The coming trip to Jordan and other regional countries will be Jill Biden's first trip to the Middle East as first lady. AP
The coming trip to Jordan and other regional countries will be Jill Biden's first trip to the Middle East as first lady. AP
The coming trip to Jordan and other regional countries will be Jill Biden's first trip to the Middle East as first lady. AP
The coming trip to Jordan and other regional countries will be Jill Biden's first trip to the Middle East as first lady. AP

Jill Biden to attend Jordan royal wedding


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First lady Jill Biden will attend the Jordan royal wedding as part of an upcoming trip to the Middle East, North Africa and Europe, the Associated Press reported.

It will be her first visit to the Middle East as first lady. She had travelled to Namibia and Kenya earlier this year.

Ms Biden is scheduled to depart on her six-day trip on Wednesday. In addition to Jordan, she is also to visit Egypt, Morocco and Portugal.

“The first lady believes that supporting youth across the world is critical to our common future, with education, health and empowerment at the heart of it,” said Vanessa Valdivia, her spokeswoman.

“With her visit to the Middle East and North Africa, the first lady will continue to build on her work to empower young people, and reaffirm our commitment to strengthen our partnerships and advance our shared priorities in the region."

In Amman, the capital of Jordan, Ms Biden will attend the June 1 wedding of Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah and Rajwa Al Saif, a Saudi architect.

President Joe Biden and the first lady have a deep and long-standing friendship with the Crown Prince's parents, King Abdullah II and Queen Rania.

  • Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein celebrates as festivities begin before his wedding to Rajwa Al Saif at the Royal Hashemite Court in Amman. Reuters
    Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein celebrates as festivities begin before his wedding to Rajwa Al Saif at the Royal Hashemite Court in Amman. Reuters
  • Jordan's King Abdullah II and Crown Prince Hussein at a performance before the start of a dinner. Reuters
    Jordan's King Abdullah II and Crown Prince Hussein at a performance before the start of a dinner. Reuters
  • Crown Prince Hussein poses with relatives and colleagues during a traditional pre-wedding ceremony. Reuters
    Crown Prince Hussein poses with relatives and colleagues during a traditional pre-wedding ceremony. Reuters
  • The Prince takes part in a traditional pre-wedding ceremony. Reuters
    The Prince takes part in a traditional pre-wedding ceremony. Reuters
  • US first lady Jill Biden is greeted by International Women of Courage Award winner Hadeel Aziz on arrival in Amman. Photo: Twitter @FLOTUS
    US first lady Jill Biden is greeted by International Women of Courage Award winner Hadeel Aziz on arrival in Amman. Photo: Twitter @FLOTUS
  • A man paints a car with 'celebrating Al Hussein'. Reuters
    A man paints a car with 'celebrating Al Hussein'. Reuters
  • A worker prepares a poster at a workshop in Madaba, Jordan. Reuters
    A worker prepares a poster at a workshop in Madaba, Jordan. Reuters
  • Posters depicting Prince Hussein and bride-to-be Ms Al Saif. Reuters
    Posters depicting Prince Hussein and bride-to-be Ms Al Saif. Reuters
  • Bride-to-be Rajwa Al Saif at a dinner party held by Queen Rania of Jordan. Photo: Queen Rania Media Office
    Bride-to-be Rajwa Al Saif at a dinner party held by Queen Rania of Jordan. Photo: Queen Rania Media Office
  • Queen Rania of Jordan with bride-to-be Rajwa Al Saif
    Queen Rania of Jordan with bride-to-be Rajwa Al Saif
  • Queen Rania of Jordan embraces bride-to-be Rajwa Al Saif. Photo: Queen Rania Media Office
    Queen Rania of Jordan embraces bride-to-be Rajwa Al Saif. Photo: Queen Rania Media Office
  • Ms Al Saif has participated in a number of Jordanian royal engagements
    Ms Al Saif has participated in a number of Jordanian royal engagements
  • Queen Rania has been giving the public small glimpses inside the wedding-planning process. AFP
    Queen Rania has been giving the public small glimpses inside the wedding-planning process. AFP
  • Queen Rania with Azza al-Sudairi alongside Princess Iman and Princess Salma during a pre-wedding dinner party. AFP
    Queen Rania with Azza al-Sudairi alongside Princess Iman and Princess Salma during a pre-wedding dinner party. AFP
  • The wedding will take place on June 1. AFP
    The wedding will take place on June 1. AFP
  • A man holds up a pre-wedding poster at a free concert celebration ahead of the wedding Amman International Stadium. AFP
    A man holds up a pre-wedding poster at a free concert celebration ahead of the wedding Amman International Stadium. AFP
  • Jordanian singer Diana Karazon performs during the concert celebration at Amman International Stadium. AFP
    Jordanian singer Diana Karazon performs during the concert celebration at Amman International Stadium. AFP
  • The official portrait for the engagement of Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II and Rajwa Khaled Alseif. Photo RHCJO, Instagram
    The official portrait for the engagement of Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II and Rajwa Khaled Alseif. Photo RHCJO, Instagram
  • The ring of Rajwa Al Saif was visible in the official portrait Photo: Royal Hashemite Court
    The ring of Rajwa Al Saif was visible in the official portrait Photo: Royal Hashemite Court
  • The couple became engaged at the home of Ms Al Saif's father in Riyadh last August.
    The couple became engaged at the home of Ms Al Saif's father in Riyadh last August.
  • The happy couple in the presence of King Abdullah II and Queen Rania Al Abdullah. Photo: Royal Hashemite Court
    The happy couple in the presence of King Abdullah II and Queen Rania Al Abdullah. Photo: Royal Hashemite Court
  • Ms Al Saif has participated in a number of Jordanian royal engagements. Photo: Royal Hashemite Court
    Ms Al Saif has participated in a number of Jordanian royal engagements. Photo: Royal Hashemite Court

