Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
Arab Americans in the battleground state of Michigan will head to the polls on Tuesday for their primary elections, with many planning to cast an “uncommitted” protest vote over President Joe Biden’s handling of the Israel-Gaza war.
Campaign organisers with a group called Listen to Michigan hope the move will capture the White House’s attention in a must-win state for the general election in November and make it clear that their vote – and Mr Biden’s position on Gaza – could cost him re-election.
In Dearborn, Michigan, the capital of Arab America, residents say they are angry over Mr Biden’s continued support for Israel and his refusal to call for a ceasefire in the months-long war in Gaza.
They have been asking members of the community to vote “uncommitted”.
“Voting uncommitted was created out of this frustration and discontent with the Biden administration’s support for the aggression on Gaza and the military funding to Israel,” Layla Elabed, a manager with the Listen to Michigan campaign, told The National.
“The primary goal is to send a message to Joe Biden that we need a ceasefire now.”
The group has set up a website, social media accounts, phone banking events and canvassing efforts across the state.
They have received support from elected Democratic officials, including Dearborn’s Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.
“We want to send a message to Mr Biden and the Democratic Party that if you don't change your policies, we will not vote for you,” Sam Alasri, of the Yemeni American Public Affairs Council, told The National.
“We are here, and we could be with you, or against you.”
Four years ago, the vast majority of Arab Americans in the state came out in support of Mr Biden in the general election, helping him to victory.
Michigan is one of a handful of “swing” or purple states, which are won by small margins every election.
The Republican Party is associated with the colour red while the Democrats are blue.
In US primary elections, voters get to select their party’s nominee in the general election, and Mr Biden, who is running for re-election, is essentially the uncontested candidate for the Democratic Party.
But the uncommitted vote could serve as a litmus test for his standing among a critical voting bloc in a must-win state.
In 2020, Mr Biden swung the state Democratic by about 154,000 votes.
In 2016, former president Donald Trump, the likely Republican nominee for this election, won it by a little more than 10,000 votes – the number of uncommitted votes the campaign is hoping to get.
Michigan is home to about 500,000 Arab Americans who say they feel betrayed by Mr Biden over his support for Israel since October 7, when Israel launched a punishing military campaign on Gaza in response to a Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 people, according to authorities.
“Genocide Joe has got to go,” demonstrators often chant during protests.
Mr Biden has expressed his solid support for Israel and bypassed Congress twice to approve emergency weapons sales to the country.
He has also questioned the number of Palestinian civilian casualties in Gaza and his administration has vetoed three resolutions at the UN Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire.
In the more than four months of the war, about 29,700 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to local health authorities.
The impact has been personal and deeply felt in Dearborn, where dozens of residents have lost relatives in Israeli strikes on Gaza, and where dozens of others had to be evacuated with the help of the State Department in the weeks after the war broke out.
Mr Biden is also facing another campaign called Abandon Biden, whose supporters in Michigan have pledged not to vote for him over his policies in Gaza, no matter what happens between now and November.
“President Biden, respectfully, has not encouraged people to be in his camp – especially in the way he handled international affairs in Gaza and the expansion of wars elsewhere,” Mahmoud Al Hadidi, chairman of the Michigan Muslim Community Council, told The National.
“He acts like he doesn’t care.”
Mr Al Hadidi says most Muslim and Arab Americans do not want to see Mr Trump – who has vowed to reinstate and expand travel bans on several Muslim-majority countries – back in the White House.
“The majority would like to see President Biden wake up and do something right in the next few months,” he said.
“Respectfully, I would like him to wake up and listen to the cries of children and civilians and his constituents who supported him.”
Mr Biden has said that he has personally been working hard on a temporary humanitarian pause in fighting in Gaza, to secure the release of hostages and allow the entry of more aid into the enclave.
This month, he sent a group of senior officials to Dearborn to meet Muslim and Arab-American leaders.
“Obviously, we know that this has been a difficult time and the President cares very deeply,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Polls show that discontent over Mr Biden's handling of the Israel-Gaza war extends beyond Muslim and Arab Americans.
A new poll conducted in Michigan by Epic-MRA found that 53 per cent of US voters want a ceasefire in Gaza.
Among Democrats, nearly three quarters – 74 per cent – said they supported a ceasefire.
The same poll found Mr Biden trailing Mr Trump by 4 percentage points in Michigan, with 14 per cent of respondents still undecided.
Inside the Arab American campaign to unseat US President Joe Biden in 2024 – video
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
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- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
Sole survivors
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RACE CARD
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,400m
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 1,000m
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 2,000m
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 2,000m
7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Al Ain Mile Group 3 (PA) Dh350,000 1,600m
8pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Amith's selections:
5pm: AF Sail
5.30pm: Dahawi
6pm: Taajer
6.30pm: Pharitz Oubai
7pm: Winked
7.30pm: Shahm
8pm: Raniah
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
Key facilities
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- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
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- 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
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
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The specs
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Transmission: CVT
Power: 170bhp
Torque: 220Nm
Price: Dh98,900
Brief scoreline:
Manchester United 2
Rashford 28', Martial 72'
Watford 1
Doucoure 90'
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AT4 Ultimate, as tested
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Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
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On sale: Now
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
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EMILY%20IN%20PARIS%3A%20SEASON%203
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%3Cp%3EThe%20influx%20of%20talented%20young%20Afghan%20players%20to%20UAE%20cricket%20could%20have%20a%20big%20impact%20on%20the%20fortunes%20of%20both%20countries.%20Here%20are%20three%20Emirates-based%20players%20to%20watch%20out%20for.%0D%3Cbr%3E%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EHassan%20Khan%20Eisakhil%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMohammed%20Nabi%20is%20still%20proving%20his%20worth%20at%20the%20top%20level%20but%20there%20is%20another%20reason%20he%20is%20raging%20against%20the%20idea%20of%20retirement.%20If%20the%20allrounder%20hangs%20on%20a%20little%20bit%20longer%2C%20he%20might%20be%20able%20to%20play%20in%20the%20same%20team%20as%20his%20son%2C%20Hassan%20Khan.%20The%20family%20live%20in%20Ajman%20and%20train%20in%20Sharjah.%0D%3Cbr%3E%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMasood%20Gurbaz%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EThe%20opening%20batter%2C%20who%20trains%20at%20Sharjah%20Cricket%20Academy%2C%20is%20another%20player%20who%20is%20a%20part%20of%20a%20famous%20family.%20His%20brother%2C%20Rahmanullah%2C%20was%20an%20IPL%20winner%20with%20Kolkata%20Knight%20Riders%2C%20and%20opens%20the%20batting%20with%20distinction%20for%20Afghanistan.%0D%3Cbr%3E%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOmid%20Rahman%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EThe%20fast%20bowler%20became%20a%20pioneer%20earlier%20this%20year%20when%20he%20became%20the%20first%20Afghan%20to%20represent%20the%20UAE.%20He%20showed%20great%20promise%20in%20doing%20so%2C%20too%2C%20playing%20a%20key%20role%20in%20the%20senior%20team%E2%80%99s%20qualification%20for%20the%20Asia%20Cup%20in%20Muscat%20recently.%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Draw for Presidents Cup fourball matches on Thursday (Internationals first mention). All times UAE:
02.32am (Thursday): Marc Leishman/Joaquin Niemann v Tiger Woods/Justin Thomas
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PROFILE
Name: Enhance Fitness
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 200
Amount raised: $3m
Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors
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