In its continuing commitment to enhancing customer experience, Arabian Automobiles, the flagship company of the AW Rostamani Group and the exclusive dealer for Renault in Dubai & Sharjah, is delighted to announce the launch of its pioneering door2door valet service in Dubai. This innovative, first-of-its-kind offering by Arabian Automobiles, not just in the GCC but globally, underscores the brand's dedication to customer convenience and service excellence.

Click an win iPhone 

As part of this remarkable initiative, Renault owners in Dubai and Sharjah can avail themselves of a seamless experience that merges unparalleled ease with top-tier quality. Customers can enjoy the convenience of having their vehicle picked up from their location, serviced by manufacturer-trained and certified technicians who guarantee meticulous attention to detail, and then returned to them. This approach emphasizes quality assurance and promotes time efficiency, as owners can dodge traffic, save on fuel, and utilize their time more effectively, leaving logistical concerns to the service team at Arabian Automobiles.

This complimentary door2door valet service is available to all Renault owners, and through such initiatives, Arabian Automobiles continues to redefine automotive service standards, always placing customer needs and satisfaction at the forefront of its operations.

For further details or to schedule your door-to-door valet service, please contact 800-RENAULT.

 H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), today approved the launch of “Dubai Program for Gaming 2033”, which seeks to position Dubai among the top 10 cities in the global gaming industry and generate 30,000 new jobs in the gaming sector.

dpg infographics 011123 (large)

The programme also aims to significantly boost the sector's contribution to the growth of Dubai's digital economy and increase the GDP by approximately US$1 billion by 2033.

The announcement was made during a meeting of the Higher Committee for Future Technology and Digital Economy chaired by Sheikh Hamdan. The meeting, attended by the Committee’s members, also saw the launch of three new initiatives under the “Dubai Metaverse Strategy”.

Sheikh Hamdan said,

“Dubai will persist in aligning with global trends as it shapes and builds its digital economy, harnessing advanced technology and evaluating both current and forthcoming disruptions. This is in accordance with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to ensure that Dubai stands among the most future-ready cities globally.

“The launch of these new initiatives demonstrates Dubai's dedication to establishing a nurturing ecosystem for cutting-edge technological tools, solutions, and digital transformation. This commitment is geared towards making a positive impact, empowering individuals, and embracing technological and digital communities within a secure and supportive framework.”

Dubai Program for Gaming 2033

Sheikh Hamdan further stated,

“Through the launch of 'Dubai Program for Gaming 2033,' our objective is to establish an incubating environment for developers and to draw leading technology companies from across the globe, particularly those specialising in digital content and experiences. The programme will offer support to developers, designers, programmers, as well as entrepreneurs and startups in the creative industries.”

“Dubai is well-positioned to tap into the vast opportunities within the gaming sector, which is estimated at approximately US$200 billion globally. We are strategically positioned to contribute to the advancement of emerging trends like VR and AI, elevating them to provide even more immersive and realistic experiences,"

Overseen by the Dubai Future Foundation, the “Dubai Program for Gaming 2033”, will focus on three main areas including talent, content, and tech. This is in line with various national strategies that aim to strengthen the UAE and Dubai’s digital economy.

The initiative aims to create a global platform in Dubai that brings together digital content creators and provides training and job opportunities in partnership with international companies, universities, and academic institutions. It will also support entrepreneurs and innovators, as well as launch specialized educational and training programmes.

“Dubai Program for Gaming 2033” will include various initiatives, including local and international events and exhibitions. It will also provide opportunities for partnership and cooperation with individuals, companies, and regulatory bodies locally, regionally, and globally.

Three Metaverse Initiatives

During the meeting, Sheikh Hamdan also approved the launch of the “Metaverse Alliance”, “Metaverse Guidelines” and “Metaverse Pioneers” as part of the “Dubai Metaverse Strategy”, which aims to consolidate Dubai’s position as a world leader in metaverse development and a global hub for the metaverse community.

“Metaverse Alliance”

“Metaverse Alliance” is a global network that will include various government entities, international technology companies, entrepreneurs, and startups specializing in the metaverse world.

