Given Joe Biden's age, ordinary Americans will be eager to know what Kamala Harris' positions and instincts are. AFP
Given Joe Biden's age, ordinary Americans will be eager to know what Kamala Harris' positions and instincts are. AFP
Given Joe Biden's age, ordinary Americans will be eager to know what Kamala Harris' positions and instincts are. AFP
Given Joe Biden's age, ordinary Americans will be eager to know what Kamala Harris' positions and instincts are. AFP

Expect fewer vices in the Pence-Harris debate


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In normal times, a vice-presidential debate doesn’t rank high on the roster of set-piece events that define the closing weeks of a US presidential election. But these are not normal times. The Wednesday night face-off in Utah between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris could be the most important vice-presidential debate since 1976, when the exchange was first enshrined as an election-year fixture.

President Donald Trump has contracted Covid-19, which means the spotlight is on his deputy as the person next in line to assume power, if required. And at 77, Mr Trump's Democratic challenger Joe Biden is in the high-risk category for complications were he to be infected by coronavirus. Accordingly, the political positions and instincts of Ms Harris, Mr Biden's vice-presidential pick, assume greater importance than usually given to the second-rung candidate on the ballot.

Add to that the backlash from the first US presidential debate on September 29. It was neither presidential nor really a debate, with Mr Trump assuming an aggressively disruptive posture that his admirers have described as "gladiatorial". Mr Trump's subsequent illness has left a question mark on the two remaining presidential debates scheduled for this month.

In the circumstances, the 90-minute conversation between Mr Pence and Ms Harris may prove to be the more consequential and enlightening exchange on the substantive issues that face the US and the world than any presidential debate this year.

In fact, it may be the last – and perhaps the only – time that the American electorate and much of the planet gets to hear top-flight American politicians credibly represent their parties' contrasting views on governance, economics, trade, foreign policy, social justice, the pandemic, health care, climate change and the culture wars.

In a sense, this will be a mainstream Democrat speaking to a mainstream Republican without the distracting acerbic charge provided by Mr Trump as he lays into Mr Biden. As a respected Republican lobbyist put it, “the undercard is going to be the crisp, textbook political debate you'd expect at the president level while the championship bout is going to be a war of rhetorical attrition".

Finally, of course, the debate bears the weight of historical significance. It will be only the third time that a woman is centre-stage and auditioning for a job that puts her, as the cliche goes, a heartbeat away from the presidency. Ms Harris follows in the sprightly wake of 1984 Democratic vice-presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro and the somewhat mediocre performance turned in by the 2008 Republican pick Sarah Palin.

A worker hangs a banner as preparations take place for the vice-presidential debate outside Kingsbury Hall at the University of Utah on Monday. AP Photo
A worker hangs a banner as preparations take place for the vice-presidential debate outside Kingsbury Hall at the University of Utah on Monday. AP Photo

Whoever wins the 2020 debate, it is reasonable to expect the encounter will reflect some of the advances American women have made in the 36 years since Ferraro debated George HW Bush.

Ms Harris, a California senator and sharp prosecutor, is unlikely to suffer the predicament of the late Ferraro, also a lawyer and a member of Congress. Bush continually referred to her as “Mrs Ferraro” rather than by her job title of “Congresswoman” and offered to help her understand the nuances of international diplomacy, especially “the difference…between Iran and the embassy in Lebanon". At the time, Ferraro responded with a mild admonition of Bush’s “patronising attitude that he has to teach me about foreign policy".

In the age of the #MeToo movement and the campaign for greater inclusiveness across gender and racial divides, it is hard to imagine even so conservative and religious a politician as Mr Pence daring to deal with Ms Harris in the same way. It is worth noting, as an aside, that Ms Harris will not have the privilege accorded by Mr Biden to Ms Palin in their debate – of standing rather than sitting during the session. Mr Biden agreed to Ms Palin's request that both candidates stand throughout. But the Trump campaign prefers to have them seated, a point that observers describe as outrageous in light of the pandemic.

US Vice President Mike Pence will be mindful of how he debates with Kamala Harris on Wednesday night. Reuters
US Vice President Mike Pence will be mindful of how he debates with Kamala Harris on Wednesday night. Reuters

But whether they stand or sit across from each other, debates between vice-presidential nominees can be as much a measure of social change as a handy baseline view of political perspective minus the personal animosity that comes with the contest for the top job. Generally though, they play, like their principals, second fiddle to the contenders for the White House. Mr Trump once made clear where Mr Pence stands – behind him and in the shadows. "I will say this, people don't vote for the vice,” he told a radio show in August. “People don't vote for the vice president, they really don't."

It is true that American voters care about the top of the ticket and their limited attention to debates between the deputies reflects that reality. Vice-presidential debates mostly attract about one-third of the television viewership accorded to a presidential face-off. In 2016, for instance, just 37 million people watched the debate between Mr Pence, then governor of Indiana and Mr Trump's vice-presidential nominee, and Hillary Clinton's pick, Senator Tim Kaine. That was 44 per cent less than the viewership of the lowest-rated Trump-Clinton presidential debate, which drew 66.5 million viewers.

The 2008 vice-presidential debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin attracted plenty of public interest. Reuters
The 2008 vice-presidential debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin attracted plenty of public interest. Reuters
Ms Harris will have to convince enough Americans that she and Mr Biden are centrists. Mr Pence has to assure redemption but without any progressive change

The only time a vice-presidential debate scored big was in 2008, when nearly 70 million people tuned in to watch Ms Palin versus then senator Biden. More people watched Biden-Palin than any of the three debates between the 2008 presidential hopefuls, senators Barack Obama and John McCain. The reason was thought to be Ms Palin’s avowed status as a fearless culture warrior, albeit with a shaky grasp of the logic and facts upon which she rested her case.

