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Top national security advisers from both President-elect Donald Trump's and President Joe Biden's teams are collaborating during the presidential transition to unite against shared adversaries. The aim is to maintain a consistent national security policy in response to escalating global tensions. Key adviser and Republican congressman Mike Waltz confirmed on Sunday that he is coordinating efforts with his counterpart, Jake Sullivan, to address issues like the escalating war in Ukraine and hostilities in the Middle East. Waltz emphasized the unified approach to deter adversaries seeking to exploit the transition period. Despite the cooperative efforts, President-elect Trump's cabinet choices face scrutiny. Appointees such as Tulsi Gabbard and Pete Hegseth could encounter resistance during Senate confirmations. Nonetheless, Republican lawmakers are keen to facilitate a swift confirmation process to ensure national security readiness upon Trump's inauguration. (With inputs from agencies.)Commerce Bank lifted its stake in shares of Celanese Co. ( NYSE:CE – Free Report ) by 45.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,661 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 4,552 shares during the quarter. Commerce Bank’s holdings in Celanese were worth $1,993,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. DT Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in Celanese by 128.8% during the third quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 183 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Fairscale Capital LLC purchased a new position in Celanese during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in Celanese during the first quarter worth about $31,000. Key Financial Inc grew its holdings in Celanese by 3,933.3% in the second quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 242 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the period. Finally, ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Celanese during the second quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 98.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Celanese Price Performance NYSE CE opened at $74.70 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $116.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $131.01. Celanese Co. has a 52 week low of $71.38 and a 52 week high of $172.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.51, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.31. Celanese Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 30th were given a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 30th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.75%. Celanese’s payout ratio is currently 28.17%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of analysts have recently commented on CE shares. UBS Group cut Celanese from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $161.00 to $97.00 in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Celanese from $150.00 to $110.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Celanese from $163.00 to $122.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Celanese from $140.00 to $100.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, KeyCorp cut shares of Celanese from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $120.59. View Our Latest Analysis on CE Celanese Profile ( Free Report ) Celanese Corporation, a chemical and specialty materials company, manufactures and sells high performance engineered polymers in the United States and internationally. It operates through Engineered Materials and Acetyl Chain. The Engineered Materials segment develops, produces, and supplies specialty polymers for automotive and medical applications, as well as for use in industrial products and consumer electronics. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Celanese Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Celanese and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
Ivana Bacik had separate meetings with Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris on Tuesday afternoon. Fianna Fail, which won 48 seats in last month’s general election, and Fine Gael, which secured 38 seats, headed up the last coalition in Dublin and are expected to continue that partnership into the next mandate. However, with a combined 86 seats, they are just short of the 88 required for a majority in the Dail parliament. If they wish to return to government together, they would need one smaller party as a junior partner, or a handful of independents. Both Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have ruled out doing business with Sinn Fein, which won 39 seats. The centre-left Social Democrats and Irish Labour Party, both of which won 11 seats in the election, are seen as the only two realistic options if Fianna Fail and Fine Gael seek to convince a smaller party to join the coalition. In a statement, the Labour Party said Ms Bacik outlined key policy priorities in her meetings with Taoiseach Mr Harris and Tanaiste Mr Martin. “There was discussion in both meetings on policies and manifesto commitments on housing, health, climate, workers’ rights and disability services among other issues,” said the statement. “The parliamentary party will meet at 1pm on Friday where the party leader will provide an assessment of engagement to date and consider the outcome of these meetings.” A spokesman for Mr Harris said there had been a “constructive engagement” with Ms Bacik. “The Taoiseach is grateful for the time and engagement