Vladimir Putin is trying to break the north Atlantic alliance and his policies represent one of the key threats to the global order that has prevailed since the second world war, James Mattis, the retired general nominated to be secretary of defence, has told a Senate committee. In testimony that struck a notably harder line on Russia than that of Donald Trump, Mr Mattis said the US […]
Fernandez was surprised at the scale of the problems on the Westside and the apprehension of the residents who remember the unmet promises of the past. “This is a very racialized atmosphere — the rich, white billionaire going to save the black folks,” he said while driving past boarded-up homes and shuttered churches and shops. “You can only go the speed of trust and just weather the […]
WASHINGTON President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. Secretary of Defense, James Mattis, said on Thursday that he had a “very, very high degree of confidence” in U.S. intelligence agencies. Mattis, speaking at his Senate confirmation hearing, said he expects Trump to be open to his view on intelligence matters, and that the world order was under its biggest attack since World War Two. (Reporting by Idrees Ali […]
BEIJING A factory in eastern China is racing to keep up with demand for its new clutch – giant inflatable rooster balloons that bear what some say is an uncanny resemblance to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. The Zhejiang-based factory has already produced 30 of the inflatables, some of which are up to 20 meters (65.6 feet) in height, and all sporting puffed-up combs of gold. Li Haiyan, […]
By Mehreen Zahra-Malik | ISLAMABAD ISLAMABAD A Pakistani Senate committee is set to debate how to prevent the country’s blasphemy laws being applied unfairly, despite opposition from religious conservatives who support legislation that carries a mandatory death penalty for insulting Islam. Senator Farhatullah Babar told Reuters that the Senate Committee on Human Rights, of which he is a member, will start discussions on blasphemy laws as early […]
By Mohamed Zaki and Mohamed Abd El-Ghany | CAIRO CAIRO In an economic crisis that has led to a shortage of medicines, Egyptians are skipping trips to drug stores and instead turning to herbal remedies to treat every-day illnesses. In the Cairo working class neighborhood of Basateen, dozens can be seen lining up outside a decades-old herbal spice shop with pyramid-shaped stacks of jars on display, filled […]
Good morning. Here’s our morning roundup of all the media news you need to know. Want to get this briefing in your inbox every morning? Subscribe here. Donald Trump is nothing if not transparent, especially when it comes to views of the press and outright evasions about his business holdings. That was self-evident at his Wednesday spectacle (labeled “press conference”) in which he bashed media and also […]
By Susanna Twidale | LONDON LONDON Britain should go ahead with “cost effective” plans to build what would be the world’s first tidal lagoon renewable power project, a government commissioned review said on Thursday. Britain needs to invest in major new infrastructure to replace aging coal and nuclear plants set to close in the 2020s, and also needs to reduce is greenhouse gas emissions to meet its […]
LONDON Asset management giant PIMCO said on Thursday it thought there was a chance China could freely float its currency, the yuan, this year. The firm’s head of Asian portfolios, Luke Spajic, said in a note Beijing was finding it impossible achieve three goals simultaneously: a stable or fixed foreign exchange rate, free capital movement and an independent monetary policy. Combining tighter financial conditions with this policy trilemma […]
ABU DHABI // “We are all proud,” said Suhaib Al Bastaki, son of Mohammed Ali Zainal Al Bastaki, who was one of the five Emiratis killed in Afghanistan on Tuesday. Al Bastaki was the deputy director general of the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation and had dedicated his life to humanitarian work. “My father travelled the world to help the poor and orphans everywhere. Every week […]
Kim Kardashian West is prepped and ready for her appearance in Dubai on tomorrow (January 13), her first public outing since the shocking robbery in Paris late last year that has seen her go to ground since. It seems the Keeping up with the Kardashians star is bringing reinforcements, in the form of her sister Kourtney’s ex, Scott Disick. “On our way #Dubai,” Kardashian West posted on […]
Car sales in China are forecast to slow sharply this year as stimulus measures designed to boost demand are set to end. Sales are expected to increase 5 per cent in 2017, a significant drop from growth of 13.7 per cent last year, which was the fastest rate since 2013 despite a broader economic slowdown. Growth in 2016 exceeded expectations due to tax incentives on smaller vehicles, […]
