US President Donald Trump after signing executive orders in the Oval Office. AFP
US President Donald Trump after signing executive orders in the Oval Office. AFP
US President Donald Trump after signing executive orders in the Oval Office. AFP
US President Donald Trump after signing executive orders in the Oval Office. AFP

News

US

Trump orders JFK and Martin Luther King assassination documents to be released

'Everything will be revealed,' new President says from the Oval Office after signing the order

Jihan Abdalla
Jihan Abdalla
Washington

January 23, 2025

  • English
  • Arabic

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order declassifying the remaining federal records related to the assassinations of former president John F Kennedy, Senator Robert F Kennedy, and civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.

The order directs the head of national intelligence and the Attorney General to develop a plan to declassify the remaining records for former president Kennedy within 15 days, and within 45 days for the other two cases.

"People have been waiting for years, for decades," Mr Trump said from the Oval Office while he signed the order. "Everything will be revealed."

Former president Kennedy was shot and killed by Lee Harvey Oswald while riding through Dallas, Texas, in 1963, with his death causing a swirl of conspiracy theories. His senator brother was shot by Palestinian Sirhan Sirhan in 1968, allegedly in retaliation for his support of Israel following the Arab-Israeli War.

Mr King was targeted several times by the federal government and was assassinated by James Earl Ray in 1968, though some believe the killer was a scapegoat.

In his first term, Mr Trump ordered the release of some records on the John F Kennedy assassination, but some of the results were redacted after concerns from intelligence agencies. During his campaign, he promised to release classified intelligence and law enforcement files on the 1963 assassination.

"Their families and the American people deserve transparency and truth," Mr Trump wrote in the executive order. "It is in the national interest to finally release all records related to these assassinations without delay."

On Thursday, Mr Trump asked that the pen he used to sign the order be given to Robert F Kennedy, Jr, the former senator's son and his nominee for secretary of health.

  • A newswire is displayed in a teletype reporting the 1963 assassination of John F Kennedy, the US president at the time. AFP
    A newswire is displayed in a teletype reporting the 1963 assassination of John F Kennedy, the US president at the time. AFP
  • The US National Archives has released a trove of files related to the president's assassination. AFP
    The US National Archives has released a trove of files related to the president's assassination. AFP
  • A total of 12,879 documents have been made public. AFP
    A total of 12,879 documents have been made public. AFP
  • An unofficial tour guide shows assassination theories outside the former Texas School Book Depository in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas. AFP
    An unofficial tour guide shows assassination theories outside the former Texas School Book Depository in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas. AFP
  • The historic front pages from US newspapers announce Kennedy's assassination. AFP
    The historic front pages from US newspapers announce Kennedy's assassination. AFP
  • The old Texas School Book Depository in Dallas, where Kennedy was shot, is now a museum. AFP
    The old Texas School Book Depository in Dallas, where Kennedy was shot, is now a museum. AFP
  • A copy of Aaron Shikler's official portrait of Kennedy at the Newseum in Washington. AFP
    A copy of Aaron Shikler's official portrait of Kennedy at the Newseum in Washington. AFP
  • Tourists ride in a trolley along the JFK motorcade route in Dallas. AFP
    Tourists ride in a trolley along the JFK motorcade route in Dallas. AFP
  • A photo shows an FBI agent re-enacting Kennedy's assassination near its original location. AFP
    A photo shows an FBI agent re-enacting Kennedy's assassination near its original location. AFP
  • Thousands of documents were blocked from release by the White House due to national security concerns. AFP
    Thousands of documents were blocked from release by the White House due to national security concerns. AFP
  • A historic photo of the Texas School Book Depository. AFP
    A historic photo of the Texas School Book Depository. AFP
UAE rugby in numbers

5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons

700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams

Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams

Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season

Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season

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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
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  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates

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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.”

What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champioons League semi-final, first leg:

Liverpool 5
Salah (35', 45 1'), Mane (56'), Firmino (61', 68')

Roma 2
Dzeko (81'), Perotti (85' pen)

Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome

The specs
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  • Torque: 760nm
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  • Price: Not announced yet
The alternatives

• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.

• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.

• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.

• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.

• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases -  but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.

How to get exposure to gold

Although you can buy gold easily on the Dubai markets, the problem with buying physical bars, coins or jewellery is that you then have storage, security and insurance issues.

A far easier option is to invest in a low-cost exchange traded fund (ETF) that invests in the precious metal instead, for example, ETFS Physical Gold (PHAU) and iShares Physical Gold (SGLN) both track physical gold. The VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF invests directly in mining companies.

Alternatively, BlackRock Gold & General seeks to achieve long-term capital growth primarily through an actively managed portfolio of gold mining, commodity and precious-metal related shares. Its largest portfolio holdings include gold miners Newcrest Mining, Barrick Gold Corp, Agnico Eagle Mines and the NewMont Goldcorp.

Brave investors could take on the added risk of buying individual gold mining stocks, many of which have performed wonderfully well lately.

London-listed Centamin is up more than 70 per cent in just three months, although in a sign of its volatility, it is down 5 per cent on two years ago. Trans-Siberian Gold, listed on London's alternative investment market (AIM) for small stocks, has seen its share price almost quadruple from 34p to 124p over the same period, but do not assume this kind of runaway growth can continue for long

However, buying individual equities like these is highly risky, as their share prices can crash just as quickly, which isn't what what you want from a supposedly safe haven.

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