This alliance is designed to promote collaborations and partnerships for both global and national projects that are centered around or incorporate virtual worlds or interactions. It will identify suitable partners among global technology companies, startups, and talented individuals.

Furthermore, the alliance will be instrumental in delivering global technological solutions for local projects with the goal of enhancing existing government services, introducing innovative government services, and establishing an enabling environment for new and innovative technologies.

“Metaverse Guidelines”

“Metaverse Guidelines” aims to identify the most impactful metaverse applications and provide a comprehensive framework for Dubai government entities to regulate and define the optimal uses of the metaverse in government work.

“Metaverse Pioneers”

“Metaverse Pioneers” is a comprehensive programme aimed at equipping Dubai government employees with the essential skills and tools to harness the potential of metaverse technology in their professional capacities.

The programme encompasses in-depth content covering the Metaverse concept, its uses, and applications. It also includes a range of events, training sessions, and workshops organized by Digital Dubai to identify future opportunities that align with this emerging technology.

500 participants in “Create Apps in Dubai”

Sheikh Hamdan was also briefed on the latest updates of the projects and initiatives launched within the framework of the Higher Committee for Future Technology and Digital Economy. These include the “Create Apps in Dubai” initiative, which has attracted and trained 500 Emirati talent in the field of mobile application development.

Launched in March 2023 and overseen by the Dubai Chamber for the Digital Economy, this initiative aims to establish a platform for enhancing the technological skills of 1,000 talented Emiratis and facilitate the launch of their mobile applications. As a result, this will contribute to strengthening Dubai's mobile application market, particularly with the support of numerous government entities and in collaboration with major global technology companies.

64,000 SMEs on Amazon’s UAE store

The meeting also highlighted the accomplishments of Amazon's initiative, which aims to feature products from 100,000 small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) on its UAE store by 2026. Since the initiative's launch in March 2023, a total of 14,000 new companies have registered on the platform. This represents a remarkable increase of 28% in less than six months, bringing the total number of participating companies to 64,000.

“Metaverse Accelerator Program”

Participants in the meeting of the Higher Committee for Future Technology and Digital Economy also reviewed the future plans of the “Metaverse Accelerator Program”, launched by Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC) in January 2023 in line with the “Dubai Metaverse Strategy”. A total of 10 regional and international startups have graduated as part of the first batch of the Program.

The programme has attracted more than 250 applications from the UAE and around the world within four main sectors, namely gaming, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and Web 3.

News Source: Emirates News Agency

 The family of Zara Aleena have hit out at a move to reduce her killer's sentence, saying they are "extremely disappointed".

Jordan McSweeney, who stalked and murdered Zara, won a Court of Appeal challenge to have his minimum tariff of 38 years slashed.

In a ruling on Friday, three appeal judges cut his sentence to 33 years.

Her aunt Farah Naz said it sends a message sent to women that "their suffering won't be accounted for".

McSweeney had been released from prison on licence nine days before the murder.

Ms Naz told BBC Breakfast: "Even though the ruling appears to align with an established sentencing framework, there are questions that arise for us."

She questioned why the appeal judges had overruled the sentence handed down by the original trial judge "who was involved with the case for over six months".

How Zara's killer trailed lone women before murder

Murdered woman's family call for end to violence

Convicts could be forced to appear at sentencing

McSweeney had admitted murder and sexual assault but refused to attend his sentencing hearing last December, when the original tariff and a mandatory life sentence were imposed.

His brutal attack on the 35-year-old law gradate on Cranbrook Road in Ilford lasted nine minutes and resulted in her suffering 46 separate injuries.

During the appeal hearing, his barrister George Carter-Stephenson KC had argued that the sentencing judge, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, had wrongly factored in the "aggravating features" in the case.

Mr Carter-Stephenson said it was accepted there was a sexual motive to the crime, but argued the murder itself was not premeditated.

Ms Naz said: "We're told he was looking for a sexual encounter, that's ludicrous.

"He was looking for an opportunity for his sadistic expression and it is that which they've now excluded."

She said that McSweeney had "spat in the face of the law" by his refusal to participate in the original legal proceedings.

"He gets the law to stand up for him and exercise his right. Surely somebody who has such a disdain for the law should not be given that right," she said.

