There is no doubt that 2016 was a milestone year for utility-scale solar in the Middle East. The UAE set – and then reset – the benchmark for low-cost solar electricity; Saudi Arabia made its highest level commitment to investing in solar; and Jordan commissioned its largest utility-scale solar power plant and announced plans to tender a new round of projects. In fact, these three countries alone […]
Donald Trump launched a promised assault on “burdens” imposed by government within hours of becoming US president on Friday by moving to loosen rules tied to Obamacare and halting the introduction of any new regulations. Between the end of the daytime inaugural parade and the start of evening balls, the Trump administration took its first major policy moves by ordering government agencies to do all they could […]
Donald Trump’s November victory ignited the steepest rally from election day to inauguration for a first-term president since John F. Kennedy won the White House in 1960. The charts below tell the tale of the vigorous, and in many ways unexpected, reaction to the rise of the billionaire property developer to the pinnacle of American politics. The S&P 500 index, a broad measure of the performance of […]
Friday 21:00 GMT Overview Financial markets gave a relatively muted response to Donald Trump’s inaugural speech as US president, with US stocks edging higher, Treasuries putting in mixed performances and the dollar easing back against its main rivals. Oil prices rose sharply amid hopes that producers would show compliance to a global deal to cut output. Gold initially struggled for traction but held above the $1,200 an […]
Donald Trump is to be sworn in as president in Washington on Friday, taking over from Barack Obama. Highlights of the day: SWEARING-IN Donald Trump is to be sworn in at middday (1700 GMT), setting the country on an uncertain path at home and abroad. PROTESTERS AND SUPPORTERS Protesters scuffle with police as liberal activists attempt to block thousands of supporters at the inauguration. Trump supporters dance […]
MELBOURNE A man deliberately drove into pedestrians, killing three and injuring more than 15 in the centre of Australia’s second largest city Melbourne on Friday, but police said the lunch-time incident was not terrorism-related. Police eventually rammed the car and shot the 26-year-old driver in the arm, before dragging him from the vehicle and arresting him. Police said the man had a history of family violence and […]
TOKYO Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, speaking in parliament hours before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office, said on Friday he wanted to further strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance. Trump sparked worries in Tokyo and the rest of the Asia-Pacific with campaign comments which included a pledge to make allies pay more for the security provided by U.S. forces and opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. […]
Friday 05.10 GMT Overview Equities markets were mixed in Asian trading on Friday as the dollar ceded ground to regional currencies and China reported on-target economic growth ahead of the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump. Hot topic The dollar index measuring the greenback against a basket of peers fell 0.2 per cent after a two-day winning streak left it 0.8 per cent higher at Thursday’s close. […]
TOKYO Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday objected to mention on the Pyeongchang Olympics website of islands disputed by his country and South Korea, saying it was “unacceptable” and went against the spirit of the international competition. Ties between Japan and South Korea, host of the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, have often been fraught over history, especially Japan’s 1910-1945 colonisation of the Korean peninsula. Both […]
Samsung and LG will utilize thermal pipes for their respective flagship devices, which are due for release this year, a new report says. This technology will allow the devices not to overheat, which is a situation Samsung is attempting to avoid, lest it springs up a brand-new debacle. LG had already confirmed that it’ll outfit the LG G6 with heat pipes to prevent undesirable and possibly life-threatening incidents where […]
Submitted by Peter Schiff via Euro Pacific Capital, There is much we don’t know about how the Trump presidency will play out. Will the Wall get built? Who will pay for it? Will it have at least some fencing? Will repeal and replace happen at exactly the same time? Will Trump throw a ceremonial switch? Will there be a Trump National Golf Course in Sochi? It’s anyone’s […]
Donald Trump has chosen Woody Johnson, the billionaire owner of the New York Jets American football team and veteran Republican political donor, as his ambassador to Britain. Speaking to Republicans at a lunch in Washington ahead of his inauguration on Friday, Mr Trump revealed that he had chosen the owner of the sports team as ambassador, as he kept his penchant for announcing appointments of his team […]
