The US Senate confirmed retired general Lloyd Austin as head of the Department of Defence, making him the first African American to hold the position.
Mr Austin received a swift bipartisan confirmation by the Senate on Friday, three days after his hearing. An overwhelming majority voted to confirm him to Joe Biden's Cabinet, with 93 senators voting yes and only two Republican senators, Josh Hawley and Mike Lee, voting no.
He is only the third retired general since 1947 to assume the position, and his confirmation required a congressional waiver to allow him to serve in a civilian capacity, having only retired from the military four years ago. Nominees are required under US law to have been out of uniform for seven years. Sixty-nine senators voted to grant the waiver, while 27 objected.
The new defence chief brings years of experience from the Middle East as the commander of US Central Command from 2013 to 2016 and the commanding general of US Forces in Iraq from 2010 to 2011, overseeing the US withdrawal from the country under the Obama administration.
That experience created a working relationship with Mr Biden who was vice president at the time, but it also exposed him to criticism for underestimating ISIS as it took Mosul under his watch in Iraq in 2014, and as the Obama administration's efforts to train a rebel force faltered in Syria.
In his hearing on Tuesday, Mr Austin made clear that his immediate priorities will be outside the Middle East, stressing that China's rise and aspiration to dominate as a global power carries more urgency.
"Clearly, the strategy will be arrayed against the threat and China presents the most significant threat going forward because China is ascending. Russia is also a threat, but it's in decline," Mr Austin said.
He urged Congress to increase resources to counter Beijing. "We'll have to have capabilities that allow us to hold – to present a credible deterrent … to China in the future. We'll have to make some strides in the use of quantum computing, the use of AI, the advent of connected battlefields, the space-based platforms. Those kinds of things I think can give us the types of capabilities that we'll need to be able to hold large pieces of Chinese military inventory at risk," he said.
Mr Austin singled out sexual assault, racism and extremism as issues he will fight hard to eliminate at the Pentagon.
“If confirmed, I will fight hard to stamp out sexual assault, to rid our ranks of racists and extremists, and to create a climate where everyone fit and willing has the opportunity to serve this country with dignity,” he said.
"The job of the Department of Defence is to keep America safe from our enemies. But we can’t do that if some of those enemies lie within our own ranks."
On threats facing the Middle East, Gen Austin pointed to the dangers of a nuclear armed Iran.
"If Iran were to get a nuclear capability, most every problem we deal with in the region would be tougher because of that. Iran’s behaviour continues to be destabilising,” he said in his hearing.
As to the Abraham Accords, which normalised relations between four Arab countries and Israel, he called it a "good thing".
“I think that any time countries agree to normalise relations, that’s a good thing. I think certainly this has put a bit more pressure on Iran and I hope it will have good effects," he said.
Mr Austin said his first phone call after being confirmed on Friday was to Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg.
"Reiterated the steadfast commitment of the US to the Nato Alliance and our appreciation for the teamwork and relevance our allies bring to missions around the world," Mr Austin said on Twitter.
He is the second Biden Cabinet appointment to be approved by Congress since the president's inauguration on Wednesday, when Avril Haines was confirmed as the new director of national intelligence by a majority from both parties.
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Price: From Dh117,059
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Brighton, Sunday, 6pm UAE
More coverage from the Future Forum
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier, in Bangkok
UAE fixtures Mon Nov 20, v China; Tue Nov 21, v Thailand; Thu Nov 23, v Nepal; Fri Nov 24, v Hong Kong; Sun Nov 26, v Malaysia; Mon Nov 27, Final
(The winners will progress to the Global Qualifier)
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The five pillars of Islam
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What is an ETF?
An exchange traded fund is a type of investment fund that can be traded quickly and easily, just like stocks and shares. They come with no upfront costs aside from your brokerage's dealing charges and annual fees, which are far lower than on traditional mutual investment funds. Charges are as low as 0.03 per cent on one of the very cheapest (and most popular), Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, with the maximum around 0.75 per cent.
There is no fund manager deciding which stocks and other assets to invest in, instead they passively track their chosen index, country, region or commodity, regardless of whether it goes up or down.
The first ETF was launched as recently as 1993, but the sector boasted $5.78 billion in assets under management at the end of September as inflows hit record highs, according to the latest figures from ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five largest providers BlackRock’s iShares, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisers, Deutsche Bank X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
While the best-known track major indices such as MSCI World, the S&P 500 and FTSE 100, you can also invest in specific countries or regions, large, medium or small companies, government bonds, gold, crude oil, cocoa, water, carbon, cattle, corn futures, currency shifts or even a stock market crash.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The five pillars of Islam
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