US President Joe Biden and Donald Trump won the Democratic and Republican primaries on Super Tuesday, effectively ensuring they will both be named as their parties' nominees.
Mr Biden won the majority of delegates in all states holding primaries on Tuesday, and Mr Trump won in all but one, Vermont, which was taken by the lone challenger for the Republican nomination, Nikki Haley.
With no realistic path left open to her, Ms Haley dropped out of the race on Wednesday.
Candidates only receive their parties' nomination at their conventions, both of which will take place this summer, but Mr Biden and Mr Trump will almost certainly receive the nominations.
While there were few surprises on Super Tuesday, the race did yield an interesting result: in Minnesota's Democratic primary, about 45,000 voters – about 20 per cent – ticked the "uncommitted" box on their ballots, many in protest against Mr Biden's Gaza policy.
“Twenty per cent is great for the [uncommitted] movement organisers and sends a strong message to the Biden campaign and administration,” Alyssa Batchelor, a long-time Democratic strategist with Virginia-based Hill and State Strategies, told The National.
The "vote uncommitted" movement has been gaining traction in several states, although not all have the option.
Arab and Muslim Americans and others see it as a chance to voice their disapproval over the Biden administration's support for Israel amid a deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Donald Trump sweeps polls in Republican presidential primary – video
During the Michigan primaries, about 100,000 voters ticked the “uncommitted” box.
“While 45,000 votes doesn't hold the same weight as Michigan, it's definitely an indication that this is something that the administration will need to address head on and consider going into this election,” Ms Batchelor said.
The Muslim Coalition of Faith in Minnesota, which has been active in the “vote uncommitted” campaign, celebrated the results on Wednesday, saying the votes showed “the potency and power of democracy”.
“Instead of choosing to sit out of an important election, Muslim Minnesotans and those of good conscience took their anger, hurt and horror of the atrocities taking place in Gaza and made the choice to voice our dissent, sending the clear message: we need a ceasefire now,” the group said in a statement.
“With only a mere three days of organising, Muslim Coalition leaders filled over 200 volunteer shifts phone-banking, door-knocking and text-banking our community to contact a list of 62,000 Muslim Minnesotans.”
Mr Trump is facing his own challenges.
He has been indicted on 91 criminal charges in four cases over his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election and mishandling secret documents after he left office.
He is also involved in a number of civil suits, with two of them so far finding him liable for hundreds of millions of dollars.
Both candidates have inspired a distinct lack of enthusiasm among their electorates.
But as the incumbent, Mr Biden is highly likely to receive the Democratic nomination, and while Mr Trump has proven to be a divisive figure this time around, Republican leaders have mostly fallen in line.
Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday announced his support for Mr Trump after once condemning the former president for “disgraceful” acts in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
In her concession speech on Wednesday, Ms Haley wished Mr Trump well but did not endorse him, encouraging him to instead earn the backing of her supporters.
From here, the candidates are expected to begin preparing for the general election, with both making comments after the Super Tuesday results indicating that their sole focus is defeating the other in November.
Mr Trump and Mr Biden have both gone on the attack, with the President saying in a statement that the results “leave the American people with a clear choice: are we going to keep moving forward or will we allow Donald Trump to drag us backwards into the chaos, division and darkness that defined his term in office?”
Mr Trump, meanwhile, took a more direct route, saying in a post on his Truth Social website: “Biden is the enemy, he is destroying our country. Make America great again!”
Donald Trump’s legal woes – in pictures
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
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Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
Brief scores:
QPR 0
Watford 1
Capoue 45' 1
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
HEADLINE HERE
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UAE Falcons
Carly Lewis (captain), Emily Fensome, Kelly Loy, Isabel Affley, Jessica Cronin, Jemma Eley, Jenna Guy, Kate Lewis, Megan Polley, Charlie Preston, Becki Quigley and Sophie Siffre. Deb Jones and Lucia Sdao – coach and assistant coach.
The five pillars of Islam
BeIN Sports currently has the rights to show
- Champions League
- English Premier League
- Spanish Primera Liga
- Italian, French and Scottish leagues
- Wimbledon and other tennis majors
- Formula One
- Rugby Union - Six Nations and European Cups
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Scores
Scotland 54-17 Fiji
England 15-16 New Zealand
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 for four at the close.
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.