Elon Musk on Monday said he was working to shut down the US foreign aid agency (USAID), in a move that could hit major recipients in the Middle East and North Africa hard.
The billionaire, who is leading President Donald Trump's efforts to shrink the federal government, discussed the agency in a talk on X with former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Republican senator Joni Ernst. Mr Musk said his Department of Government Efficiency aimed to close USAID.
"It's beyond repair," Mr Musk said, adding that Mr Trump agrees it should be shut. “Time for it to die,” he added on X.
USAID is the world's largest single donor. Seven of the top 10 recipient countries of the agency's money are in the Middle East and Africa, according to figures from the US State Department. They include Ethiopia, Somalia, Syria and Yemen.
It's an ethos that will end badly for the United States and for the American people
Dave Harden,
former mission director of USAid in Gaza and the occupied West Bank
The US disbursed $72 billion of assistance around the world in the fiscal year 2023, boosting efforts to support issues including women's health in conflict zones and access to clean water. The country provided 42 per cent of all humanitarian aid tracked by the UN last year.
USAID, an independent agency, has a budget of more than $50 billion. It is responsible for more than half of US foreign assistance, while its blue and red font is ubiquitous in developing nations around the world. The agency has more than 10,000 staff.
On Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he is the acting director of the agency, though he has "delegated that authority to someone". Mr Rubio, who was speaking from El Salvador, said that many of the agency's functions are going to continue, but they "must be aligned with American foreign policy".
Also on Monday, Democratic Senator Brian Schatz said he would place a “blanket hold” on all of Mr Trump’s State Department nominees until the administration’s attack on USAID ends, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Its website appeared to be offline on Monday and an Instagram page that publicises its work had been taken down.
Mr Trump has assigned Mr Musk to lead a federal cost-cutting panel. Asked on Sunday whether Mr Musk was doing a good job, the President said: "He's a big cost-cutter. Sometimes we won't agree with it and we'll not go where he wants to go. But I think he's doing a great job. He's a smart guy. Very smart. And he's very much into cutting the budget of our federal budget."
Since taking office 11 days ago, Mr Trump has embarked on a major government makeover, sacking and sidelining hundreds of civil servants in his first steps towards downsizing US bureaucracy and installing more loyalists. He has ordered a global freeze on most US foreign aid as part of his "America First" policy, a move that has sent shock waves around the world.
Speaking more broadly about cutting US expenses, Mr Musk estimated the Trump administration could cut $1 trillion from the US deficit next year. He also claimed "professional foreign fraud rings" are stealing vast sums of money by masquerading as or creating fake digital US citizens, but did not offer any evidence to support his claim.
Former US president John F Kennedy created USAID in 1961 with an executive order, which followed an act by Congress stipulating the reorganisation of foreign assistance programmes.
Some observers in Washington have questioned the legality of closing the agency. “There's a legal and a practical matter,” said Dave Harden, who served as the mission director of USAID in Gaza and the occupied West Bank from 2013 to 2016.
“Taking down the website and merging it in a slimmed down fashion to the State Department, and having it kind of embedded under, like a relatively minor bureau, almost in the State Department, is symbolic of, really, an unconstitutional, illegal attempt to remove a statutorily independent federal agency that has been around since 1961,” he told The National.
Mr Harden fears Mr Trump’s efforts to change foreign assistance programmes will hurt Americans. “This is a structural change in philosophy to America and its place in the world, whether it's the diminishment of soft power, whether it's a collaborative approach to complex problems like, let's say, climate change, or whether it's just a zero-sum trade war with our closest neighbours, allies and trading partners," he said. "It's just an ethos that will end badly for the United States and for the American people.”
DUBAI CARNIVAL RESULTS
6.30pm Handicap US$135,000 (Turf) 2,410m
Winner Dubai Future, Harry Bentley (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm UAE 1000 Guineas Listed $250,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner Dubai Love, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
7.40pm Dubai Dash Listed $175,000 (T) 1,000m
Winner: Equilateral, James Doyle, Charles Hills.
8.15pm Al Bastakiya Trial Conditions $100,000 (D) 1.900m
Winner Laser Show, Kevin Stott, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.50pm Al Fahidi Fort Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Glorious Journey, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby.
9.25pm Handicap $135,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner George Villiers, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
In numbers
- Number of children under five will fall from 681 million in 2017 to 401m in 2100
- Over-80s will rise from 141m in 2017 to 866m in 2100
- Nigeria will become the world’s second most populous country with 791m by 2100, behind India
- China will fall dramatically from a peak of 2.4 billion in 2024 to 732 million by 2100
- an average of 2.1 children per woman is required to sustain population growth
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
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
SOUTH%20KOREA%20SQUAD
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The schedule
December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club
December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq
December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm
December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition
December 13: Falcon beauty competition
December 14 and 20: Saluki races
December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm
December 16 - 19: Falconry competition
December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am
December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am
December 22: The best herd of 30 camels
Challenge Cup result:
1. UAE 3 faults
2. Ireland 9 faults
3. Brazil 11 faults
4. Spain 15 faults
5. Great Britain 17 faults
6. New Zealand 20 faults
7. Italy 26 faults
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Tell Me Who I Am
Director: Ed Perkins
Stars: Alex and Marcus Lewis
Four stars
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday
AC Milan v Sampdoria (2.30pm kick-off UAE)
Atalanta v Udinese (5pm)
Benevento v Parma (5pm)
Cagliari v Hellas Verona (5pm)
Genoa v Fiorentina (5pm)
Lazio v Spezia (5pm)
Napoli v Crotone (5pm)
Sassuolo v Roma (5pm)
Torino v Juventus (8pm)
Bologna v Inter Milan (10.45pm)
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Fernandes pen 2') Tottenham Hotspur 6 (Ndombele 4', Son 7' & 37' Kane (30' & pen 79, Aurier 51')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
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Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
EA Sports FC 24
THE DETAILS
Kaala
Dir: Pa. Ranjith
Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar
Rating: 1.5/5
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
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Honeymoonish
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
More on animal trafficking
Match info:
Leicester City 1
Ghezzal (63')
Liverpool 2
Mane (10'), Firmino (45')