WILMINGTON, Del. A judge effectively killed off any practical chance of Anthem Inc (ANTM.N) merging with Cigna Corp (CI.N) on Thursday as he declined to order Cigna not to terminate the deal. Judge Travis Laster of Delaware’s Court of Chancery denied Anthem’s request for a preliminary injunction but stayed implementation of his ruling until noon on Monday to give the insurer time to decide if it will […]
King Abdullah II of Jordan, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Niger’s Mahamadou Issoufou are among leaders invited by Saudi King Salman for a summit with US President Donald Trump. The Arab-Islamic-American Summit will be among a series of talks expected to be held in Riyadh on May 20-21, Saudi officials said. Trump has frequently been accused of fuelling Islamophobia but aides described his decision to visit Saudi […]
MINSK Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in an interview with Belarusian TV Channel ONT aired on Thursday, said he will not back down from fighting his enemies. He pledged to defend de-escalation zones, brokered by Russia, and crush, with the support of Iran and Hezbollah, those who will try to breach them. Assad also told the TV channel that the de-escalation zones give chance for insurgents to hand […]
Moon Jae-in’s presidency of South Korea began with admirable pledges to handle an unpredictable and belligerent next-door neighbour, North Korea, and tackle economic problems. He will also tackle broader regional tensions, China’s outrage at the United States THAAD missile defence system in South Korea and rising fears over that same northern neighbour‘s nuclear programme. But one other challenge may be almost as crucial in determining the success […]
Uber should be regulated as a transport company and be subject to the same rules as normal taxis, according to a non-binding opinion by the Advocate General at the EU’s top court. The opinion, stating that the US ride-hailing app “must be classified as a ‘service in the field of transport’”, would deal a major blow to Uber if followed with a final judgment by the European […]
There can’t be many global brands that have the means, or even the inclination, to shut down an entire city block in Los Angeles – but that is precisely what Hermès did earlier this year. As part of its touring spring/summer 2017 men’s collection, for one night, Hermès transformed a forgotten warehouse in Los Angeles into DwnTwnMen LA, an interactive exhibition, fashion show venue and art space. […]
YANGON The International Committee of the Red Cross has asked Myanmar to let aid workers get access to people caught up in conflicts that have displaced tens of thousands despite a transition that brought Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to power. Authorities have blocked the ICRC from areas under the control of ethnic minority forces and from visiting some prisoners, the organisation’s president, Peter Maurer, told […]
Chaos ensued Monday night, May 8, at Fort Lauderdale Airport in Florida, as Spirit Airlines canceled multiple flights, leaving hundreds of travelers stranded in Broward County. Irritation escaladed to the point where it gave rise to altercations between angry passengers and staff members. The latter had no choice but to call the police, which intervened to calm the violent brawl and eventually made three arrests. Riot Charges For The […]
Abu Dhabi // The president of the UAE, Sheikh Khalifa, has been invited by Saudi King Salman to attend talks in Riyadh later this month with the US president. The ruler of Abu Dhabi was invited to both the US-GCC talks as well as the summit expected to be held a day later, on May 21, between Donald Trump and leaders from more than a dozen of […]
On Wednesday, Mr. Erdogan’s prime minister added another warning: that arming the Kurds could have “consequences” for the United States and a “negative result.” He did not go into detail, promising only that Mr. Erdogan would elaborate when he meets President Trump at the White House next week. Continue reading the main story Mr. Erdogan also sharply criticized the Trump administration’s decision in remarks quoted by Turkish […]
BEIRUT: A top Syrian Kurdish official on Wednesday welcomed the US decision to arm Kurdish fighters with heavier weapons, saying it would “legitimize” the force as it prepares to march on Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Daesh group.But Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli said the decision, announced by the Trump administration Tuesday, was “unacceptable.”The US said it would provide heavier arms to the Kurdish-led […]
JOHANNESBURG A South African woman seeking advice on Twitter about buying a driver’s license got more than she bargained for on Wednesday when her inquiry caught the eye of police minister and prolific tweeter Fikile Mbalula. “It’s a criminal offence to buy a driver’s license (like a) ngathi ligwinya,” Mbalula tweeted back, using a local word for a doughnut. “It will get you, the traffic department and […]
