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.
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Sweet%20Tooth
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So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
Company%20Profile
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Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Bayern Munich 2 Borussia Monchengladbach 1
Bayern: Zirkzee (26'), Goretzka (86')
Gladbach: Pavard (37' og)
Man of the Match: Breel Embolo (Borussia Monchengladbach)
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.
The view from The National
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SPECS
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Avatar%20(2009)
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BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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WRESTLING HIGHLIGHTS
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
In numbers
Number of Chinese tourists coming to UAE in 2017 was... 1.3m
Alibaba’s new ‘Tech Town’ in Dubai is worth... $600m
China’s investment in the MIddle East in 2016 was... $29.5bn
The world’s most valuable start-up in 2018, TikTok, is valued at... $75bn
Boost to the UAE economy of 5G connectivity will be... $269bn
Results:
Men's 100m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 15 sec; 2. Rheed McCracken (AUS) 15.40; 3. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 15.75. Men's 400m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 50.56; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 50.94; 3. Henry Manni (FIN) 52.24.
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Company%20Profile
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