 For parents across the land, Rebecca Keatley is one of those magical people who can give them a quick breather while she entertains their little ones through the screen.

But soon the CBeebies presenter of 11 years will be viewing the process from the other side, as she prepares to give birth to her first child this winter.

The actress from Port Talbot, who now lives in Manchester where CBeebies is filmed, has seen from "this side of the fence" how important shows like Let's Play can become to families.

Keatley was interested in working in children and youth television from a young age.

She had an early brush as a teenager, getting down to the final three and a presenting trial after an audition for The Disney Club, which was eventually won by Fearne Cotton.

She first caught the acting bug from a group of drama students "down the back of the bus" who were "so much fun" on journeys to Gorseinon College in Swansea, where she signed up to do A-levels.

She quickly persuaded her parents to let her also take a BTEC in performing arts, and from there went on to study acting at Mountview drama school in London.

Her move to CBeebies came after a number of years working in theatre, TV dramas and promotions when her friend, CBeebies presenter Andy Day, said she should audition for a new show being made for the channel.

Despite being "a bit late" getting in touch, the producers let her come in and read for the part and she ended up getting the role to work alongside Sid Sloane on Let's Play, and presenting on the CBeebies House.

Working in children's television meant adapting to a different way of working for Keatley.

"Before, I would have said the worst thing is that there's no preparation time," she said. "It's low budget, it's quick content, they want to get stuff out as fast as they can."

"I used to get very nervous about that because I'd think 'I need to prepare'," she said.

"Whereas now, I find it a blessing, because not having time to think and just being spontaneous, quite often you get your best stuff.

"You're not so precious, and I think that's something I'm really glad that children's television has given me."

The prospect of becoming a parent has given her a different view on the work she produces.

She explained: "Talking to the other cast members who've already got children, you know how important it is.

"[They have talked] about how they really treasure the shows and the characters, and how they become part of your family life, so I will have that to look forward to.

"I do obviously get that from being in the business. Meeting families, meeting children, I do get that when I meet them because it is special to be on this side of the fence, and I think I'm going to really, really be thankful for CBeebies when my child comes along."

Pregnancy is often a time for food aversions and exhaustion, but for Keatley the opposite has been true.

She has an auto-immune condition which can be triggered by various things, including the make-up needed for television work.

"I've got lots of chemical sensitivities, so your body's having a reaction to lots of foods and chemicals," she said.

First LGBT couple to read CBeebies bedtime story

Duchess of Cambridge to read CBeebies story

"That was a real issue with the first series of Let's Play because of glues, moustaches, make-up. It was really hard because I was having all these issues," she said.

She manages the condition by being very careful about the foods she eats.

Like some others with auto-immune conditions, her symptoms eased with pregnancy.

"The first trimester was amazing, because actually I felt really energised and I was able to eat and drink everything. I felt really good," she said.

She has had immunotherapy, which involves exposing her to very small amounts of substances she has a reaction to in order to desensitise her system.

It is an area which has "piqued her interest" for future years.

"I've read so many books on it and I've been fascinated by gut health for the past 15 years really, how diet affects our well-being and our health and our mental health as well," she said.

"That's a path I would like to explore a bit more, for my child's health and future generations as well."

With a bookcase "full of books about gut health", she would consider taking a nutrition course in the future in order to deepen her understanding of the topic.

So, is Rebecca Keatley Investigates the Gut a programme viewers should look out for in a few years?

She laughed, but added: "I am genuinely fascinated by it all, because it's about helping yourself - that's where it starts and then before you know it you're like, this is amazing.

"The human body is incredible and there's so little we know about it."

 An Australian firm which bought the collapsed battery maker Britishvolt has failed to pay its UK staff for the last four months, the BBC has learned.

Recharge Industries took control of Britishvolt after it went into administration in January.

The takeover has not gone smoothly, with some £2.5m of the purchase price still unpaid months after it was due.

However, sources within Recharge Industries insist a deal with a new investor is imminent.

Britishvolt was a start-up with big ambitions. It wanted to build a £4bn "gigafactory" to supply battery packs for a new generation of electric cars.

