Donny Thomas poked his head into a small tent pitched on a hillside by a car-racing track in rural Maryland, about 90 minutes' drive outside Washington, DC.
Inside, a half dozen blankets filled the small space. They’ve kept Mr Thomas, 45, warm despite frigid conditions for much of the last month, as he and hundreds of others set up camp in the small city of Hagerstown to protest against Covid-19 vaccine mandates and what they perceive as government overreach.
“I don't want to tell anybody how to think and I don't want to be told how to think,” Mr Thomas said.
He is part of the People’s Convoy, America’s response to Canada’s Freedom Convoy that paralysed the Canadian capital Ottawa for several weeks and shut down North America’s busiest border crossing in February.
But while the Freedom Convoy was able to grab the world’s attention, its US counterpart has not found the same success.
With states and cities dropping vaccine and mask mandates as the pandemic recedes, the convoy's main point of contention has lost some of its resonance.
Mr Thomas blames the media for the group’s inability to gain any serious traction.
“I think it's the spin of the story,” he told The National. “The media is not covering us and when they do cover us, it's negative. They're calling us racists and what have you.”
At the Hagerstown Speedway earlier this week, a few dozen big-rig lorries were scattered across the large parking lot. Tents and campsites like Mr Thomas’s filled the woods lining the property.
US and Canadian flags fluttered in the cold breeze and anti-government rhetoric was plastered on car windows and the doors of recreational vehicles.
Marek Niewiarowski, a lorry driver from Montreal, Canada, drove all the way down to lend his support.
“The same spirit from Ottawa has come over here with the people that are fighting for freedom,” Mr Niewiarowski said.
Still hurting from the government’s tough action against protesters in Ottawa, Mr Niewiarowski was hopeful that the Canadian movement would find a way to continue. “We have to regroup in Canada,” he told The National.
For weeks, the People’s Convoy has been circling Interstate 395, also known as the Beltway, causing traffic headaches in and around Washington.
But their tactics, while disruptive, have not accomplished any of their objectives, which include bringing an end to the national emergency declaration declared under former president Donald Trump and extended under President Joe Biden. The measure gives the federal government broad powers to deal with Covid-19.
Convoy leaders managed to secure a face-to-face meeting with Republican Senator Ted Cruz, but they have not made serious inroads into the capital.
Part of that is because the convoy’s permit to set up camp on the National Mall was rejected, but Sara Aniano, a graduate student at Monmouth University, whose research focuses on the far-right's use of social media, said it was also the result of bad planning.
“They didn't meet their goals, even though they keep saying that it was a huge success,” Ms Aniano told The National.
“It obviously wasn't. But I think without a leader with a clear plan, and without an actual goal and a deadline and a place to meet. I think people just got exhausted,”
After nearly a month of camping out in Hagerstown, most of the group decided to pack up and head west.
They were chased out by the cold and a calendar conflict with the Hagerstown Speedway, who had leased the group the land but needed it back by April 7 for a series of races in the following days.
“We’re not done here,” said organiser Mike Landis on a livestream on Sunday.
“We’ll go to California and raise awareness along the way and hopefully get more people like we did on our way here.”
The group plans to protest against 10 state bills that it believes “will change everything for people who want to live, work or learn in the state of CA while exercising their right to medical freedom”, according to a statement on the People’s Convoy website.
As the weeks dragged on and it became clear the movement wasn’t having its desired effect, the mood in the camp started to sour.
“The atmosphere at camp has been tumultuous,” Mr Thomas said. “Because we've had people that were bad actors trying to cause agitation and problems.”
That tension has manifested online, Ms Aniano said. “There's been more dissent among the streamers, even with each other,” she said.
But despite the division and the decision to leave the Washington area, Ms Aniano does not think this is the end of the People’s Convoy.
“They've been instructed by the so-called leaders of this convoy to work at a more state or even hyper local level to try and get their message across and their messages are rooted in far-right ideologies,” she said.
PSA DUBAI WORLD SERIES FINALS LINE-UP
Men’s:
Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY)
Ali Farag (EGY)
Simon Rosner (GER)
Tarek Momen (EGY)
Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
Nick Matthew (ENG)
Women's:
Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
Raneem El Welily (EGY)
Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
Laura Massaro (ENG)
Joelle King (NZE)
Camille Serme (FRA)
Nouran Gohar (EGY)
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
McLaren GT specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 630Nm
Price: Dh875,000
On sale: now
What is Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is the most popular virtual currency in the world. It was created in 2009 as a new way of paying for things that would not be subject to central banks that are capable of devaluing currency. A Bitcoin itself is essentially a line of computer code. It's signed digitally when it goes from one owner to another. There are sustainability concerns around the cryptocurrency, which stem from the process of "mining" that is central to its existence.
The "miners" use computers to make complex calculations that verify transactions in Bitcoin. This uses a tremendous amount of energy via computers and server farms all over the world, which has given rise to concerns about the amount of fossil fuel-dependent electricity used to power the computers.
Company%C2%A0profile
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Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
'Gold'
Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
PFA Premier League team of 2018-19
Allison (Liverpool)
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City)
Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)
Paul Pogba (Manchester United)
Fernandinho (Manchester City)
Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
THREE
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Nayla%20Al%20Khaja%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Jefferson%20Hall%2C%20Faten%20Ahmed%2C%20Noura%20Alabed%2C%20Saud%20Alzarooni%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Schedule for Asia Cup
Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)
Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)
Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four
Sept 21: Group A Winner v Group B Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 23: Group B Winner v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 25: Group A Winner v Group B Winner (Dubai)
Sept 26: Group A Runner-up v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 28: Final (Dubai)
The story of Edge
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.
It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.
Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab
