US vice president-elect Kamala Harris and president-elect Joe Biden arrive for victory address after being declared the winner in the 2020 presidential election, in Wilmington, Delaware. EPA
US president-elect Joe Biden and Jill Biden with vice president-elect Kamala Harris are joined by family members after Mr Biden delivered his victory address following the announcement of the winner in the 2020 presidential election, in Wilmington, Delaware. EPA
People watch fireworks after media announced that Democratic US presidential candidate Joe Biden has won the 2020 election, in Wilmington, Delaware. Reuters
US president-elect Joe Biden gestures in celebration after delivering remarks in Wilmington, Delaware. AFP
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his wife Jill, and Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris and her husband Doug, react to the confetti at their rally in Wilmington, Delaware. Reuters
Vice president-elect Kamala Harris arrives to deliver remarks before introducing the US president-elect Joe Biden in Wilmington, Delaware. AFP
People gather to watch the speeches in Times Square in New York City. Reuters
Gabriella Ziccarelli, 32, from Arizona, holds a US flag as she watches a speech by vice president-elect Kamala Harris, in Times Square in New York City. Reuters
Vice president-elect Kamala Harris speaks in Wilmington, Delaware, November 7, 2020. Reuters
US president-elect Joe Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris gesture during their post-election rally in Wilmington, Delaware. Reuters
A person wearing a protective mask holds a 'Biden Harris' campaign sign outside Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia. Bloomberg
The presidential motorcade, with US President Donald Trump, travels through Reston, Virginia, after President Trump played golf at his International golf club. AFP
President Donald Trump returns to the White House from playing golf in Washington, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. AFP
President Donald Trump plays golf at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia. AFP
A woman reacts as she watches speeches by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, in Times Square in New York City. Reuters
People watch the speeches by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, at Times Square in New York City. Reuters
Confetti falls after US president-elect Joe Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris delivered speeches in Wilmington, Delaware. AFP
US president-elect Joe Biden with his wife Jill Biden, salute the crowd on stage after delivering a speech in Wilmington, Delaware. AFP
US president-elect Joe Biden, wife Jill Biden, vice president-elect Kamala Harris and husband Douglas Emhoff hold hands while wearing protective masks during a post-election event in Wilmington, Delaware. Bloomberg
Vice president-elect Kamala Harris and president-elect Joe Biden stand on stage with family members in Wilmington, Delaware. AP Photo
A boy carries a sign with vice president-elect Kamala Harris at Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington. Reuters
People watch a speech by Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris, at Times Square in New York City. Reuters
A woman takes selfie photo posing with an extra edition of a newspaper reporting that Democrat Joe Biden is projected to win the 2020 US presidential election, in Tokyo, Japan. Reuters
Saturday in Washington was like nothing I have experienced in 22 years living in this city. Horns honked, cheers resounded, fireworks crackled and people danced in the streets. It felt like a long, painful war was ending with an almost visceral wave of relief.
Four days after the US election, major news organisations finally and unanimously announced that Democrat Joe Biden had won. President Donald Trump and his allies angrily insist that he somehow is the real winner but they have no coherent narrative to explain why.
Against a backdrop of unprecedented anxiety, the 2020 election mainly produced good news. For many, there’s profound satisfaction that Mr Trump was defeated. Many distinguished figures had warned that a second Trump term could pose an existential threat to democratic institutions, accountability and the rule of law. A major counter-argument was that he lacked the ability, but not the instinct, to push for autocracy.
Any such danger has been avoided.
The presidential win is cathartic for Democrats. It is rare and increasingly difficult to unseat a sitting president.
And the numbers are impressive. In 2016, Mr Trump beat Hillary Clinton in the electoral college by securing 306 votes, though she won the popular tally by almost 3 million. Mr Biden is also heading for 306, but is beating Mr Trump by over 4m popular votes, a double mandate.
Democrats reconstructed the mid-western "blue wall" that Mr Trump grabbed in 2016, including Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. They scored major breakthroughs in traditionally Republican Arizona and Georgia. Democrats would have salivated over this map 12 months ago, though their hopes became exaggerated more recently.
But there's much to please Republicans, too. They made surprising gains in the House of Representatives and crucial state legislatures. Control of the Senate will be decided by two January run-off elections in Georgia. If Republicans win both, they can effectively wield a veto over most of Mr Biden's domestic agenda.
Mr Trump helped inspire the biggest voter turnout in over a century, which was also due to expanded postal and early voting because of the pandemic.
In what was effectively a Trump referendum, no votes prevailed by 4-5m. But there were over 70m yeses, including most of his 2016 voters and significantly expanded blocs of Latinos and African-Americans, particularly younger men who appear to admire his swagger.
So, while many Republicans may be despondent, their party actually did fairly well.
Republican leaders might quietly welcome the potential end of Mr Trump's party leadership. But their refusal to publicly acknowledge Mr Biden's victory suggests they are still terrified of Mr Trump's base, and unwilling to defy him.
