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US Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday said she supports President Joe Biden's pause on a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, and said Israel must not reoccupy the Gaza Strip when the nearly year-old war on Gaza ends.
Ms Harris told the National Association of Black Journalists in Philadelphia that there must be a ceasefire in Gaza, and a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the only way to bring peace to the Middle East.
“We have seen with horror, the images coming out of Gaza, and we have to take that seriously,” the Democratic presidential nominee told a panel of three journalists.
“And we have to agree that not only must we end this war, but we have to have a goal of a two-state solution because there must be stability and peace in that region.”
Ms Harris, who became the nominee after Mr Biden dropped out of the race in July, is increasingly under scrutiny by progressives, Muslims and Arab Americans who say they want to see her break away from his unwavering support for Israel as it destroys Gaza.
During the 45-minute interview, which also included questions on the economy, racism in America, and her Republican rival Donald Trump, she did not indicate that she would meaningfully change course on Gaza, should she win on November 5.
Ms Harris said she supported Mr Biden's decision to a pause a bomb shipment to Israel after he said they should not be dropped on densely inhabited areas.
“One of the things that we have done that I am entirely supportive of is the pause that we put on the 2,000-pound bombs,” she said.
“And so there is some leverage that we have had in use, but ultimately, the thing that is going to unlock everything else in that region is getting this deal done.”
More than 41,200 Palestinians have been killed and 95,000 wounded in Israel's military campaign on the strip, local health authorities say.
That was in answer to the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7, when 1,200 people were killed.
In the past 11 months, Israel has flattened entire neighbourhoods in the coastal enclave, and destroyed much of its infrastructure.
Progressives and Arab Americans have been demanding that the Biden administration place conditions on military aid to Israel, and do more to secure a ceasefire.
Mr Biden, a self-proclaimed Zionist, has resisted those calls, angering a voting bloc that was critical to his election in 2020.
His administration has for months been trying to mediate a ceasefire deal, together with Egypt and Qatar, but efforts have stalled.
Ms Harris said that she has been actively involved in meetings with Israeli and Arab officials on “day after” scenarios for Gaza.
She said the main principles are that there can be no Israeli reoccupation of Gaza, and no changing of its territorial lines.
Ms Harris said although Israel has a right to defend itself, “far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed, women and children".
Philadelphia is a must-win state for Ms Harris and Mr Trump, as it is the most populous of the handful of battleground states.
This month, the two candidates faced off in an intense televised debate, during which Ms Harris stuck closely to Mr Biden's support for Israel, infuriating Arab and Muslim-American voters.
At another event with the National Association of Black Journalists in July, Mr Trump drew criticism after he questioned Ms Harris's racial identity.
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances
All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.
Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.
Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.
Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.
Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.
Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was first created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Letstango.com
Started: June 2013
Founder: Alex Tchablakian
Based: Dubai
Industry: e-commerce
Initial investment: Dh10 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKinetic%207%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rick%20Parish%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Clean%20cooking%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self-funded%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
