ABU DHABI // Seven insect species have been reported in the UAE for the first time by a university researcher. Huw Roberts was studying a group of small insects in the Jebel Hafeet area of Al Ain, discovering lacewing insects which have only been sighted in Saudi Arabia. The find adds to a surge of discoveries disproving notions of a lack of biodiversity. In fact, scientists are […]
By Phil Stewart and Robin Emmott | BRUSSELS BRUSSELS U.S. President Donald Trump’s defence secretary warned NATO allies on Wednesday that they must honour military spending pledges to ensure the United States does not “moderate” support for the alliance. Jim Mattis, on his debut trip to Brussels as Pentagon chief, also accused some NATO members of ignoring threats, including from Russia. “America cannot care more for your […]
For the tattered Rashidiya neighborhood here, the recent battle never ended. It just shifted course along the river. Rashidiya was the last district in eastern Mosul declared liberated in late January, but army officers say Islamic State sleeper cells remain entrenched. Continue reading the main story And those are not the only troubles here. Even as American-backed Iraqi forces prepare an offensive against the Islamic State stronghold […]
By Roberta Rampton and Noah Barkin | WASHINGTON/BERLIN WASHINGTON/BERLIN U.S. Vice President Mike Pence heads to Europe this week to meet with allies seeking clarity on the Trump administration’s foreign policy strategy and its stance towards Russia after the resignation of the top White House national security aide. Pence, who has hewn more closely to Republican orthodoxy than his boss President Donald Trump, will attend the Munich […]
Apologies for earlier error in title. Surging inflation, plunging real wages, jumping mortgage delinquencies, and record crude and gasoline inventories… then Trump drops the ‘t’ word and the market melts up… Intraday, March rate-hike odds hit 46%, seemingly surging off “off the table” levels before the week began… Record all-time highs across everything… It’s all banks all the time… The Dow topped 20,600 – […]
ABU DHABI // Tributes have poured in for Juma Al Kaabi, the UAE Ambassador to Afghanistan who died on Wednesday of injuries suffered in last month’s terrorist attack in Kandahar. Described as a friend to the troubled country and its people, Al Kaabi was seriously wounded when explosives placed under a sofa went off as Kandahar’s governor was entertaining a UAE delegation at his guesthouse. Five Emirati […]
PARIS France said on Wednesday it would not accept interference by Russia or any other state in its presidential election, and would retaliate if necessary. The pledge by Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault followed complaints by the party of election frontrunner Emmanuel Macron that his campaign was the target of ‘fake news’ put out by Russian media, as well as internet attacks on its databases. “We will not […]
For the first time since Q1 2013, mortgage delinquencies rose QoQ in Q4. The jump from 4.52% (of total loans) to 4.80% is the largest since Q1 2010 and hit as mortgage rates spiked following President Trump’s election and Fed Chair Yellen’s jawboning and rate-hike. Of course, levels remain ‘low’ relative to the extreme highs of the financial crisis. One word springs to mind – “contained” […]
WASHINGTON Feb 15 U.S. consumer prices recorded their biggest increase in nearly four years in January as households paid more for gasoline and other goods, suggesting inflation pressures could be picking up. The Labor Department said on Wednesday its Consumer Price Index jumped 0.6 percent last month after gaining 0.3 percent in December. January’s increase in the CPI was the largest since February 2013. In the 12 […]
Painting a relatively optimistic economic picture during Congressional testimony this week, Janet Yellen confirmed the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates gradually. It was clear in the sessions, though, that other factors would soon weigh on interest rates and markets. Fiscal policy could make the Fed more hawkish. Yet the political agenda of financial deregulation, coupled with President Donald Trump’s choices for several vacancies on the Fed’s […]
15 February 2017 Abu Dhabi, UAE – Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the Abu Dhabi International Offset Conference (ADIOC) begins today. ADIOC is organized by the Tawazun Economic Council and is being attended by the global defense industry, government officials and sector experts. The biennial […]
Harrison Ford has near-miss with passenger liner Harrison Ford has had a close run-in with a passenger airliner at an airport in California in the United States. The actor, 74, was told to land his single-engine plane on a runway at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Southern California on Monday, but he mistakenly landed it on a parallel taxiway, passing over an American Airlines jet holding. […]
