President Donald Trump faced a new setback on Saturday in his desperate bid to overturn the US election as a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by his campaign that sought to throw out millions of mail-in votes in Pennsylvania.
US District Court Judge Matthew Brann ruled that Mr Trump's campaign had failed to demonstrate there had been widespread voting fraud in the November 3 election which the president lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
"This court has been presented with strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations," Brann wrote.
Judge Brann added that he "has no authority to take away the right to vote of even a single person, let alone millions of citizens".
The decision means the US election map remains as:
President's straw man blown out of court
The lawsuit, led by Mr Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, sought to stop officials from certifying Mr Biden's victory in the state, arguing that some counties wrongly allowed voters to fix errors on their mail ballots.
Mr Giuliani did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Following the ruling, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro tweeted:
The lawsuit is one of dozens filed by Mr Trump and his Republican allies after the election. They are also seeking to invalidate or change the results through recounts and direct pressure on lawmakers in several states.
The campaign has not provided evidence for its claims of widespread and co-ordinated electoral fraud.
In Michigan, Republicans on Saturday asked state authorities to wait to certify Mr Biden's victory for 14 days to allow for an audit of ballots in Wayne County, which includes the majority-black city of Detroit.
The certification is currently due to take place on Monday and attempts at a deferral effectively mark the Trump team's last chance to keep the race alive.
This video outlines the state of play:
A manual recount and audit in Georgia confirmed Mr Biden on Friday as the winner in the southern state, the first Democratic presidential candidate to win there in nearly three decades.
The Trump campaign now has two business days to request a recount in Georgia. Mr Trump's legal team has also said it plans a lawsuit in the state but has not provided specifics.
Accusations of chicanery from Mr Trump continue to inflame his Republican base.
Hundreds of supporters gathered at the statehouse in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday with one video posted online showing speakers denouncing the media for calling Mr Biden the election winner, as well as state Republican leaders for certifying the results.
Police in riot gear were sent to separate them from counter-protesters who gathered nearby.
The General Services Administration, run by an appointee of Mr Trump, has not recognised Mr Biden's victory, preventing his team from gaining access to government office space and funding normally provided to an incoming administration before Inauguration Day.
Critics say the delay and Mr Trump's refusal to concede have serious implications for national security and the fight against the coronavirus which has killed nearly 255,000 Americans.
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Ticket prices
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Champions parade (UAE timings)
7pm Gates open
8pm Deansgate stage showing starts
9pm Parade starts at Manchester Cathedral
9.45pm Parade ends at Peter Street
10pm City players on stage
11pm event ends
Trolls World Tour
Directed by: Walt Dohrn, David Smith
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake
Rating: 4 stars
Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
Oppenheimer
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
SPECS
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
More Iraq election coverage:
Afro%20salons
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Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
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
The years Ramadan fell in May
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
