Washington, July 27 (IANS) The US presidential race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is incredibly close, showed a new media poll, revealing a surge in support for Harris among non-white voters and a significant rise in enthusiasm among Democrats for her campaign.

In a head-to-head matchup, Trump maintains a slight lead, garnering 49 per cent of the vote compared to 47 per cent for Harris, according to the Wall Street Journal poll.

However, it is worth noting that this falls within the poll’s margin of error, which is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. Previously, Trump had a six-point advantage over President Joe Biden before he withdrew from the race and endorsed Harris, Xinhua news agency reported.

When other independent and third-party candidates, like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., were included in the ballot test, Harris received 45 per cent of the support, compared to 44 per cent for Trump. Kennedy had the backing of only 4 per cent of respondents, and 5 per cent remained undecided.

In the previous poll, Biden trailed Trump by six points in this multi-candidate scenario, as indicated by the poll results.

Both the Harris and Trump campaigns are currently engaged in a race to establish a clearer public image of the vice president. The poll indicates that Harris is viewed favourably by 46 per cent of respondents and unfavourably by 52 per cent, marking her most positive result in the poll during this election cycle. This marks her highest favorability rating in the poll during the current election cycle.

According to the poll results, Trump is perceived as more capable than Harris in handling immigration, the economy, foreign relations, and crime. However, Harris holds an advantage of 51 per cent to 33 per cent when it comes to dealing with abortion.

The two received similar ratings when it came to caring about people like the respondents.

The poll further revealed that 48 per cent of respondents believe that, at the age of 78, Trump is too old to serve as President, while only 2 per cent expressed the same concern about the 59-year-old Harris.

Furthermore, 46 per cent of respondents believed that Harris possesses the right temperament to be President, compared to only 38 per cent who held the same belief about Trump.

The survey highlighted that many voters are still in the process of familiarising themselves with the potential vice presidential running mates being considered by Harris. It is expected that she will need to announce her pick by August 7 to meet the deadline set by her party for a virtual nomination process.

The Wall Street Journal poll, conducted by Bocian of the firm GBAO and Lee of Fabrizio Lee, involved interviews with 1,000 registered voters from July 23-25. The margin of error for the entire sample is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

–IANS

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Beijing, July 27 (IANS) At least five people were killed and 14 others injured in an explosion at a plant in an industrial park of Yongcheng City in central China’s Henan province, according to local authorities on Saturday.

According to the city’s emergency management department, the machine explosion occurred at 6.32 p.m. local time on Friday in Gaozhuang Industrial Park, Xinhua news agency reported.

The head, along with the other people in charge of the company, have been detained, according to the authorities.

Additionally, an investigation into the cause of the incident is underway.

Further details are awaited.

–IANS

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Beijing, July 27 (IANS) More than 27,000 residents in northeastern China’s Liaoning Province have been safely relocated in response to Typhoon Gaemi.

The provincial flood control and drought relief department said that heavy rainfall from Gaemi, the third typhoon of this year, has caused water levels to rise in 40 reservoirs across the province. These reservoirs are now discharging water accordingly, Xinhua news agency reported.

The provincial meteorological authorities said that most areas in Liaoning are expected to experience heavy torrential rain from early Sunday morning through Tuesday.

The province has organised inspections and patrols along the dikes to prepare for potential flooding and reduced disaster risks.

As of 7.00 a.m. on Saturday, hundreds of chemical enterprises and mining companies across the province and staffers, as well as nearby residents, have suspended operations and relocated to avoid flood risks.

On Friday, The Ministry of Emergency Management raised the emergency response to floods from Level IV to Level III in Liaoning in the wake of Gaemi.

–IANS

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Canberra, July 27 (IANS) A northern Australian site previously designated for uranium mining will be included in a national park to protect its Indigenous cultural heritage, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced.

He revealed a plan on Saturday to protect the Jabiluka site in the Northern Territory (NT) by including it in the World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park, ending decades of uncertainty over its future, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Jabiluka area is the site of one of the largest uranium deposits in the world but has never been developed or mined.

Energy Resources Australia (ERA), which is majority-owned by Rio Tinto, was awarded the mining lease for the site in 1991 despite the objections of the Indigenous traditional owners of the land, the Mirrar people.

Albanese said on Saturday that ERA’s application for a 10-year renewal of the lease on the site has been rejected. The lease will expire on August 11, allowing Jabiluka to be incorporated into the national park by which it is surrounded, he said.

“This means there will never be mining at Jabiluka,” he said.

“The Mirrar people have loved and cared for their land for more than 60,000 years. Our government will work with them to keep it safe for all time.”

The site is home to some of the oldest rock art in the world, and in 2017 archaeologists from the University of Queensland discovered over 10,000 artefacts in the area dating back up to 80,000 years that extended the known length of time Aboriginal people have inhabited the continent.

–IANS

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Washington, July 27 (IANS) US President Joe Biden intends to present a significant proposal aimed at reforming the Supreme Court on Monday, the media reported.

He is also anticipated to advocate for a constitutional amendment restricting immunity for presidents and certain other officials, Politico reported.

The plan is expected to include support for setting term limits for justice and implementing a binding code of ethics, Xinhua news agency reported.

This comes in response to the court’s July 1 ruling, which determined that presidents cannot be prosecuted for “official acts” performed while in office, a decision related to a case involving former President Donald Trump.

Biden has become more vocal in criticising the Supreme Court and its decisions. This includes rulings by the conservative majority that have revoked federal abortion rights, among other key priorities of his administration.

Implementing term limits and an ethics code for the Supreme Court would likely necessitate new legislation, which means the currently divided Congress is not anticipated to address this issue before the year ends. The House is controlled by Republicans, while Democrats have a slim majority in the Senate.

Furthermore, even if Democrats gain control of both chambers following the election, they will unlikely achieve the 60 Senate seats required to overcome a filibuster.

–IANS

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