Submitted by Don Quijones via WolfStreet.com, Spain’s three biggest banks, Banco Santander, BBVA and Caixa Bank, have got off to a flying start this year having issued €8.6 billion in new debt, seven times the amount they sold during the same period of last year. The last time they rolled out so much debt so quickly was in 2007, the year that Spain’s spectacular real estate bubble […]
By Luke Baker | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON President Donald Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Wednesday, their first meeting since the inauguration and one that promises to shape the contours of Middle East policy for the years ahead. On the agenda are some of the region’s most volatile issues: the war in Syria, the Iran nuclear file and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, […]
The winner of the toy group, Chuckie the Pekingese — “or Chuckles, or Chuck” — is also the son of Malachy, the Pekingese who won Westminster’s Best in Show in 2012. “Well he doesn’t really rule the house like Malachy,” said David Fitzpatrick, his breeder, co-owner, and handler. “Malachy is the kingpin.” But the balance of power could shift if Chuckie follows his father’s (slow moving) footsteps. […]
SK Telecom, Deutsche Telekom, and Ericsson have demonstrated an intercontinental 5G trial network that will allow roaming services for the upcoming next-generation network. The South Korean telco and its German counterpart’s network slices are now available in each other’s footprint, the companies said. The successful demonstration was hosted at Deutsche Telekom’s R&D center in Bonn, Germany and SK Telecom’s at Yeongjongdo, where it also tested 5G connected […]
Matt Kiser worked in news for many years, and now he works as a product manager at an algorithm startup in Seattle. But every day, Matt spends upwards of six hours working by hand on his single-subject blog, which launched in January. Starting a new project to track what the fuck just happened today. https://t.co/p64yr6BKJ3 — Matt Kiser (@Matt_Kiser) January 29, 2017 Single subject, distinct tone, clear […]
A couple of years ago, in the midst of its bankruptcy proceedings, we posted a series of stunning pictures illustrating the “Death And Decay Of Detroit.” Once a beacon of America’s manufacturing prowess, a series of time lapsed pictures revealed how, in just a few years following the ‘great recession’ of 2008, the once vibrant metropolis became the poster child for urban decay. Unfortunately, at least according […]
SoftBank’s billionaire founder Masayoshi Son, who has boasted of creating the “Berkshire Hathaway of tech”, has thrown himself into the world of private equity and hedge funds with a $3.3bn acquisition of US alternative asset manager Fortress Investment Group. The deal, which follows the Japanese group’s traditional focus on telecoms and internet, comes just as SoftBank is emerging as one of the world’s largest investors with the […]
By Patricia Zengerle | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON Benjamin Netanyahu’s first Trump-era Washington visit offers a chance to repair ties to Democrats that frayed during years of chilly relations under the Obama administration, but many party members said they do not expect much improvement given the Israeli prime minister’s close alignment with Republicans. “There’s a lot of mending of fences that has to happen between the Netanyahu government and […]
Ambitious plans to boost the UAE’s space programme by encouraging future generations of Emiratis to take up space and scientific research were announced on Tuesday. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, said the objective of the Mars 2117 Project is to develop the skills and capacities of nationals. “The Mars 2117 Project is a long-term project, […]
Goldman Sachs shares shattered a 10-year record to reach a fresh closing high on Tuesday, buoyed by hopes that the Trump administration will bring a profit-boosting mix of higher interest rates, lower taxes and lighter regulation. All banks have rallied hard since November 8, when Mr Trump beat Hillary Clinton in the race to the White House. But only a handful have done as well as Goldman, […]
Like a scene from “The Jetsons,” commuters in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, may soon climb aboard automated flying taxis, soaring over busy streets and past the desert city’s gleaming skyscrapers, all — quite literally — at the push of a button. Passenger drones, capable of carrying a single rider and a small suitcase, will begin buzzing above the emirate as early as July, according to […]
Janet Yellen continues to demonstrate that she is either profoundly ignorant or dishonest. Neither of those are positive qualities for a Fed Chair. Having maintained interest rates at essentially ZERO for seven years during the Obama years, Yellen suddenly believes it would be “unwise” to wait too long to raise rates now. It’s a bizarre claim, particularly when you consider: 1) The US economy is limping along […]