The plant was to have been built on the site of an old power station near Blyth in Northumberland.

It was seen as an ideal location, with a deepwater port and good access to transport links.

But the venture ran out of money, and fell into administration earlier this year.

After examining a number of bids, administrators at EY agreed to sell Britishvolt's assets to Recharge Industries.

The company agreed to pay £8.57m. Of this, EY says £6.1m was received on initial completion of the transaction.

The remainder, however, is still outstanding.

While most of Britishvolt's staff were made redundant after the company entered administration, 26 were kept on.

The BBC has been told by several sources that Recharge Industries stopped paying them in July. More than half have since left the company as a result.

Pension commitments have not been met since the takeover, they say.

Staff also complain that they have been locked out of computer systems and are unable to work, because an IT contractor has not been paid.

Britishvolt buyer 'hasn't made final payment'

Recharge Industries is a start-up business owned by Scale Facilitation, a New York-based investment firm run by financier David Collard.

David Collard has not commented on the claims.

Recharge Industries plans to use the Blyth site to build vehicle batteries for the Australian military.

But simply to get control of the land, it not only needs to give the remaining £2.47m to EY, but also needs to raise another £11m to pay property investor Katch, which has a financial claim to the site.

Sources within Recharge Industries insist funding from a new investor is imminent and that will enable the to deal to go forward by the middle of next week.

But Britishvolt employees seem to have little confidence this will happen.

"We've heard this time and time again since August", said one.

"He tells us there's an investor waiting. But he can't tell us who it is. It's always the same story".

Another described Mr Collard's claims as "BS".

David Collard insists he can yet prove his many doubters wrong but he has a lot of work to do - and quickly.

Another employee suggested staff were prepared to give the entrepreneur time to secure the new investment.

It is clear that Recharge Industries has struggled to obtain the funding it needs.

Part of that can be attributed to the impact of a tax raid by Australian federal police on the local offices of Scale Facilitation.

At the time of the raid in June, sources close to Mr Collard, who is a former partner at accountancy giant PwC, said that the tax raid is due to a misunderstanding of the interaction between US and Australian tax filings and that all parties were co-operating.

Scale Facilitation denied any wrongdoing.

Sources have acknowledged though that this made investors deeply wary of becoming involved with the Britishvolt project.

Another key problem has been a buyback clause held by Northumberland County Council, the original owner of the land.

This would allow it to repurchase the Blyth site if substantial progress has not been made on developing it by December 2024.

The BBC understands there are serious doubts at the top of Northumberland County Council that Mr Collard has the financial and industry pedigree to deliver on a project they hope will provide thousands of jobs directly and in the supply chain.

Meanwhile, EY has defended its own role in the affair. It insists that the £6.1m already received from Recharge Industries was "materially above the next best alternative, deliverable offer received by the Joint Administrators".

 When Prime Minister Anthony Albanese touches down in Beijing on Saturday, he will be the first Australian leader to visit China in seven years.

It ends a hiatus triggered by a string of prickly disputes, including various Chinese sanctions on Australian goods, and back and forth accusations of foreign interference.

Now both sides have renewed ambitions and have cleared the way for the visit with a series of gestures, experts say.

Last month China announced the surprise release of Chinese-Australian journalist Cheng Lei, who was detained for over three years on national security charges. It has also said it will review its tariffs on Australian exports.

On its side, Australia has suspended action it had taken against China at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and greenlit the Chinese lease of a critical port in Darwin.

But the "structural issues plaguing the relationship" haven't changed, analysts say, as both countries vie for influence in the Pacific Islands region, and Australia updates its defence posture to counter China's military build-up.

And there is "some gap" between what each side sees as the next steps, they argue.

Chinese officials have expressed a will to advance the relationship by adding "more meat to the bone", says Elena Collinson from the Australia-China Institute.

"For Australia, though, this represents the pinnacle of stabilisation, and it's near as good as Canberra wants the relationship to get at this point," she adds.

'Poking Beijing in the eye'

Mr Albanese's visit marks 50 years since former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam travelled to Beijing, following the establishment of diplomatic ties.

From its inception the relationship has been based, as Mr Whitlam put it, on "mutual benefit".

