Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed into law a $95 billion foreign aid package that includes funding for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, ending months of intense partisan battles.
Mr Biden said the bill is an investment in the security interests of the US and its allies, and that it will ensure the nation's leadership in the world.
“It was a difficult path; it should have been easier and it should have gotten there sooner,” Mr Biden said in remarks at the White House.
“[But] we rose to the moment, we came together and we got it done.”
The funding measure includes about $60 billion for Ukraine, $26 billion for Israel, and $8 billion for Taiwan and Indo-Pacific security.
It also features a provision that would potentially ban the social media platform TikTok from the US, or force its Chinese parent company to sell it.
Why is the US concerned about TikTok? – video
On Tuesday, the Senate passed the aid package with broad bipartisan support in a 79-18 vote.
Mr Biden, who is running for re-election in November, requested the Ukraine funding in October.
The Senate passed a similar foreign aid package in February but Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson held the bill up for months, under pressure from his own party.
A group of Republican politicians allied to presidential nominee Donald Trump say they oppose Washington's continued support for the war in Ukraine, two years after Russia's invasion.
But Iran's strike on Israel this month created a new urgency and forced the Republican Speaker to bring the bill to a vote.
The package includes about $4 billion towards replenishing Israel’s missile defence systems.
“With this aid, the United States can help replenish Israel's air defence so Iran can never carry out the destruction it intended with its attack 10 days ago,” Mr Biden said.
A group of progressive Democrats had opposed the aid package for Israel, with 37 politicians voting against it.
The new funding places no conditions on how the money can be used, amid concerns Israel could be committing human rights violations in its military operation in Gaza.
More than 34,200 Palestinians have been killed, according to health authorities in Gaza, and famine is looming.
Israel launched its offensive on October 7, after an attack by Hamas killed about 1,200, according to Israeli authorities.
The Biden administration has for months been urging Israel to do more to facilitate the entry of much-needed aid into Gaza and has pledged more than $9 billion of the bill to go towards humanitarian assistance there.
Mr Biden said Israel must ensure that the aid reaches Gaza quickly.
“We're going to immediately secure that aid and surge it, surge it, including food, medical supplies, clean water,” Mr Biden said.
“And Israel must make sure all this aid reaches the Palestinians in Gaza without delay.”
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his troops are in urgent need of additional arms, especially long-range weapons to support Kyiv's frontline forces.
On Sunday, Mr Zelenskyy said the US aid would mean Ukraine now has “a chance of victory”.
The bill the President signed today, and the significant and immediate military aid package he approved one minute later, will send Ukraine the supplies that it needs to make a significant difference as they continue to fight for their sovereignty.
The US President said an initial transfer of military assistance to Ukraine would begin in a matter of hours.
“I'm making sure the shipments start right away,” Mr Biden said. “The next few hours – literally in a few hours.”
Weapons wanted by Ukraine – in pictures
Notable Yas events in 2017/18
October 13-14 KartZone (complimentary trials)
December 14-16 The Gulf 12 Hours Endurance race
March 5 Yas Marina Circuit Karting Enduro event
March 8-9 UAE Rotax Max Challenge
57%20Seconds
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Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier
Results
UAE beat Saudi Arabia by 12 runs
Kuwait beat Iran by eight wickets
Oman beat Maldives by 10 wickets
Bahrain beat Qatar by six wickets
Semi-finals
UAE v Qatar
Bahrain v Kuwait
Switching%20sides
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Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
How to donate
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Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
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