Saudi Arabian commercial bank deposits rose to their highest level this year in November, a sign that a liquidity crunch due to low oil prices is easing as the government liquidates foreign assets to pay its bills, official data showed on Wednesday. Bank deposits climbed to 1.624 trillion riyals ($433 billion) from 1.610 trillion riyals in October, the fourth straight month-on-month gain, the central bank figures showed. […]
BEIRUT Clashes between rebels and Syrian government forces took place less than two hours after a ceasefire took effect on Friday, a monitoring group and a rebel official said, in the first violations of a deal backed by Russia and Turkey. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said rebels had violated the truce deal and taken over a position in Hama province. Mohammed Rasheed, a […]
Authored by Oliver Stone (via Facebook), THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING As 2016 draws to a close, we find ourselves a deeply unsettled nation. We’re unable to draw the lines of our national interest. Is it jobs and economy, is it national security, or is it now in our interest to ensure global security — in other words, act as the world’s policemen? As the “failing” (to quote […]
JAKARTA/SYDNEY An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 struck on Friday off the island of Sumbawa in eastern Indonesia, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said. There was no tsunami warning issued. The undersea quake was felt strongly in the area and some surrounding islands including the resort of Bali, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, said Indonesia’s national disaster management agency spokesman Sutopo. […]
The Singapore government has invested significant resources and efforts in building up a thriving startup environment, but its inhabitants must now take risks and look beyond local shores. Jeffrey Paine, general partner at Golden Gate Ventures, believed Singapore’s startup scene had progressed well over the last six to eight years. He said a number of successful startups had grown and executed well in the region, as well […]
Singapore Oil prices rose in early Asian trade on Friday shrugging off a second consecutive week of U.S. crude oil inventory builds, with a U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) report late on Thursday indicating an unexpected rise in crude stocks. U.S. benchmark West Texas intermediate (WTI) CLc1 crude futures were up 18 cents or 0.33 percent to $53.95 at 0105 GMT after settling 29 cents lower at […]
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey recently asked what users would want to see or improve on the social media platform for 2017, and responses to the question have flooded in. Some of the top requests include a bookmark button that would allow users to revisit their favorite accounts and tweets, as well as an improved system for reporting harassment. One of the most requested features for Twitter, however, is […]
By John Davison | BEIRUT BEIRUT A nationwide ceasefire in Syria, brokered by Russia and Turkey which back opposing sides in the conflict, got off to a shaky start after midnight on Friday (2200 GMT on Thursday) in the latest attempt to end nearly six years of bloodshed. Russian President Vladimir Putin, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, announced the ceasefire on Thursday after forging […]
A poll of 60 staff members of The National resulted in useful travel hacks, such as low-fare flights with flexible date options, hassle-free packing, and convenient add-ons, that can make your holiday a more cheerful, potentially cheaper experience. newslide Be flexible The prices of flights and hotel rooms varies a lot depending on demand, so compare prices, choose less busy dates and even be willing to alter […]
The two-state solution would establish an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel — two states for two peoples. In theory, this would win Israel security and allow it to retain a Jewish demographic majority (letting the country remain Jewish and democratic) while granting the Palestinians a state. Continue reading the main story Most governments and world bodies have set achievement of the two-state solution as official policy, including […]
Wall Street’s most important equity barometer is on track for its biggest annual recovery since the beginning of the bull market, underscoring the sharp turn in investor sentiment following the worst start to a year on record. The S&P 500 index is poised for an 11 per cent gain in 2016, shaking off a brutal start that at its lowest point in February left it down 10.5 […]
By Dustin Volz | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON The FBI squarely blamed Russian intelligence services on Thursday for meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, releasing the most definitive report yet on the issue, including samples of malicious computer code said to have been used in a broad hacking campaign. Starting in mid-2015, Russia’s foreign intelligence agency, the FSB, emailed a malicious link to more than 1,000 recipients, including […]