China's transformation into an economic superpower created huge demand for Australian exports like iron ore, coal and gas.

And that helped Australia weather global recessions, while underpinning decades of uninterrupted growth.

It also led to strong cross-cultural exchanges - with 5.5% of Australia's population today having Chinese ancestry.

Cracks appeared in 2018, when Australia's former government banned Chinese firm Huawei from rolling out the country's 5G network, citing "security concerns".

" That could be described as the first shot," China's ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian said last year.

Australia criticised Beijing's crackdown on Hong Kong protesters, and led calls for an independent investigation into the origins of Covid-19, triggering a period of what then leader Scott Morrison termed "economic coercion" by Beijing.

At the time, China's foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said: "We will not allow any country to reap benefits from doing business with China while groundlessly accusing and smearing us."

The culmination of those years was Australia's landmark decision to join the Aukus security pact - widely seen as a long-term commitment to counter China in the Indo-Pacific.

But when Mr Albanese came to power in 2022, both Australia and China saw an urgent need for a thaw in relations, analysts say.

Since then, Australia has swapped "poking Beijing in the eye and kicking it in the shins because it feels good" with a stated policy of "stabilisation", University of Sydney historian James Curran says.

But with polls showing most Australians still view China as an emerging military threat, Prof Curran says Mr Albanese will be "worried about doing anything that smacks of weakness".

'Guardrails' and sticking points

Mr Albanese's trip to Beijing comes hot on the heels of his US state visit.

And when he sits down with Chinese President Xi Jinping, "the Americans will be watching for any signs that could point to a softening Australian stance on China, a concern that has started to take hold again in Washington", Ms Collinson says.

"Trust but verify" was US President Joe Biden's parting advice when asked whether Australia could continue to "do business" with Beijing in the current security climate.

But Mr Albanese has tried to position his meeting with President Xi as a chance to "build in guardrails" and help to avoid a miscalculation between two massive militaries.

"It is in Australia's interest, as well as China - but, I believe, in the global interest - for us to have a relationship where there is dialogue," he said at the White House last week. "Through dialogue comes understanding and a defusion of tension."

But as talks resume, a significant list of sticking points remain.

Australian writer Yang Hengjun - whose health is said to be rapidly deteriorating - has been imprisoned in China on espionage charges since 2019, and his supporters want Mr Albanese to secure his release.

"It's morally indefensible to normalise ties when the Chinese government is holding an Australian citizen as a political hostage," his friend Chongyi Feng told the BBC.

Sons of Australian jailed in China beg for his release

Then there are ongoing debates about influence in the Pacific Islands region, where Australia has long tried to play a leadership role. A recent Chinese security pact with the Solomon Islands prompted panic in Canberra.

On China's side, a landmark overhaul of Australia's defence posture - which resulted in a commitment to buy long-range missiles - hasn't gone unnoticed either.

Nor has the deepening of US-Australia military ties, as Beijing continues to assert its claims over the South China Sea and Taiwan.

But the "mutual benefit" need that Mr Whitlam articulated in 1973 hasn't changed. Which leaves Australia walking a familiar diplomatic tightrope.

"China still broadly underwrites Australia's prosperity and that's only strengthening," Prof Curran says.

"But our position will continue to be heavily influenced by the US… so there's minimal movement for Australia beyond a China relationship based on economic self-interest."

And Australia will "remain guarded" while Beijing looks for ways to expand the relationship over the next 50 years, he adds.

What Canberra will try to avoid, for now at least, is another period of silence.

If the trip goes well, all remaining trade barriers could be removed - but beyond that, Ms Collinson isn't expecting any "major announceables".

 In a year of record-breaking achievements, Taylor Swift has done it again.

A re-recording of her crossover pop album 1989 has become the UK's fastest-selling record of 2023.

1989 (Taylor's Version) shifted 184,000 copies last week, more than double the opening-week sales of the 2014 original.

It is the only album released this year to go gold in a single week, and is Swift's 11th UK number one overall.

Among female artists, only Madonna has more chart toppers - and Swift is now within touching distance of her record of 12.

What's new on 1989 (Taylor's Version) and why has she re-recorded it?

