For nearly 40 minutes on Thursday night, Kamala Harris stood on stage at the United Centre in Chicago and laid out her vision for America – one that included maintaining strong relations with allies around the world as the US continues to lead in the defence of Ukraine, and rallying support for a ceasefire and hostage deal to end the war in Gaza.
She sought to portray herself as a steady hand on the tiller, capable of navigating America through the choppy waters of today’s world.
Her speech – crisp and relatively brief – was in stark contrast in nearly all aspects to the address former president Donald Trump delivered at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month.
But how different is her approach to foreign policy from that of Mr Trump, the man she hopes to beat in November?
Support for Israel
In her address to the Democratic National Convention, Ms Harris tied herself to President Joe Biden’s approach to the Middle East, including his steadfast support of Israel – a stance that continues to be a hallmark of both Democratic and Republican foreign policies.
“I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself, because the people of Israel must never again face the horror that a terrorist organisation called Hamas caused on October 7,” said Ms Harris.
That sentiment mirrors what Mr Trump has said in the past.
“When I’m back in the Oval Office, I will support Israel’s right to win its war on terror,” the Republican candidate said at a recent campaign event in New Jersey. “They have to have a right to win the war.”
Jeremy Pressman, a professor of political science at the University of Connecticut who focuses on Israel and Palestine, said you could take the formulation of what Ms Harris said on Israel “and Trump could say that, he wouldn't bat an eye”.
Where they differ with respect to the current situation in the Middle East, Mr Pressman told The National, is their views towards Palestinians.
Ms Harris was clear that Palestinians deserve the right to “self-determination”.
“President [Joe] Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can realise their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination,” she said.
Mr Trump did not mention Palestinians in his convention speech and in a debate against Mr Biden, he used the term in a derogatory manner in an effort to insult the President.
While in office, he moved the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and changed US policy on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The Biden administration subsequently reverted back to the previous policy, which views settlements as being in breach of international law.
However, Mr Biden only made the move in February, after nearly five months of war in Gaza.
“The Trump administration put out a plan that speaks nothing to dignity, security, freedom or self-determination for Palestinians, other than maybe the name of the idea that there could be a Palestinian state,” Mr Pressman said.
“So, in practice, when Trump had a chance to on the ground to say, 'I actually believe something about Palestinian self-determination', the answer was, 'they don't deserve it'.”
Countering Iran
Iran remains the bogeyman for both Mr Trump and Ms Harris.
The Republican candidate has long accused Democrats of being too soft on Iran and allowing it to creep closer to building a nuclear weapon.
“They took off all the sanctions and they did everything possible for Iran,” Mr Trump said of the Biden administration. “Now Iran is very close to having a nuclear weapon, which would have never happened [under me].”
The former president withdrew the US in 2018 from a deal with Iran that placed limits on its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.
Following the US exit from the deal, the Trump administration began a “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran, through which it placed a series of new sanctions on the country.
During her address, Ms Harris said she would not “hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to defend our forces and our interests against Iran and Iran-backed terrorists”.
Iranian proxy groups in the Middle East have engaged in a series of strikes on US military bases and personnel that have killed three and injured many more.
Concern is high in Washington that the war in Gaza will spill over across the region, after Israel assassinated a commander of Lebanese Iran-backed militia Hezbollah in Beirut, and is widely held responsible for the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Iran has vowed to retaliate.
Two very different takes on the war in Ukraine
In her speech Ms Harris drew upon her experience working to galvanise global support for Ukraine as an example of her ability to lead on the world stage – something she argued separates her from Mr Trump.
“Trump, on the other hand, threatened to abandon Nato, he encouraged [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to invade our allies, said Russia could, quote, do whatever the hell they want,” she said.
The former president has long been critical of Nato and cut an isolationist path while in office.
“Five days before Russia attacked Ukraine, I met with President [Volodymyr] Zelensky to warn him about Russia's plan to invade. I helped mobilise a global response of over 50 countries to defend against Putin's aggression,” Ms Harris said.
She promised to work with allies, a continuation of what Mr Biden, has attempted to do during his term.
Mr Trump, for his part, believes Mr Putin would not have invaded Ukraine if he had been in office.
“I will end every single international crisis that the current administration has created, including the horrible war with Russia and Ukraine, which would have never happened if I was president,” he said during the RNC.
It is unclear why Mr Trump blames the Biden administration for causing the conflict.
While Congress passed a bill earlier this year allocating $61 billion in aid to Ukraine, vocal opposition from some Republicans showed growing concern within the party over sending more cash and materiel to Kyiv with no end to the war in sight.
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Super Rugby play-offs
Quarter-finals
- Hurricanes 35, ACT 16
- Crusaders 17, Highlanders 0
- Lions 23, Sharks 21
- Chiefs 17, Stormers 11
Semi-finals
Saturday, July 29
- Crusaders v Chiefs, 12.35pm (UAE)
- Lions v Hurricanes, 4.30pm
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
57%20Seconds
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
TOUR DE FRANCE INFO
Dates: July 1-23
Distance: 3,540km
Stages: 21
Number of teams: 22
Number of riders: 198
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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