US President Donald Trump promised a “more peaceful and prosperous” future for the Middle East on Tuesday as he gave his first address to Congress since returning to office, in a lengthy speech filled with campaign-style promises.
The nearly two-hour address underscored the deep divisions in American politics, with Republicans greeting most of Mr Trump's remarks with thunderous applause, while Democratic politicians repeatedly taunted him with hand-held signs accusing him of lying. One politician was escorted out after heckling Mr Trump.
“America is back,” Mr Trump declared to the joint session Congress. “We are just getting started.”
Mr Trump's second term has been marked by an unrelenting series of presidential decrees that have sought to undo many of his predecessor Joe Biden's policies.
He has launched a landslide of court-challenged executive orders, crackdowns on the press and a trade war with allies Canada and Mexico. He has also hired Elon Musk to cull the federal workforce and slash government expenditures.
Mr Trump announced that the US government is extraditing a suspect in the deadly Abbey Gate bombing in the final days of the Afghanistan withdrawal that killed 13 American troops.
The White House identified the man as Muhammed Sharifullah and said he was on his way to the US to face charges.
The address came after Arab leaders rallied in Cairo to craft their counter to the Trump administration's Gaza plan. Mr Trump has endorsed a US “takeover” in Gaza, and on Tuesday praised the Abraham Accords as a model for peace building in the region.
“We're going to build on that foundation to create a more peaceful and prosperous future for the entire region, a lot of things are happening in the Middle East,” Mr Trump said.
He reiterated his calls to build a “Golden Dome,” modelled after Israel's US-funded Iron Dome missile defence system.
“It's a very, very important this is a very dangerous world. We should have it. We want to be protected. And we're going to protect our citizens like never before, to boost our defence industrial base,” said Mr Trump.
At the weekend, the administration circumvented Congress to green light billions of dollars in additional arms sales to the Israelis – a decision Republicans on the Hill have largely justified.
Ahead of the address, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson told The National that the State Department's decision to circumvent his legislative chamber and expedite the $4 billion arms sales to Israel was “well within the President's authority.”
“They have discretion on some of these funds and how to use them,” he added.
In a show of solidarity with Mr Trump's role in clinching the ceasefire and hostage release deal, Mr Johnson brought Noa Argamani, who was held hostage by Hamas for nearly 250 days, as a guest to the address.
On Ukraine, Mr Trump said he is “working tirelessly to end the savage conflict”, and spoke out against Europe's energy relationship with Moscow.
“The United States has sent hundreds of billions of dollars to support Ukraine’s defence. Meanwhile, Europe has sadly spent more money buying Russian oil and gas than they have spent on defending Ukraine – by far,” Mr Trump said.
Mr Trump cut off aid to Ukraine this week after he and Vice President JD Vance admonished Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House Oval Office.
The dispute saw Mr Trump angrily accuse Mr Zelenskyy of gambling with World War Three, absent territorial concessions to Russia, and upended a mineral deal that was scheduled to have been signed.
Mr Trump read out a letter he received earlier on Tuesday from Mr Zelenskyy, saying that the wartime president wants to come back to the table.
“We’ve had serious discussions with Russia and have received strong signals that they are ready for peace,” Mr Trump said. “Wouldn’t that be beautiful?
Mr Trump, whose business interests in Russia date back to the 1980s, has been speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin about a potential peace deal. Criticism of Mr Zelenskyy and an apparent sympathy to Mr Putin is being seen by many as the biggest realignment of American foreign policy in decades.
Mr Johnson told The National that the decision to halt assistance to Ukraine does not violate the separation of powers, assuring the move was a “temporary pause” and a “strategic move”.
Mr Trump's address centred on his domestic policy blitz, including extended applause for his crackdowns on diversity initiatives and immigration, and a call on the Congress to increase funding for his campaign to deport undocumented immigrants and finish building the wall at the southern border with Mexico.
Fired federal workers impacted by the administrative purge joined Democrats as guests to the address, while several Democrats in both the Senate and House of Representatives, including progressive Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, skipped the address.
more from Janine di Giovanni
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Try out the test yourself
Q1 Suppose you had $100 in a savings account and the interest rate was 2 per cent per year. After five years, how much do you think you would have in the account if you left the money to grow?
a) More than $102
b) Exactly $102
c) Less than $102
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
Q2 Imagine that the interest rate on your savings account was 1 per cent per year and inflation was 2 per cent per year. After one year, how much would you be able to buy with the money in this account?
a) More than today
b) Exactly the same as today
c) Less than today
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
Q4 Do you think that the following statement is true or false? “Buying a single company stock usually provides a safer return than a stock mutual fund.”
a) True
b) False
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
The “Big Three” financial literacy questions were created by Professors Annamaria Lusardi of the George Washington School of Business and Olivia Mitchell, of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Answers: Q1 More than $102 (compound interest). Q2 Less than today (inflation). Q3 False (diversification).
The Saga Continues
Wu-Tang Clan
(36 Chambers / Entertainment One)
LIST OF INVITEES
Shergo Kurdi (am)
Rayhan Thomas
Saud Al Sharee (am)
Min Woo Lee
Todd Clements
Matthew Jordan
AbdulRahman Al Mansour (am)
Matteo Manassero
Alfie Plant
Othman Al Mulla
Shaun Norris
'Ghostbusters: From Beyond'
Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace
Rating: 2/5
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOutsized%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2016%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAzeem%20Zainulbhai%2C%20Niclas%20Thelander%2C%20Anurag%20Bhalla%20and%20Johann%20van%20Niekerk%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EIndia%2C%20South%20Africa%2C%20South-East%20Asia%2C%20Mena%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Recruitment%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%241%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20staff%20count%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2040%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeed%20and%20angel%20investors%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
HOW DO SIM CARD SCAMS WORK?
Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards, often by claiming their phone has been lost or stolen
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
FIXTURES
Saturday
5.30pm: Shabab Al Ahli v Al Wahda
5.30pm: Khorfakkan v Baniyas
8.15pm: Hatta v Ajman
8.15pm: Sharjah v Al Ain
Sunday
5.30pm: Kalba v Al Jazira
5.30pm: Fujairah v Al Dhafra
8.15pm: Al Nasr v Al Wasl
Barbie
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In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
