Live updates: Follow the latest on Trump's Gulf trip
For the first time since 2017, US President Donald Trump has embarked on a tour of the Gulf, with visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.
His four-day trip includes stops in Riyadh and Doha before he heads to the UAE capital on Thursday, where he will stay at The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi.
Although the emirate is known for its many lavish properties, the Ritz-Carlton offers a high level of security and privacy, making it an ideal choice for hosting high-profile guests. It's owned by Abu Dhabi National Hotels and operated by Marriott International through its subsidiary, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, which is owned by Maryland-based Marriott International – aligning with the tendency of US presidents to favour American hotel brands.
History
Originally scheduled to open in 2011, the Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi finally welcomed guests in March 2013 after delays caused by ownership and design changes as the property was initially planned as a JW Marriott.
The Venetian-designed property was inspired by the 15th to early 17th century Renaissance architecture and the urban planning of the city of Venice. The space consists of 10 buildings arranged in a crescent formation, complete with artfully designed water features throughout the 54-acre property.
Location
Located on the banks of the Grand Canal, The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi has sweeping views and a serene waterfront atmosphere, while still offering close access to key attractions. The hotel is near cultural landmarks, such as the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, and is a short drive from Zayed International Airport. It’s also centrally located between downtown Abu Dhabi and Yas Island.
Rooms
The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi offers a range of accommodations, including 504 rooms and suites, 11 Rabdan villas and four plunge pool villas. Guests can enjoy spacious rooms with views of the beach, gardens or the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. The lavish suites feature separate living areas and expansive bathrooms.
President Trump is expected to stay in the opulent 250-square-metre Royal Suite, which has two bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths. The marble bathrooms feature oversized bathtubs, separate showers and classy touches such as a lighted makeup mirror and Asprey amenities. There is also a living area, dining area and separate dining and living rooms.
Amenities
The property is home to eight restaurants, offering a range of global cuisines. Highlights include premium cuts at The Forge steakhouse, Mediterranean dishes at Giornotte, Asian fine dining at Li Jiang, and Middle Eastern flavours at Mijana. Guests can also relax with a drink on the stunning outdoor terrace.
The property has a large outdoor pool, private beach, padel courts and a 24-hour fitness centre with sauna and steam rooms. Laundry and dry cleaning services are also available.
The Club Lounge offers a private, tranquil environment with panoramic views of Al Maqta Creek. It comes with complimentary food and drinks five times a day – breakfast buffet, light lunch, afternoon tea, hors d’oeuvres and desserts, plus complimentary evening refreshments.
There is also a dedicated concierge, and access includes complimentary pressing of two garments, same-day shoeshine service, wireless internet and private check-in and check-out.
Meanwhile, little ones can visit the Ritz Kids Club, which is for children aged 4 to 12.
Rates
Rooms at The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi start at about Dh1,100 ($300) per night. Prices can vary depending on the season and room category. The Royal Suite can start at about Dh70,000 ($19,050) per night.
On May 5, The National tried to book a room for the week of Trump's visit, but the hotel was fully booked between May 14 and May 17.
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
Tentative schedule of 2017/18 Ashes series
1st Test November 23-27, The Gabba, Brisbane
2nd Test December 2-6, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
3rd Test Dcember 14-18, Waca, Perth
4th Test December 26-30, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
5th Test January 4-8, Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
WTL%20SCHEDULE
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Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Veere di Wedding
Dir: Shashanka Ghosh
Starring: Kareena Kapoo-Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania
Verdict: 4 Stars
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
FIGHT%20CARD
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Company%20profile
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