The showdown between US President Joe Biden and his Republican rival Donald Trump is shaping up to be a national spectacle that will be “watched around the world.”
And although polls show that American voters rank the economy as their top election issue for the November 5 election, foreign policy is inching closer to centre stage, with growing chaos in the Middle East and partisan disputes over Russia's war in Ukraine.
CNN is hosting the prime time debate on Thursday at 9pm EST.
Mr Biden used the run-up to the debate against his right-wing populist adversary to try to deliver some major shows of diplomatic force.
His recent agenda included a D-Day anniversary trip to France, the G7 meeting in Italy with Washington's top western allies and Japan, securing a 10-year security agreement and $50 billion loan for Ukraine.
These were significant demonstrations of the traditional alliance structure the Biden administration has sought to uphold, contrasted against what Mr Biden says is Trump's embrace of “thugs like in North Korea” as well as Russia and China as “he pokes his finger in the eye of all of our allies".
At Thursday's debate, Mr Biden must defend his Middle East track record, which hawkish Republicans and the anti-Gaza war movement from the left have both criticised.
Trump will probably join a Republican chorus seeking to paint Mr Biden's posture on the world stage as weak.
House foreign affairs committee chairman Mike McCaul told The National that “while America is engaged in an all-out fight for the global balance of power, the Biden administration is projecting weakness and making the nation realise the desperate need for new leadership".
“Under President Biden, the US repeatedly fails to deter threats and protect US interests … our adversaries have only grown more emboldened and more determined in their efforts to see the US deteriorate,” he said.
Both candidates have asserted a strong support for Israel.
Despite statements of concern and condemnation from the Biden administration over civilian killings, the President has refused to substantively enforce his own “red line” on a Rafah invasion and continues to provide Israel with almost unfettered support.
Trump, who launched the landmark Abraham Accords during his time as president, has taken a more inflammatory tone.
He recently told donors that he would deport some pro-Palestinian student protesters from US university campuses, while also saying Israel is “losing the PR war” on Gaza and urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “get it over with fast".
EJ Kimball, director of policy and strategic operations at the US Israel Education Association, says that for debate watchers in favour of the Israel alliance “we're looking for a commitment that the United States will be a supporter for Israel on the global stage".
Mr Kimball said they will also be interested in questions to the candidates on how Washington is working to expand the Abraham Accords and “build out a broader Arab coalition, and how each of them will deal with the Iranian threat", as well as an outline of “what they view as essential for Palestinian governance.”
Americans have historically maintained steady and bipartisan support for Israel, and Capitol Hill remains one of its greatest sources of financial backing.
Since Gallup first measured opinions of Israel in 1989, an average of 65 per cent of Americans have had favourable opinions of it over the years.
But Israel's war in Gaza, which has killed more than 37,600 Palestinians since the October 7 Hamas attack that killed nearly 1,200 people in Israel, has begun to change that, particularly among younger voters.
Recent Gallup polling shows young adults hold the biggest decline in support of Israel, dropping from 64 per cent favourable among 18-34 year olds in 2023 to 38 per cent.
“I have had hard discussions with my parents who seem to be on the 'vote blue no matter what' train,” says Margaret Lavi, a Virginia voter and young mother who has normally voted for Democrats.
"I see a big difference in the generations on voting this year."
This year, she plans to join a growing movement of pro-Palestinian protest ballots in November over the war in Gaza – and she does not plan on watching the debate.
“There is nothing Biden could say that would sway me," Ms Lavi told The National.
"His actions over the last eight months and quite frankly his presidency have spoken louder than his words … his arrogance that young voters will continue to just vote 'blue' no matter what will be his downfall."
Mr Kimball, who works with bipartisan members of Congress to advance the US-Israel relationship, says opinions such as Ms Lavi's are “a minority” and he doubts that there is a significant splintering between Republicans and Democrats on Israel.
“This is going to be watched around the world, and including by our enemies and by Israel's enemies,” he said.
"A vital message that needs to be sent is that regardless of the outcome in November, the relationships between the US and Israel will be as strong as it's ever been.
On Ukraine, however, there are clearly diverging views between the two candidates.
The “war in Ukraine is not just local war between Russia and Ukraine, but this is a competition for the whole world rules,” says Tetiana Hranchak, a visiting Ukrainian professor at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, who fled her country after Russia's 2022 invasion.
Mr Biden and Trump do not agree on those world rules.
Mr Biden has backed the delivery of military and financial support to Kyiv, calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a “dictator” who is threatening the world order and is intent on pushing the battle deeper into Europe.
Trump has faced years of scrutiny over his alleged ties with the Kremlin and was impeached during his first term over an alleged quid pro quo threat on support to Ukraine.
This year, he further caused controversy when he said he would encourage Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” to any Nato country that does not pay its dues.
While in France for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Mr Biden nodded to his Republican opponent's diplomatic flirtation with Mr Putin, warning about “the price of unchecked tyranny".
This week, Reuters reported that two key Trump advisers have presented him with a plan to end Russia's war in Ukraine – if he wins the presidential election – that involves telling Kyiv it will only get more US weapons if it enters into peace talks with Moscow.
Ms Hranchak says she “will be nervous” about the debate because she does not “want Ukraine to be the subject of this ping-pong game".
“I wish that Ukraine ceases to be the subject of internal political struggle,” she said.
“In general, I'd like to hear answers or comments, not so much about Ukraine, but about Russia, because it's not Ukraine, but Russia, that poses the biggest challenge today, and it would be good to have a vision regarding the prospects of relations with Russia,” said Ms Hranchak.
“What exactly do we want to have in a result [of the war]? It depends on our vision of relations between the US and Russia.”
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Results
2.30pm: Park Avenue – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Rb Seqondtonone, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
3.05pm: Al Furjan – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Bosphorus, Dane O’Neill, Bhupat Seemar
3.40pm: Mina – Rated Condition (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Royal Mews, Tadhg O’Shea, Bhupat Seemar
4.15pm: Aliyah – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,900m; Winner: Ursa Minor, Ray Dawson, Ahmad bin Harmash
4.50pm: Riviera Beach – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 2,200m; Winner: Woodditton, Saif Al Balushi, Ahmad bin Harmash
5.25pm: Riviera – Handicap (TB) Dh2,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Al Madhar, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
6pm: Creek Views – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Al Salt, Dane O’Neill, Erwan Charpy
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Super 30
Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5
MORE ON CORONAVIRUS & THE ECONOMY
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
MATCH INFO
Day 1 at Mount Maunganui
England 241-4
Denly 74, Stokes 67 not out, De Grandhomme 2-28
New Zealand
Yet to bat
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Kerb weight: 1580kg
Price: From Dh750k
On sale: via special order
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
FULL%20FIGHT%20CARD
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Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Company%20profile%20
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Company%20Profile
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Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
