Buoyed by an anti-Trump sentiment and an energised base that voted in high numbers on November 6, the US Democratic Party is on its way to crack a three-decade-old firewall that the Republicans have built in Arizona and Orange County districts of California.
In Arizona, rising Democratic star Kyrsten Sinema was on her way, barring major surprises, to deliver a major upset and take the Senate seat held by Republican Jeff Flake. With only three precincts left to count, Ms Sinema, 42, had pulled ahead of Martha McSally by 32,640 votes as of Sunday night. She had 49.6 per cent of the votes compared to 48.1 per cent for Ms McSally, with 99 per cent already counted.
Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report has already called the race for Ms Sinema. He tweeted on Sunday night that the race “has been over for a while”, and expected Arizona to be one of the six swing states that will decide the 2020 presidential election.
Ms Sinema's campaign manager Andrew Piatt did not declare victory but said as much in describing her mathematical lead "insurmountable".
"Kyrsten has now expanded her overall lead to 32,640 or 1.52 per cent, meaning McSally would have to win the remainder of Maricopa County ballots by 22 per cent to take the lead in this race,” Mr Piatt said. "This is not plausible. Kyrsten will be declared the next US Senator from Arizona."
But Jim Bognet, Ms McSally’s campaign manager, gave no sign of conceding. Despite falling behind, he said: "The latest release provides compelling evidence that the remaining uncounted ballots are favourable to Martha. And we will continue our effort to make sure all lawful ballots are counted.”
According to Politico, more than 160,000 votes were outstanding in Maricopa County, where Ms Sinema now leads Ms McSally by about 46,000 votes. For Ms McSally to win, she has to reverse her fortunes in the Maricopa by winning by more than 20 per cent, instead of currently losing by 6.25 per cent.
Ms Sinema's lead in Arizona is significant because no Democrat has won a Senate seat in the Grand Canyon state since Dennis DeConcini in 1988. After flipping the Nevada Senate seat, where incumbent Republican Dean Heller lost to Democrat Jacky Rosen, the blue party is slowly but surely making cracks in the Republican firewall in the American Southwest.
Overall, a win for Ms Sinema would shrink the Republican gains in the Senate to 53-47 if the GOP wins the recount in Florida and the run-off election in Mississippi.
In the House, where Democrats have gained 33 seats so far, all eyes are on Orange County, where six highly contested races could go for the Democrats. "No county — no part of a county — has been at the heart of conservatism since the 1960s like the coast between Dana Point and the Los Angeles County line", is how the Los Angeles Times described the area.
Republican Dana Rohrabacher, who represented the 48th district for 30 years and last won by a double-digit percentage, lost the seat to Democrat Harley Rouda by 8,500 votes. Mr Rohrabacher was one of most vocal supporters of Russia and its President Vladimir Putin in Congress.
In the 49th district that includes part of Orange County, the Republicans lost outgoing Lebanese-American congressman Darell Issa’s seat, which he had held since 2001. Democrat Mike Levin won against a Trump ally Republican Diane Harkey by a margin of 9.3 per cent.
Experts warned of a complete wipeout of Republican seats in the county when all the ballots are counted.
"If Republicans don't hold any seats in Orange County, that would mean just four out of 25 House Republicans left in Clinton districts," Josh Kraushaar of the The National Journal tweeted, pointing out that the Democratic candidates in three of those four seats were weak.
In the short term, the Democratic gains in historically Republican districts give the party a wider margin in the House of Representatives to launch investigations and subpoenas against Mr Trump’s team. In the long term, it is a cause for alarm to Republicans over how the electoral map for 2020 and future races will look.
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The bio
Favourite book: Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer
Favourite quote: “The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist
Favourite Authors: Arab poet Abu At-Tayyib Al-Mutanabbi
Favourite Emirati food: Luqaimat, a deep-fried dough soaked in date syrup
Hobbies: Reading and drawing
Crime%20Wave
%3Cp%3EHeavyweight%20boxer%20Fury%20revealed%20on%20Sunday%20his%20cousin%20had%20been%20%E2%80%9Cstabbed%20in%20the%20neck%E2%80%9D%20and%20called%20on%20the%20courts%20to%20address%20the%20wave%20of%20more%20sentencing%20of%20offenders.%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERico%20Burton%2C%2031%2C%20was%20found%20with%20stab%20wounds%20at%20around%203am%20on%20Sunday%20in%20Goose%20Green%2C%20Altrincham%20and%20subsequently%20died%20of%20his%20injuries.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%26nbsp%3B%E2%80%9CMy%20cousin%20was%20murdered%20last%20night%2C%20stabbed%20in%20the%20neck%20this%20is%20becoming%20ridiculous%20%E2%80%A6%20idiots%20carry%20knives.%20This%20needs%20to%20stop%2C%E2%80%9D%0D%20Fury%20said.%20%E2%80%9CAsap%2C%20UK%20government%20needs%20to%20bring%20higher%20sentencing%20for%20knife%20crime%2C%20it%E2%80%99s%20a%20pandemic%20%26amp%3B%20you%20don%E2%80%99t%20know%20how%20bad%20it%20is%20until%20%5Bit%E2%80%99s%5D%201%20of%20your%20own!%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan 1 (Martinez 18' pen)
Juventus 2 (Dybala 4', Higuain 80')
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
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20CarbonSifr%3Cbr%3EStarted%3A%202022%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Onur%20Elgun%2C%20Mustafa%20Bosca%20and%20Muhammed%20Yildirim%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Climate%20tech%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%241%20million%20raised%20in%20seed%20funding%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
BMW%20M4%20Competition
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Story%20behind%20the%20UAE%20flag
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
