Biden Up 9 Points Over Trump on Convention Eve in NBC/WSJ Poll

Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump by 9 percentage points on the eve of the Democratic National Convention, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Sunday.

The former vice president’s lead was 50% to 41%, down slightly from an 11-point gap in the same poll series in July.

In 11 combined battleground states — Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — Biden was up 7 points, 49% to 42%.

The former vice president leads Trump on most major issues, including on who would better handle the coronavirus, while the president maintains a double-digit lead on handling the economy.

A majority of potential Biden voters, 58%, say their support is based more on their feelings against Trump. By contrast, 74% of Trump voters cite their support for the president.

The NBC/WSJ poll was conducted Aug. 9-12 among 900 registered voters,and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

Separately, an ABC News/Washington Post survey showed that 54% of voters approve of Biden’s election of Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate, including 86% of Democrats, 25% of Republicans and 52% of independents.

The RealClearPolitics average of general election polls, which includes the latest NBC/WSJ survey, shows Biden up by 7.9 points.

— With assistance by Colin Keatinge

Israeli Airline Israir Seeks UAE Landing Permit

Israir Airlines Ltd. has started the process of applying for a landing permit in the UAE, Chief Executive officer Uri Sirkis said on Sunday.

The two countries announced last week that they plan to normalize relations.

Dubai is a “very, very attractive” destination, since it is only 3 1/4 hours away, and it is likely to be very popular with Israelis, just as Turkey and Greece are, the CEO said in an interview with Kan, the Israeli public broadcaster.

While Israel has peace agreements with both Egypt and Jordan, Israeli airlines haven’t been permitted to fly to vacation spots such as Aqaba in Jordan or Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt, he said, adding that he hopes that in the case of the UAE, the situation will be different. In addition, in order to get to the UAE, Israeli planes would have to fly over Saudi Arabia, which until now hasn’t granted Israeli airlines overflight permission for destinations such as India, he said.

Israeli Partner Communications in Talks With Etisalat on Roaming

Follow us @middleeast for more news on the region.

Partner Communications is in advanced talks with the UAE’s Etisalat on an agreement to provide roaming services for each other’s customers, a spokesperson for the Israeli mobile operator said.

Emirates Telecommunications Corp., the United Arab Emirates’ biggest telephone company known as Etisalat, would provide roaming services for Partner customers traveling in the UAE, they said. Partner would provide services for Etisalat customers traveling in Israel.

The discussions follow last week’s announcement that the two countries plan to normalize relations.

There was no immediate comment from Etisalat.

— With assistance by Layan Odeh

Gunmen Storm Hotel in Somalia’s Capital Following Explosion

Gunmen stormed a popular beach-side hotel in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, following a huge explosion on its premises, witnesses and police said.

The attackers blew up a vehicle loaded with explosives and fought their way into the Elite hotel, police officer Osman Shine said by phone. The hotel is at the edge of Lido beach, an area frequented by senior government officials.

Militants are still fighting in the area, the police said.

Al-Shabaab, a militant group affiliated with al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Iranian supermarket chain launches in Venezuelan capital

Political and economic alliance between Tehran and Caracas is growing – as is defiance against US sanctions.

A new Iranian supermarket chain has opened in Venezuela’s capital.

It is the latest symbol of the growing political and economic alliance between Tehran and Caracas, and a sign of defiance against US sanctions.

Al Jazeera’s Lucia Newman reports.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Offer Condolences to Donald Trump After His Brother Robert's Death

After news of Robert's passing, three of Donald's children — Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump — reacted to the news on social media.

"Uncle Rob, we love you and we will miss you. R.I.P," Donald Jr. wrote as Eric shared, "Robert Trump was an incredible man – strong, kind and loyal to the core. Anyone who encountered him felt his warmth immediately. He will be deeply missed by our entire family."

Ivanka added, "Uncle Robert, we love you. You are in our hearts and prayers, always."