Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, told The National on Thursday that she supports a $735 million sale of precision-guided bombs to Israel despite attempts by high-profile members of Congress to halt the deal.
“I support the arms sale,” Ms Pelosi said. “But I appreciate the informed debate that our members are having on the subject.”
Her endorsement came the same day that Bernie Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont who votes with the Democrats, introduced a Senate bill seeking to halt the sale of weapons while the conflict rages between Israel and Hamas.
“At a moment when US-made bombs are devastating Gaza and killing women and children, we cannot simply let another huge arms sale go through without even a congressional debate,” Mr Sanders said in a statement introducing the bill.
Though Mr Sanders’s bill is unlikely to pass the Senate, he will likely have the option to force a vote on the issue, marking the first time Congress has had to consider blocking an arms sale to Israel, which has previously enjoyed unconditional bipartisan support on Capitol Hill.
“I believe that the United States must help lead the way to a peaceful and prosperous future for both Israelis and Palestinians,” Mr Sanders said.
“We need to take a hard look at whether the sale of these weapons is actually helping do that or whether it is simply fuelling the conflict.”
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York this week introduced a similar bill in the House.
“For decades, the US has sold billions of dollars in weaponry to Israel without ever requiring them to respect basic Palestinian rights,” Ms Ocasio-Cortez said when introducing the bill.
“In so doing, we have directly contributed to the death, displacement and disenfranchisement of millions.”
Democratic leaders in the US Congress are trying to clamp down on a growing movement in their ranks to restrict arms sales and put conditions on military aid to Israel.
The pro-Israel old guard in the House has started to lose traction as a new generation of Democrats willing to criticise the crucial US ally rises through the ranks and vocally pro-Palestinian members continue to win elections.
The violence in Gaza has also proved to be a major test for President Joe Biden and his handling of an international crisis as well as his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
US efforts continued on Thursday to push for a ceasefire. Vice President Kamala Harris held a call with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, while Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with their Israeli counterparts, Gaby Ashkenzi and Meir Ben Shabbat.
On Wednesday, Mr Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he expected "a significant de-escalation today on the path to a ceasefire", after drawing criticism domestically for his staunchly pro-Israel response to the crisis.
While the request marked Mr Biden’s toughest public statement yet, Mr Netanyahu seemed to brush it aside, saying he was “determined to continue this operation until its aim is met” as fighting continued into Thursday.
The two leaders have had tense moments over the years, and their current differences over Gaza create a challenge Mr Biden had hoped to avoid as he tries to focus on domestic issues.
On Thursday, US sources told The National they were cautiously optimistic that a ceasefire was imminent. Negotiations are focused on the exact timing of the cessation of hostilities.
The Biden administration insists it is working frantically behind the scenes to force a reduction in violence, but at the UN, the US has repeatedly blocked proposed statements calling for a ceasefire. Regional envoy Hady Amr remains in the region and is speaking with both parties.
Mr Biden spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi by phone on Thursday, as Cairo seeks to help broker an end to hostilities.
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
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
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How Alia's experiment will help humans get to Mars
Alia’s winning experiment examined how genes might change under the stresses caused by being in space, such as cosmic radiation and microgravity.
Her samples were placed in a machine on board the International Space Station. called a miniPCR thermal cycler, which can copy DNA multiple times.
After the samples were examined on return to Earth, scientists were able to successfully detect changes caused by being in space in the way DNA transmits instructions through proteins and other molecules in living organisms.
Although Alia’s samples were taken from nematode worms, the results have much bigger long term applications, especially for human space flight and long term missions, such as to Mars.
It also means that the first DNA experiments using human genomes can now be carried out on the ISS.
DSC Eagles 23 Dubai Hurricanes 36
Eagles
Tries: Bright, O’Driscoll
Cons: Carey 2
Pens: Carey 3
Hurricanes
Tries: Knight 2, Lewis, Finck, Powell, Perry
Cons: Powell 3
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Fixtures
50-over match
UAE v Lancashire, starts at 10am
Champion County match
MCC v Surrey, four-day match, starting on Sunday, March 24, play starts at 10am
Both matches are at ICC Academy, Dubai Sports City. Admission is free.
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Brief scores:
Toss: Northern Warriors, elected to field first
Bengal Tigers 130-1 (10 ov)
Roy 60 not out, Rutherford 47 not out
Northern Warriors 94-7 (10 ov)
Simmons 44; Yamin 4-4
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
The biog
Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.
Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella
Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
