AMSTERDAM A verdict is expected later on Friday in the hate-speech trial of Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who was quoted in a newspaper earlier in the day as saying that the judgment was irrelevant. Wilders was tried on charges of inciting discrimination and hatred at a 2014 gathering, when his supporters chanted they wanted “Fewer! Fewer! Fewer!” Moroccans in the Netherlands. A smiling Wilders concluded: “we’re going […]
By Praveen Menon | KUALA LUMPUR KUALA LUMPUR Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s stern rebuke to Myanmar for a military-led crackdown on Muslim Rohingyas was a rarity among Southeast Asian nations, who adhere to a policy of non-interference in each other’s domestic affairs. Critics saw the beleaguered Najib reaching for the moral high ground with his criticism over the weekend of Myanmar in order to pander to […]
Submitted by Brandon Smith via Alt-Market.com, I have spent the better part of the last 10 years working diligently to investigate and relate information on economics and geopolitical discourse for the liberty movement. However, long before I delved into these subjects my primary interests of study were the human mind and the human “soul” (yes, I’m using a spiritual term). My fascination with economics and sociopolitical events has […]
GUATEMALA CITY Revellers in Guatemala set ablaze cardboard representations of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump wearing devil horns during a traditional ceremony, “La Quema del Diablo”, or the Burning of the Devil, held ahead of Christmas every year. Trump’s hardline stance on immigration during his presidential election campaign, including a promise to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, has drawn anger from Latin Americans in the United […]
By Lisa Twaronite and Wayne Cole | TOKYO/SYDNEY TOKYO/SYDNEY Asian shares edged down on Friday but were on track for weekly gains, while the euro became more settled after the volatility seen in the wake of the European Central Bank’s decision to trim the size of its asset purchase program while also extending it for longer than many analysts had expected. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares […]
Relegated to the backbench of the UK parliament, George Osborne has a great deal more time on his hands after the very public failed Brexit ‘Remain’ campaign. The former British chancellor is using the downtime to investigate why a wave of populist nationalism is currently sweeping across the world – and how it managed to bruise his political career as well as that of former prime minister […]
By Patricia Zengerle | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called “fake news” a danger that must be addressed quickly, in a rare public appearance on Thursday, a month after she lost the presidential election in a campaign marked by a flood of such propaganda. “We must stand up for our democracy,” Clinton said during a tribute to retiring Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, referring […]
The bromide says all politics are local. But if examined closely, state politics are looking quite national these days. Some independent groups ensconced in offices around D.C. and New York have been running their own shadow campaigns to affect the outcomes of races for governor, legislators, state supreme court justices and more around the country. Overall, independent political groups such as these have taken on a larger […]
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for December 9, 2016, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film screenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun. newslide Abu Dhabi Tennis event Take part in the ZSC Academy Tennis Festival, a fun way to experience and learn more about the sport. There will be lessons for children ages 2 and older, tennis […]
By Amanda Becker and Robert Iafolla | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON President-elect Donald Trump named fast-food executive Andy Puzder to head the U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday, drawing criticism from labour advocates worried about his opposition to a higher minimum wage and government regulation of the workplace. Puzder, chief executive of CKE Restaurants Inc [APOLOT.UL], which operates the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s fast-food chains, has frequently argued in […]
Investors bought firmly into the view that a diverging outlook for interest rates is the key driver for the euro in the wake of the European Central Bank’s extension of quantitative easing, leaving the single currency nursing its biggest one-day drop against the dollar since the UK’s vote to leave the EU. After a knee-jerk 1 per cent leap up in the euro as headlines flashed that […]
Since announcing the creation of ProPublica Illinois, president Richard Tofel has heard from people in other states hoping the nonprofit investigative organization will set up shop in their cities, too. And it might. But first, they have to figure out the prairie state. ProPublica announced Wednesday the creation of ProPublica Illinois, the search for a Chicago-based editor and seed funding from the Ford Foundation. Two important things […]
