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LAST UPDATE | 13 May
THE FIRST DAY of the US President’s four-day Middle East tour has been kicked off with Donald Trump signing a nearly $142bn (€127bn) arms deal with Saudi Arabia as part of a major trade deal between the countries.
Trump is in Riyadh today for the first stop on a tour of oil-rich Gulf monarchies such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates this week. He was welcomed by Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman.
Saudi fighter jets escorted Air Force One as Trump landed in Riyadh, the first stop on a tour of oil-rich Gulf monarchies that will also take him to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
In a statement, the White House said the deal was “underscoring our commitment to strengthening our defence and security partnership”. The whopping $600bn (€537bn) investment deal includes agreements on tech, AI, infrastructure and healthcare.
Speaking during the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh, Trump thanked the Saudi Royal family and said that the relationship between the two countries has been a “bedrock of security and prosperity”.
“Today we reaffirm our important bond, and we take the next steps to make our relationship closer, stronger and more powerful than ever before,” Trump said. “And, by the way, it will remain that way.”
The US President revelled in what he sees as his domestic accomplishments – quoting similar statistics that he has listed at many rallies in the past – before speaking to the importance of the relationship between his country and Saudi Arabia.
US business leaders, including the world’s richest person and Trump’s friend and adviser Elon Musk, and members of the Saudi royal family attended the President’s address this afternoon, where he ranted about the ‘beauty’ of Saudi Arabia and its infrastructure.
“Riyadh is not only becoming the seat of government, but also a major business, cultural and high-tech capital of the entire world,” he said, before referencing its upcoming World Cup event and pointing to FIFA President Gianna Infantino in the crowd.
Under the investment deal, US companies Google, Oracle, Salesforce, AMD, and Uber have committed to investing $80 billion (€71.6bn) in technology infrastructure in both countries.
Data centre giant DataVolt, from Saudi Arabia, is also included in the €71.6bn pledge and has separately committed to moving forward with a $20bn (€18bn) investment strategy for ‘AI’ data centres in the US.
Separately, rich Saudi oil and gas companies have struck deals with the US, totalling $14.2bn (€12.7bn), while American aeroplane leasing deals totalled $4.8bn (€4.3bn).
Trump reminisced with the 39-year-old crown prince over their first meeting, saying he was “so impressed with this young guy who was very wise beyond his years”.
With cameras rolling, a lengthy procession of Saudi royalty and business figures waited their turn to shake hands with Trump and the crown prince.
The US leader will head later in the week to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, fellow oil-rich Arab monarchies with long-standing ties to the United States — and to Trump.
Trump’s close relationship with the Saudis contrasts with a more hesitant initial approach by former president Joe Biden, who had vowed to punish the crown prince after US intelligence found that he ordered the murder of Saudi dissident and US resident Jamal Khashoggi.
Since Khashoggi’s gruesome killing, Saudi Arabia has worked aggressively to change its image, from easing restrictions on women to diversifying from oil to new areas such as artificial intelligence.
His decision to bypass traditional Western allies to travel first to the Gulf states underscores their increasingly crucial geopolitical role — along with his own business relations in the region.
Eight years ago, Trump also chose Saudi Arabia for his first overseas trip as president – when he memorably posed with a glowing orb and participated in a sword dance.
His decision to once again bypass traditional Western allies to travel to the oil-rich Gulf states underscores their increasingly crucial geopolitical role – along with his own business relations in the region.
Controversy is also swirling over the president’s plans to accept a luxury Boeing jet from the Qatari royal family for use as Air Force One. Late Sunday, Trump went on the offensive amid a wave of criticism, saying the plane was a temporary “gift”.
He later called the deal “a very public and transparent transaction”, and on Monday said before leaving Washington for his trip: “I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer.”
Includes reporting by AFP
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Buy bread,buy bread,for the love of god by breaaad!!
@Dave Walsh: They probably are not able to bake it! Men or women!
@Dave Walsh: I swear to Brennans sliced pan if they shut down half the country due to this so called storm Ill crash my bike into the gates of the Dail. Fair enough the south, wesht and midlands might get a slap, but Leinster? Really?
No need to panic, as Storm Helene won’t hit Dublin. When it does panic stations will begin.
@Ossi Fritsche: So what ! Got a problem with that
@Ossi Fritsche: oh yes it will centre is going straight up the wast coast although looks like the one later in the week will be worse
@Ossi Fritsche: will you cop on ffs
@Ossi Fritsche: we are still dealing with hose pipe ban can’t have rain and floods until ban is lifted
Here we go again !
