US First Lady Jill Biden in Abu Dhabi on Last Solo Foreign Trip

First lady Jill Biden visits Kasr Al Hosn Fort, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
First lady Jill Biden visits Kasr Al Hosn Fort, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
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US First Lady Jill Biden in Abu Dhabi on Last Solo Foreign Trip

First lady Jill Biden visits Kasr Al Hosn Fort, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
First lady Jill Biden visits Kasr Al Hosn Fort, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

US first lady Jill Biden toured the capital of the United Arab Emirates on Thursday as part of her final solo foreign tour.

Biden, 73, arrived in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday night after stopping in Italy and visiting her ancestral home of Gesso in Sicily.

On Thursday Biden traveled to the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and Qasr Al Hosn, a historic site. She was expected to speak at a summit later in the day, The AP reported.

Biden has come to the country previously. In March 2016, she accompanied her husband, then the vice president in the last year of the Obama administration, on a trip to the Emirates.

This trip comes after President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden over federal crimes after previously pledging that he wouldn't. The president dodged questions about the pardon while he was on a trip to Angola.

For her part, Jill Biden on Monday said: “Of course I support the pardon of my son.”

Biden will travel next to nearby Qatar. After that she'll fly to Paris and join President-elect Donald Trump and other dignitaries in Paris to celebrate the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral. She'll then return to Washington.



Explosion at Chemical Plant Near Spain’s Seville Leads to Warnings for Thousands

A picture taken in Seville on May 14, 2025 shows a large black cloud after a fire in a chemical distribution building that led authorities to ask nearly 80,000 residents to stay home. (AFP)
A picture taken in Seville on May 14, 2025 shows a large black cloud after a fire in a chemical distribution building that led authorities to ask nearly 80,000 residents to stay home. (AFP)
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Explosion at Chemical Plant Near Spain’s Seville Leads to Warnings for Thousands

A picture taken in Seville on May 14, 2025 shows a large black cloud after a fire in a chemical distribution building that led authorities to ask nearly 80,000 residents to stay home. (AFP)
A picture taken in Seville on May 14, 2025 shows a large black cloud after a fire in a chemical distribution building that led authorities to ask nearly 80,000 residents to stay home. (AFP)

An explosion at a chemical plant near the Spanish city of Seville sent up a huge pillar of smoke as authorities urged nearby residents to stay indoors, but no injuries were reported, emergency services said Wednesday.

Officials sent messages to around 80,000 residents recommending that they wear face masks or close their windows.

The explosion occurred midday in an industrial park in the municipality of Alcalá de Guadaíra, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) east of Seville’s city center.

Emergency services cleared personnel from the plant site.

Authorities have not said what chemicals are at the plant or who owns it.

Recent incidents Spain's industrial, electric and transport infrastructure has faced issues recently.

Over the weekend, a fire at a chemical factory in northeastern Spain forced emergency services to issue health warnings to 150,000 residents and stay-indoors orders for five nearby towns.

On April 28, a massive power outage hit Spain and Portugal. Authorities are still investigating but have ruled out a cyber attack or sabotage.

That was followed by major train disruption between Madrid and Seville, caused by thieves who took copper cabling from a trail line.