The Terracotta Room at 10 Downing Street is decorated with famous works of art on loan from the Government Art Collection. Photo: Sergeant Tom Robinson RLC / Crown
The Terracotta Room at 10 Downing Street is decorated with famous works of art on loan from the Government Art Collection. Photo: Sergeant Tom Robinson RLC / Crown
The Terracotta Room at 10 Downing Street is decorated with famous works of art on loan from the Government Art Collection. Photo: Sergeant Tom Robinson RLC / Crown
The Terracotta Room at 10 Downing Street is decorated with famous works of art on loan from the Government Art Collection. Photo: Sergeant Tom Robinson RLC / Crown

UAE

Government

Story behind the Terracotta Room at Downing Street

Terracotta Room the middle of three interlinked state drawing rooms at No 10

The National

September 17, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

The Terracotta State Drawing Room in Downing Street, where the major deals between the UAE and UK were signed today, serves as the second reception room of the British Prime Minister's residence.

On the first floor of Number 10 Downing Street, it is the middle of three interlinked state drawing rooms, sandwiched between the Pillared Drawing Room, which is used to for events and grand receptions, and the White Drawing Room, which is often used for Downing Street staff meetings.

The Terracotta Room derives its name from the colour in which it is painted. When Margaret Thatcher came to power in the late 1970s it was called the Blue Room.

She appointed architect Quinlan Terry to refurbish the state drawing rooms at the end of the 1980s. The refurbishment included ornate plasterwork on the ceilings to present a more stately look.

Mr Terry built large Doric order columns into the door surrounds as part of the refurbishment. He also designed a vast Palladian overmantel for the fireplace with small double Doric columns on each side with the royal arms above.

After the refurbishment it was renamed the Green Room, before becoming the Terracotta Room.

Sir Robert Walpole, who held the title of First Lord of the Treasury and effectively served as Britain's first prime minister, used this space as a dining room during his time in office.

The walls of the room are decorated with famous works of art on loan from the Government Art Collection.

  • Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces meets with The Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Secretary of State for International Trade. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
    Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces meets with The Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Secretary of State for International Trade. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
  • Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed meets with Alok Sharma, COP26 President. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
    Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed meets with Alok Sharma, COP26 President. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
  • Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, at 10 Downing Street. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
    Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, at 10 Downing Street. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
  • Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Prime Minister Boris Johnson held wide-ranging talks in London. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
    Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Prime Minister Boris Johnson held wide-ranging talks in London. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
  • Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the launch of a Partnership for the Future between the UAE and the UK. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
    Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the launch of a Partnership for the Future between the UAE and the UK. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
  • Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed at a military guard of honour before attending a UK-UAE business reception. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
    Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed at a military guard of honour before attending a UK-UAE business reception. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
  • Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Prime Minister Boris Johnson wear EXPO 2020 wristbands during a reception at 10 Downing Street. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
    Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Prime Minister Boris Johnson wear EXPO 2020 wristbands during a reception at 10 Downing Street. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
  • Boris Johnson and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed in front of an audience of businessmen, bankers and senior politicians at Downing Street. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
    Boris Johnson and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed in front of an audience of businessmen, bankers and senior politicians at Downing Street. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
  • Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Prime Minister Boris Johnson witness the signing of key agreements between the UAE and the UK. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
    Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Prime Minister Boris Johnson witness the signing of key agreements between the UAE and the UK. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
  • Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed arrives to a reception hosted by Prime Minister Boris Johnson at 10 Downing Street. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
    Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed arrives to a reception hosted by Prime Minister Boris Johnson at 10 Downing Street. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
  • Boris Johnson thanked the UAE for its role in facilitating evacuations from Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
    Boris Johnson thanked the UAE for its role in facilitating evacuations from Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
  • Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed reviews a military guard of honour at Horse Guards Parade shortly after his arrival in London. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
    Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed reviews a military guard of honour at Horse Guards Parade shortly after his arrival in London. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
  • Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed was given a guard of honour shortly after his arrival in London on an official visit to the UK. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
    Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed was given a guard of honour shortly after his arrival in London on an official visit to the UK. Ministry of Presidential Affairs

Managing the separation process

  • Choose your nursery carefully in the first place
  • Relax – and hopefully your child will follow suit
  • Inform the staff in advance of your child’s likes and dislikes.
  • If you need some extra time to talk to the teachers, make an appointment a few days in advance, rather than attempting to chat on your child’s first day
  • The longer you stay, the more upset your child will become. As difficult as it is, walk away. Say a proper goodbye and reassure your child that you will be back
  • Be patient. Your child might love it one day and hate it the next
  • Stick at it. Don’t give up after the first day or week. It takes time for children to settle into a new routine.And, finally, don’t feel guilty.  
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Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

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The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
Company profile

Name: Dukkantek 

Started: January 2021 

Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani 

Based: UAE 

Number of employees: 140 

Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service) 

Investment: $5.2 million 

Funding stage: Seed round 

Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office  

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

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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.”

Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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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

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Islamophobia definition

A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.

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The specs

Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six

Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm

Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto

Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km

Price: From Dh796,600

On sale: now

The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer

Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000

Engine 3.6L V6

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm

Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km

Tomorrow 2021
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989

Director: Goran Hugo Olsson

Rating: 5/5

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League last-16, second leg:

Real Madrid 1 (Asensio 70'), Ajax 4 (Ziyech 7', Neres 18', Tadic 62', Schone 72')

Ajax win 5-3 on aggregate

Ticket prices
  • Golden circle - Dh995
  • Floor Standing - Dh495
  • Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
  • Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
  • Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
  • Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
  • Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
  • Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
While you're here:
While you're here
Joe Root's Test record

Tests: 53; Innings: 98; Not outs: 11; Runs: 4,594; Best score: 254; Average: 52.80; 100s: 11; 50s: 27

While you're here
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
  • Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
  • Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
  • Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
  • For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
  • Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
  • Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
  • Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
  • Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
  • Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
  • Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.

Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz

Inside Palestine-Israel
2.0

Director: S Shankar

Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films

Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

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Updated: September 17, 2021, 6:25 AM
Sheikh Mohamed bin ZayedBoris JohnsonLondon