President Donald Trump salutes during inaugural ceremonies at the Capitol building in Washington. AP / Bloomberg
President Donald Trump salutes during inaugural ceremonies at the Capitol building in Washington. AP / Bloomberg
President Donald Trump salutes during inaugural ceremonies at the Capitol building in Washington. AP / Bloomberg
President Donald Trump salutes during inaugural ceremonies at the Capitol building in Washington. AP / Bloomberg

World leaders congratulate Donald Trump as he takes office


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Live updates: Follow the latest on Donald Trump’s inauguration

Leaders from around the world congratulated new US President Donald Trump on Monday as he officially took office. Middle East leaders including UAE President Sheikh Mohamed wished Mr Trump and his administration well after the inauguration.

"I wish him and his administration success and I look forward to working with him to further advance UAE-US strategic relations and promote regional peace and stability," Sheikh Mohamed wrote in a post on X.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also sent his congratulations, saying that Mr Trump's first presidency included "groundbreaking moments in the history of the great alliance between our two countries", citing the Abraham Accords and withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal.

"On behalf of the people of Israel, I also want to thank you for your efforts in helping free Israeli hostages. I look forward to working with you to return the remaining hostages, to destroy Hamas' military capabilities and end its political rule in Gaza, and to ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel," Mr Netanyahu said.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas sent a message to Mr Trump carried by the news agency Wafa, saying: "We stand ready to work with you to achieve peace during your tenure, guided by the two-state solution based on international legitimacy. This vision seeks the establishment of the state of Palestine and the state of Israel living side by side in peace and security.”

  • Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington. AP
    Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington. AP
  • Mr Trump takes part in a signing ceremony in the President's Room at the US Capitol. AP
    Mr Trump takes part in a signing ceremony in the President's Room at the US Capitol. AP
  • Pro-Trump supporters gather at the National Mall in Washington. AFP
    Pro-Trump supporters gather at the National Mall in Washington. AFP
  • Mr Trump speaks from Emancipation Hall at the US Capitol. AP
    Mr Trump speaks from Emancipation Hall at the US Capitol. AP
  • Supporters of Mr Trump celebrate in Miami, Florida. AFP
    Supporters of Mr Trump celebrate in Miami, Florida. AFP
  • Elon Musk arrives to speak during an inauguration event at Capital One Arena in Washington. AFP
    Elon Musk arrives to speak during an inauguration event at Capital One Arena in Washington. AFP
  • Mr Trump speaks in the Rotunda as his second presidency begins in Washington. AP
    Mr Trump speaks in the Rotunda as his second presidency begins in Washington. AP
  • Mr Trump with his family in the Rotunda immediately after taking the oath of office. AP
    Mr Trump with his family in the Rotunda immediately after taking the oath of office. AP
  • Mr Trump enters the Rotunda to a fanfare before his inauguration as the 47th President of the US. AFP
    Mr Trump enters the Rotunda to a fanfare before his inauguration as the 47th President of the US. AFP
  • Guests attend the inauguration of Donald Trump at the US Capitol. AFP
    Guests attend the inauguration of Donald Trump at the US Capitol. AFP
  • Mr Trump and vice president-elect JD Vance arrive in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington. AP
    Mr Trump and vice president-elect JD Vance arrive in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington. AP
  • Former US president Barack Obama in the Rotunda. Bloomberg
    Former US president Barack Obama in the Rotunda. Bloomberg
  • US President Joe Biden, Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat from Minnesota, and Mr Trump leave the White House for the US Capitol in Washington. AFP
    US President Joe Biden, Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat from Minnesota, and Mr Trump leave the White House for the US Capitol in Washington. AFP
  • Former US presidents George W Bush, left, and Bill Clinton arrive. Reuters
    Former US presidents George W Bush, left, and Bill Clinton arrive. Reuters
  • Mr Musk, centre, arrives at the US Capitol in Washington. EPA
    Mr Musk, centre, arrives at the US Capitol in Washington. EPA
  • Mr Trump and wife Melania are greeted by President Joe Biden and his wife Jill on their arrival at the White House. AP
    Mr Trump and wife Melania are greeted by President Joe Biden and his wife Jill on their arrival at the White House. AP
  • Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Douglas Emhoff greet vice president-elect JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance as they arrive at the White House. AFP
    Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Douglas Emhoff greet vice president-elect JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance as they arrive at the White House. AFP
  • A Trump supporter poses for a picture inside Capital One arena. Reuters
    A Trump supporter poses for a picture inside Capital One arena. Reuters
  • President-elect Donald Trump arrives for mass at St John's Church in Washington before the 60th presidential inauguration. Bloomberg
    President-elect Donald Trump arrives for mass at St John's Church in Washington before the 60th presidential inauguration. Bloomberg
  • Staff prepare for the inauguration in the US Capitol. AFP
    Staff prepare for the inauguration in the US Capitol. AFP
  • Mr Trump and his wife Melania arrive for a service at St John's Episcopal Church. Reuters
    Mr Trump and his wife Melania arrive for a service at St John's Episcopal Church. Reuters
  • Guests begin to arrive for the relocated parade at the Capitol One Arena in Washington. EPA
    Guests begin to arrive for the relocated parade at the Capitol One Arena in Washington. EPA
  • Mr Trump speaks with vice president-elect JD Vance during a church service at St John's. AFP
    Mr Trump speaks with vice president-elect JD Vance during a church service at St John's. AFP
  • Ivanka Trump, daughter of Mr Trump, arrives with her family for the church service. AFP
    Ivanka Trump, daughter of Mr Trump, arrives with her family for the church service. AFP
  • Supporters from Arkansas make their way through the line at Capital One Arena. AFP
    Supporters from Arkansas make their way through the line at Capital One Arena. AFP