As vice president, Mr Biden and King Abdullah often had breakfast when the king visited Washington to see his son, then a student at Georgetown University.

King Abdullah also visited Mr Biden at his home in Delaware after Mr Biden returned to private life.

The two have met at least three times since Mr Biden became President, twice at the White House and once in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Ms Biden is expected to promote women and youth while on her trip.

She will meet with women and young people while in Egypt and Morocco, where she will also also discuss US investments to support education programmes.

While in Portugal, she will underscore the importance of arts in diplomacy while joining the State Department in celebrating the 60th anniversary of its Art in Embassies programme.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

T20 World Cup Qualifier, Muscat

UAE FIXTURES

Friday February 18: v Ireland

Saturday February 19: v Germany

Monday February 21: v Philippines

Tuesday February 22: semi-finals

Thursday February 24: final 

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

The biog

Mission to Seafarers is one of the largest port-based welfare operators in the world.

It provided services to around 200 ports across 50 countries.

They also provide port chaplains to help them deliver professional welfare services.

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYango%20Deli%20Tech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERetail%20SaaS%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESelf%20funded%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

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
The%20Color%20Purple
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBlitz%20Bazawule%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFantasia%20Barrino%2C%20Taraji%20P%20Henson%2C%20Danielle%20Brooks%2C%20Colman%20Domingo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Dhadak 2

Director: Shazia Iqbal

Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri 

Rating: 1/5

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

TEAMS

EUROPE:
Justin Rose, Francesco Molinari, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Alex Noren, Thorbjorn Olesen, Paul Casey, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson

USA:
Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth,​​​​​​​ Rickie Fowler, Webb Simpson, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau ( 1 TBC)

At a glance

Fixtures All matches start at 9.30am, at ICC Academy, Dubai. Admission is free

Thursday UAE v Ireland; Saturday UAE v Ireland; Jan 21 UAE v Scotland; Jan 23 UAE v Scotland

UAE squad Rohan Mustafa (c), Ashfaq Ahmed, Ghulam Shabber, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Naveed, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan

UAE v Ireland

1st ODI, UAE win by 6 wickets

2nd ODI, January 12

3rd ODI, January 14

4th ODI, January 16

 

 

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

How%20champions%20are%20made
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EDiet%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%0D%3Cbr%3E7am%20-%20Protein%20shake%20with%20oats%20and%20fruits%0D%3Cbr%3E10am%20-%205-6%20egg%20whites%0D%3Cbr%3E1pm%20-%20White%20rice%20or%20chapati%20(Indian%20bread)%20with%20chicken%0D%3Cbr%3E4pm%20-%20Dry%20fruits%20%0D%3Cbr%3E7.30pm%20-%20Pre%20workout%20meal%20%E2%80%93%20grilled%20fish%20or%20chicken%20with%20veggies%20and%20fruits%0D%3Cbr%3E8.30pm%20to%20midnight%20workout%0D%3Cbr%3E12.30am%20%E2%80%93%20Protein%20shake%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20intake%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204000-4500%20calories%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESaidu%E2%80%99s%20weight%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20110%20kg%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStats%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Biceps%2019%20inches.%20Forearms%2018%20inches%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Top 10 most polluted cities
  1. Bhiwadi, India
  2. Ghaziabad, India
  3. Hotan, China
  4. Delhi, India
  5. Jaunpur, India
  6. Faisalabad, Pakistan
  7. Noida, India
  8. Bahawalpur, Pakistan
  9. Peshawar, Pakistan
  10. Bagpat, India
BIO

Favourite holiday destination: Turkey - because the government look after animals so well there.

Favourite film: I love scary movies. I have so many favourites but The Ring stands out.

Favourite book: The Lord of the Rings. I didn’t like the movies but I loved the books.

Favourite colour: Black.

Favourite music: Hard rock. I actually also perform as a rock DJ in Dubai.

The bio

His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell

His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard

Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece

Favourite movie - The Last Emperor

Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great

Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos

 

 

Match info

Manchester United 1 (Van de Beek 80') Crystal Palace 3 (Townsend 7', Zaha pen 74' & 85')

Man of the match Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Updated: May 26, 2023, 5:58 PM