BEIJING China is set to sign an agreement on Monday establishing diplomatic ties with former Taiwan ally Sao Tome and Principe, according to a banner in a state guesthouse in Beijing announcing the ceremony, a Reuters witness said. Sao Tome and Principe Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada said on Thursday that breaking relations with Taiwan was the correct decision given China’s importance as a strategic partner and the […]
SEOUL Headed for a fourth straight annual profit decline, Hyundai Motor (005380.KS) is trimming its cost fat; scaling back on business class flights and annual family home trips for overseas employees, executives told Reuters. The South Korean automaker has been hit by its exposure to weak emerging markets, and a product line-up that features more sedans than sport utility vehicles, just as SUVs have become more popular […]
After more than three months out of the spotlight, Kim Kardashian West is set to make her first public appearance of the new year in Dubai. The American reality television star rescheduled after cancelling her planned trip to the UAE back in October after being robbed at gunpoint in Paris, France, during fashion week. The 36-year-old most famous for reality series Keeping up with the Kardashians was […]
China’s land ministry will automatically renew residential leases set to expire next year, temporarily dispelling homeowners’ concerns about an erosion of their property rights. In an announcement at the weekend, the land ministry said that 20-year residential property leases in the eastern city of Wenzhou would be automatically extended without charge, ending speculation that homeowners would face steep renewal fees equivalent to one-third of their property’s value. Ever […]
After all, Detroit had not won a playoff game since 1991 (and still has not) or a championship since 1957, when Bobby Layne, who lived on the same street as Stafford in Dallas and played for the same high school, was Detroit’s darling quarterback. So just between friends, was he really O.K. with becoming a Lion? “He said, ‘Absolutely,’” Aikman said in a telephone interview last week. […]
TAIPEI A group of Chinese warships lead by the country’s sole aircraft carrier has passed through waters south of Taiwan and is heading southwest, Taiwan’s defence ministry said on Monday of what China has termed a routine exercise. The ministry said the aircraft carrier the Liaoning, accompanied by five other vessels, had passed 90 nautical miles south of Taiwan’s southernmost point on Monday morning via the Bashi […]
The UAE will host the FIFA Club World Cup tournament in 2017 and 2018, it has been confirmed following the 2016 final which saw Real Madrid crowned world champions. The FIFA Club World Cup 2016 final, played in Yokohama International Stadium, saw the Spanish giants beat Japan’s Kashima Antlers, thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick. The UAE was previously host to the tournament in 2009 and 2010. […]
This year saw the release of the biggest leak of documents in history, when the Panama Papers were made public. Eleven million documents were leaked from one of the world’s most secretive companies, Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca. They revealed in detail how parts of the offshore industry work. We asked you what stories over the last 12 months you wanted to hear more about and in […]
SHANGHAI China has detained 11 people for dumping more than 2,900 tonnes of garbage into the Yangtze river in Jiangsu province, the official Xinhua news agency reported late on Sunday. The garbage was dumped earlier this month after two firms entrusted to dispose of household garbage subcontracted the work to third parties, Xinhua said. China has been cracking down on pollution in a bid to reverse the […]
2016 was chock-full of surprises, both in markets and in politics. As Goldman’s Allison Nathan explains, the year began with a perfect storm of worries that had become all too familiar already in 2015. Oil prices plunged and fears of faltering growth and a sharp depreciation of China’s currency escalated, driving disruptive sell-offs in credit and other risk assets. Confidence in global growth faltered, particularly after an […]
By Jake Spring | NINGDE, China NINGDE, China A dusty village on the outskirts of Ningde, a third-tier city in China’s southeast, seems an unlikely place for the headquarters of a potential global leader in future automotive technology. Yet China’s top-down industrial policy diktats – move up the value chain, clean up polluted urban skies, and shift to plug-in cars – have Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL) […]
If your New Year’s resolution is to try something that gets the adrenaline pumping and takes you out of your comfort zone then read on. We have rounded up 14 ideas to get you started. newslide Skydiving The ultimate thrill for adrenaline-seekers is a tandem jump from 13,000 feet over the Palm Jumeirah. Although somewhat pricey, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but the fee includes a video […]
