Barack Obama basked in the coveted endorsement of the former secretary of state Colin Powell and amassed a record cash haul in a blow to Republican rival John McCain.
Addressing a carnival-like rally of more than 10,000 supporters in the Fayetteville area of North Carolina, Mr Obama, 47, said he was "beyond honoured and deeply humbled to have the support of General Colin Powell".
"This morning, a great soldier, a great statesman, a great American has endorsed our campaign to change America," said Mr Obama."And he knows, as we do, that this is a moment where we all need to come together as one nation - young and old, rich and poor, black, white, Hispanic, native American, Republican and Democrat."
Mr Powell, on the NBC program Meet the Press, said Mr Obama had "met the standard" to be commander-in-chief "because of his ability to inspire" all ages, ethnic groups and political persuasions.
Mr Powell, a Republican who made history twice as the first black secretary of state and first African-American chief of the US military, hailed Mr Obama as a potential "transformational president" and criticised Mr McCain's campaign.
Mr McCain remained a friend, Mr Powell said, before launching a hard-hitting critique of the Republican's rightward lurch, his haphazard response to the US economic crisis and his choice of Sarah Palin as vice presidential nominee.
Mr Powell said that Mr Obama, in contrast, had emerged looking presidential with a "steadiness, an intellectual curiosity, a depth of knowledge" in his approach to the financial tumult.
He added that victory by the mixed-race Mr Obama in two weeks would make all Americans "proud," not just African-Americans, and would "electrify the world".
Mr Powell, who was George W Bush's first chief diplomat, carries the burden of his role in promoting the Iraq invasion. But his endorsement was still a stinging rebuff to Mr McCain, 72, and could help sway swing voters and military veterans.
His backing came as the Obama campaign announced a fund-raising take of more than $150 million last month, demolishing its previous record of $66m set in August.
The gigantic treasure trove is enabling Mr Obama, who enjoyed a 10-point lead in yesterday's Gallup tracking poll, to hit Mr McCain even harder with a nationwide advertising blitz in the days leading up to the November 4 election.
*AFP
Grand slam winners since July 2003
Who has won major titles since Wimbledon 2003 when Roger Federer won his first grand slam
Roger Federer 19 (8 Wimbledon, 5 Australian Open, 5 US Open, 1 French Open)
Rafael Nadal 16 (10 French Open, 3 US Open, 2 Wimbledon, 1 Australian Open)
Novak Djokovic 12 (6 Australian Open, 3 Wimbledon, 2 US Open, 1 French Open)
Andy Murray 3 (2 Wimbledon, 1 US Open)
Stan Wawrinka 3 (1 Australian Open, 1 French Open, 1 US Open)
Andy Roddick 1 (1 US Open)
Gaston Gaudio 1 (1 French Open)
Marat Safin 1 (1 Australian Open)
Juan Martin del Potro 1 (1 US Open)
Marin Cilic 1 (1 US Open)
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Profile
Name: Carzaty
Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar
Launched: 2017
Employees: 22
Based: Dubai and Muscat
Sector: Automobile retail
Funding to date: $5.5 million
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
The specs: 2019 GMC Yukon Denali
Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 621Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.9L / 100km
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Company%20profile
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NEW%20PRICING%20SCHEME%20FOR%20APPLE%20MUSIC%2C%20TV%2B%20AND%20ONE
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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