US Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris, gave her acceptance speech wearing a white trouser suit. Getty
US Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris, gave her acceptance speech wearing a white trouser suit. Getty
US Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris, gave her acceptance speech wearing a white trouser suit. Getty
US Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris, gave her acceptance speech wearing a white trouser suit. Getty

Why Kamala Harris’s suffragette white suit is a beacon of hope for the future


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When Kamala Harris took to the stage on Saturday for her first speech as vice president-elect, she sent out a strong message to women across the world.

With a Jamaican father and Indian mother, Harris is breaking multiple barriers as the first ever woman, first ever Indian-American and first black American to serve as vice president.

With so much history resting on her shoulders, Harris honoured the women that came before her in her speech, including her late mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, who left India for the US at the age of 19. She also singled out the countless black, Asian, Latina, white and Native American women "throughout our nation's history who have paved the way for this moment tonight".

"Women who fought and sacrificed so much for equality, liberty and justice for all," Harris added.

For the speech, Harris wore a white trouser suit by US designer Carolina Herrera. The New York label has long been favoured by former first ladies such as Michelle Obama, Jackie Kennedy, Laura Bush and the outgoing Melania Trump, and in wearing it, Harris not only declared her support for American labels, but also established a clear link between herself and the White House.

The wardrobe choice also echoed similar choices by Hillary Clinton, Geraldine Ferraro and Nancy Pelosi, all Democrats who have tried to smash the glass ceiling of US politics.

Emmeline Pankhurst, front left, leads a suffragette parade through London in 1911, with the protesters all dressed in white. Getty Images
Emmeline Pankhurst, front left, leads a suffragette parade through London in 1911, with the protesters all dressed in white. Getty Images

The trouser suit has long been a staple of power dressing and, by choosing to wear white, finished with a demure cream pussybow blouse, Harris again looked to the past.

As Twitter users noted in their droves, the colour nods to the suffragettes who, according to the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage, adopted the colour during their campaigning for women’s votes more than a century ago, as a symbol of "the quality of our purpose".

The founder of the British movement, activist Emmeline Pankhurst, would address crowds wearing a white duster coat, making herself easier to see, as too did Emily Davidson, the campaigner who propelled the struggle on to the world stage by stepping in front of King George V’s horse at the 1913 Derby.

In acknowledging those before her, Harris thanked “all the women who worked to secure and protect the right to vote for over a century: 100 years ago with the 19th Amendment, 55 years ago with the Voting Rights Act and now, in 2020, with a new generation of women in our country who cast their ballots and continued the fight for their fundamental right to vote and be heard".

Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris. Getty
Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris. Getty

“Tonight, I reflect on their struggle,” Harris continued. “Their determination and the strength of their vision — to see what can be unburdened by what has been — I stand on their shoulders.”

In her closing comments, Harris acknowledged that a seismic shift had taken place in US politics, and expressed hope for the future. “I may be the first woman in this office,” she said. “[But] I won’t be the last.”

South and West: From a Notebook
Joan Didion
Fourth Estate 

Normal People

Sally Rooney, Faber & Faber
 

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history

4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon

- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.

50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater

1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.  

1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.

1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.

-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.

Infiniti QX80 specs

Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000

Available: Now

Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

The specs: 2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

Price, base / as tested Dh222,500 / Dh296,870

Engine 2.0L, flat four-cylinder

Transmission Seven-speed PDK

Power 300hp @ 6,500rpm

Torque 380hp @ 1,950rpm

Fuel economy, combined 6.9L / 100km

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At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17

At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253

Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Essentials

The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Malaysia Airlines all fly direct from the UAE to Kuala Lumpur and on to Penang from about Dh2,300 return, including taxes. 
 

Where to stay
In Kuala Lumpur, Element is a recently opened, futuristic hotel high up in a Norman Foster-designed skyscraper. Rooms cost from Dh400 per night, including taxes. Hotel Stripes, also in KL, is a great value design hotel, with an infinity rooftop pool. Rooms cost from Dh310, including taxes. 


In Penang, Ren i Tang is a boutique b&b in what was once an ancient Chinese Medicine Hall in the centre of Little India. Rooms cost from Dh220, including taxes.
23 Love Lane in Penang is a luxury boutique heritage hotel in a converted mansion, with private tropical gardens. Rooms cost from Dh400, including taxes. 
In Langkawi, Temple Tree is a unique architectural villa hotel consisting of antique houses from all across Malaysia. Rooms cost from Dh350, including taxes.

Your rights as an employee

The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.

The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.

If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.

Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.

The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.

Super heroes

Iron Man
Reduced risk of dementia
Alcohol consumption could be an issue

Hulk
Cardiac disease, stroke and dementia from high heart rate

Spider-Man
Agility reduces risk of falls
Increased risk of obesity and mental health issues

Black Panther
Vegetarian diet reduces obesity
Unknown risks of potion drinking

Black Widow
Childhood traumas increase risk of mental illnesses

Thor
He's a god

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