Tensions mounted in the battleground state of Georgia on Friday, where Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden edged past Republican President Donald Trump in a race that could win him the White House.
Mr Biden gained a 1,600-vote lead over the president in Georgia after more ballots were counted, including mail-in votes from the state’s Democrat-leaning cities, pushing him closer to winning the state’s 16 electoral college votes.
Georgia official Brad Raffensperger said there will be a recount there due to a “margin that small” with “huge implications for the entire country”.
Some 4,000 ballots remain uncounted in Georgia, mostly from Democratic-leaning urban areas.
“The stakes are high and emotions are high on all sides. We will not let those debates distract us from our work. We will get it right, and we will defend the integrity of our elections,” Mr Raffensperger told reporters.
Continuing to make unfounded allegations of widespread voter fraud in Tuesday’s election, Mr Trump tweeted on Friday about “missing military ballots in Georgia,” asking: “What happened to them?”
Georgia is also a battleground for two tight senate races, which could determine whether Republicans or Democrats control the upper chamber of Congress, with big implications for the effectiveness of a potential Biden administration.
A race between Republican Senator David Perdue and Democratic opponent Jon Ossoff now appears likely to head to a run-off vote in January, when voters will also decide in the race between Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, and Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler.
Georgia’s unique “jungle primary” system stipulates that the November elections move to a run-off if no candidate receives more than 50 per cent of the total.
As of Friday, the state continued to count its mail-in ballots, but neither of the two Republican incumbents appeared likely to crack the 50 per cent threshold, ensuring that they’ll have to face off against their Democratic challengers in January.
With Republicans Dan Sullivan and Thom Tillis likely to win their races in Alaska and North Carolina, the Georgia special elections will mark Democrats’ last chance to obtain a Senate majority that they will need to advance much of Mr Biden’s agenda.
And even if Democrats win both races, the Senate would be evenly split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans. That would mean that Mr Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris, would have to spend a lot of time on Capitol Hill as the vice president votes to break any tie in the chamber.
While Mr Perdue enjoys a narrow lead over Mr Ossoff – a former congressional staffer and journalist – his inability to crack the 50 per cent barrier ensures that the two men will have to face off again in January.
In the second race, Ms Loeffler was not able to crack 50 per cent because Congressman Doug Collins split the state’s conservative vote by running to her right. Mr Collins conceded earlier this week, paving the way for a January runoff between Ms Loeffler and Reverend Raphael Warnock.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp appointed Ms Loeffler – a former Wall Street executive – to the Senate last year after Johnny Isakson resigned last year over issues. Ms Loeffler and Mr Warnock are facing off in this year’s special election to finish the last two years of Mr Isakson’s term.
While Georgia has historically been a Republican-dominated state, Democrats put up a strong fight this year – and Mr Biden may even be to snatch it away from President Donald Trump this year as the ballot count continues.
The strong Democratic turnout has largely been credited to get out the vote efforts orchestrated by Stacey Abrams, whose nonprofit helped register some 800,000 new voters in Georgia. Ms Abrams was the state's Democratic nominee for governor in 2018, but narrowly lost the election amid accusations of widespread voter suppression.
Democrats are still expected to maintain their majority in the House, albeit by a much slimmer margin than they currently enjoy.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MEYDAN CARD
6.30pm Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm Conditions Dh240,000 (D) 1,600m
7.40pm Handicap Dh190,000 (D) 2,000m
8.15pm Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 2,200m
8.50pm The Entisar Listed Dh265,000 (D) 2,000m
9.25pm The Garhoud Sprint Listed Dh265,000 (D) 1,200m
10pm Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m
The National selections
6.30pm Majestic Thunder
7.05pm Commanding
7.40pm Mark Of Approval
8.15pm Mulfit
8.50pm Gronkowski
9.25pm Walking Thunder
10pm Midnight Sands
Grand Slam Los Angeles results
Men:
56kg – Jorge Nakamura
62kg – Joao Gabriel de Sousa
69kg – Gianni Grippo
77kg – Caio Soares
85kg – Manuel Ribamar
94kg – Gustavo Batista
110kg – Erberth Santos
Women:
49kg – Mayssa Bastos
55kg – Nathalie Ribeiro
62kg – Gabrielle McComb
70kg – Thamara Silva
90kg – Gabrieli Pessanha
THE SCORES
Ireland 125 all out
(20 overs; Stirling 72, Mustafa 4-18)
UAE 125 for 5
(17 overs, Mustafa 39, D’Silva 29, Usman 29)
UAE won by five wickets
Results
6.30pm Madjani Stakes Rated Conditions (PA) I Dh160,000 I 1,900m I Winner: Mawahib, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
7.05pm Maiden Dh150,000 I 1,400m I Winner One Season, Antonio Fresu, Satish Seemar
7.40pm: Maiden Dh150,000 I 2,000m I Winner Street Of Dreams, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
8.15pm Dubai Creek Listed I Dh250,000 I 1,600m I Winner Heavy Metal, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.50pm The Entisar Listed I Dh250,000 I 2,000m I Winner Etijaah, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson
9.25pm The Garhoud Listed I Dh250,000 I 1,200m I Winner Muarrab, Dane O’Neill, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
10pm Handicap I Dh160,000 I 1,600m I Winner Sea Skimmer, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch automatic
Power: 169bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh54,500
On sale: now
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
More on Turkey's Syria offence
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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1.
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United States
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2.
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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7.
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Singapore
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8.
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Australia
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9.
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Saudi Arabia
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10.
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South Korea
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
