Vladimir Putin reportedly moved to prevent Donald Trump from appointing Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate for the presidential race in 2012, as secretary of state after Trump’s election victory 16 months ago, according to a report in an American magazine.
The New Yorker says that an unreleased memo written by the former British spy Christopher Steele, the contents of which have not been aired before, claims the Kremlin prevented Mr Romney being given the role of America's top diplomat.
The magazine reports that Mr Steele, an ex-MI6 officer who drafted a memo before the November 2016 election which raised questions about Mr Trump's collusion with the Russians as well as exposed a slew of salacious rumours about his sex life, then wrote a further document in which he made the explosive claim about Mr Romney.
When running against Barack Obama in 2012, Mr Romney had called the Russians the greatest threat to the United States. During Mr Trump’s successful run two years ago, Mr Romney was one of the harshest critics of him from the Republican establishment.
However, while the current president was deciding who would take the top jobs in his administration, Mr Trump encouraged speculation that the former governor of Massachusetts was in the running for the state department job.
The pair met at a dinner where they were photographed together.
However, the New Yorker says that the Steele memo reveals that he had been told by a "senior Russian official" that the Putin government wanted whoever took the state role to be someone who would be friendlier to their foreign policy goals – that they would desist with sanctions against Moscow relating to their involvement in Ukraine would also back the Russian stance over Syria.
The White House has denied that Mr Romney was ever a serious candidate for the role, and wouldn't comment on “any communications that the Trump team may have had with Russia on the subject.”
Other have pointed out the president’s apparent public courting of Mr Romney was actually an attempt to humiliate the latter, a scion of the old school Republican party that attempted to thwart Mr Trump.
Mr Romney is currently running for the Republican nomination for one of the Senate seats in Utah.
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Engine: 80 kWh four-wheel-drive
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: From Dh280,000
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
The biog
Name: Salvador Toriano Jr
Age: 59
From: Laguna, The Philippines
Favourite dish: Seabass or Fish and Chips
Hobbies: When he’s not in the restaurant, he still likes to cook, along with walking and meeting up with friends.
Married Malala
Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.
The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.
Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.
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The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
French Touch
Carla Bruni
(Verve)
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The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Jawan
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UAE squad
Men's draw: Victor Scvortov and Khalifa Al Hosani, (both 73 kilograms), Sergiu Toma and Mihail Marchitan (90kg), Ivan Remarenco (100kg), Ahmed Al Naqbi (60kg), Musabah Al Shamsi and Ahmed Al Hosani (66kg)
Women’s draw: Maitha Al Neyadi (57kg)
MOTHER%20OF%20STRANGERS
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
UFC Fight Night 2
1am – Early prelims
2am – Prelims
4am-7am – Main card
7:30am-9am – press cons
PSL FINAL
Multan Sultans v Peshawar Zalmi
8pm, Thursday
Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Bundesliga fixtures
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
Company profile
Company name: Dharma
Date started: 2018
Founders: Charaf El Mansouri, Nisma Benani, Leah Howe
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: TravelTech
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investors: Convivialite Ventures, BY Partners, Shorooq Partners, L& Ventures, Flat6Labs
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The%20specs%3A%20Panamera%20Turbo%20E-Hybrid
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The%20specs%3A%202024%20Panamera
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Profile
Company: Libra Project
Based: Masdar City, ADGM, London and Delaware
Launch year: 2017
Size: A team of 12 with six employed full-time
Sector: Renewable energy
Funding: $500,000 in Series A funding from family and friends in 2018. A Series B round looking to raise $1.5m is now live.
The specs
Engine: 2.3-litre, turbo four-cylinder
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Power: 300hp
Torque: 420Nm
Price: Dh189,900
On sale: now
