Americans living in the UAE said people "exhaled" when Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump to win the US presidential election.
They said the world suffered during Mr Trump's four-year term because he lacked credibility.
And they looked forward to seeing major reforms to their country's health, economic and environmental policies.
“I am positive people exhaled when the announcement was made that Biden was President-elect,” said Gary Roberts, a financial political consultant in Abu Dhabi, who served as advisor to former US presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.
“The world suffered" during Donald Trump’s term, he said.
I am positive people exhaled in such a way that believed the country is coming out of the biggest disaster it has been in
Those presidents had clarity, honesty, credibility and sensibility, he said, while Mr Trump had none of those things.
“The country is coming out of the biggest disaster it has been in.”
The former vice president defeated Mr Trump following a nail-biting count after last week's election. Mr Trump has become the first one-term president since George H Bush in the 1990s. He has yet to concede and now Mr Biden faces a difficult task to unite a fractured country in the face of a Republican-controlled Senate but Mr Roberts said he had faith.
"One of the major problems was the healthcare system. It was not functioning the way a healthcare system functions and it wasn’t working for black and brown and vulnerable people - period.”
Before the election, the UAE's American Trump fans outlined why they support him but Mr Roberts expected Mr Biden to "straighten up the system where people can get adequate care and services".
“How come in a black neighbourhood you cannot find fresh vegetables and fresh fruits?"
His daughter also welcomed Mr Biden's victory.
“I was ashamed for the first time of being an American,” said his daughter Tessa Roberts, of the past four years.
“The pressure of being an American when Trump was elected - it was so embarrassing what happened to our country,” said the 33-year-old.
She said she was grateful during the past four years that “God sent me to the UAE, where I could find peace and policemen who don’t threaten my father [an African American]".
Mr Roberts and his family have been living in Abu Dhabi for the past 17 years.
She said now she believes things will change for the better, and she "can hold the US flag loud and proud once again".
Gina Dillon, another supporter of Mr Biden, said she was delighted.
“I haven’t been this happy since I gave birth to my son,” said Ms Dillon, whose son Max is now 16.
“He [Joe Biden] wasn’t my first choice but he was the best choice,” said the 55-year-old entrepreneur.
Ms Dillon comes from a political home as her mother used to be mayor of their hometown, McClure, in the state of Illinois.
“I was hoping for a more progressive candidate but as we moved through the process I thought Joe Biden is the leader we need to guide us through this very difficult process.
“I think everything will change with Biden and that is for the better," she said.
Mr Biden's inauguration is set for January 20 and Ms Dillon is hoping for better days ahead.
She wants the response to Covid-19 resolved first.
“Number two, the economy and our international standing, and number three, the environment.”
Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
England squads for Test and T20 series against New Zealand
Test squad: Joe Root (capt), Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Dominic Sibley, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes
T20 squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Pat Brown, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Lewis Gregory, Chris Jordan, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid, James Vince
360Vuz PROFILE
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Investors: Shorooq Partners, KBW Ventures, Vision Ventures, Hala Ventures, 500Startups, Plug and Play, Magnus Olsson, Samih Toukan, Jonathan Labin
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full