By Anjuli Davies and Andrew MacAskill | LONDON LONDON Global banks have begun signaling how they will put plans into action to cope with a “hard” exit by Britain from the European Union. Until now, banks have considered varying degrees of upheaval to their British-based businesses, depending on whether the outcome of Brexit was “hard” or “soft.” But after Prime Minister Theresa May said that Britain would […]
The star player in America’s biggest sporting event risks being benched: guacamole. Every year before the Super Bowl, demand soars for the avocado-based dip that has become a staple for viewing parties for the National Football League championship game, which has emerged as the second-largest day for food consumption in the US after Thanksgiving. This year’s supply was threatened by a spike in avocado prices late last […]
Men’s Fashion Weeks are now in full flow and this week saw Milan parade in all its finery. Here are some of the highlights. newslide Prada has gone back to “reality” with its latest collection, which is built around leather and corduroy. A step back from Prada’s signature clashing prints and overt intellectual references, this display of hipster trousers with patch pockets and sweaters with fuzzy patches […]
Thursday 02.10 GMT Overview Asian equities regained upward momentum after comments from Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen gave wings to a broad recovery for the dollar, weakening regional currencies. Hot topic The dollar index, which measures the US currency against a basket of peers, was up 0.4 per cent after the Fed chair warned that if the US waited too long to continue raising rates, it risked […]
Longtime Nintendo tactical RPG franchise Fire Emblem is finally coming to mobile via Fire Emblem: Heroes, directly following the release of Super Mario Run in December. It marks the third time for Nintendo to release a title for the smartphone gaming platform after the aforementioned endless runner and Miitomo. Fire Emblem: Heroes As per Nintendo, Fire Emblem: Heroes will feature a new story about two kingdoms in discord, and it’s […]
China cut its holdings of US Treasuries by $66bn in November, reducing its position in the safe-haven debt to the lowest level since 2010 as the country battles to stabilise its currency. The acceleration in sales — the largest monthly decline since December 2011 — threatens a rise in US interest rates if it continues and follows an unwinding in October that saw China cede its position […]
By Kate Kelland | DAVOS, Switzerland, DAVOS, Switzerland, A global coalition of governments, health specialists and philanthropists will launch a new plan on Thursday to “outsmart” future disease epidemics with a fund to prepare and create new vaccines. Stung by the devastation of West Africa’s 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak, which killed more than 11,300 people before an effective vaccine was developed, the coalition is aiming to ensure such […]
As smartphones and data plans became more affordable in India, the South Asian nation swept aside the U.S. and Brazil to become the world’s top consumer of Google Play applications last year. In terms of the number of times people in India downloaded apps from the store, which is part of Alphabet Inc.’s Google, India outpaced both the U.S. and Brazil who were above it the year before, […]
Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush has been hospitalized in Houston, CBS Houston affiliate KHOU television reported on Wednesday, citing his office chief of staff. Bush, 92, was in stable condition and “doing fine,” Jean Becker told the television station. Bush is expected to go home in a couple of days, Becker told KHOU. Reuters was not immediately able to reach the family spokesman Jim McGrath or […]
By Saikat Chatterjee | HONG KONG HONG KONG Asian stock markets held near three-month highs on Wednesday as investors scooped up exporter shares after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump expressed concerns over a stronger dollar. In Asia, MSCI’s ex-Japan Asia-Pacific shares index .MIAPJ0000PUS rose 0.3 percent, just shy of a three-month high hit last Thursday. Stock markets in Hong Kong .HSI and China .SSEC led the gains. “Trump’s […]
Cambodia is to scrap an annual joint military exercise with the US in the latest shake-up in security co-operation between Washington and Southeast Asian capitals. The cancellation comes as Beijing and Washington battle for influence in Southeast Asia amid signs that president-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration could take a tougher line over China’s maritime territory claims in the region. Countries including the Philippines and Malaysia have already […]
Wednesday 02:20 GMT Overview Currency movements once again dominated trading in Asia as markets reacted to UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit blueprint and unexpected criticism of the dollar’s strength from US president-elect Donald Trump. Hot topic The dollar index, which measures the US currency against a basket of peers, was up 0.1 per cent at 100.470. It fell 0.8 per cent on Tuesday after comments from […]
