President George W Bush returned to Abu Dhabi almost exactly ten years since his first visit with praise for the UAE’s leadership, a sideways swipe at Donald Trump and an outright attack on the conduct of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
President Bush also made clear his concerns about the populist forces that elected President Trump and have driven many of his policies, including selective bans on the admission of people from several Muslim majority countries.
On the issue of immigration, he said that it was “important to realise is that the United States has had a history of assimilation, that we welcome people regardless of their religion and where they were born because we've got confidence in what we stand for".
“That confidence is diminished now, but it’s still evident among most Americans," he said.
President Bush was speaking at the first Milken Institute Mena Summit on Saadiyat Island, and described Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Commander of the UAE Armed Forces as “one of the best leaders in the world. He’s smart, he’s got vision and he’s a dear friend".
In January 2008, Mr Bush became the first – and so far only - sitting US president to visit the UAE, joking this time: “I might have to tell the other ones you know. About time they got here.”
That visit was recalled by Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE Ambassador to Washington and a Minister of State in his introduction telling the audience that the “trust and good relationship" between the two countries stemmed from that visit.
He also described the visit to a desert camp arranged for President Bush, his national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed.
“Think of a family picnic out in the desert, but instead of your family think of the president of the United States... the national security adviser, the Vice President of the UAE, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi all hanging out together,” Mr Al Otaiba recalled.
On this latest visit, President Bush expressed regret that Americans did not always understand the significance of their role in the world, using the example of the battle against HIV in Africa during his terms in office, funded though US aid.
“The problem is most Americans have no clue that their generosity saved 11 million people’s lives,” Mr Bush said, adding: “When I hear talk about letting other people solve problems… it troubles me deeply. Because ours is a nation of great compassion and when the United States puts its mind to something we can get things done.
“It’s too bad. If they could see what you and I have seen, they would realise how important it is to stay engaged with the world. When you are the leader of your country it’s hard to convince your nation to look elsewhere when there are problems at home.”
Mr Bush, who held office between 2001 and 2009, appeared critical of the climate of hostility generated toward immigrants by the election of President Trump.
“We’ve got to enforce our border, go to enforce our laws,” he said. “But there are people willing to do jobs Americans aren’t willing to do. Lots of Americans don’t want to pick cotton in 105 degrees, but there are people who want to put food on their family's table, and are willing to do that.
“We ought to be able to say thank you, and to welcome them. Have a plan in place that enables workers to do work Americans won’t do.
“When there's a populist sentiment it makes it harder to get that kind of issue resolved."
President Bush also stepped into the current debate about deporting those children born to illegal immigrants, a policy President Trump has expressed support for.
"These kids, they were born in America, their parents were here illegally and they say they have to go home,” President Bush said.
“Well they don't have a home. America’s their home - and they've got to get it fixed.”
But his strongest words were reserved for President Putin, who President Trump claims to have good relationship with.
“He can’t think ‘how can we both win?’ President Bush said of the Russian leader. “He only thinks ‘I win, you lose’. which makes him difficult to deal with.
“It’s important for our friends to know who our friends are, and for our enemies to know that we've got a problem with them. There can't be any ambiguity. Same dealing with Putin.”
And with allegations still swirling about President Trump's election campaign and Russian involvement, he added: “I would say he’s [Putin] not a direct threat to the homeland except for the elections.
“And its problematic that a foreign nation is involved in our election system because Democracy is really only as good as the people's trust in results.
“And there’s pretty clear evidence that the Russians meddled. Whether they affected the outcome is another question. But they meddled and that’s dangerous for a democracy.
President Bush has made it clear previously that he does not intend to comment specifically on his successors, and yesterday’s remarks, in conversation with the founder of the Milken Institute, Michael Milken, also conspicuously avoided the more controversial polices of the Bush administration like the invasion of Afghanistan and the war in Iraq.
But he did reflect on some of lessons he learned as leader of the world’s only superpower.
“Know what you don't know and surround yourself with people who know what you don't know," he said.
“And listen to them.”
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
Company profile
Company: Eighty6
Date started: October 2021
Founders: Abdul Kader Saadi and Anwar Nusseibeh
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Hospitality
Size: 25 employees
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investment: $1 million
Investors: Seed funding, angel investors
The studios taking part (so far)
- Punch
- Vogue Fitness
- Sweat
- Bodytree Studio
- The Hot House
- The Room
- Inspire Sports (Ladies Only)
- Cryo
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Zidane's managerial achievements
La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
Five%20calorie-packed%20Ramadan%20drinks
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
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
The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
HAJJAN
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Abu%20Bakr%20Shawky%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%3EStarring%3A%20Omar%20Alatawi%2C%20Tulin%20Essam%2C%20Ibrahim%20Al-Hasawi%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Teams
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan Shanwari, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Corey Anderson, Mark Chapman, Lockie Ferguson, Colin de Grandhomme, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Seth Rance, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.
RESULT
Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2
Arsenal: Aubameyang (13')
Chelsea: Jorginho (83'), Abraham (87')
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JAPAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Masaaki Higashiguchi, Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Sho Sasaki, Hiroki Sakai, Sei Muroya, Genta Miura, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Midfielders: Toshihiro Aoyama, Genki Haraguchi, Gaku Shibasaki, Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Shoya Nakajima, Takumi Minamino, Hidemasa Morita, Ritsu Doan
Forwards: Yuya Osako, Takuma Asano, Koya Kitagawa
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Civil%20War
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alex%20Garland%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Kirsten%20Dunst%2C%20Cailee%20Spaeny%2C%20Wagner%20Moura%2C%20Nick%20Offerman%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
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