Taylor Swift's 1989: Her biggest album returns

1989 (Taylor's Version) was also the week's biggest-selling record on vinyl, with almost 62,000 copies sold.

And three of the album's songs have debuted in the top 10 in the singles chart.

All three are extra, previously-unreleased "from the vault" tracks, with Is It Over Now? claiming the number one position, followed by Now That We Don't Talk at number two, and the provocatively-titled Slut! at five.

US milestones

Swift has seen similar success in the US, where 1989 (Taylor's Version) has sold 1.1 million copies since its release last Friday.

Of that sum, 580,000 were on vinyl - the largest week for a single album in that format since modern sales tracking began in 1991.

Furthermore, 1989 (Taylor's Version) instantly became the year's biggest-selling album in the US, surpassing Swift's own 2022 release Midnights.

The star now has the top three-selling albums of the year in her home country, with her re-recorded version of 2010's Speak Now in third position.

The achievement justifies Swift's decision to re-record all of her first six albums.

She started the project in 2021 after her old record label, Big Machine, sold her master tapes to music mogul Scooter Braun. He later sold them to an investment company.

Billionaire status

Rather than lose control of her recordings, the star decided to recreate them - and also refuses to licence the originals for use in TV and film shows, denying the new owners a lucrative revenue stream.

Swift has also scored the biggest tour of 2023, with her Eras stadium shows bringing in $300m (£242m) at the box office.

Last week, the star was declared a billionaire by business publication Bloomberg, which estimated her net worth to be $1.1bn (£907m).

Only three other musicians have achieved billionaire status - Rihanna, Beyoncé and Jay-Z. However, Swift is the first to reach the milestone based on music alone, as her rivals' fortunes incorporate business ventures in fashion, beauty products and hi-fi equipment.

Swift's UK chart dominance could be briefly interrupted next week by the return of four musicians from Liverpool.

The Beatles' "last ever" song, Now And Then, instantly became the UK's most-played song after its release on Thursday.

On Spotify, the ballad racked up 386,752 streams on Spotify - overtaking Swift's Is It Over Now?, which was played 383,000 times.

If the Fab Four can maintain that momentum over the next week, they could score their first UK number one single since The Ballad Of John And Yoko in 1969.

 Donald Trump has devoted much of this presidential campaign looking back, contesting his 2020 election defeat. But behind the scenes, he and his team are putting together a plan for po
wer, determined to avoid the mistakes of 2016.

For those wondering what Mr Trump intends to do if American voters send him back to the White House in 12 months, the former president is laying it all out.

It's there in bite-size chunks on his campaign website, it's heard at his rally speeches and it's documented by people he has entrusted to work on his second term preparations.

They call the plan Agenda47 - a reference to Mr Trump becoming America's 47th president if he wins. He is favourite to win the Republican nomination, which would pit him against Democratic President Joe Biden next November.

Eight years ago, when Donald Trump launched his unlikely bid to win the White House race, he did so with a shoestring budget and a ragtag staff of political outsiders and hangers-on.

He had a slogan, Make America Great Again. He had a few tentpole policies, like building a border wall and temporarily banning Muslims from entering the US. And he had an anti-establishment, drain-the-swamp attitude.

After his upset victory, he set about turning his broad political vision into action - but with mixed results.

His "Muslim ban" was repeatedly struck down by courts, before finally becoming policy in its diluted form. His pledge to build a border wall was derailed by lawsuits and congressional Democrats.

It was, in the view of those in Mr Trump's circle, a failure of preparation and a failure of personnel.

Those were mistakes they don't intend to repeat if they win in 2024.

Moments after Mr Trump had given his inauguration speech on 20 January, 2017, he walked into the Oval Office at 6.55pm with Marc Lotter who worked on his transition team.

From the discussions that followed, Mr Lotter quickly realised the administration just wasn't equipped to deal with "moving the Titanic-sized ship of government", he tells the BBC.

This time, he and other veterans of the Trump presidency are making sure they are better prepared, he says, and they're crafting a plan.

"Here's a playbook. Here's how you get it done. And here, most importantly, are the areas and the places and positions where a liberal bureaucracy is going to try to stop you."

