US President Joe Biden began his final week in office by delivering an address from the State Department describing his administration's foreign policy milestones over the past four years, including in the Middle East.
Monday's wide-ranging remarks summed up Mr Biden's efforts to restore American alliances and global leadership after taking over from former president Donald Trump, who will be sworn in again on January 20.
"It's clear my administration is leaving the next administration with a very strong hand to play, leaving them with an America with more friends, stronger alliances," Mr Biden said.
The departing President's foreign policy legacy will partly be defined by what comes next under Mr Trump, particularly whether he continues to support Ukraine's defence against Russia.
Mr Biden, 82, discussed his attempts to broker a ceasefire and hostage-detainee swap in Gaza, and spoke about how he secured a truce agreement between Hezbollah and Israel. He also discussed the Middle East.
"Israel did plenty of damage to Iran and its proxies, but there's no question, our actions contributed to it significantly," Mr Biden said. "Now, major authoritarian states are aligning more closely with one another – Iran, Russia, China, North Korea – but that's more out of weakness than out of strength."
He said that the US today is in a "fundamentally stronger position with respect to these countries" and on a better strategic footing for long-term competition with China.
Where Mr Biden worked closely with traditional US allies, Mr Trump advanced what he called an “America first” philosophy. He withdrew America from the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, as well as the Iran nuclear deal.
He also frequently insisted Nato allies pay more towards the alliance and sought closer relations with Russia, though many of his administration's policies were hostile to the Kremlin.
Mr Trump's administration also brokered the Abraham Accords, in which the UAE and Bahrain established relations with Israel. Other nations have followed suit.
Mr Biden hoped to build on that effort by reaching a similar agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia. However, the aim stalled amid Israel's war on Gaza that followed the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the incoming administration will be inheriting a stronger US that is better positioned in the world.
"It's been an action-packed four years," Mr Sullivan told reporters. "If you take stock of where America stands today, I believe deeply that the incoming administration is starting with a very strong US, as we pass the baton to our successor."
A small group of anti-war demonstrators gathered as the President's motorcade arrived at the State Department.
Mr Biden said a ceasefire deal in Gaza was on the brink of "finally coming to fruition" and that he spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday and would talk to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi "soon."
Earlier on Monday, Mr Sullivan said a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza could come "this week".
"We are close to it, and it can get done this week," he said. "I'm not making a promise or a prediction, but it's there for the taking and we're waiting for it to make that happen."
Mr Biden has faced international and domestic criticism for his unequivocal support of Israel, even as the death toll in Gaza has exceeded 46,500 people.
More than a year into an Israeli military campaign on Gaza, much of the coastal enclave has been reduced to rubble. The majority of residents have been displaced with little to no access to medical care, food or shelter. Months of US efforts to mediate a ceasefire and secure the release of hostages held in Gaza have stalled.
In Monday's speech, Mr Biden discussed his decision to pull troops out of Afghanistan, ending two decades of war.
"I’m the first president in decades to not hand over the war in Afghanistan to his successor," Mr Biden said. "When I took office I had a choice to keep thousands of servicemen in Afghanistan. In my view it was time to end the war and bring our troops home, and we did."
America's withdrawal from the country in August 2021 drew broad condemnation, particularly after 13 US personnel were killed in a bombing at Kabul airport.
When he took office in 2017, Mr Biden delivered a similar speech from the State Department, vowing to restore America's place in the world.
“America is back. America is back,” he said. “Diplomacy is back at the centre of our foreign policy.”
He sought to overturn antagonism with Nato allies and de-escalated the trade war with China under Mr Trump, which led to a retaliatory increase in tariffs.
Mr Biden led a coalition of 50 nations to support Ukraine after Russia's invasion in 2022 and was in office as the Nato alliance grew to 32 members. He has authorised more than $60 billion in military assistance to Ukraine, bolstering its military's capabilities against Russia's offensive.
Mr Trump has vowed to end the war quickly once in office, raising concerns he will cut off US military aid, forcing Ukraine to make territorial concessions.
Monday's speech is one of several events marking Mr Biden's final week in office, ending more than 50 years of public service. His responsibilities will officially end on January 20, during Mr Trump's second inauguration and the ceremonial transfer of power.
He had announced he would not run for a second term in July after a disastrous debate with Mr Trump led to concerns over his age and his ability to handle another four years in office. He nominated Vice President Kamala Harris to run instead, but she lost to Mr Trump.
Mr Biden's foreign policy speech was supposed to have been delivered after a trip to Italy to meet the Pope, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
But he cancelled the trip to focus on the wildfires in Los Angeles. Mr Biden is due to give a farewell address to the American people from the Oval Office on Wednesday evening.
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
HOW TO WATCH
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The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
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Profile of Foodics
Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani
Based: Riyadh
Sector: Software
Employees: 150
Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing
Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Price: Dh230,000
On sale: now
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Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Results
5pm: Reem Island – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Farasah, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi
5.30pm: Sir Baniyas Island – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: SSR Ghazwan, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Astral Del Sol, Sean Kirrane, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6.30pm: Al Maryah Island – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Toumadher, Dane O’Neill, Jaber Bittar
7pm: Yas Island – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Mukhrej, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Saadiyat Island – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 2,400m; Winner: Celestial Spheres, Gary Sanchez, Ismail Mohammed
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
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MATCH INFO
Maratha Arabians 107-8 (10 ovs)
Lyth 21, Lynn 20, McClenaghan 20 no
Qalandars 60-4 (10 ovs)
Malan 32 no, McClenaghan 2-9
Maratha Arabians win by 47 runs
