Jill Biden joins Rishi Sunak's Downing St Coronation Big Lunch


Neil Murphy
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Follow the latest news from the coronation of King Charles here

US first lady Jill Biden was a surprise guest at Downing Street for the Big Lunch on Sunday, as thousands of coronation street parties for members of the public took place across Britain.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife opened the door to volunteers, Ukrainian refugees and youth groups in Downing Street for a lunch to mark the coronation.

Mr Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty hosted the event on Sunday.

Mr Sunak and Mrs Biden greeted each other with a kiss on both cheeks.

They stood chatting as many invited guests took photos before taking seats right in front of the No 10 door.

“Come rain or shine, thousands of friends and neighbours are coming together this weekend to put up the bunting, pour the tea and cut the cake at street parties and community events across the UK,” Mr Sunak said.

More than a million people signed up after being urged to get involved in the community gathering, which is one of the centrepieces of the coronation bank holiday weekend.

Those looking to take part can use an interactive tool to find the nearest Big Lunch location available in their area. Bakers and baking business owners across the country put their skills to the test creating cakes to celebrate the coronation.

Organisers have also created an information pack for guests which outlines conversation pointers for those who may be affected by social nerves.

The Coronation Big Lunch - in pictures

The “conversation menu” suggests asking fellow residents whether they have met a member of the British royal family, or what their favourite way is to spend a bank holiday.

The “menu” also includes jokes to break the ice.

So far about 7,000 street parties and other events have been registered, and organisers are hoping that more will be added.

More than 17.2 million people took part in Big Lunch events last June as they celebrated Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee.

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said big lunches will take place from Saturday to Monday “in a nationwide act of celebration and friendship”.

UK's Prime Minister hosts coronation Big Lunch - video

On Sunday, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie attended a big lunch in Cranleigh, Surrey, while Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence visited a community street party in Swindon, Wiltshire.

Sunday is forecast to be the hottest day of the year so far for some parts of the UK, a change after the heavy downpours that threatened to dampen celebrations on Saturday.

A highs of 23°C is forecast for the East Midlands and down to London, beating the high of 21.2°C on April 17.

Some showers are predicted across eastern England and Scotland, but the vast majority of the country can expect sunny spells throughout the day, the UK's Met Office said.

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About Tenderd

Started: May 2018

Founder: Arjun Mohan

Based: Dubai

Size: 23 employees 

Funding: Raised $5.8m in a seed fund round in December 2018. Backers include Y Combinator, Beco Capital, Venturesouq, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Paul Buchheit, Justin Mateen, Matt Mickiewicz, SOMA, Dynamo and Global Founders Capital

The specs

Common to all models unless otherwise stated

Engine: 4-cylinder 2-litre T-GDi

0-100kph: 5.3 seconds (Elantra); 5.5 seconds (Kona); 6.1 seconds (Veloster)

Power: 276hp

Torque: 392Nm

Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/ 8-Speed Dual Clutch FWD

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Jewel of the Expo 2020

252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome

13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas

550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome

724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses

Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa

Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site

The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants

Al Wasl means connection in Arabic

World’s largest 360-degree projection surface

AUSTRALIA SQUAD

Aaron Finch, Matt Renshaw, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (captain), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle

 

 

The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8

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Price: Dh1,100,000

On sale: now

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Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed

Based: Muscat

Launch year: 2018

Number of employees: 40

Sector: Online food delivery

Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception 

The specs

Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm

Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm

Transmission: Eight-speed auto

Kerb weight: 1580kg

Price: From Dh750k

On sale: via special order

Silent Hill f

Publisher: Konami

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Rating: 4.5/5

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

THE BIO

Bio Box

Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul

Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader

Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Favorite food: seafood

Favorite place to travel: Lebanon

Favorite movie: Braveheart

Company profile

Company: Verity

Date started: May 2021

Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif

Based: Dubai

Sector: FinTech

Size: four team members

Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000

Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors

How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
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  2. Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
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*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year

Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Semaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

Updated: May 08, 2023, 7:23 AM