BEIRUT Air strikes killed at least 11 people, including four children, in a village north of the Syrian city of Raqqa overnight, a war monitoring group said on Wednesday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said warplanes, thought to belong to the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, hit al-Salihiya village before midnight and also injured several civilians. A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition could not immediately be […]
ISTANBUL Every weapon obtained by the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia constitutes a threat to Turkey, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday, emphasising Ankara’s opposition to a U.S. deal to arm the fighters against Islamic State. Cavusoglu, who was speaking to reporters while on a visit to Montenegro, said the YPG was a terrorist organisation, the same as the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), and that […]
DUBAI // A drunk worker celebrating on Christmas Eve last year stabbed his compatriot to death when he arrived shouting and bawling, Dubai Criminal Court heard on Wednesday. The Sri Lankan defendant, 36, was in festive mood, drinking and singing with his wife, brothers and a number of others from his homeland at his home in Al Muraqqabat when the man arrived at about 11pm yelling. The […]
Authored by Carey Wedler via TheAntiMedia.org, Only one lawyer who prosecuted the Nuremberg trials is still alive today, and he has an important message for the world: war is not the answer. 60 Minutes recently interviewed Ben Ferencz, a son of Romanian Jewish immigrants who found refuge in the United States. His father worked as a janitor, and Ben was the first person in his family to […]
The Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) has announced a live trial of drone technology to be used for disaster management, utilising Telstra’s 4G network and a combination of three drone operators and four software platforms for the tests. The combination of drone operators and software platforms will allow the drones to fly beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS); however, current legislation still requires drones to be […]
Turkey was informed of Mr. Trump’s decision, according to an American official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was discussing private diplomatic communications. Continue reading the main story The Turkish government had no immediate reaction, with officials declining to comment before Mr. Erdogan’s office did. But the move was likely to anger Mr. Erdogan, who has been pressing the United States to lessen its […]
Facebook is under fire again over the way it handles fake news, as an Austrian court just ruled the company must remove all posts considered to be hate speech. The ruling doesn’t refer to just local posts either — the Austrian court ordered Facebook to remove hateful content globally, which makes the ruling significant even beyond the country’s borders. Austria Takes Steps Against Facebook Hate Speech Austria’s Green party, […]
Donald Trump’s promise of the biggest tax reforms since the Reagan era has cast minds back to the go-go years of postwar Manhattan, when cocktail glasses brimmed, steaks bulged and meal bills soared. The generous treatment of business meal expenses fuelled a phenomenon called the “three martini lunch”. As good for networking as it was bad for afternoon acuity, the more money diners spent on liquor, the […]
Moon Jae-in has triumphed in the South Korean presidential election with over 40 percent of the vote, according to exit polls. But the liberal leader’s solid victory can’t patch over deeper political wounds. Just as the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union left British society divided and Donald Trump’s election polarized Americans, the impeachment of Park Geun-hye has split South Korea. While more than 75 […]
Quebec police continued the search on Tuesday for a toddler swept away in a swollen Quebec river and said her stepfather’s body had been found, the first fatality in floods that have inundated the Canadian province. Almost 2,000 people have fled their homes in recent days amid floods caused by heavy rains in the province, according to government emergency informatiom bureau Urgence Quebec. The city of Montreal […]
Back to normal, for now… South African stocks hit an 11-month high on Tuesday, as markets calm a month after the surprise ousting of the country’s finance minister, but analysts warned that political worries could rear their heads again soon. The FTSE/JSE All-Share index climbed 1 per cent today, hitting a high of 54,255, its highest level since June 2016. Bank stocks, which were particularly badly hit […]
By Suleiman Al-Khalidi | AMMAN AMMAN Syrian government warplanes struck rebel outposts near the Jordanian border early on Tuesday, rebels said, bringing the war closer to Syria’s U.S.-allied neighbour to the south. The air strikes, at around 3 a.m. (0000 GMT) were the first near that part of the border, a Jordanian official said. They came hours after Syria’s foreign minister warned Jordan against sending troops into […]
