By Arshad Mohammed | NEW YORK NEW YORK Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Monday she would prefer that President Donald Trump not criticise judges and the media but that U.S. democratic institutions can withstand such comments. Speaking in an interview, Rice also described Trump as having a somewhat “transactional” view of foreign relations but she broadly endorsed his approach of seeking to enlist […]
Monday 16:30 BST What you need to know • The euro is losing momentum after touching a six-month high, down 0.6 per cent at $1.0925 • New York equity markets are muted; European equities markets are falling back, led by banks after early momentum from the French election continues to fade • Oil prices have also been volatile with both Brent and WTI seesawing either side of […]
By Stephanie Nebehay | GENEVA GENEVA Spreading ethnic violence is driving more people from their homes in the Democratic Republic of Congo where the humanitarian situation is “dramatically deteriorating”, the United Nations said on Monday. Some 100,000 people were uprooted last week alone, bringing the ranks of displaced in the central Kasai region to nearly 1.3 million, it said. The total number of displaced throughout Congo has […]
By Thierry Chiarello and Sarah White | PARIS PARIS Emmanuel Macron may have won Sunday’s presidential election by a comfortable margin, but even his supporters’ enthusiasm is tempered by the scale of the challenge that the inexperienced politician faces in tackling France’s deep-seated economic, social and security problems. Macron, a former economy minister who had never previously stood for elected office, beat far-right leader Marine Le Pen […]
Warren Buffett said on Monday United Airlines made a “terrible mistake” in handling the fallout of a recent incident when a man was forcibly dragged off a United flight, which drew widespread outrage and sparked Congressional hearings. But the billionaire, whose Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N) is the largest investor in the carrier’s parent United Continental Holdings Inc (UAL.N), acknowledged on CNBC television that flying has become less […]
By Phil Stewart | COPENHAGEN COPENHAGEN U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Monday the United States would closely examine proposed de-escalation zones aimed at easing Syria’s civil war but warned “the devil’s in the details” and that much needed to be worked out. The deal to create “de-escalation” zones in the major areas of conflict in western Syria took effect on Saturday. The initiative was proposed […]
Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, is steady around $49 a barrel, after dropping by as much as 10 per cent last week in a move seen as a sign traders have grown impatient with Opec’s attempts to mop up a near three-year old surplus. The sell-off followed strong first quarter results from so-called “Big Oil” that trumpeted their ability to adapt to the price slump, with […]
By Muyu Xu and Ryan Woo | BEIJING BEIJING The Chinese capital is sanitizing its ancient hutong alleyways, home to millions of migrants workers and thousands of small businesses, bulldozing illegal constructions and forcing shops, bars and tiny courtyard restaurants to relocate or go under. As part of guidelines unveiled in April, authorities have started to brick in doors of properties along the narrow passageways, many of […]
BERLIN Europe’s political establishment entered 2017 in a state of panic. Britain had voted to leave the European Union six months before and the United States had just elected a president who was hostile to their grand project and the values it stood for. The same forces that had led to Brexit and Donald Trump – popular anger with distant elites, economic inequality and immigration – threatened […]
By Fumbuka Ng’wanakilala | DAR ES SALAAM DAR ES SALAAM Thirty-two schoolchildren, two teachers and a minibus driver where killed in Tanzania when their vehicle plunged into a roadside ravine in the northern tourist region of Arusha on Saturday, a senior police official said. “The accident happened when the bus was descending on a steep hill in rainy conditions,” Arusha regional police commander Charles Mkumbo told Reuters […]
By David Lawder | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Saturday that threats of retaliatory trade actions from Canadian officials “are inappropriate” and will not influence final U.S. import duty determinations on Canadian softwood lumber. “We continue to believe that a negotiated settlement is in the best interests of all parties and we are prepared to work toward that end,” Ross said in a […]
BERLIN Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives thumped their Social Democrat rivals in a vote in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein on Sunday, in a boost to her prospects of winning a national election in September. Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) fetched 33 percent of the vote in Schleswig-Holstein, up from 30.8 percent in the last election there in 2012, an exit poll for broadcaster ARD showed. The Social Democrats […]