It is possible that the unique circumstances of this pandemic year – and the septuagenarian presidential candidates – may drive extraordinary interest in the Pence-Harris debate. It certainly promises to be an assured performance on either side because Mr Pence is a silver-tongued former radio talk show host and Ms Harris a formidably forensic trial lawyer.

Each faces significant challenges. Ms Harris will have to convince enough Americans that she and Mr Biden are centrists and not in hock to the "radical left" as they are painted by Mr Pence and Mr Trump. For Mr Pence, the case is arguably harder. At a hellish moment for America, he has to assure redemption but without any progressive change.

Rashmee Roshan Lall is a columnist for The National

The biog

Born: High Wycombe, England

Favourite vehicle: One with solid axels

Favourite camping spot: Anywhere I can get to.

Favourite road trip: My first trip to Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan. The desert they have over there is different and the language made it a bit more challenging.

Favourite spot in the UAE: Al Dhafra. It’s unique, natural, inaccessible, unspoilt.

Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
  1. Join parent networks
  2. Look beyond school fees
  3. Keep an open mind
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.

Spare

Profile

Company name: Spare

Started: March 2018

Co-founders: Dalal Alrayes and Saurabh Shah

Based: UAE

Sector: FinTech

Investment: Own savings. Going for first round of fund-raising in March 2019

MATCH INFO

FA Cup fifth round

Chelsea v Manchester United, Monday, 11.30pm (UAE), BeIN Sports

Pari

Produced by: Clean Slate Films (Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Sharma) & KriArj Entertainment

Director: Prosit Roy

Starring: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor, Mansi Multani

Three stars

Friday’s fixture

6.15pm: Al Wahda v Hatta

6.15pm: Al Dhafra v Ajman

9pm: Al Wasl v Baniyas

9pm: Fujairah v Sharjah

.

Uefa Nations League: How it Works

The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.

The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.

Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.

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.
The%C2%A0specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204-cylinder%202.0L%20TSI%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%20clutch%207-speed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20320HP%20%2F%20235kW%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20400Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20%2449%2C709%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE APPRENTICE

Director: Ali Abbasi

Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong

Rating: 3/5

england euro squad

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Man Utd), Sam Johnstone (West Brom), Jordan Pickford (Everton)

Defenders: John Stones (Man City), Luke Shaw (Man Utd), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (Man City), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Reece James (Chelsea), Conor Coady (Wolves), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid)

Midfielders: Mason Mount (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds)

Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Man Utd), Raheem Sterling (Man City), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Phil Foden (Man City), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

Naga
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EMeshal%20Al%20Jaser%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EAdwa%20Bader%2C%20Yazeed%20Almajyul%2C%20Khalid%20Bin%20Shaddad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
DUNE%3A%20PART%20TWO
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Denis%20Villeneuve%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Timothee%20Chamalet%2C%20Zendaya%2C%20Austin%20Butler%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
%3Cp%3EHigh%20fever%20(40%C2%B0C%2F104%C2%B0F)%3Cbr%3ESevere%20headache%3Cbr%3EPain%20behind%20the%20eyes%3Cbr%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3Cbr%3ENausea%3Cbr%3EVomiting%3Cbr%3ESwollen%20glands%3Cbr%3ERash%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
yallacompare profile

Date of launch: 2014

Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer

Based: Media City, Dubai 

Sector: Financial services

Size: 120 employees

Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)

Squad: Majed Naser, Abdulaziz Sanqour, Walid Abbas, Khamis Esmail, Habib Fardan, Mohammed Marzouq (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai), Khalid Essa, Muhanad Salem, Mohammed Ahmed, Ismail Ahmed, Ahmed Barman,  Amer Abdulrahman, Omar Abdulrahman (Al Ain), Ali Khaseif, Fares Juma, Mohammed Fawzi, Khalfan Mubarak, Mohammed Jamal, Ahmed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Ahmed Rashid, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Wahda), Tariq Ahmed, Mahmoud Khamis, Khalifa Mubarak, Jassim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Yousef Saeed (Sharjah), Suhail Al Nubi (Baniyas)

ANATOMY%20OF%20A%20FALL
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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
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20myZoi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Syed%20Ali%2C%20Christian%20Buchholz%2C%20Shanawaz%20Rouf%2C%20Arsalan%20Siddiqui%2C%20Nabid%20Hassan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2037%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Initial%20undisclosed%20funding%20from%20SC%20Ventures%3B%20second%20round%20of%20funding%20totalling%20%2414%20million%20from%20a%20consortium%20of%20SBI%2C%20a%20Japanese%20VC%20firm%2C%20and%20SC%20Venture%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
SCORES IN BRIEF

New Zealand 153 and 56 for 1 in 22.4 overs at close
Pakistan 227
(Babar 62, Asad 43, Boult 4-54, De Grandhomme 2-30, Patel 2-64)

Results

5pm: Warsan Lake – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m; Winner: Dhaw Al Reef, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer) 

5.30pm: Al Quadra Lake – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Mrouwah Al Gharbia, Sando Paiva, Abubakar Daud 

6pm: Hatta Lake – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Yatroq, George Buckell, Ernst Oertel 

6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Adries de Vries, Ibrahim Aseel 

7pm: Abu Dhabi Championship – Listed (PA) Dh180,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Bahar Muscat, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami 

7.30pm: Zakher Lake – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Alfareeq, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi.  

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Rating: 4/5
While you're here