ISTANBUL President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday the final goal of a Turkish incursion into Syria was not just to retake the city of al-Bab from Islamic State, but to cleanse a border region including Raqqa of the jihadists. Turkish-backed Syrian rebels are pressing a major offensive on al-Bab, 30 km (20 miles) south of the Turkish border. The advance risks putting them in direct conflict with […]
ERBIL, Iraq Western-backed Syrian forces should isolate Islamic State’s de facto capital in Syria “by the spring” before an offensive on the city itself, British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said on Saturday. The Syrian Democratic Forces, which includes the powerful Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, launched the campaign on Raqqa in November. It announced this month the start of a new phase in the offensive, aiming to complete […]
The European government bond market had what is known in technical circles as a minor freak-out this week. Yet as yields in eurozone bonds diverged sharply, the markets for stocks, corporate debt and currencies carried on regardless. The Cac 40 index of large French-listed companies was barely changed on the week. The euro weakened per cent against the US dollar, but at the same time the dollar […]
ROME Hundreds took to the streets in the northern Italian city of Genoa to protest against a meeting of European far-right political groups on Saturday, and tension simmered at times with police. Demonstrators gathered in a square to the east of the coastal city ahead of the meeting, which was organised by hardline Italian group Forza Nuova and went ahead as planned. They waved banners reading, “Genoa […]
A government leader opens his mouth, and listeners instantly know how much of the speech is provable. Science fiction? For the moment, but hopefully not forever. The state of technology and the maturity of fact-checking organizations today make it possible to take the first steps toward that goal. Chequeado, where I work as director of editorial innovation, started working on automated fact-checking just over a year ago. […]
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for February 4, 2017, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film screenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun. Want to see your event listed here? Email us with the details and contact information at [email protected] newslide Abu Dhabi Cultural exhibition In the latest iteration of the ongoing Emirati memory project, Lest We Forget, […]
Far from the palm-fringed beaches of the usual offshore tax havens, Canada has quietly become a go-to destination for international tax cheats eager to exploit the country’s twin benefits of a sterling reputation and rules that allow private companies to keep their ownership secret. A joint investigation by CBC/Radio-Canada and the Toronto Star has found dozens of cases where tax advisers around the world are touting shell companies […]
ROME More than 1,300 migrants were rescued in 13 separate missions in the Mediterranean on Friday, bringing the total helped over the last three days to more than 2,600, the coast guard said. The migrants, who were aboard 13 vessels, were saved in the central Mediterranean by ships from the Italian coast guard, the Italian and British navies, merchant ships and vessels operated by non-government organisations, a […]
By Mike Stone | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON The Department of Defense and Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) announced on Friday an agreement worth about $8.5 billion for 90 F-35 jets, the lowest price to date for the Pentagon’s most expensive program. The deal for the tenth lot of the stealthy fighter aircraft brings the price per jet to below $95 million for the first time, compared to $102 million […]
By Alastair Macdonald and Gabriela Baczynska | VALLETTA VALLETTA European Union leaders said they agreed to stick together in dealing with Donald Trump, but at their first summit since he took office they were at odds on how far to confront or engage with the new U.S. president. Trump and his policies, from questioning the value of NATO and free trade to banning Muslim refugees, came up […]
WASHINGTON The deputy director of the U.S. National Security Agency, the intelligence agency in charge of electronic surveillance and code-breaking, is retiring, an NSA spokesman said on Friday. Richard Ledgett, who just turned 59, will retire in the spring, spokesman Michael Halbig said in an emailed statement. “It has been anticipated that he would retire in 2017 and he decided the time is right this spring after […]
Dubai, UAE, 3 February 2017: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) annually celebrates the National Environment Day on 4 February, along with the public and private sectors and civil society organisations, to express their continuous interest and obligation to protect the environment and achieve the sustainable development. This adheres to the UAE Vision 2021, to create a sustainable environment in terms of air quality, conserving water resources, […]
