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Thousands of readers say they will be cancelling their subscriptions to The Washington Post and are taking the newspaper's chief executive Will Lewis to task after he said on Friday that the news organisation would not be endorsing either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump.
In an announcement on the Post's online edition, where Lewis wrote that the newspaper would be “returning to its roots” of not endorsing a candidate, more than 6,000 people commented in fewer than two hours, many with angry sentiments.
The newspaper's former executive editor, Marty Baron, meanwhile, called the decision “cowardice, with democracy as its casualty”.
“Amazon cart emptied, app deleted,” wrote one reader underneath Lewis's announcement, alluding to the fact that Post is owned and operated by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
“An absolutely cowardly decision,” wrote another. “These are not normal times, and it's unconscionable for an organisation with the reach of the Post to pretend that they are. Cancelling my subscription immediately.”
Lewis explained his decision by positioning it as a return to an older policy at the newspaper of not endorsing presidential candidates.
“The Washington Post is turning off the lights on democracy,” commented another reader, alluding to the paper's much paraded slogan: Democracy dies in darkness.
“Instead of writing something so gross and at odds with the ideals of your institution, you should consider resigning,” wrote another subscriber. “I’m cancelling my subscription and encouraging others to do the same.”
Lewis, who became the newspaper's chief executive in June, wrote about what he said was the historical context of the decision to not make an endorsement.
“Our job at The Washington Post is to provide through the newsroom non-partisan news for all Americans, and thought-provoking, reported views from our opinion team to help our readers make up their own minds,” he said.
“We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates,” Lewis said, noting that paper had made previous decisions several times throughout its lengthy history to not make endorsements.
Throughout the last several decades, many newspapers and their editorial boards have made it a common practice to make endorsements before elections.
This week, the Los Angeles Times also declined to endorse Ms Harris or Mr Trump. LA Times owner and publisher Patrick Soon-Shiong defended the move by saying that he gave the editorial board an option to essentially list pros and cons of each candidate instead of an endorsement.
“Instead of adopting this path as suggested, the editorial board chose to remain silent and I accepted their decision,” he wrote on X. Several members of the LA Times's editorial board resigned as a result.
Some have accused both Mr Bezos and Mr Soon-Shiong of putting their non-newspaper business interests at the forefront of the decisions to not endorse a candidate.
Benjamin Wittes, a former member of The Washington Post editorial page staff, wrote on social media platform Mastodon about his disappointment at the lack of an endorsement.
“This genuinely shocks me. My thoughts are with my former colleagues. And I’m just going to say out loud that this would never have happened under Fred Hiatt or Meg Greenfield. Never,” he wrote, referring to former Post editorial page editors and writers.
The decision by the Post and the LA Times illustrates just how tense the lead-up to the November 5 US presidential election has become.
Polls show current Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and former US president and Republican nominee Donald Trump statistically tied, as both sides wage a bitter battle for the White House.
Mr Trump, who has since been convicted of felonies and was twice impeached during his presidency, managed to defy the odds to become the Republican nominee, something many of his critics thought would be nearly impossible after he lost re-election in 2020 to Joe Biden.
Lewis has previously found himself at the centre of controversy while at the Post. Several media outlets, including the Post itself, reported that Lewis, in his previous roles at UK-based publications, had been a part of efforts to routinely breach journalism ethics and at one point, assist with “fraudulently obtained phone and company records in newspaper articles”.
At the Post, he has also been accused of trying to suppress various stories. Lewis has denied these accusations.
Key developments in maritime dispute
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
How Beautiful this world is!
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'The Predator'
Dir: Shane Black
Starring: Olivia Munn, Boyd Holbrook, Keegan-Michael Key
Two and a half stars
Gifts exchanged
- King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
- Queen Camilla - Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
- Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
- Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Top goalscorers in Europe
34 goals - Robert Lewandowski (68 points)
34 - Ciro Immobile (68)
31 - Cristiano Ronaldo (62)
28 - Timo Werner (56)
25 - Lionel Messi (50)
*29 - Erling Haaland (50)
23 - Romelu Lukaku (46)
23 - Jamie Vardy (46)
*NOTE: Haaland's goals for Salzburg count for 1.5 points per goal. Goals for Dortmund count for two points per goal.
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
The years Ramadan fell in May
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- Margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars
- Energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- Infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes
- Many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts
if you go
The flights
Fly to Rome with Etihad (www.etihad.ae) or Emirates (www.emirates.com) from Dh2,480 return including taxes. The flight takes six hours. Fly from Rome to Trapani with Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) from Dh420 return including taxes. The flight takes one hour 10 minutes.
The hotels
The author recommends the following hotels for this itinerary. In Trapani, Ai Lumi (www.ailumi.it); in Marsala, Viacolvento (www.viacolventomarsala.it); and in Marsala Del Vallo, the Meliaresort Dimore Storiche (www.meliaresort.it).
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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