Republican leaders are rallying in support of Roy Moore, their candidate in Alabama’s special Senate election on Tuesday despite allegations of sexual misconduct with teenage girls.
President Donald Trump, who initially backed a different candidate for the Republican nomination, recorded a telephone message for waverers saying a vote for Mr Moore was a vote for his “Make America Great Again” agenda.
However, a string of allegations that the former judge chased after teenage girls when he was in his 30s has turned a solid Republican seat into a tight contest.
It pits Mr Moore, a 70-year-old conservative Christian and former state judge, against Doug Jones, a 63-year-old former US attorney, in perhaps the biggest test yet of Mr Trump’s base, and whether voters are prepared to dismiss serious allegations about a candidate as “fake news”.
The president offered an unqualified endorsement of Mr Moore on Friday at a rally just across the state line in Pensacola, Florida.
On Sunday, details of his call emerged.
“We need Roy voting for us and stopping illegal immigration and crime, rebuilding a stronger military and protecting the Second Amendment and our pro-life values,” he says in a recording obtained by ABC News. “But if Alabama elects liberal Democrat Doug Jones, all of our progress will be stopped full.”
Mr Trump’s position puts party agenda ahead of worries about Mr Moore’s past.
Several women have accused him of sexual misconduct. They include driving a 14-year-old girl to his home in the woods, where he allegedly assaulted her, and “hounding” teenagers at a shopping mall.
Mr Moore has refused calls to resign.
However, he all but disappeared from the campaign trail as the controversy dominated the final week.
He reappeared on Sunday for an interview with The Voice of Alabama Politics on local cable TV to repeat his denials, claiming he was the victim of “ritual defamation”.
“I did not know them,” he said of his accusers. “I had no encounter with them. I never molested anyone, and for them to say that, I don't know why they're saying it, but it's not true.”
The controversy has Democrats sensing a win-win scenario: either they pick up the seat and narrow the Republican Senate majority to 51-49 or Mr Moore’s presence in Washington gives them an easy target at a time when allegations of sexual assault unsettle many figures in public life.
Dozens of men have been forced from positions of power in politics, the media and Hollywood after the New York Times revealed how Harvey Weinstein had used his status as a giant of the film world to harass and abuse women.
Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, gave an insight into the sea change in American society when she said that any woman who has felt violated or mistreated by a man has a right to speak out, even if she was accusing Mr Trump.
“Women who accuse anyone should be heard,” Ms Haley said on CBS's Face the Nation. “They should be heard, and they should be dealt with.”
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Yet Mr Moore’s strategy of denial has kept him in the race. Although one poll had him trailing his Democratic rival by four points this month, that lead is reversed in a running average of surveys maintained by Real Clear Politics.
Nate Lerner, executive director of the Democratic Coalition, who is campaigning for Mr Jones in the state, said the blanket denials had worn down Republican voters.
“I think they got numb to it,” he said. “I think you are seeing some of those supporters who initially jumped ship trickling back, which is why the polls remain so close.”
He added that the allegations had made it harder to remind voters that Mr Moore was a divisive candidate before any hint of a sex scandal emerged.
He has argued that homosexuality should be illegal and is opposed to gay marriage, a stance that last year saw him suspended as the state’s chief justice for telling judges to ignore a Supreme Court ruling legalising same-sex unions.
He was removed from the same post in 2003 when he ignored a court order demanding he remove a granite monument to the Ten Commandments from outside the Alabama Judicial Building.
But his conservative positions have won him the backing of Steve Bannon, Mr Trump’s former chief strategist. He was due to campaign in the state on Monday as he assembles a slew of candidates to reshape the Republican Party in the president’s populist image.
As a result, allegations of sexual misconduct have been dismissed as part of a liberal conspiracy by some voters, said Mr Lerner.
“It has almost rallied his base, made it us versus them, solidified his support and made them sceptical about anything coming out of the Jones camp,” he said.
The same goes for Republican leaders. The national party leadership is now backing his campaign reversing its position from a fortnight ago.
And the majority of state officials, with one eye on their own re-election battles next year and wary of crossing an energetic Trump base, are also backing Mr Moore, according to a survey by The Associated Press.
That leaves moderate Republicans with a dilemma. They could write in an alternative name on their ballots — such as Lee Busby, a retired Marine colonel who entered the race once the papers had already been finalised — or simply stay at home.
Either way, the special election in Alabama, where a controversial candidate is endorsed by a polarising president, could provide the first indications of how next year’s pivotal congressional mid-term elections will play out.
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Race card
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m
6.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,400m
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 1,200m
7.50pm: Longines Stakes – Conditions (TB) Dh120,00 (D) 1,900m
8.25pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m
9pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 2,410m
9.35pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 2,000m
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
88 Video's most popular rentals
Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.
Sholay: a 1975 Indian action-adventure film. It follows the adventures of two criminals hired by police to catch a vagabond. The film was panned on release but is now considered a classic.
Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.
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
ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Directed by: Shaka King
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons
Four stars
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
Copa del Rey
Barcelona v Real Madrid
Semi-final, first leg
Wednesday (midnight UAE)