King Abdullah II of Jordan wished Mr Trump "every success as he commences his second term".

"Congratulations on your inauguration, Mr President. We greatly value our partnership with the United States and are committed to working with you towards a more prosperous and peaceful world," he said in a post on X.

In Europe, Mr Trump's inauguration was also met with congratulations. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: "The special relationship between the UK and the US will continue to flourish for years to come."

In a rare move, Mr Trump extended invitations to several current and former world leaders, one of them being former conservative UK prime minister Boris Johnson.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said: "The US is our closest ally and the aim of our policy is always a good transatlantic relationship."

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X that Mr Trump "is always decisive, and the peace-through-strength policy he announced provides an opportunity to strengthen American leadership and achieve a long-term and just peace, which is the top priority".

Before the inauguration, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered his own congratulations, saying: "Moscow is open for dialogue with the United States that will be built on an equal and mutually respectful basis."

In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Mr Trump on his "historic" inauguration, saying he looked forward "to working closely together once again, to benefit both our countries, and to shape a better future for the world".

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he also looks forward to working with Mr Trump to strengthen the "enduring Pakistan-US partnership".

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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

Europe’s rearming plan
  • Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
  • Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
  • Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
  • Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
  • Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

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

THURSDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY

Centre Court

Starting at 10am:

Lucrezia Stefanini v Elena Rybakina (6)

Aryna Sabalenka (4) v Polona Hercog

Sofia Kenin (1) v Zhaoxuan Yan

Kristina Mladenovic v Garbine Muguruza (5)

Sorana Cirstea v Karolina Pliskova (3)

Jessica Pegula v Elina Svitolina (2)

Court 1

Starting at 10am:

Sara Sorribes Tormo v Nadia Podoroska

Marketa Vondrousova v Su-Wei Hsieh

Elise Mertens (7) v Alize Cornet

Tamara Zidansek v Jennifer Brady (11)

Heather Watson v Jodie Burrage

Vera Zvonareva v Amandine Hesse

Court 2

Starting at 10am:

Arantxa Rus v Xiyu Wang

Maria Kostyuk v Lucie Hradecka

Karolina Muchova v Danka Kovinic

Cori Gauff v Ulrikke Eikeri

Mona Barthel v Anastasia Gasanova

Court 3

Starting at 10am:

Kateryna Bondarenko v Yafan Wang

Aliaksandra Sasnovich v Anna Bondar

Bianca Turati v Yaroslava Shvedova

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

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Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

FA Cup quarter-final draw

The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March

Sheffield United v Arsenal

Newcastle v Manchester City

Norwich v Derby/Manchester United

Leicester City v Chelsea

Mane points for safe home colouring
  • Natural and grey hair takes colour differently than chemically treated hair
  • Taking hair from a dark to a light colour should involve a slow transition through warmer stages of colour
  • When choosing a colour (especially a lighter tone), allow for a natural lift of warmth
  • Most modern hair colours are technique-based, in that they require a confident hand and taught skills
  • If you decide to be brave and go for it, seek professional advice and use a semi-permanent colour
Results

Final: Iran beat Spain 6-3.

Play-off 3rd: UAE beat Russia 2-1 (in extra time).

Play-off 5th: Japan beat Egypt 7-2.

Play-off 7th: Italy beat Mexico 3-2.

Updated: January 20, 2025, 9:02 PM