on a range of substantial policy issues,” he said. The spokesman said Mr Harris had also met independent TDs who are aligned together in what is called the regional group. “These meetings have been productive,” he added. Mr Harris and party colleagues are due to meet the Social Democrats on Wednesday. Fianna Fail deputy leader Jack Chambers and Fine Gael deputy leader Helen McEntee met on Tuesday evening for discussions on government formation, with the parties’ full negotiating teams set to meet on Wednesday. Fine Gael said the meeting between Ms McEntee and Mr Chambers was “positive” and focused on the “structure and format” of the substantive negotiations going forward. When the two parties entered coalition for the first time after the last general election in 2020, there was only a three-seat difference in their relative strength. That resulted in an equal partnership at the head of the coalition, with the Green Party as the junior partner. The two main parties swapped the role of taoiseach halfway through the term. With Fianna Fail’s lead over Fine Gael having grown to 10 seats following this election, focus has turned to the future of the rotating taoiseach arrangement and whether it will operate again in the next mandate and, if so, on what basis. There are similar questions around the distribution of ministries and other roles. While Mr Martin has so far refused to be drawn on the specifics, he has suggested that he expects Fianna Fail’s greater strength of numbers to be reflected in the new administration. However, Mr Harris has insisted that Fine Gael’s mandate cannot be taken for granted when it comes to government formation. Richard Boyd Barrett from People Before Profit-Solidarity, which won three seats, urged Labour not to “prop up” up a Fianna Fail/Fine Gael administration. “We think that’s a huge mistake,” he told reporters in Dublin. “They shouldn’t do it. They should learn the lessons of the past and actually work with other parties of the left to form a decent left opposition to Fianna Fail and Fine Gael and campaign on the issues that matter.” His party colleague Paul Murphy pointed to the experience of the Green Party, which lost all but one of its 12 seats in the election. “In reality, what is going to happen is a changing of the mudguard for Fianna Fail and Fine Gael,” he said. “And for those who are now auditioning to be a new mudguard for Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, there is a very, very sharp and stark lesson in what happened to the Green Party – obviously almost entirely wiped out. “We think it is a very major mistake for anyone who has the perception of being left, with the votes of people who are looking left, to seek to go into coalition with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael.”OTTAWA — A Liberal MP says his committee colleagues are wasting time by launching a third inquiry into the former employment minister instead of focusing on important legislation for Indigenous Peoples. Jaime Battiste, who is Mi'kmaq, said there has been an "attack" on fellow Liberal MP Randy Boissonnault, who left his position as employment minister on Wednesday after allegations of shifting claims of Indigenous identity and questions around his past business dealings. Boissonnault has been the subject of two ethics committee probes, and Battiste said a third one by the Indigenous and northern affairs committee is "a waste of time, and it seems to be the Conservatives' way of ensuring that nothing gets done in the House of Commons." The Conservatives, NDP and Bloc Québécois all supported pushing ahead with the third study, even after Boissonnault left cabinet. Though Liberal MPs did not object to the motion Thursday, Battiste said the committee's time would be better spent studying legislation on important issues such as First Nations policing, a modern treaty commissioner and clean water for First Nations. "It’s very much my fear and frustration that politics is now becoming more important at the Indigenous and northern affairs committee than actually Indigenous Peoples that we're there every day to try to make life better for," he said. NDP MP Lori Idlout, who is a member of the committee, said Canadians deserve answers and she doesn't expect the probe to cut into the committee's other work. "It's not a waste of time to have MP Boissonnault answer for why his identity kept changing. Pretending to be Indigenous is a serious matter and we need to have him be transparent to all Canadians." Boissonnault came under intense scrutiny after the National Post reported that a company he previously co-owned described itself as wholly Indigenous-owned in order to apply for government contracts set aside for Indigenous businesses. He has been described as Indigenous multiple times in communications from the Liberal party, and in 2018 referred to himself as "non-status adopted Cree" — a statement he has repeated on other occasions. He also said his great-grandmother was a "full-blooded Cree woman." He has since clarified that his adoptive mother and brother are Métis, and he apologized for his shifting claims last Friday. The House ethics committee has separately investigated Boissonnault's past business dealings after media reports alleged he remained involved in the company he co-founded after he was re-elected in 2021 and joined the federal cabinet. Opposition MPs passed a motion in the House of Commons on Tuesday — a day before Boissonnault left cabinet — for the employment minister to appear as a witness to discuss his claims to Indigenous identity. But