That playbook has revealed itself over the course of the year.

Some of his pronouncements border on the fantastical. His government will invest in flying cars and build "freedom cities" on empty federal land, where Americans can live and work without burdensome regulations.

Others are controversial, such as his plan to round up the homeless and move them to tent camps outside US cities until their "problems can be identified". Some lean directly into the culture wars - he wants state school teachers to be required to "embrace patriotic values".

He also doubles-down on protectionist policies, calling for a "universal baseline tariff" on all imports, which can be raised on countries that engage in "unfair" trade practices.

On immigration, he wants to reinstate the policy of making undocumented migrants stay in Mexico while they apply for asylum. He also calls for an end to automatic citizenship for the children of undocumented migrants born on US soil.

He pledges to cut "hundreds of billions" of dollars in US international aid and end the war in Ukraine in the process. According to media reports, he is contemplating a US withdrawal from Nato or, at the very least, scaling back American involvement with the trans-Atlantic defence pact.

"The greatest threat to Western civilisation today is not Russia," he says in a March video. "It's probably, more than anything else, ourselves and some of the horrible, USA-hating people that represent us."

According to Mr Lotter, the top issue on Mr Trump's 2024 agenda will be energy - increasing supply to bring down household bills.

In his view, higher energy prices have been a driving force behind the inflation that bedevilled the early years of the Biden presidency.

"Opening up the spigots and sending the signal to the markets and to the energy companies that we are open for business again will actually start to lower energy prices long term."

These policies represent the culmination of Mr Trump's efforts to remake the Republican Party in his own image.

The conservatism of George W Bush, John McCain and Mitt Romney - the party's presidential nominees in the four elections prior to Mr Trump's 2016 victory - has been swept away.

"The party has evolved, there's no other way to say it," says Bryan Lanza, a Republican strategist with ties to the Trump campaign. "We're the party of tariffs now. Who would have predicted that?"

The new Republican Party, Mr Lanza says, blends conservatism with a populism that appeals to working-class voters, including labour workers who have traditional ties to the Democratic Party. Immigration, trade and a restrained foreign policy backed by American "strength" are core parts of the agenda now.

Many of Mr Trump's proposals would require the help of legislation passed by a Congress that, at the moment, is partially controlled by Democrats vehemently opposed to his plans. Others, like ending birthright citizenship, probably violate the US Constitution and would certainly be challenged in the courts.

There are some, however, that are within his ability as chief executive to enact if he so desires - and if he has the cadre of loyal aides and government workers to do the job. And that's one piece of the puzzle that Mr Trump has been preparing to address for quite some time.

In October 2020, just before he was voted out of office, Mr Trump issued an executive order creating a new category of civil servant. These "Schedule F" positions were senior policymaking roles that had traditionally been filled by career government bureaucrats. Under Mr Trump's order, they could now be fired and replaced by the president and his senior political staff.

It would, in effect, allow a president to clear out thousands of government employees and replace them with loyalists.

Joe Biden quickly rescinded the order, but Mr Trump promises its reimplementation will be one of the first acts of his new presidency. In his campaign videos, and in public speeches, he boasts about what the change will accomplish.

He will "find and remove the radicals, zealots, and Marxists who have infiltrated the federal Department of Education," he says in a January video.

"We will pass critical reforms making every executive branch employee fireable by the president of the United States," he said in South Carolina rally last year. "The deep state must and will be brought to heel."

Behind Mr Trump's campaign apparatus are a number of organisations tasked with ensuring that Mr Trump's vision is achieved.

With names like the Center for Renewing America and the America First Policy Institute - where Mr Lotter works - these groups, largely staffed by former senior Trump officials, are churning out position papers and documents that could offer a blueprint for implementing the policies Mr Trump has outlined over the past year.

The Conservative Partnership Institute, which lists former Trump Chief-of-Staff Mark Meadows as a "senior partner," recruits, trains and finds employment for conservatives who could join a future Republican presidential administration. They've compiled a database of willing foot soldiers in the sweeping reorientation of the federal bureaucracy that Mr Trump hopes to accomplish.

It's a development some of Mr Trump's former aides, who have become his critics, fear.

