US President Donald Trump removes his mask after returning to the White House after being treated for Covid-19. AFP
US President Donald Trump removes his mask after returning to the White House after being treated for Covid-19. AFP
US President Donald Trump removes his mask after returning to the White House after being treated for Covid-19. AFP
US President Donald Trump removes his mask after returning to the White House after being treated for Covid-19. AFP

Trump tells Americans to 'get out there' despite virus


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US President Donald Trump prompted criticism after returning to the White House on Monday and immediately removing his mask following four days of emergency treatment for Covid-19 in hospital.

Shortly before, Mr Trump tweeted that Americans, who have lost more than 215,000 people to the virus, had nothing to fear.

"Don't let it dominate your life. Get out there, be careful," Mr Trump said in a video on Twitter.

"Now I'm better. Maybe I'm immune, I don't know."

A series of made-for-TV moments allowed him to squeeze the most from his medical discharge.

He started by leaving alone from the large gold-coloured front doors of the Walter Reed military hospital outside Washington.

Live on television, Mr Trump then walked in a mask to a limousine and gave the thumbs-up, before boarding the Marine One helicopter for the quick flight to the White House, which he left on Friday after becoming ill.

His decision to go home despite his continued illness is putting new focus on the people around him who could be further exposed if he does not abide by strict isolation protocols.

Throughout the pandemic, White House custodians, ushers, kitchen staff and members of the US Secret Service have continued to show up for work in what is now a coronavirus hot spot, with more than a dozen known cases this week alone.

Mr Trump, still contagious, made it clear that he has little intention of abiding by best containment practices.

With less than a month until the election on November 3, polls show Mr Trump trailing Democratic candidate Joe Biden.

Mr Trump's time in hospital leaves him scrambling even harder to catch up.

The return to the White House was stage-managed to show he is physically fit, while a series of striking tweets demonstrated his angle of political attack: that he personally beat the virus and will now lead the country to its own comeback.

"Will be back on the campaign trail soon," Mr Trump said in one tweet.

"Don't be afraid of Covid," he said in another, claiming to be feeling rejuvenated after his illness.

The remark startled his rival, who was campaigning on Monday in Florida.

"Tell that to the 205,000 families who lost somebody," Mr Biden snapped.

In a briefing at Walter Reed, presidential physician Dr Sean Conley said Mr Trump was back but would not be "entirely out of the woods" for another week.

Despite Mr Trump's characteristic claim that Covid-19 should not be of major concern, polls show it is a huge worry for Americans.

His handling of the crisis this year is also considered to be the main reason that Mr Biden, 77, is surging in polls.

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Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE

There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.

It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.

What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.

When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.

It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.

This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.

It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.

BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES

Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)

Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm) 
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm) 
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm) 
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn  (4.30pm) 
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm) 
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)

Sunday, May 17

Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)

Monday, May 18

Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

Match info

Uefa Champions League Group H

Manchester United v Young Boys, Tuesday, midnight (UAE)

Oppenheimer
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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.

Scores in brief:

Day 1

New Zealand (1st innings) 153 all out (66.3 overs) - Williamson 63, Nicholls 28, Yasir 3-54, Haris 2-11, Abbas 2-13, Hasan 2-38

Pakistan (1st innings) 59-2 (23 overs)

Messi at the Copa America

2007 – lost 3-0 to Brazil in the final

2011 – lost to Uruguay on penalties in the quarter-finals

2015 – lost to Chile on penalties in the final

2016 – lost to Chile on penalties in the final

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

Water waste

In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.

Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.

A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.

The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.

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Dunki
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MATCH INFO

Liverpool 0

Stoke City 0

Man of the Match: Erik Pieters (Stoke)