because Boissonnault is no longer in cabinet, the Liberal chair of the committee ruled Thursday that newly minted Employment Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor is technically the person the motion called to testify. "I figured this might happen," said Conservative MP and committee member Jamie Schmale. "If there are games to be played here and we have Minister Petitpas Taylor attend, I don't think that goes to the spirit of the House order. I don't think it would be very responsible to go against that ... It's Randy Boissonault that the House determined it needs and is ordered to appear along with several other witnesses. That's who we expect to be in that seat." A new motion from the Conservatives calls directly for Boissonnault to appear at the committee. One of the key concerns raised about Boissonnault in recent weeks is related to the government's Indigenous business procurement strategy. A directory provides the federal government with names of businesses it could consider using to meet its Indigenous procurement target, which states a minimum five per cent of the total value of government contracts should be held by Indigenous-owned businesses. Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu told a House of Commons committee on Tuesday that the company Boissonnault founded was not listed on that directory. Battiste suggested the committee will now be in a position of determining who is eligible for Indigenous programming and determining who is Indigenous, and as a First Nations person he does not agree with that. "I have a lot of concern because no First Nations, Métis or Inuit in this country are asking committees — who are filled with non-Indigenous Peoples — to determine our identity, who we are." Schmale and Bloc MP Sebastian Lemire, who is also a member of the committee, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2024. Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press
Syria’s new interim leader announced on Tuesday he was taking charge of the country as caretaker prime minister with the backing of the former rebels who toppled President Bashar al-Assad. In a brief address on state television, Mohammed al-Bashir, a figure little known across most of Syria who previously governed a small pocket of the northwest controlled by rebels during Assad’s reign, said he would lead the interim authority until March 1. He is set to lead a small cabinet to ensure public services can resume. It comes as some government agencies in the country have asked civil servants and health workers to resume duties. “Today we had a meeting for the cabinet and we invited members from the old government and some directors from the administration in Idlib and its surrounding areas, in order to facilitate all the necessary works for the next two months until we have a constitutional system to be able to serve the Syrian people,” he told Al Jazeera. “We had other meetings to restart the institutions to be able to serve our people in Syria.” Behind him were two flags - the green, black and white flag flown by opponents of Assad throughout the civil war, and a white flag with the Islamic oath of faith in black writing, typically flown in Syria by Sunni Islamist fighters. The move came as the rebel leader who led the insurgency that toppled Assad claimed Syria is heading towards stability and Western fears of future chaos and violence are unfounded. In his first comments to a Western news organisation, Abu Mohammed al Jolani, the head of Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), told Sky News that there will be “no return to panic” now that they have overthrown the oppressive Assad regime. “The country will be rebuilt,” he said. “The fear was from the presence of the regime. The country is moving towards development and reconstruction. It’s going towards stability. “People are exhausted from war. So the country isn’t ready for another one and it’s not going to get into another one.” Two sources close to the rebels said their command had ordered fighters to withdraw from cities, and for police and internal security forces affiliated with the main rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Shams (HTS) to deploy there. In the Syrian capital, banks reopened for the first time since Assad was overthrown. Shops were also opening up again, traffic returned to the roads, and cleaners were out sweeping the streets and there were fewer armed men about. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington fully supports Syria’s political transition process and wants it to lead to inclusive and non-sectarian governance. The process must prevent Syria being used as a base for terrorism and ensure any chemical or biological weapons stocks are safely destroyed, he said. It came as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the new rulers in Syria not to follow the Assad regime by allowing Iran a foothold in the country. “If this regime allows Iran to re-establish itself in Syria, or permits the transfer of Iranian weapons or any other weapons to Hezbollah, or if it attacks us — we will respond forcefully, and we will exact a heavy price,” Netanyahu said in a video statement from Tel Aviv. “What happened to the previous regime will happen to this one.” The Israeli military earlier said it had carried out strikes against 320 “strategic targets” in Syria since Saturday. It claimed that more than 70 per cent of the Assad regime’s strategic military capabilities had been destroyed Israel , which has sent forces across the border into a demilitarised zone inside Syria , acknowledged on Tuesday that troops had also taken up some positions beyond the buffer zone, though it denied they were advancing towards Damascus. In a sign foreigners are ready to work with HTS, the former al Qaeda affiliate that led the anti-Assad revolt and has lately emphasised its break with its jihadist roots, the U.N. envoy to Syria played down its designation as a terrorist organisation. “The reality is so far that HTS and also the other armed groups have been sending good messages to the Syrian people ... of unity, of inclusiveness,” Geir Pedersen told a briefing in Geneva. The United States is still working out how it will engage with the rebel groups, US Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer told Reuters, adding that as yet there had been no formal change of policy and that actions were what counted. The fact that HTS is banned in the UK does not prevent the Government from talking with it in the future, Downing Street has said. It is proscribed in the UK because of its past association with al Qaida, the terrorist organisation once led by Osama bin Laden. The fact that the group which has taken power in Syria is banned in the UK does not prevent the Government from talking with it in the future, Downing Street has said. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), who took power in Syria after the weekend's events, is proscribed in the UK because of its past association with al Qaida, the terrorist organisation once led by Osama bin Laden. But the group's leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, cut ties with al Qaida years ago and has sough to present his group as more moderate and inclusive. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said on Tuesday: "The fact that HTS is a proscribed terrorist group does not prevent the Government from engaging with HTS in the future." Pointing to terrorism legislation, he added: "There's no absolute offence of meeting a proscribed organisation" He said that engagement with such organisations "could for example include meetings designed to encourage a designated group to engage in a peace process or facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid". The spokesman added: "More broadly we keep proscriptions under review and we're obviously monitoring the situation closely." On Monday, the Prime Minister suggested that the UK is not considering whether to remove the group from the proscribed list. Sir Keir Starmer told reporters while on a visit to the Middle East that there was "no decision pending at all" on the matter, and described it as "far too early". It came after Cabinet minister Pat McFadden said that any decision on the group needed to be taken quickly. Meanwhile Turkey’s intelligence agency, MIT, attacked a convoy of trucks on Tuesday that was allegedly carrying missiles, heavy weapons and ammunition that were abandoned by the Syrian government and reportedly seized by Syrian Kurdish militias, Turkish security officials have said. The officials said 12 trucks, two tanks and two ammunition depots were “destroyed” in aerial strikes in the city of Qamishli, near the border with Turkey in northeastern Syria. The officials provided the information on condition of anonymity in line with Turkish regulations. They did not say when the attack occurred. The officials said the intelligence agency detected that weapons left by the Syrian government forces were being moved to warehouses belonging to the Syrian Kurdish People’s Defence Units, or YPG. Turkey views the group as a terrorist organisation because of its links to the banned Kurdish militants that have led a decades-long insurgency in Turkey. According to the officials, the group was allegedly planning to use the equipment and supplies against Turkish security forces.
NATIONAL security adviser Jonathan Powell has flown out for talks with the new Mauritius PM to complete the deal for the Chagos Islands — despite US opposition. The UK agreed to pay Mauritius to run the tiny Indian Ocean but their government was booted out of office days later . The incoming Trump administration has slammed the deal that puts a 99 year lease on a vital US/UK naval base on the island of Diago Garcia amid fears of Chinese influence. However Jonathan Powell, who negotiated the original terms, flew out yesterday to try keep it alive despite deep American opposition. Last night Reform boss Nigel Farage blasted: “They want to surrender the Chagos Islands before Trump’s inauguration. "If we treat the USA like this, can they still regard us as an ally?” READ MORE ON CHAGOS ISLANDS Pressure has been mounting on PM Sir Keir Starmer to tear up his plan to hand over the British Overseas Territory to Mauritius. Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Centre for Freedom at The Heritage Foundation, urged US President-elect Donald Trump to intervene. He told The Sun on Sunday: “The Chagos islands deal is a complete surrender to China by the Starmer Government. “It is my firm hope that the new US administration will strongly oppose this deal. Most read in The Sun "Many US conservatives have been horrified by what Britain has done. “And I do think that this issue will be an important foreign policy priority for the new regime in the US. “My strong recommendation to the US President and his advisers is to sink this deal in the same way my former boss Margaret Thatcher sank the Belgrano.” The Argentine ship, the General Belgrano, was sunk by the Royal Navy in the Falklands War .Mohamed Salah future: Liverpool star's contract comments slammed by Jamie Carragher
