The clear winner in Joe Biden’s trip to all corners of Ireland has been the US President himself.
It was both a pleasurable indulgence in his Irish heritage as well as a tonic for his expected presidential campaign next year.
He even navigated the potential landmines of Northern Ireland’s political landscape without incident.
Indeed, his brief footfall in the north, where he started the four-day trip on Tuesday, may have given a gentle nudge to its fractious politicians to edge back towards power-sharing government.
A large carrot was provided by Mr Biden in the form of his promise of heavy investment in Northern Ireland by major US companies if Ulster can resolve its differences over post-Brexit arrangements.
Relaxed, jovial and demonstrably content once south of the border, for a moment the US President appeared no more than an 80-year-old returning to his family roots.
That will be a happy legacy for Mr Biden as he contemplates the bruising election campaign ahead — possibly against an incandescent Donald Trump. For a moment he was able to put aside the stresses of presidency and become an “ordinary Joe”.
Northern navigation
The first 18 hours of his pilgrimage were expected to be the most trying, in which misplaced humour could have detonated a political bomb that would have overshadowed the trip.
It was a tricky moment. The President had vowed not to visit Ulster until power-sharing was restored, yet with the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which ended the violence of The Troubles, it would have been churlish to have swerved the province.
Stormont, the Northern Irish legislature, has been in abeyance since the pro-British Democratic Unionist party pulled out over concerns that the post-Brexit agreement was severely harming trade and made Ulster too aligned with the Irish Republic.
Mr Biden understood that a nudge, rather than heft, was required.
The simple act of having the five Northern Irish politicians meeting in the same room together with the US President proved a unifying act.
Jeffery Donaldson, the DUP leader, remained open to dialogue, complimenting the President’s “measured and balanced remarks” at Ulster University on Wednesday.
He also rejected claims that Mr Biden “hates” the UK.
“The United Kingdom and the United States have a strong alliance and we want to build on that,” Mr Donaldson said.
The unifying theme was cemented by his political opponent from Sinn Fein, the pro-republican party. “The parties do work well together when they get the opportunity,” remarked Sinn Fein’s Conor Murphy, Stormont’s former finance minister.
Mr Biden’s deft manoeuvring may well help edge the province back to power-sharing later this year, once the DUP has won some compromises on the new Brexit deal.
Biden blunders
Happily, the one gaffe of the trip came shortly after the presidential cavalcade crossed into the Irish Republic.
On referring to Ireland rugby team's victory over the New Zealand “All Blacks” (named after the colour of their kit), Mr Biden erroneously called them the “Black and Tans”.
These were the military auxiliaries sent by London in 1920 to savagely quash Irish unrest over independence. They were a ruthless and violent unit who killed and maimed many civilians, yet Mr Biden’s confusion was taken in good humour.
After a good run of successes this year, including the post-Brexit Windsor Framework that could see a return to power-sharing, Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was ready to bask in some of the presidential geniality.
However, his meeting with Mr Biden was a mere 30 minutes over coffee, more a “bi-latte” than a bilateral, as some Washington media termed it.
The humiliation continued when in a speech to the Irish parliament Mr Biden gave a tacit rebuke, suggesting the UK “should be working closer” with the Irish government to support a return to power-sharing.
Southern delight
Despite it being his third trip to Ireland in more than a decade, Mr Biden was still overwhelmed by the warmth of the Irish welcome.
His pilgrimage took him from Dublin to family roots in County Louth and County Mayo. Throughout, his welcome was genuine, increased by Mr Biden’s strong Roman Catholic faith that saw him visit the important shrine in Knock.
“President Biden, today you are amongst friends because you are one of us. On this historic occasion — your homecoming — we warmly welcome you back to your roots,” Sean O Fearghail, the Irish parliament speaker said on Thursday.
“Tá mé seo abhaile,” Biden responded in Irish before his speech to members. “I’m at home,” adding: “I just wish I could stay longer.”
He seemed to genuinely mean it. The President is 80 and a potential second term would see him retire at 85, with no guarantee that he might return to Ireland.
But to secure more time in the White House Mr Biden knows that he will have a bare-knuckle fight to secure every vote he can against a fierce Republican Party opponent.
There are 34 million Americans who claim Irish heritage and their current President’s genuine delight and welcome in Ireland will not go unseen. “He’s one of us”, will probably be the memory etched in many minds come the 2024 election.
Irish Nato
Ireland certainly provides American presidential visits — eight since Kennedy in 1963 — with an electoral boon. But the US has never demanded that Ireland should give something in return, especially when it comes to defence.
President Biden did not reverse that goodwill by raising an issue that becomes ever more pertinent since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Western Europe and Nato have significantly stepped up their defences by not only supplying arms to Kyiv but increasing their military budgets in line with or above the 2 per cent of gross domestic product the alliance requests.
Ireland has devoted just 30 soldiers to train Ukrainians in de-mining and contributes 0.3 per cent of its GDP to defence. Its navy is so small it has had to mothball two of its six patrol vessels. It has the same population size as Denmark — five million — but only a third of its troops, with just 8,000 under arms.
“With so many American voters claiming Irish heritage, Ireland gets a free pass,” said Col Richard Kemp, a former British soldier. “Its unwillingness to increase defence spending smacks of timorousness akin to the republic’s approach to Nato. Ireland has never been a member, yet it is happy to in practice shelter behind Nato’s shield.”
The fallout from Ukraine may well bring the question of Nato to the agenda for the next US presidential visit, regardless of who the president is.
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The line up
Friday: Giggs, Sho Madjozi and Masego
Saturday: Nas, Lion Bbae, Roxanne Shante and DaniLeigh
Sole DXB runs from December 6 to 8 at Dubai Design District. Weekend pass is Dh295 while a one day pass is Dh195. Tickets are available from www.soledxb.com
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The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 1 (Hudson-Odoi 90 1')
Manchester City 3 (Gundogan 18', Foden 21', De Bruyne 34')
Man of the match: Ilkay Gundogan (Man City)
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Slow loris biog
From: Lonely Loris is a Sunda slow loris, one of nine species of the animal native to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore
Status: Critically endangered, and listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list due to growing demand in the global exotic pet trade. It is one of the most popular primate species found at Indonesian pet markets
Likes: Sleeping, which they do for up to 18 hours a day. When they are awake, they like to eat fruit, insects, small birds and reptiles and some types of vegetation
Dislikes: Sunlight. Being a nocturnal animal, the slow loris wakes around sunset and is active throughout the night
Superpowers: His dangerous elbows. The slow loris’s doe eyes may make it look cute, but it is also deadly. The only known venomous primate, it hisses and clasps its paws and can produce a venom from its elbow that can cause anaphylactic shock and even death in humans
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
Biography
Favourite book: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Holiday choice: Anything Disney-related
Proudest achievement: Receiving a presidential award for foreign services.
Family: Wife and three children.
Like motto: You always get what you ask for, the universe listens.
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
MATCH INFO
Maratha Arabians 107-8 (10 ovs)
Lyth 21, Lynn 20, McClenaghan 20 no
Qalandars 60-4 (10 ovs)
Malan 32 no, McClenaghan 2-9
Maratha Arabians win by 47 runs
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
Abaya trends
The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.
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