BEIJING //Last week in his inaugural speech, China's incoming president won rare praise for his warm, relaxed manner.
It was, as many pointed out, as if he has grasped that his job would be easier if people liked him - a thought that never really seemed to occur to his predecessor.
Well, if popularity is his aim, he has the ultimate weapon at his disposal - his wife.
Peng Liyuan, 49, is one of China's biggest stars: a former folk singer in the People's Liberation Army who was the headline act of a New Year TV variety show, the most watched programme in China, for more than 20 years.
To Chinese who grew up in the eighties and nineties, she remains a widely popular, glamorous, sexy, girl next door. She is also blessed with a soaring, crystalline soprano and hails from good proletarian stock.
She would, in short, make a perfect first lady.
After years of portraying blushing Tibetan shepherdesses, revolutionary fighters and scheming empresses on stage, the question is whether she takes up that role.
Recent history suggests she will not. The wives of all of China leaders since Mao Zedong have kept such low profiles that most members of the public would struggle to name them.
They play no role in domestic politics and, on the few occasions they have accompanied their husbands abroad, they have engaged in philanthropic or cultural activities, as first ladies of other nations often do on state visits.
Part of the reason for their low profile, experts say, is the political system. The county's leaders are not elected by popular vote so there is no need to involve spouses to round out their image.
On a more profound level, however, there is a strong cultural bias against women and proximity to political power.
This belief was most recently reinforced by the downfall of the politburo member Bo Xilai, whose wife was found guilty of murdering the British businessman Neil Heywood earlier this year. Mr Bo awaits trial on related charges.
"It goes right back to the Empress Dowager (who ran China for the last 47 years of the Ching Dynasty), people think that if a women is given power there will be trouble," say Zhang Lijia, a writer and social commentator in Beijing.
"There are still people who think that Mao's wife Jiang Qing alone was responsible for the Cultural Revolution," she said, referring to the violent anti-bourgeois and anti-intellectual campaigns unleashed by Mao and his wife in the late sixties.
Unlike these women, Ms Peng does not derive power of popularity from her husband. When in 2008 it became clear he was being tipped for the presidency, few Chinese people had any idea who he was.
A joke at the time went like this: "Who is Xi Jinping? Oh, he is Peng Liyuan's husband."
Since then, however, Ms Peng has reduced her public profile. She stopped performing in the New Year variety show and, when she does appear at government or charitable functions, she opts for military dress rather than the elaborate ball gowns she favoured in the past.
Censors have also scrubbed many of her early interviews from the internet, and her name - like that of other leader's wives - is blocked online.
The articles that have survived are bland and portray Mr Xi as a selfless public servant and her as a dutiful wife and mother to a daughter.
In recent years, she has also sent more time working on philanthropic projects, such as government health campaigns.
Last year, she was appointed a World Heath Organisation goodwill ambassador for tuberculosis and HIV/Aids and, earlier this year, she joined forces with the Microsoft co-founder, Bill Gates, to launch a worldwide anti-smoking campaign.
Yet it remains to be seen if she will be able to carry on with this work because of the political sensitivities around it. China's incoming Premier, Li Keqiang, was governor of Henan province during an Aids epidemic in the late 90s as a result of poor people selling their blood and being infected by dirty needles.
"To be safe, she usually frames her involvement with HIV more in terms of something that she feels obliged to do as a mother and as a public figure and role model," says Johanna Hood, a postdoctoral fellow at Australian National University who has studied Ms Peng's public health work.
Yet there is a possibility that government and Mr Xi will see the value of allowing Ms Peng to continue with her health work and even to develop a role as first lady - at least in some circumstances.
Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a political-science professor at Hong Kong Baptist University, point outs that Ms Peng, who is said to be fluent in English, allows Mr Xi and the government to project a more modern image.
"Peng could help Xi with his international image. Obviously he is not going to get her to go around the world singing, but she would shine at dinner at the White House."
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
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- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
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Bayern: Zirkzee (26'), Goretzka (86')
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VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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MATCH INFO
Borussia Dortmund 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Kimmich 43')
Man of the match: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
Last 10 NBA champions
2017: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-1
2016: Cleveland bt Golden State 4-3
2015: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-2
2014: San Antonio bt Miami 4-1
2013: Miami bt San Antonio 4-3
2012: Miami bt Oklahoma City 4-1
2011: Dallas bt Miami 4-2
2010: Los Angeles Lakers bt Boston 4-3
2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
2008: Boston bt Los Angeles Lakers 4-2
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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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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Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
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Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
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- 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
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- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
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.
MATCH INFO
World Cup 2022 qualifier
UAE v Indonesia, Thursday, 8pm
Venue: Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How it works
Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.
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What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
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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
Student Of The Year 2
Director: Punit Malhotra
Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
1.5 stars
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)
Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)
Wednesday
Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)
Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)
Norwich City v Everton (9pm)
Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)
Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)
Thursday
Burnley v Watford (9pm)
Southampton v Arsenal (9pm)
Chelsea v Manchester City (11.15pm)
List of alleged parties
May 15 2020: PM and Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at
least 17 staff members
May 20 2020: PM and Carrie attend 'bring your own booze'
party
Nov 27 2020: PM gives speech at leaving do for his staff
Dec 10 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary
Gavin Williamson
Dec 13 2020: PM and Carrie throw a flat party
Dec 14 2020: London mayor candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff party at Conservative
Party headquarters
Dec 15 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
Dec 18 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
Third Test
Day 3, stumps
India 443-7 (d) & 54-5 (27 ov)
Australia 151
India lead by 346 runs with 5 wickets remaining
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