The government is struggling to protect the UK from cyberattacks, say MPs. Image: iStock An inconsistent, dysfunctional and chaotic response to cybersecurity by the British government is causing concerns about its ability to protect the country from cyberattacks and hackers, MPs have warned. The damning indictment is set out in a by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report into protecting information across government, which comes as defence […]
MOSCOW The Kremlin said on Friday that allegations made by British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, who accused Russia of spreading lies and attacking critical infrastructure with hackers, were “baseless” and a source of regret. Fallon said on Thursday night that President Vladimir Putin had chosen to become a strategic competitor of the West since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. “We express regret for this hostile […]
The vital survival skills taught to young British merchant marine cadets during the Second World War through the Outward Bound educational initiative might seem redundant in the safe harbour of the UAE, but its newest international chapter is already delivering unique, life-changing experiences to young people from across the Emirates. Outward Bound UAE was set up in December 2016 to provide Emirati and expatriate youth with practical […]
SEOUL Besides being the deputy ambassador, North Korea’s number two diplomat in London was the man appointed to spy on embassy colleagues and report signs of disloyalty to the feared secret police. But last August, it was Thae Yong Ho himself who defected. He said in an interview in Seoul that one of his jobs was to report to the “bowibu”, North Korea’s Stasi-like State Security Department, […]
SEOUL Two years ago, Thae Yong Ho, North Korea’s former deputy ambassador in London, received an unexpected phone call from the ruling Workers’ Party Central Committee in Pyongyang telling him to get ready to receive a very important e-mail. “Please go to the Albert Hall and buy four tickets,” said the cryptic message from a disposable e-mail address designed to throw off Western intelligence agencies. But the […]
Panama on Tuesday suspended a probe into the so-called Panama Papers, a trove of documents that brought to light widespread tax avoidance among some of the world’s most powerful leaders, prosecutors said. Attorney General Kenia Porcell said a legal challenge on constitutional grounds required the suspension, adding that it was now in the hands of the Supreme Court to decide whether to reactivate the investigation. “The investigation […]
By Anna Irrera | NEW YORK NEW YORK Widespread opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration curbs has proved a boon for CrowdJustice, a startup that helps individuals and organizations raise money online to fund legal cases. CrowdJustice, which until now has been based in Britain, this week brought forward the date of its U.S. launch by three weeks to take advantage of various campaigns to defend […]
By David Ljunggren and Rod Nickel | OTTAWA/WINNIPEG OTTAWA/WINNIPEG Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is taking a low key approach to dealing with U.S. President Donald Trump, seeking to avoid clashes while indirectly signalling the two leaders’ differences to a domestic audience. Insiders acknowledge the cautious strategy could anger progressives whose support helped bring Trudeau to power in 2015 but say for now, he has no choice […]
EDINBURGH London will not help Scotland to hold another referendum on seceding from the United Kingdom during the current parliament ending in 2020, British defence minister Michael Fallon said on Thursday. “No, forget it,” Fallon replied in an interview with the Herald newspaper of Scotland, asked if he would facilitate a new vote on independence. Asked about that again on BBC Radio Scotland, Fallon said: “We’ve made […]
PARIS Pressure on French presidential candidate Francois Fillon to pull out of the election race grew on Thursday as some lawmakers in his own camp urged him to abandon his bid in the face of a fake work scandal to save the conservatives from defeat. The scandal, which surfaced a week ago when a newspaper said the wife of the 62-year-old ex-prime minister, Penelope, had been paid […]
ABU DHABI: The UAE’s top diplomat on Wednesday came out in defense of President Donald Trump’s order temporarily barring citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US.Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, UAE foreign minister, said the US was within its rights to take what he said was a “sovereign decision” concerning immigration.Sheikh Abdullah also voiced faith in the American administration’s assurances that the move was not […]
TOKYO Asian shares inched up to four-month highs while the dollar was finding its feet on Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve stuck to its mildly upbeat economic view but gave no hint of accelerating rate hikes. While strong economic data from the United States and elsewhere have underpinned risk assets, uncertainty and concerns over U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies have markets on edge. “With many of […]