American democratic norms and processes prevailed. None of the well-publicised nightmare scenarios played out.
Though an anti-democratic hazard was soundly rejected, the best news of all was non-partisan, structural and institutional. Political systems functioned admirably despite profound social and partisan polarisation and the raging coronavirus pandemic.
Foreign meddling was contained. There was no violence or intimidation at polling places and no effort to disrupt the election process. Irregularities appear minor at worst.
State and local administrators who oversee American elections generally behaved impeccably. Democratic and Republican officials, and countless volunteers and election officers, worked together across the country without incident or rancour.
Americans in their conduct overwhelmingly upheld cherished democratic norms and traditions. The country may be polarised, but citizens on both the left and right appear sincerely committed to these values and mores. This is profoundly reassuring.
Mr Trump may be hoping that the Supreme Court, now bolstered with his latest conservative appointee, Amy Coney Barrett, will intervene and save him, as he repeatedly predicted it would during the campaign. He is going to be deeply disappointed.
This result is not within what is cynically but accurately called "cheating distance", and no pending case would overturn the outcome. If the court tried to overturn a free and fair election on a technicality, it would create an unprecedented constitutional crisis and do irreversible damage to the institution.
Mr Biden’s challenges will be enormous. He inherits a country still beset by a raging pandemic and struggling economy, and deeply divided along partisan, cultural and ethnic lines.
In his first speech as President-elect, he pledged to end the "grim era of demonisation” under Mr Trump and rebuild a spirit of compromise, co-operation and bipartisanship, but that won't be easy.
Much depends on what happens in the Senate, through both its composition as determined by the two Georgia run-off races, and the strategy adopted by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. He ground governance to a virtual halt during much of the Barack Obama presidency, and could choose to repeat that strategy.
Mr Trump ought to help matters by at least acknowledging his defeat, but he seems incapable of that. He appears determined to promulgate a classic right-wing "stabbed in the back" theory that insists he is still the legitimate President, and so exacerbate tensions and further divide Americans.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden addresses the nation at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware. AFP
Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris looks on as US Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden speaks about election results in Wilmington, Delaware. Reuters
Dogs with bibs supporting Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden are seen across the street from where ballots are being counted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Reuters
Police stand guard during a demonstration held by supporters of democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden in New York. EPA
People cheer after Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden overtook President Donald Trump in the Pennsylvania general election vote count. Reuters
Activists celebrate after Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden overtook President Donald Trump in the Pennsylvania general election vote count, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Reuters
Journalists from all over the world wait for the result of the US Presidential elections on Black Lives Matter Plaza in front of the White House in Washington. AFP
Republican canvas observer Ed White, takes photos with his smart phone as Lehigh County workers count ballots as vote counting continues in Allentown Pennsylvania. AP Photo
Supporters of President Donald Trump demonstrate outside of the TCF Centre in Detroit, Michigan. AFP
Election officials proceed with the counting of ballots at the Allegheny County elections warehouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. AFP
House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi holds a news conference during the presidential election in Washington. Reuters
Protesters urge vote counting outside the Pennsylvania Convention Center. AFP
Supporters of President Trump, who are questioning the legitimacy of the state's vote counting, gather outside of the Pennsylvania Convention Centre in Philadelphia. EPA
A police officer stands watch near a stage set up by the campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in Wilmington, Delaware. Reuters
Protesters, police, members of the media and others converge outside of the Convention Centre as the counting of ballots continues in the state in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. AFP
Protesters gather outside of the Philadelphia Convention Centre. AFP
Protesters outside of the Philadelphia Convention Centre. Joe Biden took the lead in the vote count on Friday morning from President Trump, bringing him one step closer to winning the election. AFP
A stage set up by the campaign of Joe Biden sits ready in Wilmington. Reuters
Once he's gone, however unwillingly, much of the country will try to move on. But the willingness and ability of the Republican Party to get past the Trump era remains an open question
Reports suggest he might nonetheless be willing to negotiate a normal transfer of power. His terms are unclear, but he faces significant potential criminal charges at both the federal and state levels, and has reportedly expressed concern he may face prosecution when he loses the protection of the presidency. He could be hoping for salvation through the art of the deal.
Mr Trump will probably be the first modern US President to refuse to concede defeat and participate in his successor’s inauguration. More likely is a new media-centred career of insisting that he’s still the real President and American democracy is a corrupt fraud.
He could inflict significant national damage while he is still formally in office until January 20, but he could also be restrained or even ignored, including by subordinates. His options might be more limited in practice than in theory.
Once he's gone, however unwillingly, much of the country will try to move on. But the willingness and ability of the Republican Party to get past the Trump era remains an open question. The immediate US political future may hang on the answer.
Hussein Ibish is a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute and a US affairs columnist for The National
Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.
Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
AUSTRALIA SQUADS
ODI squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
Twenty20 squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day – 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227-4 at the close.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