BOSTON Former U.S. President Barack Obama is expected in Boston on Sunday to receive the John F. Kennedy Foundation’s annual “Profile in Courage Award,” honoring his accomplishments during his two terms in office in the face of intense political opposition. “President Kennedy called on a new generation of Americans to give their talents to the service of the country,” said Caroline Kennedy, John F. Kennedy’s daughter, who […]
Amid talks of more space travel, California has drafted a plan that would tax the state’s thriving rocket industry. The tax plan is still just a proposal, and the public can still have their say on the matter until June. Taxing By Mileage In an attempt to solidify California’s rocket industry, the state’s Franchise Tax Board has released a draft of their proposed tax plan for private […]
Monday UN focus on migrants The UN will meet in Geneva to address the “human rights of all migrants, social inclusion, cohesion and all forms of discrimination, including racism, xenophobia and intolerance”. Organisers say they are working towards an ambitious global policy on migration, an issue high on the political agenda after the Mediterranean migrants’ crisis and US President Donald Trump’s clampdown on migration into the US […]
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. The image of power was simple: Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump walking off Marine One Thursday, hand-in-hand, and boarding Air Force One for a short trek to New York City with Kushner’s father-in-law. Yes, Jared Kushner, trusted power broker, to […]
Invesco’s move to snap up Source, the London-based exchange traded fund provider, has thrust the US asset manager into the centre of an increasingly ferocious battle across Europe’s passive investment industry. European fund managers now face another formidable US competitor in addition to the existing heavyweights BlackRock and Vanguard, which are pursuing a cut-throat ETF price war as they expand their presence in Europe. Atlanta-based Invesco already […]
By Jonathan Cable | LONDON LONDON The fate of the European Union and the euro could hang on the outcome of Sunday’s French presidential election. The expected victory of centrist, pro-EU candidate Emmanuel Macron would be taken by markets as a sign that political risk in Europe is receding; a surprise win for far-right candidate Marine Le Pen would raise the risk that the euro zone’s number […]
By Ann Saphir | PALO ALTO PALO ALTO San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President John Williams on Saturday reiterated his view that the U.S. central bank should begin trimming its massive balance sheet later this year, in part so the Fed has more tools at the ready when the next recession hits. He was the fourth Fed official in two days to suggest the Fed may need […]
Director Shubhashish Bhutiani’s critically-acclaimed film Hotel Salvation is a bittersweet comedy-drama about of a dying father’s cross-country trip with his son to a kind of sacred hospice in India where the elderly can have their sins absolved in their final days. It had its regional premiere at the Dubai International Film Festival in December, but if you missed it there is another chance to catch it, courtesy […]
Authored by Daniel Lang via SHTFplan.com, For several weeks Venezuela has been rocked with protests and riots as the Maduro regime increasingly tightens its grip on the population. It seems as if security forces are brutally cracking down on dissidents on a daily basis now. Wednesday in particular, saw some incredibly tense clashes between protesters and government forces in the capital city of Caracas. According to Bloomberg: […]
The U.S. job market saw a strong rebound in April, driving the unemployment rate to the lowest level in a decade. The economy saw 211,000 jobs added in April, according to new government data released on Friday, May 5. The job market boost dropped the unemployment rate to 4.4 percent, the lowest level since May 2007. The latest stats should calm some fears about the state of the […]
United Airlines has some serious competition when it comes to the lousy treatment of passengers, as Delta Air kicked an entire family off a flight and threatened them with jail and foster care. Airlines recently came under heavy scrutiny after United Airlines dragged and bloodied a passenger off an overbooked flight. The whole thing was caught on camera and went viral, drawing more attention to how passengers are sometimes […]
May 6, 2017 by: Jeevan Vasagar in Singapore and Michael Peel in Bangkok Puma Energy, the fuel storage and petrol station business backed by Swiss commodities trading house Trafigura, wants to expand in Myanmar across a range of fuel and petroleum products after opening a $100m storage facility at the southern port of Thilawa. The new terminal, with a capacity of 91m cubic metres, opens the prospect […]
