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Robert F Kennedy Jr suspended his long-shot presidential campaign on Friday and announced his decision to endorse Republican candidate Donald Trump in the November 5 election.
“I'm going to remove my name, and I've already started that process and urged voters not to vote for me,” he said during a press conference from Arizona.
“It's with a sense of victory and not defeat that I'm suspending my campaign activities.”
Mr Kennedy said he was throwing his support behind Mr Trump, referring to several conversations and meetings with the Republican candidate.
The Associated Press reported before Mr Kennedy's speech that a Pennsylvania court filing stated he would be endorsing Mr Trump. The filing also asked to remove him from the state's ballot for the November.
Reuters reported on Thursday that Arizona officials said Mr Kennedy had filed paperwork to remove himself from the presidential ballot there, too.
Mr Kennedy is the son of former attorney general Robert F Kennedy and a nephew of former president John F Kennedy.
He first entered the 2024 presidential race as a Democrat but left the party last autumn to run as an independent.
He built an unusually strong base for a third-party bid, fuelled in part by anti-establishment voters and vaccine sceptics who have followed his anti-vaccine work since the coronavirus pandemic.
But he has since faced strained campaign finances and mounting legal challenges, including a recent ruling from a New York judge that he should not appear on the ballot in the state because he listed a “sham” address on nominating petitions.
Many members of Mr Kennedy's extended family have been outspoken in criticising his political views and some publicly endorsed President Joe Biden before he dropped out of the race. They have since backed Kamala Harris.
“We want an America filled with hope and bound together by a shared vision of a brighter future, a future defined by individual freedom, economic promise and national pride,” it read.
“We believe in Harris and Walz.
“Our brother Bobby's decision to endorse Trump today is a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear. It is a sad ending to a sad story.”
The announcement comes one day after Ms Harris formally accepted the Democratic nomination, and caps a week in which Mr Trump has sought to blunt her momentum with a series of splashy campaign events and media engagements.
The Republican nominee is also expected to appear – with a “special guest” – in Arizona later on Friday following Mr Kennedy’s announcement.
At the height of his campaign in January, Mr Kennedy was polling as high as 20 per cent in a three-way race with Mr Trump and Mr Biden in the RealClearPolitics average of national polls.
“I believe that I would have won the election in a system my father and my uncles thrived in – a system with open debates, with fair primaries, with regularly scheduled debates … and with a truly independent media untainted by government propaganda and censorship, in a system of non-partisan courts and election boards, everything would be different,” he said.
By mid-July, his share had declined to about 8 per cent.
Mr Biden’s decision to drop out and pass the baton to Ms Harris shook up the race and dealt Mr Kennedy another blow, with his average polling support dropping to 5 per cent within days.
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
Brief scores:
Toss: Pakhtunkhwa Zalmi, chose to field
Environment Agency: 193-3 (20 ov)
Ikhlaq 76 not out, Khaliya 58, Ahsan 55
Pakhtunkhwa Zalmi: 194-2 (18.3 ov)
Afridi 95 not out, Sajid 55, Rizwan 36 not out
Result: Pakhtunkhwa won by 8 wickets
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Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
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Based: Dubai, UAE
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Liverpool 3
Sadio Man 28'
Andrew Robertson 34'
Diogo Jota 88'
Arsenal 1
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Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
The nine articles of the 50-Year Charter
1. Dubai silk road
2. A geo-economic map for Dubai
3. First virtual commercial city
4. A central education file for every citizen
5. A doctor to every citizen
6. Free economic and creative zones in universities
7. Self-sufficiency in Dubai homes
8. Co-operative companies in various sectors
9: Annual growth in philanthropy
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
The biog
Favourite car: Ferrari
Likes the colour: Black
Best movie: Avatar
Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Changing visa rules
For decades the UAE has granted two and three year visas to foreign workers, tied to their current employer. Now that's changing.
Last year, the UAE cabinet also approved providing 10-year visas to foreigners with investments in the UAE of at least Dh10 million, if non-real estate assets account for at least 60 per cent of the total. Investors can bring their spouses and children into the country.
It also approved five-year residency to owners of UAE real estate worth at least 5 million dirhams.
The government also said that leading academics, medical doctors, scientists, engineers and star students would be eligible for similar long-term visas, without the need for financial investments in the country.
The first batch - 20 finalists for the Mohammed bin Rashid Medal for Scientific Distinction.- were awarded in January and more are expected to follow.
The Kingfisher Secret
Anonymous, Penguin Books