BEIRUT The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said warring sides appeared to cease firing across Syria after a truce deal came into effect at midnight on Friday (2200 GMT Thursday). The British-based Observatory said there had been some shellfire around Aleppo and in an area close to the capital Damascus shortly before the ceasefire, brokered by Russia and Turkey, began. (Reporting by John Davison; Editing […]
This year, I visited six newsrooms. Some had low-ceilinged cubicle mazes with coffee-stained carpets and newsprint towers. Some had quote-covered glass meeting spaces and slick, quiet rooms. At all of them, I found local legacy newsrooms, or “old media” as they’re often called, doing the work of digital journalism. In one case, the print product was an afterthought. In another, it had been rethought. At all of […]
By Jeff Mason and Lesley Wroughton | HONOLULU/WASHINGTON HONOLULU/WASHINGTON President Barack Obama ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian suspected spies and imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence agencies over their involvement in hacking U.S. political groups in the 2016 presidential election. The measures, taken during the last days of Obama’s presidency, mark a new post-Cold War low in U.S.-Russian ties which have deteriorated over Ukraine and Syria. […]
By Jonathan Stempel | NEW YORK NEW YORK A founder of Run-DMC on Thursday filed a lawsuit accusing Amazon.com Inc and Wal-Mart Stores Inc of selling a wide variety of clothing and accessories bearing the pioneering rap group’s name without permission. Darryl McDaniels, the owner of Run-DMC Brand LLC, the plaintiff in the lawsuit, is seeking at least $50 million of damages from the retailers and other […]
MOSCOW The spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that a new round of U.S. sanctions against Russia would harm relations between Moscow and Washington. Dmitry Peskov said Putin would order an “appropriate” retaliation to the sanctions, which included the expulsion of 35 diplomats. In a conference call with reporters, Peskov said Moscow doubted the effectiveness of the measures as the current U.S. presidential administration […]
In this Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016, photo, Emerson Hill, 6, plays with Pepper the robot at Westfield Mall in San Francisco. While merrily chirping, dancing and posing for selfies, Pepper looks like another expensive toy in the San Francisco mall where it will be entertaining shoppers through mid-February. But it would be a mistake to dismiss Pepper as mere child’s play, even though kids flock around the […]
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for December 30, 2016, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film screenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun. newslide Dubai Farmers’ market Shop for fresh organic produce at The Farmers’ Market at Bay Avenue Retail Promenade. Buy farm-fresh seasonal goods directly from farmers and enjoy a host of family-friendly activities including live cooking […]
If the loftier visions of Silicon Valley’s most ambitious internet companies turn into reality, the stratosphere is about to become a very crowded place. Amazon has joined the sky-bound dreamers with an idea that sounds like it has been drawn straight from the pages of science fiction: airship warehouses floating high above the clouds, feeding a fleet of drones that whisk purchases straight to the buyer. The […]
In the battle against the Islamic State for Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, there is no continuous front line, but a patchwork of battlegrounds in the city and all around its edge. When the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, retreats from a position, it tries to leave as much damage behind as possible, including burning oil field wells to provide concealment ahead of a government […]
With the US Federal Reserve raising interest rates, and President Mario Draghi of the European Central Bank seemingly unable to escape his addiction to quantitative easing policy, many investors are questioning who wants to buy the euro. The answer is simple. The whole world is eager to buy the euro. The problem in 2017 is more likely to be finding anyone who wants to buy the US […]
The last time I wore glasses with a camera built into them, it was Google Glass. The idea, hype, and eventual demise of Google Glass was spurred on by privacy concerns, lack of true augmented reality capabilities, and just how plain goofy the gadget made users look. Snap, the company formerly called Snapchat, is looking to create its own path of wearable cameras with Spectacles. The $129 […]
MOSCOW New U.S. sanctions on Russia are counterproductive and will harm a restoration of bilateral ties, Interfax news agency reported on Thursday, citing Konstantin Dolgov, Foreign Ministry commissioner for human rights, democracy and the rule of law. (Reporting by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Kevin Liffey) ‘); $(‘.second-article-divide’).append($(‘.slider.slider-module’)); $(‘.third-article-divide’).append(”); var median = (relatedItemsTotal / 2); var $relatedContentGroupOne = $(‘.related-content.group-one ul’); var $relatedContentGroupTwo = $(‘.related-content.group-two ul’); $.each($relatedItems, function(k,v) { […]
