Acting Defence Secretary Chris Miller arrived in the Middle East on Wednesday to visit US troops in the region before a drawdown to 2,500 soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Mr Miller was appointed to the position on November 9 by departing President Donald Trump after the sacking of Mark Esper, but will leave the post on January 20.
He arrived in Bahrain on Wednesday, where he was received by Defence Affairs Minister Lt Gen Abdulla bin Hassan Al Nuaimi, the country’s news agency reported.
The US Department of Defence said the purpose was to thank American troops stationed in the region and be with them for the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday.
“Acting Secretary Miller will meet service members to express his gratitude for the selfless service to the nation by both them and their families, and to wish them a happy and healthy Thanksgiving holiday,” the department said.
Mr Miller will also meet leaders of the host countries.
The department did not say which capitals Mr Miller would visit, but Iraq and Gulf countries hosting American troops are expected to be on the itinerary.
Addressing “security interests and priorities of countering violent extremism and combating malign activities that threaten the sovereignty and stability of the region” will be on the table, the Pentagon said.
On November 17, Mr Miller announced plans to reduce US troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan to 2,500 soldiers by January 15.
That means 500 troops will be leaving Iraq by that date.
But the US has strengthened its presence in other areas in the region.
The military this week quickly sent B-52 bombers to the Middle East in an apparent move to counter Iran.
The US Central Command said the planes were meant to “deter aggression and reassure US partners and allies".
Departing US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo returned from the region this week, where he visited the UAE, Israel, Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
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AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
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Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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."
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The biog
Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents
Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University
As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families
Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too
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Gulf Men's League final
Dubai Hurricanes 24-12 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)