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By Jack Kim and Cynthia Kim | SEOUL SEOUL South Korean President Park Geun-hye, engulfed in an influence-peddling scandal, faces a historic impeachment vote in parliament on Friday that could see her become the country’s first democratically elected leader to be ousted from office. Parliament is expected to vote in favour of impeachment, with support from some members of Park’s conservative Saenuri Party, but the Constitutional Court […]

By Laila Bassam and John Davison | ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT The Syrian army’s advance in Aleppo slowed on Thursday but a victory was still firmly in sight after President Bashar al-Assad vowed that retaking the city would change the course of the six-year-old war. Russia’s RIA news agency quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying the Syrian army, which has captured territory including Aleppo’s historic […]

Apple has seen a sharp year-over-year increase in the number US government demands for customer data. It’s the company’s first biannual report this year covering how many demands were made from global law enforcement and intelligence agencies, including the US government, for data the company stores. Apple was embroiled in a legal battle with the FBI earlier this year over locked iPhones. Read more. Apple said it […]

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 […]

08 December 2016 “The power and energy landscape in Africa is undergoing significant change” says Evan Schiff, African Utility Week event director, adding that current trends include “the availability of private investment for power and energy projects, the fast development of energy storage, renewable energy is becoming cheaper, gas that is an increasingly attractive mode of power generation in Africa, and that in the next 10 years, […]

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 […]

1776, a Washington, DC-based technology incubator with a direct presence in Dubai, has signed a partnership agreement with the UK Lebanon Tech Hub (UKLTH), a joint initiative by Banque du Liban (Lebanon’s Central Bank) and the UK Government. The partnership is aimed at supporting Lebanon’s fastest-growing tech start-ups and help them break into new international markets such as the UAE and the neighboring Gulf countries. Start-up companies […]

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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 […]

By Will Dunham John Glenn, who became one of the 20th century’s greatest explorers as the first American to orbit Earth and later as the world’s oldest astronaut, and also had a long career as a U.S. senator, died in Ohio on Thursday at age 95. Glenn, the last surviving member of the original seven American “Right Stuff” Mercury astronauts, died at the James Cancer Hospital at […]

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 […]

Pebble’s time ran out. Pebble did not launch the first smartwatch or even the first smartwatch of the modern era. But its combination of long battery life, daylight-readable display and iOS compatibility led it to become the highest-grossing Kickstarter campaign ever. Its campaign for the Pebble Time — which noted that over a million Pebble watches had been sold and that it was the top-selling smartwatch on […]

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 […]

WASHINGTON U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke by phone on Thursday about the situation in Aleppo and agreed to keep discussing a ceasefire to allow aid delivery and the departure of anyone who wants to leave the embattled city, the State Department said. The phone call was in addition to a brief meeting the two men had on Thursday on […]

RAK Properties has signed a AED30 million ($8.1 million) enabling works contract with Al Nuaimi Group for its upcoming Anantara Resort & Spa within the Mina Al Arab development. The contract between Al Nauimi Group and RAK Properties includes piling and earthworks for a 306-room resort, which will be operated by Minor Hotels under its Anantara brand when it opens in late 2018. The property will feature […]

“Modern Family” star Sofia Vergara is being sued by her two frozen embryos in an unusual lawsuit as part of a three-year battle by her ex-fiance to see the embryos brought to life. The female embryos, which were created when Vergara was engaged to businessman Nick Loeb, are given the names Emma and Isabella and listed as plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed in Louisiana state court on […]

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 […]

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit off the Solomon Islands early on Friday, triggering a tsunami warning in a wide area of the South Pacific. The quake struck at 4:38 a.m. (1738 GMT Thursday) at a depth of 49 km (30 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was initially reported to be of magnitude 8.0. “Hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible within the next three […]

Idyllic archipelago of 115 islands will continue to enchant Middle Eastern guests in 2017 8 December 2016, Dubai UAE The Seychelles Tourism Board Office in Dubai is delighted to confirm that visitor numbers from the GCC region have shown impressive year-on-year growth over the past 12 months.  The announcement comes with news of a portfolio of hotel openings for 2017 that look set to secure the market […]

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 […]

Shigeru Miyamoto announces Super Mario Run. Jason Cipriani/ZDNet Super Mario Run launches on December 15 in 100 countries exclusive to iOS devices, but what if you want to play right now? Starting Thursday, December 8, you can visit your local Apple Store to play a demo version of the game. The announcement was made during Wednesday night’s episode of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. During the […]

By Alex Lawler and Rania El Gamal | LONDON/DUBAI LONDON/DUBAI Only five of 14 non-OPEC oil producers have agreed so far to meet the group on Saturday for talks aimed at widening a deal to reduce output, casting doubt on whether OPEC will secure the full cuts it is seeking, two OPEC sources said. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, which finalised its first oil output […]

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 […]

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