Trump administration’s attempts to impose travel bans on mainly Muslim countries and to make it generally harder to travel in comfort from the Middle East and North Africa, suggests US consular officials will be encouraged to profile people on the basis of religion and country of origin. Certainly, this form of “extreme vetting” would make a US visa extremely difficult to procure.
Perhaps it’s just as well that anecdotally fewer people now want to travel to the US to visit, work, study or present papers at seminars. According to the Global Business Travel Association, Mr Trump has cost the US travel industry $185 million (Dh675m) in lost revenue since his election. In late February, an internet travel search engine reported a 58 per cent decline in queries about flights from Britain to Tampa and Orlando. This is significant because Orlando, home to Disney World, is immensely popular with British holidaymakers and is usually high on the list of top 10 global destinations. The travel search engine also reported a 52 per cent decline in searches for Miami, 43 per cent for San Diego, 36 per cent for Las Vegas and 32 per cent for Los Angeles. Hotel prices were down by one-third in New York. The search engine’s findings confirmed those from another flight app, which said that US-bound flight searches had dropped 17 per cent since Mr Trump’s January 20 inauguration.
The so-called “Trump Slump” is also affecting college applications from foreign students. After years of high demand from overseas students, who pay full sticker price for tuition compared with Americans, Autumn 2017 application numbers are dropping. According to the American Association of College Registrars and Admissions Officers, four of 10 US colleges reported a decline, particularly in undergraduate applications from the Middle East.
Based on the responses it received from more than 250 US institutions, the association noted that 39 and 31 per cent reported declines in undergraduate and graduate applications respectively from the Middle East. The context of this, it said, was rising “concern that the political discourse surrounding foreign nationals in the US leading up to the 2016 US presidential election could be damaging to international student recruitment efforts”.
All this indicates trepidation among foreigners that the US and its immigrant-bashing “America First” president would rather they stay away.
Even the niche business of US passport-procurement by the extremely wealthy is affected. Late last month, US law firm partner Reaz Jafri admitted to Forbes magazine that US citizenship is becoming less attractive because “coming to America has become a more difficult process and some of my clients are not as excited as before”.
Add to this a series of high-profile cases of detention and near-deportation by US immigration authorities. It happened to the prominent Egypt-born French historian Henry Rousso en route to a symposium in Texas. And to the Australian bestselling children’s author Mem Fox as she flew into Los Angeles on her way to a conference in Milwaukee.
The rash of bad publicity from such incidents would be the stuff of nightmares for tourism promotion boards anywhere. But especially perhaps for the US, which has benefited enormously from its worldwide image as a welcoming country full of happy high-fiving locals. To have Ms Fox, 70, admit her interaction with US agents reduced her to sobbing “like a baby” and that she “couldn’t imagine” ever returning to America is hugely negative.
Roger Dow of the US Travel Association implored Mr Trump to “tell the world that while we're closed to terror, we're open for business. Unbalanced communication is especially susceptible to being ‘lost in translation’.”
But there is little sign that the Trump administration is listening. April 4 marked the end of the bidding contest to build a prototype for Mr Trump’s “beautiful” wall. The requirements probably say a lot about Trump’s idea of America. “The north side of the wall [ie the US facing side] shall be aesthetically pleasing in colour.” In other words, only Americans need to find it pretty.
Rashmee Roshan Lall is a writer on world affairs
On Twitter: @rashmeerl
The biog
Name: Greg Heinricks
From: Alberta, western Canada
Record fish: 56kg sailfish
Member of: International Game Fish Association
Company: Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Correspondents
By Tim Murphy
(Grove Press)
RESULTS
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More on Quran memorisation:
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
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The biog
Favourite pet: cats. She has two: Eva and Bito
Favourite city: Cape Town, South Africa
Hobby: Running. "I like to think I’m artsy but I’m not".
Favourite move: Romantic comedies, specifically Return to me. "I cry every time".
Favourite spot in Abu Dhabi: Saadiyat beach
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
more from Janine di Giovanni
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
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
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
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
