The US election on Tuesday is boiling down to a handful of battleground states that Joe Biden must flip in order to snatch the White House from President Donald Trump.
All of this year’s top swing states – Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Arizona – went to Mr Trump in 2016, including four that had voted for Democrat Barack Obama in 2012.
In a sign of how critical they are, Mr Trump travelled to three of them – Michigan, North Carolina and Florida – on Sunday alone, while Mr Biden held two events in Philadelphia.
The Democratic challenger leads by an average of 3.2 percentage points in the battlegrounds, according to the RealClearPolitics poll aggregate.
Should the remaining 44 states vote as they did four years ago, Mr Biden could flip just the two biggest battlegrounds, Florida and Pennsylvania, and win. Which way do the swing states lean?
Pennsylvania
Mr Biden’s birth state is the largest at play in the Rust Belt, a north-central region marked by industrial decline over the past decade.
Mr Trump’s volunteers are swarming the state, including city suburbs where they are canvassing door to door.
Pennsylvania has multiple socioeconomic regions and Mr Biden, whose campaign is largely sticking to public health guidelines by organising primarily online, has poured ad resources into the state.
The state's big cities will vote heavily for Mr Biden, while the rural west and conservative central Pennsylvania are committed to Mr Trump. The suburbs and the state's northeast will be critical.
Real Clear Politics Poll average: Mr Biden leads by 4.3 percentage points
Michigan
Michigan very narrowly tipped for Mr Trump in 2016 and it is being fiercely contested this year.
Mr Trump has visited the Great Lakes state touting an American comeback, but its voters are concerned about the pandemic’s impact on the economy, and the president’s response.
Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer has clashed with the president, and her enforced lockdowns have angered conservatives.
Gun-toting protesters staged demonstrations outside the state capitol, the building housing its legislative assembly, this summer and members of a right-wing group were arrested recently for plotting to kidnap the governor.
Real Clear Politics Poll: Mr Biden leads by 6.1 percentage points
Wisconsin
Democrat Hillary Clinton opted against campaigning in America's dairyland in 2016, and voters punished her for it.
This year, Democrats made a point of highlighting Wisconsin, holding their national convention there last month, although the gathering moved online due to coronavirus concerns.
Mr Trump and Mr Biden have campaigned in the state, the president as recently as Friday. Vice President Mike Pence and Mr Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris, have also visited, and First Lady Melania Trump hosted an event there on Saturday.
Real Clear Politics Poll average: Mr Biden leads by 6.6 percentage points
Florida
The largest of the swing states anchors the Sun Belt, the band of states across the US south and south-west that is rapidly growing in population, and features agriculture and military industry and large numbers of retirees.
Republicans are mounting a fierce defence here, with Democrats accusing them of actively suppressing the vote, particularly in minority communities.
The state’s huge Hispanic population will be key, and polls show them aligned with the Democratic ticket less than in 2016.
Most experts say Florida is a Trump firewall; if it's breached, Mr Trump is likely to lose the White House.
Real Clear Politics Poll average: Mr Biden leads by 0.8 percentage points
North Carolina
This traditionally conservative state went to Trump by three percentage points four years ago, but both parties acknowledge it is now too close to call.
North Carolina’s governor is a popular Democrat who has won praise for his balanced response to the pandemic.
Republicans based their national convention here last month, although it was largely online, and Mr Trump visited on Sunday.
Real Clear Politics Poll average: Mr Biden leads by 0.3 percentage points
Arizona
Arizona has been a Republican stronghold for decades, but its electorate is changing, with a growing Hispanic community and an influx of more liberal Californians.
Conservative voters appreciate Mr Trump’s efforts to restrict immigration and build a wall on the border with Mexico.
But he has hurt his prospects by repeatedly denigrating the late senator John McCain, who represented Arizona for decades in Washington and still looms large over the state’s politics.
Real Clear Politics Poll average: Mr Biden leads by 1.2 percentage points
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 258hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,000rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.1L/100km
Price: from Dh362,500
On sale: now
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Company%20profile
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MEYDAN%20RACECARD
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Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
FIXTURES
Saturday
5.30pm: Shabab Al Ahli v Al Wahda
5.30pm: Khorfakkan v Baniyas
8.15pm: Hatta v Ajman
8.15pm: Sharjah v Al Ain
Sunday
5.30pm: Kalba v Al Jazira
5.30pm: Fujairah v Al Dhafra
8.15pm: Al Nasr v Al Wasl
More on Quran memorisation:
BABYLON
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Roll of honour
Who has won what so far in the West Asia Premiership season?
Western Clubs Champions League - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership - Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
West Asia Cup - Winners: Bahrain; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
West Asia Trophy - Winners: Dubai Hurricanes; Runners up: DSC Eagles
Final West Asia Premiership standings - 1. Jebel Ali Dragons; 2. Abu Dhabi Harlequins; 3. Bahrain; 4. Dubai Exiles; 5. Dubai Hurricanes; 6. DSC Eagles; 7. Abu Dhabi Saracens
Fixture (UAE Premiership final) - Friday, April 13, Al Ain – Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Guns N’ Roses’s last gig before Abu Dhabi was in Hong Kong on November 21. We were there – and here’s what they played, and in what order. You were warned.
- It’s So Easy
- Mr Brownstone
- Chinese Democracy
- Welcome to the Jungle
- Double Talkin’ Jive
- Better
- Estranged
- Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
- Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
- Rocket Queen
- You Could Be Mine
- Shadow of Your Love
- Attitude (Misfits cover)
- Civil War
- Coma
- Love Theme from The Godfather (movie cover)
- Sweet Child O’ Mine
- Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
- Wish You Were Here (instrumental Pink Floyd cover)
- November Rain
- Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
- Nightrain
Encore:
- Patience
- Don’t Cry
- The Seeker (The Who cover)
- Paradise City
Armies of Sand
By Kenneth Pollack (Oxford University Press)
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
Juliet, Naked
Dir: Jesse Peretz
Starring: Chris O'Dowd, Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke
Two stars