Major U.S. stock indexes climbed again on Thursday and set fresh record highs as a month-long rally following the presidential election of Donald Trump rolled on. Investors have driven up equities since Trump’s Nov. 8 election over optimism about domestic economic stimulus and reduced corporate taxes and regulations. Supporting the upbeat sentiment on Thursday was a report that showed the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits […]
ABU DHABI // The US presidential election, religious occasions and rainstorms were among the most discussed topics on Facebook by people in the UAE this year. On Thursday, Facebook released its Year in Review’s top moments of 2016 from people in the country and around the world. “As the year comes to a close, we have seen people in the UAE connect in big and small ways […]
By Mark Hosenball | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON President-elect Donald Trump is receiving an average of one presidential intelligence briefing a week, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter, far fewer than most of his recent predecessors. Although they are not required to, presidents-elect have in the past generally welcomed the opportunity to receive the President’s Daily Brief (PDB), the most highly classified and closely held document in […]
Thursday 21:00 GMT Overview The European Central Bank’s latest policy surprise fuelled a volatile session for the euro and government bonds as participants appeared, initially at least, to struggle to assess its implications. But European stocks rose to 11-month highs while Wall Street overcame an early bout of fatigue to set yet more record peaks. Oil prices resumed their upward path, even as a stronger dollar unsettled […]
By Steve Scherer and Francesca Piscioneri | ROME ROME Italy’s president began talks with political leaders on Thursday to seek a way out of the political crisis caused by the resignation of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. Sergio Mattarella, a 75-year-old former constitutional court judge, must decide if someone can lead Italy to elections scheduled for 2018, or whether an interim government should serve until a snap vote […]
For emerging markets, fears over the election of Donald Trump have yet to fully materialise. The prevailing view, says Ousmene Mandeng of EM investment fund New Sparta Asset Management, is that a Trump presidency is “negative for emerging markets”. Investors could foresee some benefit from a supply-side US boom that adds to world aggregate demand — but a less co-operative, protectionist US will have a structural negative […]
President-elect is weeks away from taking the oath of office, but for two Colorado presidential electors, the 2016 contest remains contested. The electors, who are Democrats vehemently opposed to Mr. Trump in the White House, have filed a lawsuit challenging the winner-takes-all system for casting electoral votes. Reports the Denver Post: Two Democratic electors who pledged to support […] (via WSJ)
The deals, if finalized, would bring much-needed expertise and foreign investment to Iran’s ailing energy sector. Continue reading the main story Just as important, the agreements provide a lifeline to the rest of the world, experts say, critical to keeping dollars flowing and in cementing relations with European and Asian countries. Few Iranian officials like to acknowledge that in public, insisting that the country is immune to […]
ABU DHABI // The US presidential election, religious occasions and rainstorms were among the most discussed topics on Facebook by people in the UAE this year. On Thursday, Facebook released its Year in Review’s top moments of 2016 from people in the country and around the world. “As the year comes to a close, we have seen people in the UAE connect in big and small ways […]
It was Donald Trump’s press conference in the early hours of November 9 that some pinpoint as the moment fears about what his presidency would mean for stock markets turned into euphoria about his victory. Campaign pledges to give a boost to the US economy were repeated, as the newly president-elect struck a moderate, even conciliatory, tone. Whatever you think of the reaction in financial markets since, […]
By Pak Yiu and Lisa Jucca | HONG KONG HONG KONG Cardinal Joseph Zen, the most senior Chinese Catholic cleric, says the participation of an excommunicated prelate at two bishop ordinations in China was a “slap in the face” for Pope Francis just as Rome seeks a historic deal with Beijing. Bishop Lei Shiyin, who was excommunicated by the Vatican in 2011 for accepting his appointment without […]
The European Central Bank has decided to scale back its landmark quantitive easing programme from €80bn to €60bn a month, in a move that responds to hawks’ concerns about ultra-loose monetary policy but which could unsettle markets. The bank confirmed that it would buy €80bn a month of bonds under the current leg of the programme until March, but added that it would reduce the purchase size […]
