The war between Israel and Gaza comes at a moment of historic chaos in the US Congress, where Republican infighting risks hampering the US response as Washington rushes to support its ally Israel.
Most pressing is the fact the House of Representatives has no way to bring forward legislation to approve new spending for Israeli security, after Kevin McCarthy was removed from his position as speaker by his own Republican Party last week.
The earliest that Republicans, who hold a narrow majority, can try to install a new leader is on Wednesday.
House foreign affairs committee chairman Mike McCaul told Fox News on Monday that the US has “adequate” funding to support its response to the war “in the short term".
But Mr McCaul said that Congress must act to ensure longer-term support to Israel, including replenishing its Iron Dome anti-missile system and its supplies of precision-guided missiles.
“I would urge my colleagues to not play games with this. It is very serious. It sent a message to the rest of the world that we are weak and dysfunctional,” he said.
“Democracy has to work right now. The world is simply too dangerous.”
Israel has launched a barrage of strikes on the densely packed Gaza Strip, vowing a “complete siege” including “no electricity, no food, no fuel” in response to Hamas militants' surprise attack that has killed at least 900 people in Israel.
More than 500 Palestinians have been killed since the war's launch.
At least nine Americans are among the dead.
Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Sunday that the US military will immediately start shipping ammunition to the Israel Defence Forces.
The House of Representatives has a temporary Speaker, Patrick McHenry, but he has only limited authority and is unable to bring forward legislation until a permanent leader is elected.
He does not have the power to issue subpoenas or sign off on any other official House business.
The Congress had already appropriated $3.3 billion for assistance to Israel, which President Joe Biden has full authority to take from.
“It's absolutely essential we elect a speaker and get back to the business of the people. The first bill on the floor will be my bill condemning Hamas for this terrorist assault on Israel,” Mr McCaul said.
Jonathan Lord, senior fellow and director of the Middle East security programme at the Centre for a New American Security, said the House was going through “unprecedented times”.
Mr Lord said that rules are “opaque” regarding Congress's ability to act on increasing support for Israel without a speaker of the House.
Mr Biden “is going to need more support in the form of a supplemental [spending approval] once he's either exhausted the US stock supply or feels he can't deplete it any further,” Mr Lord, who previously worked on the staff of the House armed services committee, told The National.
He believes with strong enough bipartisan support to push relevant legislation through, Mr McHenry “could get legislation passed to support Israel in this conflict … but the adults in the room need to prevail".
“Checks and balances require the US Congress to function. If it doesn't function, things go bad really fast even before we get to these types of crises," he said.
"If the Congress can't get itself into a position where it can enact legislation, that's detrimental in massive ways.”
Already, the usual order of business for moments of crisis has been disrupted in the Congress.
Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries was reported to have been briefed on the war on Saturday, and is expected to schedule a briefing for all House members next week.
Typically, the speaker of the House would have received that briefing.
But the war has rallied strong bipartisan shows of support for Israel in Congress, and Mr Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been in frequent contact, seemingly setting aside political differences for the moment.
Senate foreign relations chairman Ben Cardin said he intended to advance legislation “at the first opportunity” that boosts US military support of Israel, including “replenishment of missile defence for Iron Dome that ensures such interceptors are always available".
Meanwhile, the war appears to have expedited the stalled confirmation of Mr Biden's nominee for ambassador to Israel, Jack Lew.
US media reported on Monday that the Senate foreign relations committee will host his confirmation hearing on October 18.
Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday also ordered the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier strike group into the Eastern Mediterranean in support of Israel and to deter Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The US and Israel trained together in January during the allies' largest ever joint military exercise, Juniper Oak.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
T20 World Cup Qualifier
October 18 – November 2
Opening fixtures
Friday, October 18
ICC Academy: 10am, Scotland v Singapore, 2.10pm, Netherlands v Kenya
Zayed Cricket Stadium: 2.10pm, Hong Kong v Ireland, 7.30pm, Oman v UAE
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Darius D’Silva, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Junaid Siddique, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Waheed Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Zahoor Khan
Players out: Mohammed Naveed, Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed
Players in: Junaid Siddique, Darius D’Silva, Waheed Ahmed
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
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
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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if you go
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
RESULTS
6.30pm UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) US$100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Final Song, Christophe Soumillon (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (Turf) 1,000m
Winner Almanaara, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Grand Argentier, Brett Doyle, Doug Watson.
8.15pm Meydan Challenge Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Major Partnership, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.50pm Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Gladiator King, Mickael Barzalona, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
Winner Universal Order, Richard Mullen, David Simcock.
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS
Bournemouth 1 Manchester City 2
Watford 0 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Newcastle United 3 West Ham United 0
Huddersfield Town 0 Southampton 0
Crystal Palace 0 Swansea City 2
Manchester United 2 Leicester City 0
West Bromwich Albion 1 Stoke City 1
Chelsea 2 Everton 0
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Burnley 1
Liverpool 4 Arsenal 0
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes.
Where to stay
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.
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
Company name: Play:Date
Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day
Founder: Shamim Kassibawi
Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US
Sector: Tech
Size: 20 employees
Stage of funding: Seed
Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund
The specs: 2018 Infiniti QX80
Price: base / as tested: Dh335,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.1L / 100km
Indian origin executives leading top technology firms
Sundar Pichai
Chief executive, Google and Alphabet
Satya Nadella
Chief executive, Microsoft
Ajaypal Singh Banga
President and chief executive, Mastercard
Shantanu Narayen
Chief executive, chairman, and president, Adobe
Indra Nooyi
Board of directors, Amazon and former chief executive, PepsiCo
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable
Amitav Ghosh, University of Chicago Press
THE LOWDOWN
Photograph
Rating: 4/5
Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