But with few spies in the city, American officials say assessing the enemy is difficult. “We’ve spent a lot of time trying to understand the situation on the ground in Raqqa,” Lt. Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian, the air war commander, said in an interview from his headquarters in Qatar. “It’s improving. It’s still not at the level we’d like it to be.” Continue reading the main story […]
A Dubai-based developer has announced a partnership with wellness real estate and technology firm Delos to introduce wellness inspired homes to the UAE over the next five years. MAG Property Development said the first project to be carried out by the partnership will be the residences at MAG of Life Creek Resort, the world’s largest wellness concept in Dubai Healthcare City phase 2. The MAG of Life […]
TEL AVIV Messaging app Snapchat is buying Israeli augmented reality startup Cimagine Media for an estimated $30-$40 million, marking Snapchat’s first acquisition in Israel, the Calcalist financial daily reported on Sunday. Cimagine developed True Marketless Augmented Reality – technology that allows users to virtually place furniture and appliances they wish to purchase in the space of their home, on their mobile devices, at the click of a […]
Popular game maker Atari is also venturing into the world of mobile apps. The company has just announced the release of the new RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic for both Android and iOS devices. With the trend of old-school gaming classics adapting to mobile gaming like Super Mario Run, the release of RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic is very timely. Just like any other famous franchise, the game is not for free. Players […]
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for December 26, 2016, including Christmas attractions, food markets, art exhibitions, fitness events, performances, film screenings and family fun. newslide Abu Dhabi Film screening Catch a screening of The Patience Stone. The film is about a young woman in a country torn apart by war, who watches over her comatose husband and begins to tell him […]
ISTANBUL — When a Turkish police officer assassinated Andrey G. Karlov, Russia’s ambassador to Turkey, on Monday, it felt for a moment as if the whole world shook. The killing took place at a time of global uncertainty and reminded some observers of the start of World War I. The truth, however, is that despite shaky relations between Russia and Turkey in recent years, the assassination is […]
KABUL There was an angry reaction in Afghanistan to news that the first female fixed-wing pilot in the country’s air force was requesting asylum in the United States after completing an 18-month training course. The Afghan defence ministry confirmed on Sunday that Captain Niloofar Rahmani, 25, had sought asylum after the Wall Street Journal quoted her as saying that she feared her life would be in danger […]
BAGHDAD Christians in Baghdad celebrated Christmas on Sunday in a heightened state of fear after deadly attacks on Christian-owned shops that sell alcohol. Two shops next door to each other were riddled with bullet holes and spattered with blood after gunmen opened fire late on Friday in Baghdad’s Ghadeer neighbourhood. Police and medical sources said three people were killed and four wounded. Local activists gave a higher […]
By Stephen Kalin | EAST OF MOSUL, Iraq EAST OF MOSUL, Iraq This is the third Christmas that Staff Sergeant Magdiel Asencio is spending in Iraq. For Sergeant First Class Noel Alvarado, it is number four. And so it is with many U.S. troops stationed less than a hour’s drive from the front line with Islamic State. Few thought they would be back nearly 14 years after […]
By Jeffrey Heller | JERUSALEM JERUSALEM Israel summoned the ambassadors of 10 nations to Jerusalem to reprimand them on Sunday and had more harsh words for the Obama administration over a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding an end to settlement-building. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put his personal imprint on the show of anger by repeating at the weekly cabinet meeting what an unidentified Israeli government official contended […]
BEIJING China needs to keep financial market liquidity stable and regulate its “money gates” to prevent asset bubbles, but it also needs to ensure a lack of liquidity doesn’t cause financial stress, according to a commentary in a newspaper owned by the People’s Bank of China. Chinese policymakers face a dilemma as they need to tighten credit to contain debt and speculative investment without triggering a wave […]
Photo Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attending the weekly cabinet meeting at his Jerusalem office on Sunday. Credit Pool photo by Dan Balilty JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel further escalated his criticism of the departing Obama administration on Sunday, publicly accusing it of having orchestrated the United Nations Security Council resolution that condemned Israel’s settlement construction. It was the second consecutive day of rising […]
