US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has described Guantanamo Bay as a "critical temporary stop" in the processing of illegal immigrants.
His comments came after he toured the detention facilities set up by the new US administration to house undocumented migrants.
The base is best known for holding suspected militants swept up in the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks, but President Donald Trump last month announced that it would hold up to 30,000 undocumented migrants as part of his sweeping clampdown on illegal immigration.
“Arrived at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay on the front lines of the war against America's southern border,” Mr Hegseth wrote in a post on X that included a video of him saluting and shaking hands with troops at the base in south-eastern Cuba, where he once served as a military officer.
He later posted that he had toured the detention facilities at the base, describing it as “a critical temporary stop in processing these dangerous illegal aliens for eventual removal from our country”.
A Pentagon announcement on Mr Hegseth's trip said it “underscores the department's commitment to ensuring the security and operational effectiveness” of the base and “provides an opportunity to engage with the dedicated service members and personnel who play a vital role in the base's mission”.
The US began flying migrants to Guantanamo earlier this month, with more than 170 of them repatriated to Venezuela last week.
US Southern Command said on Tuesday that there were “17 high-threat illegal aliens” who arrived at the base over the weekend and are being held there.
The Trump administration has launched its major effort to combat illegal migration, conducting immigration raids, making arrests and deporting people, some via Guantanamo.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other advocacy groups said this month that they had filed a suit seeking access to migrants held at the base.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
EXPATS
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1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Funk Wav Bounces Vol.1
Calvin Harris
Columbia
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Essentials
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
SOUTH%20KOREA%20SQUAD
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