Live updates: Follow the latest on Trump's Gulf trip
US President Donald Trump is preparing for the first official visit abroad of his second term, during which he will visit the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Travelling to another country can wreak havoc on an eating schedule, so how does Mr Trump handle meals on foreign visits?
Mr Trump has spoken several times of his love of American fast food. Expounding on the wonders of McDonald's in a 2016 CNN interview, he called the restaurant's offerings “great stuff”.
The President is also a big fan of steak and was the face of his own meat brand for several years through “Trump Steaks”. He reportedly enjoys his steaks well done and prefers to eat them with ketchup. For dessert, Mr Trump has been known to enjoy pie, chocolate cake and ice cream.
To wash it all down, the President is apparently a big fan of Diet Coke. According to the Wall Street Journal, during his first term, he used a call button on his desk in the Oval Office that would alert an aide to bring him a can. The button was reportedly reinstalled when he returned to office this year.
But what happens when he travels abroad?
In 2017, during his first term, his first official visit overseas was to Saudi Arabia.
On arrival, he was treated to traditional Arabic coffee alongside King Salman, who taught him how to shake his cup − the traditional technique of asking a server to stop pouring. Mr Trump, however, asked for a top-up after finishing his first cup.
Mr Trump's Saudi hosts later pulled out all the culinary stops, offering the President's favourite steak with a side of ketchup alongside the more traditional chicken kabsa and gorsan − Saudi stew. Caviar, foie gras, risotto and date ice cream were also on the menu.
The US President headed to Israel after Saudi Arabia, where he met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. At a dinner at the Prime Minister's residence, Mr Trump was treated to an American-themed spread, with celebrity Israeli chef Moshe Segev serving up sliders with rice and kale chips, as well as ketchup made from beets and aioli mustard.
Salmon, red curry and a sprout salad were also served during the meal, with an array of desserts arriving on a plate featuring the silhouettes of Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu.
Similar to food in the US, cuisine in the Middle East is based on one thing Mr Trump loves − meat. But what happens when no meat is on the menu?
During his trip to India in 2020, Mr Trump dined with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is a vegetarian, several times. A White House aide famously disclosed to CNN that they had never seen the President eat a vegetable.
According to the Hindustan Times, Mr Trump turned down sampling the vegetarian menu on his first day in India, and even declined apple pie and ice cream for dessert. Meat was on the menu at a later state dinner, but it's unclear what − if anything − Mr Trump sampled.
As he begins what is sure to be a series of visits overseas at the start of his second term, it remains to be seen whether Mr Trump will stick with old favourites or branch out to new experiences at the dinner table.
Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
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Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
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Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
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If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
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Name: Yousef Al Bahar
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Key changes
Commission caps
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
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How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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