United States President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday the nomination of David Hale as undersecretary of state for political affairs, the third-highest ranking position in the State Department.
Mr Hale, a career diplomat, who is currently the ambassador to Pakistan and previously served in Lebanon and Jordan, was picked by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, according to sources.
Mr Pompeo has been looking to bring more gravitas and experienced hands to the senior ranks, following months of delays and the undermined influence of the State Department under his predecessor Rex Tillerson.
Many of these positions stayed vacant or were filled by temporary appointments then, as the decision making on foreign policy issues moved to the Pentagon and White House.
The nomination of Mr Hale brings depth on Middle East issues and knowledge of players in the region. Mr Hale has dealt with most regional figures since 1998. He is known to be a pragmatist, who has tried both in Lebanon and Pakistan to contain crises and build bridges with different sets of political players, some of whom are unpopular in Washington.
His nomination will need to be confirmed by the Senate foreign relations committee. Also awaiting a final vote is David Schenker, the nominee for assistant secretary of state for Near-East affairs, replacing David Satterfield.
The National reported last week that three Middle East hands have left the National Security Council: Joel Rayburn, Mike Bell and James Sindle. The National has also learned from two sources, that Kris Bauman, the National Security Council's point person for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, will be leaving his position. It is unclear whether these departures are part of a routine process among career service officers or follow the appointment of John Bolton as national security adviser.
Mr Bolton has been trying to put together a new team in place and implement Mr Trump’s vision of thinner National Security Council.
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.0%20twin-turbo%20inline%20six-cylinder%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eeight-speed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E503hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E600Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh450%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Match info
Australia 580
Pakistan 240 and 335
Result: Australia win by an innings and five runs
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Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
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The specs: 2018 Ford F-150
Price, base / as tested: Dh173,250 / Dh178,500
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 395hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 555Nm @ 2,750rpm
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Fuel consumption, combined: 12.4L / 100km
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Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
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Director: Nora Twomey
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq
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Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