"If Trump was elected to a second term, there wouldn't be sound people around him," says Cassidy Hutchinson, who served as a senior aide to Mr Meadows and testified against Mr Trump at the 6 January congressional hearings last year.

For Trump's supporters, however, a more willing team of appointees and aides will mean a Trump presidency that is less chaotic and more effective in moving policy.

Mr Lotter envisions Mr Trump able to lay out in detail his plans upon taking office.

"Here are 50 policies, and here are 50 executive orders, and here are 1,500 positions I plan to fill," Mr Lotter imagines Mr Trump saying. "And here's my legislative package - to get energy back, to secure the border, to deal with inflation."

Such talk is cause for hope and optimism among the Trump faithful, but spelling out a detailed agenda could also provide an opening for Democrats to attack.

"I think there is an opportunity to define Trump and his policy-wonks-for-hire friends as not only completely out of touch, but as determined to deny a majority of Americans their rightful place in American society," says Craig Varoga, a Democratic political consultant and adjunct instructor at American University.

"And in some cases - abortion rights for example - [they want to] criminalise what many people consider to be reasonable freedoms."

Trump's birthright plan - legality, politics, history

He also says it's possible the always mercurial Trump could change his mind and discard all the policy proposals his advisers have prepared.

But Mr Lanza downplays that possibility because this team knows Mr Trump so well.

"These people are going to have the president's trust from being in the administration, and they'll have the inside track on having an impact," he says. "Will the plan change over time? Of course. Plans change."

As for Democratic efforts to attack Mr Trump's agenda, Mr Lanza is dismissive. He says critics said the same thing about the former president's campaign proposals in 2016.

"It scared people and it was provocative, but it still got people to listen to his core message," he says.

"What President Trump does really well is he breaks the mould of how you think the electorate is going to respond to something controversial."

Images by Sarah Deshaut of the Visual Journalism Team

 US President Joe Biden has visited Maine to meet community members personally affected by a mass shooting that left 18 people dead.

The attack at a bowling alley and bar in the town of Lewiston on 25 October also left 13 people injured.

Standing outside the bowling alley, Mr Biden repeated his calls for a ban on assault-style rifles.

But he could not pass such a sweeping measure even when his fellow Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress.

"As we mourn today in Maine, this tragedy opens painful, painful wounds all across the country," Mr Biden said.

He argued the attack should galvanise Congress into taking action to pass new gun laws.

"Regardless of our politics," he said, "this is about protecting our freedom to go to a bowling alley, a restaurant, a school, a church without being shot and killed. "

The shooting, carried out by a 40-year-old US Army reservist, spawned a three-day manhunt.

The attack began at Just-In-Time Recreation, which hosts bowling leagues, before the gunman went to the nearby Schemengees Bar & Grille, where a cornhole tournament was under way.

A grandfather, a talented young bowler and four members of a deaf cornhole team were among the dead.

Sean Gosselin, a local resident, told the BBC that while the experience has been "difficult, the town is slowly returning to a sense of normalcy and coping as best it can".

On Thursday, for example, Mr Gosselin said that many townspeople gathered to watch the local high school's football team - the Lewiston Blue Devils - play their rivals from the nearby town of Auburn.

"It's symbolic of resilience," he said, "of persevering and moving on, but without a lack of recognition for victims of this horrible crime."

The Lewiston shooting was the worst in the US so far this year and worst ever in Maine's history.

The perpetrator, Robert Card, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound days after the murders.

Mr Biden has also called on Republican lawmakers to allow gun manufacturers to be held legally responsible for shootings.

On Friday, pro-gun activists on social media criticised the president's latest plea for firearms control.

The Truth About Guns shared a post from a conservative commentator questioning why Mr Biden did not deliver his remarks in Chicago, a Democratic stronghold that has seen more than 2,000 shootings this year.

Officials in Maine have struggled to explain how the Lewiston gunman was able to legally obtain weapons despite warnings from his Army Reserve unit that he was facing mental health issues.

Maine's Democratic Governor, Janet Mills, said she was thankful for Mr Biden's "unwavering support" for the state in the aftermath of the shooting.