President Joe Biden signed the National Defence Authorisation Act into law on Friday, officially approving a record funding bill for the Pentagon and US defence programmes.
The $858 billion legislation includes $816.7 billion for the Department of Defence, with most of the rest destined for national security programmes within the Department of Energy.
The amount far exceeds defence spending by another nation, and was $45 billion more than Mr Biden had asked for.
According to the National Priorities Project non-governmental organisation, America pays more for defence than the next nine countries combined.
Washington's 2021 budget accounted for almost 40 per cent of the world's total military spending, according to the Institute for Policy Studies.
“The Act provides vital benefits and enhances access to justice for military personnel and their families, and includes critical authorities to support our country's national defence, foreign affairs, and homeland security,” Mr Biden said.
The defence act, which runs to almost 4,500 pages, includes efforts to bolster Washington's support for Ukraine and the Nato alliance, re-emphasises a focus on China and mandates the Captagon Act aimed at combatting the Middle East's drug trade.
“Republicans in the House and Senate worked very hard with Democratic colleagues to make the bill a very bipartisan bill with very little poison pill provisions in it,” Republican Congressman French Hill, who spearheaded including the Captagon Act in the budget, told The National.
The budget's most contentious point was a provision repealing the military's Covid-19 vaccination mandate, pushed by congressional Republicans.
House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy praised the provision as “a victory for our military and for common sense.”
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the White House still backs a mandate, even though Mr Biden ultimately signed the bill rescinding it.
Mary Kaszynski, director of government relations for the Democrat-aligned veteran political action group VoteVets, said the repeal weakens military readiness.
“If you have one person who is vulnerable to disease, especially something that's extremely fatal and extremely contagious, that impacts the military readiness of the entire unit. They could be taken out by one case of Covid,” said Ms Kaszynski.
As of December of last year, 98 per cent of the force, including 96 per cent of active duty soldiers, were fully vaccinated, according to the Pentagon.
About 8,000 American service members were “severed” under the mandate over their refusal to comply, something Republicans touted as extreme and unfair.
Congress broadly increased the budget authorisation level by $45 billion over Mr Biden's budget request in part “to address the effects of inflation and accelerate implementation of the National Defence Strategy.”
That includes a significant pay raise for military personnel and civilian employees, with a 4.6 per cent salary boost, and additional funding to address inflation.
“American service members work night and day … They have families, they struggle with inflation just like everyone else, just like civilians. They deserve that pay raise every year,” Ms Kaszynski added.
The bill authorises a total of $12.6 billion to account for inflation impacts alone on purchases; $3.8 billion for inflation impacts on military construction projects; and $2.5 billion for inflation impacts on fuel purchases.
But those hikes did not come without criticism. Mr Biden himself highlighted other areas of concern after he signed the document.
Among them, a section that continues to bar the use of funds to transfer Guantanamo Bay detainees to the custody of certain foreign countries, and another that would continue to prohibit the use of such funds to transfer certain detainees to the United States.
“It is the long-standing position of the executive branch that these provisions unduly impair the ability of the executive branch to determine when and where to prosecute Guantanamo Bay detainees and where to send them upon release,” Mr Biden said.
Progressive Democratic Representative Barbara Lee critiqued the scope of the funding, and petitioned Washington stop “wasteful spending” on a department that “has never passed a single audit.”
The expansive budget also emphasised modernisation and further sharpened Washington's focus on China.
It increased US investments in the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, and authorised the Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act of 2022, which is designed to increase security co-operation with Taiwan.
The budget also mandates co-ordination between Washington's intelligence community, State Department, and the Pentagon to produce a report for Congress on “the use of online social media platforms by entities designated as foreign terrorist organisations” for recruitment, fund-raising, and the dissemination of radicalising information.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
More on Quran memorisation:
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
Du Football Champions
The fourth season of du Football Champions was launched at Gitex on Wednesday alongside the Middle East’s first sports-tech scouting platform.“du Talents”, which enables aspiring footballers to upload their profiles and highlights reels and communicate directly with coaches, is designed to extend the reach of the programme, which has already attracted more than 21,500 players in its first three years.
THE BIG THREE
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
19 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 5 (2011, 14, 15, 18, 19)
French Open: 2 (2016, 21)
US Open: 3 (2011, 15, 18)
Australian Open: 9 (2008, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21)
Prize money: $150m
ROGER FEDERER
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 8 (2003, 04, 05, 06, 07, 09, 12, 17)
French Open: 1 (2009)
US Open: 5 (2004, 05, 06, 07, 08)
Australian Open: 6 (2004, 06, 07, 10, 17, 18)
Prize money: $130m
RAFAEL NADAL
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 2 (2008, 10)
French Open: 13 (2005, 06, 07, 08, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20)
US Open: 4 (2010, 13, 17, 19)
Australian Open: 1 (2009)
Prize money: $125m
Jumanji: The Next Level
Director: Jake Kasdan
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Nick Jonas
Two out of five stars
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 258hp at 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.4L/100km
Price, base: from D215,000 (Dh230,000 as tested)
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