Calls for schools and shops to be closed probably for a bit of wind .
@rory burns: eh it’s a yellow warning..
@rory burns: eh no , it’s Yellow, for rain.
@Bilbo Baggins: is it gas when someone try’s to be a smart ass and ends up looking like a dope
@Bilbo Baggins: Better than a yellow snow warning for sure
@Bilbo Baggins: I thought it was purple rain.
@Brian Guilfoyle: Never ever eat yellow snow! That’s my warning to you!
To have to beg the government to implement extra homeless beds now instead of what happened last year shows how heartless our pseudo leaders really are
@Diddles Daffy: it does seem more of an article on iccch rather than the weather. It went from heavy rain in Mayo to complaining about homeless (real homeless this time) beds, the cause de l’année for journal clickers.
@Gulliver Foyle:
Oh do keep up Gulliver , the current journal ‘clicker cause’ is that Gemma whatshername is being deliberately ignored by the journal and all media outlets , in a conspiracy to keep her out of the presidency.
@Joan Ryan: Yes. I just assumed Gemma Doherty dropped out and I’m very disappointed that the journal would stoop that low. Nasty.
Is the headline not a bit dramatic? The nation is hardly ‘bracing’ itself!
@Sorcha Ní Shúilleabháin: I secured the wheelie bins against the wall just in case. Does that counting as bracing?
@Rónán O’Suilleabháin: It doesn’t count unless you put a big heavy rock on top of them to stop the lids blowing open.
@Sorcha Ní Shúilleabháin: ‘Bracing’ is the Irish word for foreplay. Foreplay to any event which might create a bit of excitement.
Storm Ali is on its way Wensday,”supposed to be a “BIG ONE”YELLOW WARNING AND “NATION BRACES ITSELF FOR STORM HELENE”which isn’t even a storm anymore anyway,Jesus Christ tall about exaggeration of the highest smh
@Jan O’Sullivan: yip fed up with this sensationalist BS that seems to a regular here now and turning into redtop rag status
@Jan O’Sullivan: Jesus they used to refer to this as a blustery day. Now it’s ahhhhhhhh!!!
No sign of any warnings on the met.ie website. Must be a different Met Eireann so.
I hope RTE rollout Teresa Mannion for the weather forecast warning, she was brilliant when braving the the ferocious conditions of Storm Desmond in Galway as she was warning the citizens of Salthill and surrounding areas ‘not to make unnecessary journeys unless absolutely necessary’
Lads we shouldn’t be “bracing” it but more “embracing” it surely…and Irish Water should be “celebrating” it!!!
Journal – please stop the drama
Flood warning, what about the drought.?
Exactly. Not good enough. 5 hours before it hits they should be able to track where it’s going to land. Last night it was the Irish Sea. Now it’s mayo. Cmon met.ie
Brace yourself guys!
Is “High Intensity” the new way to say “heavy”?
I hope the weather doesn’t advesly effect the ploughing championship which would put a dampner on the farmer’s annual pilgrimage.
Nothing but an average autumn storm
It will hit the weat and nobody cares about that
@helen walsh: i don’t eat weat any more so I’m grand.
@Seriously stunned: I think she meant to say “the West !”
@Nucky: blame the iPad, seriously I am stunned by the assumption, presumably SS’s iPad meant Wheat, hope he chokes on his weat, tell us more about this new crop
@Seriously stunned: ignoramus
“As nation braces itself” .. Clickbait.
Time to prepare, so what’s being done ????
Lads we shouldn’t be “bracing” it but more “embracing” it surely…and Irish Water should be “celebracing” it!!!
I hope the downpour come to Dublin soon and keep at it for about a week . That’s about the amount of rain we need to get rid of this bloody hose pipe ban
Scare mongering?
Remember folks, don’t drink the yellow rain….
Status Yellow – Rainfall warning for Galway and Mayo
On Monday between midday and midnight 25 to 40 mm of rainfall are expected over west Galway and Co. Mayo with a risk of flooding in places
Issued: Sunday 16 September 2018 11:00
Updated: Sunday 16 September 2018 11:00
Valid from Monday 17 September 2018 12:00 to Monday 17 September 2018 23:59
Its the ‘Status Yellow Snow’ you have to worry about..
A fart would be more worrying lol
#prayfordublin
Is that hose pipe ban over with now ? We’ll have too much water now we’ll be hearing next off the government
Come on, these weather warnings are getting out of hand.
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