A decade ago Hezbollah shot down a Lebanese army helicopter provided by an American-run programme supervised by nominee to be undersecretary of state for political affairs David Hale.
Seven years later in 2015 Hezbollah’s ranking parliamentarian Nawaf Mousaoui threatened Mr Hale, then ambassador to Lebanon, following his criticism of the Iran-backed organisation. “The days of our enemies are numbered,” said Mr Mousaoui. Unfazed, Mr Hale continued with his Beirut mission before moving to Islamabad later that year.
Then, on Tuesday, the White House announced that President Donald Trump had nominated the ambassador to Pakistan to be under secretary of state for political affairs.
Those who know him refer to Mr Hale, 57, as a “diplomats' diplomat”.
One Middle East politician who worked with the nominee described him as patient, strategic, capable of navigating hostile territory and thinking outside the box.
His past experience speaks to decades of knowledge of issues and players in the Middle East. Mr Hale served as an ambassador to Jordan and Lebanon, as Special Envoy and Deputy Special Envoy for Middle East Peace, and former Executive Assistant to the Secretary of State from 1997 and 1998.
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Read more:
The split dynamic between the White House and State Department means Trump's tough talk on Iran could be hot air
Pakistan summons US ambassador after Trump's 'lies and deceit' tweet
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His nomination as number three at the State Department to replace Thomas Shannon should be credited to Mr Pompeo who picked him for the position, argued Danielle Pletka, the vice-president for foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.
"Kudos to Mike Pompeo for getting this done" Ms Pletka told The National.
With more than two decades in US diplomacy, she called Mr Hale “a seasoned, serious foreign service officer (FSO). And it’s right to have an FSO at the top of the Department,” she said. “The foreign service is our diplomatic corps. Their voice should be clear at the top of the organisation.”
The other candidate for the job whose name was floated in May was Paula Dobriansky, a former political appointee during the George W Bush years.
Firas Maksad, the director of the Arabia Foundation, met Mr Hale when he was nominated ambassador to Lebanon in 2013. He calls him “a respected career diplomat who knows the complexities of the middle east and is not an ideologue.”
The new nominee was also a “decision taker not a decision maker as ambassador” said Mr Maksad. In that capacity Mr Hale implemented different policies for different US administrations through out the Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama years.
Mr Hale’s nomination, which requires confirmation by the Senate foreign relations committee, brings back diplomatic gravitas to the position.
The post was previously held by Mr Shannon, William Burns and Wendy Sherman, whose role was critical during in negotiations with Iran, the six party talks with North Korea, and handling the US-Russia relations.
It is unclear who will replace Mr Hale as ambassador to Pakistan, but the Senate is expected to move quickly on his nomination in the coming weeks.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
The struggle is on for active managers
David Einhorn closed out 2018 with his biggest annual loss ever for the 22-year-old Greenlight Capital.
The firm’s main hedge fund fell 9 per cent in December, extending this year’s decline to 34 percent, according to an investor update viewed by Bloomberg.
Greenlight posted some of the industry’s best returns in its early years, but has stumbled since losing more than 20 per cent in 2015.
Other value-investing managers have also struggled, as a decade of historically low interest rates and the rise of passive investing and quant trading pushed growth stocks past their inexpensive brethren. Three Bays Capital and SPO Partners & Co., which sought to make wagers on undervalued stocks, closed in 2018. Mr Einhorn has repeatedly expressed his frustration with the poor performance this year, while remaining steadfast in his commitment to value investing.
Greenlight, which posted gains only in May and October, underperformed both the broader market and its peers in 2018. The S&P 500 Index dropped 4.4 per cent, including dividends, while the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index, an early indicator of industry performance, fell 7 per cent through December. 28.
At the start of the year, Greenlight managed $6.3 billion in assets, according to a regulatory filing. By May, the firm was down to $5.5bn.
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
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