King Abdullah of Jordan joined US Vice President Kamala Harris for a working breakfast on Tuesday at Ms Harris's residence, where the pair discussed bilateral relations and co-operation on regional issues.
Ms Harris expressed appreciation for the enduring strategic partnership between the two countries, a readout of the meeting said.
“The two leaders consulted on the challenges facing both countries related to the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the need for swift economic recovery," it said.
They also discussed addressing Jordan’s water shortages through infrastructure upgrades, continued progress in economic reforms and the many challenges facing the Middle East, such as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Syria and the importance of supporting stability, security and prosperity in Iraq.
King Abdullah's son, Crown Prince Hussein, also attended the meeting.
This is only the second time Ms Harris has hosted a foreign leader at her home, after German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week came to the Naval Observatory, the vice presidential residence.
King Abdullah met President Joe Biden at the White House on Monday in what was the president's first meeting with an Arab leader in Washington since he took office in January.
“You've always been there and we will always be there for Jordan,” Mr Biden said as he welcomed the king.
“Many of us leaders in our part of the world will do the heavy lifting, which is what we need to do on behalf of the United States, but you can always count on me, my country and many of our colleagues in the region,” King Abdullah told Mr Biden during their meeting.
Some of the key items on the agenda during the king's visit to Washington have been Jordan's role in maintaining peace in the Middle East, as well as the Covid-19 crisis.
Mr Biden told the king the US would continue to provide vaccine support. The White House also announced the delivery of more than 500,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses to Jordan as it faces high rates of vaccine hesitancy.
On Sunday, the White House said the Biden administration intended to promote “economic opportunities that will be vital for a bright future in Jordan” during the king's visit.
Queen Rania accompanied King Abdullah on his visit to Washington, meeting first lady Jill Biden at the White House.
“It was lovely joining US first lady Dr Jill Biden at the White House today. Her enthusiasm, warmth and compassion are a pleasure to behold,” Queen Rania said on Instagram.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also met the king on Tuesday. During their meeting, the secretary reiterated his country's strong commitment to the US-Jordanian strategic relationship and conveyed his best wishes to King Abdullah and the Jordanian people for Eid Al Adha.
"Jordan is a powerful, powerful partner for peace, for stability in the region, dealing with ISIS and terrorism, a remarkably generous host to refugees," Mr Blinken said, according to a State Department press release.
King Abdullah is the first leader from the Middle East to visit the Biden White House, to be followed next week by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi.
F1 2020 calendar
March 15 - Australia, Melbourne; March 22 - Bahrain, Sakhir; April 5 - Vietnam, Hanoi; April 19 - China, Shanghai; May 3 - Netherlands, Zandvoort; May 20 - Spain, Barcelona; May 24 - Monaco, Monaco; June 7 - Azerbaijan, Baku; June 14 - Canada, Montreal; June 28 - France, Le Castellet; July 5 - Austria, Spielberg; July 19 - Great Britain, Silverstone; August 2 - Hungary, Budapest; August 30 - Belgium, Spa; September 6 - Italy, Monza; September 20 - Singapore, Singapore; September 27 - Russia, Sochi; October 11 - Japan, Suzuka; October 25 - United States, Austin; November 1 - Mexico City, Mexico City; November 15 - Brazil, Sao Paulo; November 29 - Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi.
How to get exposure to gold
Although you can buy gold easily on the Dubai markets, the problem with buying physical bars, coins or jewellery is that you then have storage, security and insurance issues.
A far easier option is to invest in a low-cost exchange traded fund (ETF) that invests in the precious metal instead, for example, ETFS Physical Gold (PHAU) and iShares Physical Gold (SGLN) both track physical gold. The VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF invests directly in mining companies.
Alternatively, BlackRock Gold & General seeks to achieve long-term capital growth primarily through an actively managed portfolio of gold mining, commodity and precious-metal related shares. Its largest portfolio holdings include gold miners Newcrest Mining, Barrick Gold Corp, Agnico Eagle Mines and the NewMont Goldcorp.
Brave investors could take on the added risk of buying individual gold mining stocks, many of which have performed wonderfully well lately.
London-listed Centamin is up more than 70 per cent in just three months, although in a sign of its volatility, it is down 5 per cent on two years ago. Trans-Siberian Gold, listed on London's alternative investment market (AIM) for small stocks, has seen its share price almost quadruple from 34p to 124p over the same period, but do not assume this kind of runaway growth can continue for long
However, buying individual equities like these is highly risky, as their share prices can crash just as quickly, which isn't what what you want from a supposedly safe haven.
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Mubalada World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule
Thursday December 27
Men's quarter-finals
Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm
Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm
Women's exhibition
Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm
Friday December 28
5th place play-off 3pm
Men's semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm
Saturday December 29
3rd place play-off 5pm
Men's final 7pm
Juliet, Naked
Dir: Jesse Peretz
Starring: Chris O'Dowd, Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke
Two stars
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