In a move that coincides with the appointment of General John Kelly as the new Chief of Staff at the White House and a more aggressive approach from National Security Adviser General HR McMaster, five officials in the President’s team or the National Security Council have been fired in the last seven days.
Following the firing of Middle East director Derek Harvey and director of strategic planning in the NSC Rich Higgins, Mr McMaster fired senior aide Ezra Cohen-Watnick on Wednesday evening.
“General McMaster appreciates the good work accomplished in the NSC's Intelligence directorate under Ezra Cohen's leadership” the White House said. However “at this time, a different set of experiences is best-suited to carrying that work forward. General McMaster is confident that Mr Ezra will make many further significant contributions to national security in another position in the administration" the statement added.
Sources told The National that Mr McMaster is hoping to build a more “coherent team that can function more effectively and coordinate policy better with the Pentagon and Congress.” All the three firings at the NSC were appointed by former NSA Mike Flynn who left his position in February following an ongoing investigation into his alleged inappropriate contacts with Russian officials before Mr Trump took office.
In parallel to the firings at the NSC, Reince Priebus, Mr Trump’s former chief of staff, and communications director Mr Anthony Scaramucci also resigned in the last few days.
Mr Kelly is hoping to enforce some discipline in the White House's operation after a turbulent start for the Trump team marred with leaks and internal divisions.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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)
Western Clubs Champions League:
- Friday, Sep 8 - Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Bahrain
- Friday, Sep 15 – Kandy v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
- Friday, Sep 22 – Kandy v Bahrain
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
How it works
1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground
2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water
3) One application is said to last five years
4) The cost of treatment per hectare (2.4 acres) of desert varies from $7,000 to $10,000 per hectare
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
