US president Donald Trump returns to the White House from Mar-a-Lago, Florida on December 10, 2017. Earlier in the day, US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said women who have accused Mr Trump of sexual harassment 'should be heard.'  Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA
US president Donald Trump returns to the White House from Mar-a-Lago, Florida on December 10, 2017. Earlier in the day, US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said women who have accused Mr Trump of sexuShow more

Trump's critics turn up the heat as sexual allegations re-emerge



Donald Trump’s critics are increasing pressure on the president over historic accusations of sexual misconduct, betting that a sea change in attitudes means his accusers cannot be dismissed as easily as they were last year.

Four senators are demanding that the president resign after several women, who told their stories during the 2016 presidential campaign, repeated their allegations on television.

Mr Trump denied the allegations during the campaign and the White House did so again this week.

“Look, as the president said himself, he thinks it's a good thing that women are coming forward, but he also feels strongly that a mere allegation shouldn't determine the course,” said Sarah Sanders, the president’s press secretary.

“And again, the American people knew this and voted for the president. And we feel like we're ready to move forward in that process.”

The question now is whether Mr Trump’s bombastic persona and cries of “fake news” still make him untouchable or whether he is losing touch with the public mood … and reality.

He has so far managed to shrug off allegations of groping, ogling and unwanted affection made by at least 16 women.

Even the emergence of an audio recording during the campaign, in which he boasted of using his fame to force himself on women — “Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything” — had limited impact on his base.

The national conversation has changed since then.

Dozens of powerful men have found themselves under scrutiny, accused of using their positions to harass or abuse women ever since The New York Times revealed how Harvey Weinstein preyed on vulnerable actresses.

Last week, Al Franken, a Democratic senator, said he was standing down despite denying allegations of groping and inappropriate advances made by at least six women. His departure was interpreted by many observers as preparation for Democrats to use the growing #MeToo movement to turn the issue on the president.

Within days four women repeated their allegations against Mr Trump.

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Read more

Women accuse Trump of groping, forcibly kissing them

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Samantha Holvey, a former beauty queen, said: “Let's try round two. The environment's different. Let's try again.”

She said that Mr Trump ogled her and other Miss USA contestants in their dressing room in 2006 and described her sadness at how the issue had faded from view after the election.

“It was heartbreaking last year. We’re private citizens and for us to put ourselves out there to try and show America who this man is and how he views women, and for them to say, ‘Eh, we don't care,’ it hurt,” she said.

Her words were echoed by Rachel Crooks, a former receptionist at Trump Tower, who said the billionaire businessman kissed her on the lips without her consent in 2006. She also urged Congress to launch an investigation into Mr Trump’s behaviour.

Four senators — including Bernie Sanders and three Democrats — have demanded the same thing.

But for all the pressure, there is little chance of a Republican-dominated Congress setting up an investigation.

Meghan Milloy, co-founder of Republican Women for Progress, said she hoped times were changing although she was reminded of the moment in the campaign when Mr Trump said he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and still not lose votes.

“This is a conversation we’ve been needing to have for a while,” she said. “However, I feel like Trump really could get away with murder with his base and with this Congress.

“Even with Trump blatantly admitting on tape that he sexually assaulted women, nothing has happened. So I’m not sure what it would take at this point.”

She added that the White House denial was a reminder of the power of the administration’s war on the media.

“This is an example of why all of his calls about ‘fake news’ are so dangerous: people don’t believe what they see/read/hear even when it’s properly sourced and coming from multiple outlets,” she said.

Some clarity might begin to emerge on Wednesday with the result of the Alabama special Senate election, according to Hank Sheinkopf, a veteran campaign consultant.

The Republican candidate, Roy Moore, was endorsed by Mr Trump despite allegations that he assaulted a 14-year-old girl and pursued other teenagers, when he was in his thirties. He denies any misconduct.

Were he to lose the staunch Republican state — or win only narrowly — it would suggest that voters were more concerned about his treatment of women than his conservative, Trumpist credentials, said Mr Sheinkopf, making the president vulnerable to the same concerns.

“You can’t avoid a sexual abuse, sexual harassment discussion after that,” he said.

“Or he can but he’ll be hounded by it. That’s what the Democrats are banking on, that’s why Al Franken had to go, so they’d be clear and could make the moral argument, make the women’s argument.”

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Biography

Favourite drink: Must have karak chai and Chinese tea every day

Favourite non-Chinese food: Arabic sweets and Indian puri, small round bread of wheat flour

Favourite Chinese dish: Spicy boiled fish or anything cooked by her mother because of its flavour

Best vacation: Returning home to China

Music interests: Enjoys playing the zheng, a string musical instrument

Enjoys reading: Chinese novels, romantic comedies, reading up on business trends, government policy changes

Favourite book: Chairman Mao Zedong’s poems

APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

Cricket World Cup League 2

UAE squad

Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind

Fixtures

Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE

What are NFTs?

Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.

You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”

However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.

This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”

This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.

TRAP

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue

Director: M Night Shyamalan

Rating: 3/5

EA Sports FC 25
Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Company%20Profile
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Singham Again

Director: Rohit Shetty

Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone

Rating: 3/5

Where to donate in the UAE

The Emirates Charity Portal

You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments

The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.

Al Noor Special Needs Centre

You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.

Beit Al Khair Society

Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.

Dar Al Ber Society

Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.

Dubai Cares

Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.

Emirates Airline Foundation

Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.

Emirates Red Crescent

On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.

Gulf for Good

Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.

Noor Dubai Foundation

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).

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.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
MATCH INFO

Inter Milan 2 (Vecino 65', Barella 83')

Verona 1 (Verre 19' pen)

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The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe


Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km

SPECS

Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now

10 tips for entry-level job seekers
  • Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
  • Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
  • Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
  • For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
  • Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
  • Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
  • Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
  • Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
  • Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
  • Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.

Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

Thank You for Banking with Us

Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

Specs

Engine: 3.0L twin-turbo V6
Gearbox: 10-speed automatic
Power: 405hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 562Nm at 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.2L/100km
Price: From Dh292,845 (Reserve); from Dh320,145 (Presidential)
On sale: Now


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