Global investors sold the dollar and sought government bonds and gold on Thursday in the wake of Donald Trump’s pre-inauguration press conference, revealing the first sign of buyers remorse for a reflation rally that has dominated global markets since early November. Mr Trump’s press conference, his first as president-elect, was held in New York’s Trump Tower on Wednesday and was dominated by his ties to Russia, his […]
By Manuel Mogato | MANILA MANILA The Philippines is deferring plans to repair and upgrade features it occupies in the disputed South China Sea, the country’s military chiefs said on Thursday, to avoid provoking China while the two traditional foes seek to bury the hatchet. The Philippines would continue to observe a moratorium on construction in the Spratly islands that it adopted while an international tribunal handled […]
Scientists have performed the first all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of Cas9-catalyzed DNA cleavage in action. The simulations shed light on the process of Cas9 genome editing and helped resolve controversies about specific aspects of the cutting. (via WSJ)
JERUSALEM Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said talks to discuss the Middle East peace process in Paris on Sunday would be “rigged” against Israel, which has announced it would not participate. “It’s a rigged conference, rigged by the Palestinians with French auspices to adopt additional anti-Israel stances. This pushes peace backwards,” Netanyahu said in public remarks on Thursday. “It’s not going to obligate us. It’s a relic […]
GENEVA Foreign ministers of Britain, Greece and Turkey were to meet in Geneva on Thursday in an attempt to thrash out a security deal for a post-settlement reunited Cyprus. For the first time in decades, the three countries were to address a 1960 treaty which allows intervention in Cyprus, a pretext used by at least one of them to intervene in the island in the past. Cyprus […]
SEOUL Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said upon returning to his native South Korea on Thursday that he would make a “selfless decision” soon with regard to his political career. Ban is expected to run for president but has yet to declare his candidacy. Ban told reporters and well-wishes at Incheon airport near Seoul that he would use his experience at the United Nations to solidify South […]
HONG KONG Property developer China Vanke (000002.SZ) (2202.HK), embroiled in a high-profile corporate power tussle for over a year, said on Thursday its No. 2 shareholder China Resources Group is considering a major plan. The country’s second-largest developer said in a statement it had been informed on Wednesday that China Resources and a unit were ‘formulating a major plan involving its holdings in Vanke but are still […]
When the Uber app received a major makeover in November of last year, the ride-sharing service promised that it will be adding a feature to integrate the native calendar app of the smartphones of users. Just a couple of months after, the feature is now being rolled out to Uber customers on iOS devices, offering an easier way to request for rides. Calendar App Integration On Uber Through […]
While the 2011 revolution cannot be solely credited for creating an alternative music scene in Egypt, the ensuing political turmoil did trigger an outpouring of creativity. Music festivals from SOS to the Cairo Jazz Festival, and smaller independent music labels such as 100Copies, had been sowing the seeds of an alternative home-grown alt-music scene since the late 1990s, but the protests that began on the streets on […]
KUCHING: Sarawak has never before seen a leader who made such a great impact on the state and its people like Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem who died yesterday just two weeks shy of his 73rd birthday. He had succumbed to a heart ailment that left him with having to use a pace-maker to stabilise his heartbeat after hardly three years in office and six months […]
Adam Schefter of ESPN first reported that the Chargers would leave San Diego. The league’s stadium and finance committees met in New York on Wednesday but offered no new financial incentives to help the Chargers in their efforts to build a new stadium in San Diego. The Chargers did receive an extension of two days, to Jan. 17, on the deadline for them to decide whether to […]
Thursday 08:40 GMT Overview The dollar, Treasury yields and equities are lower — with pharmaceutical groups in the firing line — as traders question the “Trumpflation trade” following the US president-elect’s fractious press conference on Wednesday. The yen is stronger, signalling waning risk appetite among traders, while gold is back above $1,200, a seven-week high. Hot topic Investors are reassessing the implications of a Trump presidency. Markets […]
