Sunday marks the 50th anniversary of the death of President Joe Biden’s first wife, Neilia Hunter Biden.
Mr Biden met her while on spring break from the University of Delaware. He sneaked in to an exclusive beach club in the Bahamas, where he saw her by the swimming pool.
“When she turned towards me, I could see she had a beautiful smile and gorgeous green eyes,” he wrote in his memoir Promises to Keep. “She was lit by the unforgiving journey of a full afternoon sun, and I couldn't see a single flaw.”
Despite their different upbringings ― hers more on the posh side and him being, “just a kid from Scranton, Pennsylvania” — along with opposing political leanings, the two were married in August 1966 with their first son Beau arriving in 1969, followed by son Hunter, and a year later daughter Naomi.
The father of three and his wife set goals and mapped out what would prove to be Mr Biden’s political ascendancy that would lead him to the highest office in the US.
Neilia supported all of her husband’s political aspirations and was a key player in Mr Biden’s first run for the senate. His victory over Republican challenger J Caleb Boggs made him the second-youngest candidate to win a seat in the US Senate.
Two weeks later, on November 20, the young family cut a cake to honour Mr Biden’s 30th birthday. Christmas would be just around the corner and then, in January, the swearing-in ceremony. The Bidens had so much to look forward to.
A week before Christmas Day, Mr Biden headed to Washington to set up his new offices on Capitol Hill, while Neilia and the children stayed behind to go holiday shopping and see Santa. She loaded up the children into the family estate car and headed out for the day.
At around 2.30pm on December 18, 1972, Neilia crashed into an oncoming lorry, launching the vehicle 46 metres into an embankment. The family was taken to hospital where Neilia and Naomi were pronounced dead on arrival.
Beau sustained a broken leg and Hunter, a fractured skull.
Mr Biden wrote in Promises to Keep that for the first time in his life he understood anguish so bad that you want to take your own life — but he stuck around for his sons and took his oath of office in their hospital room, both at his side.
“To lose a child is like having a piece of your soul ripped away. There's a hollowness in your chest, you feel like you're being sucked into it,” Mr Biden said following the Uvalde massacre at a Texas elementary school. “And it's never quite the same.”
In 2015, Mr Biden's son Beau died of brain cancer.
Mr Biden, who keeps a notebook with many of the eulogies he has delivered, has visited countless families suffering from grief — from fallen soldiers to the parents of George Floyd — earning him the nickname of consoler-in-chief.
While giving a speech at Yale University, soon after learning of Beau's cancer diagnosis, Mr Biden said: “There will come a day — I promise you, and your parents as well — when the thought of your son or daughter, or your husband or wife, brings a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eye.
“It will happen.”
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
PRO BASH
Thursday’s fixtures
6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors
10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters
Teams
Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.
Squad rules
All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.
Tournament rules
The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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1.
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United States
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2.
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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7.
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Singapore
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8.
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Australia
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9.
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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What went into the film
25 visual effects (VFX) studios
2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots
1,000 VFX artists
3,000 technicians
10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers
New sound technology, named 4D SRL
Primera Liga fixtures (all times UAE: 4 GMT)
Friday
Real Sociedad v Villarreal (10.15pm)
Real Betis v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Barcelona (8.15pm)
Levante v Deportivo La Coruna (10.15pm)
Girona v Malaga (10.15pm)
Las Palmas v Atletico Madrid (12.15am)
Sunday
Espanyol v Leganes (8.15pm)
Eibar v Athletic Bilbao (8.15pm)
Getafe v Sevilla (10.15pm)
Real Madrid v Valencia (10.15pm)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
No Shame
Lily Allen
(Parlophone)
MATCH INFO
West Ham United 2 (Antonio 73', Ogbonna 90 5')
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 36', Moura 42', Kane 49')
if you go
2019 ASIAN CUP FINAL
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5