US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has abruptly canceled a trip to Germany today where he was scheduled to meet Chancellor Angela Merkel and his German counterpart Heiko Maas.
Speaking to the press, State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said the trip was rescheduled due to “pressing issues”. "Unfortunately, we must reschedule the Berlin meetings due to pressing issues,” Ms Ortagus said. The meetings with both Ms Merkel and Mr Mass will be rescheduled, where issues such as Ukraine, the Iran nuclear deal were going to be discussed. "We look forward to rescheduling this important set of meetings. The secretary looks forward to being in Berlin soon," the spokeswoman added.
But according to a German source who spoke to Reuters, the US administration cited “international security issues.” CNN also reported that Mr Pompeo’s schedule this week has been changed, and that the press “traveling with Pompeo has not been told where they are going next, and have been warned they may not be able to report from the country they are going to until after their departure.” In the past, such instances happened when a US cabinet member adds a stop to a war zone such as Iraq and Afghanistan.
The US has ratcheted up its military presence in the region in response to an alleged possible plot by the Iranian government that would have targeted US troops in Iraq according to CNN. “The United States is deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to the US Central Command region,” US national security adviser John Bolton announced in an unusual statement late on Sunday while warning Iran against any attack on US interests. Mr Pompeo visited Iraq last January.
But the reference to "international security issues” could also mean the unfolding situation in Venezuela where the Trump administration and a number of countries in Europe and the Western Hemisphere are seeking to oust Nicholas Maduro from power.
Next week, Mr Pompeo is scheduled to meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Sochi, and where Venezuela, Iran and North Korea will be part of the discussions. This will be their second meeting in a week, after they held talks in Finland on Monday. The US Secretary of State was also due to travel to London and Greenland this week, but it was not clear if the latter part of the trip is still as scheduled.
His visit to Britain is going ahead this week after he cancelled a visit to Berlin, a spokesman for US embassy in London said.
"The Pompeo trip to London is still going ahead," said the spokesman.
Mr Pompeo is due to meet Prime Minister Theresa May and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt in London on Wednesday. He will also give a speech on the US-UK Special relationship.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Profile of Hala Insurance
Date Started: September 2018
Founders: Walid and Karim Dib
Based: Abu Dhabi
Employees: Nine
Amount raised: $1.2 million
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, AB Accelerator, 500 Startups, private backers
MATCH INFO
Burnley 0
Man City 3
Raheem Sterling 35', 49'
Ferran Torres 65'
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
|
1.
|
United States
|
|
2.
|
China
|
|
3.
|
UAE
|
|
4.
|
Japan
|
|
5
|
Norway
|
|
6.
|
Canada
|
|
7.
|
Singapore
|
|
8.
|
Australia
|
|
9.
|
Saudi Arabia
|
|
10.
|
South Korea
|
The biog
Name: Greg Heinricks
From: Alberta, western Canada
Record fish: 56kg sailfish
Member of: International Game Fish Association
Company: Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
