February 18, 2017 by: Peter C ampbell, Motor Industry Correspondent Theresa May has agreed to meet PSA chief executive Carlos Tavares to discuss the French carmaker’s proposals to buy General Motors’ European operation Opel, which includes Vauxhall. Downing St confirmed the prime minister’s involvement as talks between PSA, the owner of Peugeot and Citroen brands, and GM move towards a conclusion, which is expected in the next […]
ABU DHABI – U.S. President Donald Trump’s defense secretary arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday for talks with one of Washington’s closest allies in the Middle East. Jim Mattis, on his debut trip to the region as Pentagon chief, was expected to meet Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan and U.S. embassy representatives. U.S. officials have not disclosed details about his agenda. […]
ISTANBUL: Turkey has presented two proposals to the United States for how to carry out a joint military operation to drive Daesh from its stronghold in the Syrian city of Raqqa, Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported on Saturday.Turkey has said repeatedly that the planned operation should be conducted by local Arab forces, possibly with support from Turkish troops, as opposed to the US-backed Syrian Democratic Force (SDF) — […]
18 February 2017 Manama, Bahrain – The American Chamber of Commerce Bahrain (AmCham Bahrain), the hosts of this year’s AmCham MENA Regional Council’s Bi-Annual Forum, today announced the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) as the Strategic Partner for the upcoming event being held on the 15-16 March 2017 in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Forum, which aims to promote trade and investment between the United States and markets of the Middle […]
In an isolated area of Ecuador’s Amazon, the face of Lenín Moreno, the anointed successor of fiery leftist President Rafael Correa in Sunday’s presidential election, is plastered on billboards proclaiming “the future is unstoppable”. That future worries Mercedes Cabrera, a peasant leader in the village of Santiago de Panantza. She says she was snatched from her bed by state security forces and branded a terrorist after a policeman […]
A North Korean national has been arrested by Malaysian police in connection with the killing of Kim Jong Nam, brother of North Korea’s leader, as tensions flared between the two countries over the investigation. Police on Saturday announced a fourth arrest in connection with the death of Mr Kim, whose face was smothered with a wet cloth in an apparent poisoning at Kuala Lumpur international airport on […]
Nearly three-quarters of all economic crime committed in the Middle East during the past two years was committed by company employees, according to PwC’s Global Economic Crime Survey. Survey results showed that despite the region’s efforts to combat economic crime, there has been no clear indication that levels in the Middle East or globally have decreased. Economic crime remains as tough to tackle as it’s ever been, […]
When Paul Polman became chief executive of Unilever, the consumer goods company which on Friday rejected a $143bn takeover approach from Kraft Heinz, he told investors to steer clear unless they were prepared to sacrifice short-term profit for “sustainable” ideals. The same message has been delivered to the maker of Kool-Aid drinks and Oscar Mayer hot dogs, with a flat rejection of a deal that would be […]
By Laila Bassam and Angus McDowall | BEIRUT BEIRUT (Story corrects headline and paragraph 1 to show source said Hezbollah speeches aimed to draw “red lines” to prevent action against Lebanon, removes reference to hitting U.S. interests by targeting Israel which the source did not say.) The Hezbollah leader’s harsh words for Israel and U.S. President Donald Trump this week were aimed at drawing “red lines” to […]
Snap is doubling down on its appeal to a core audience of young mobile users who are turning away from television, as it prepares to take its business case to investors next week ahead of its initial public offering. The focus on a narrow base of users, as well as the company’s potential to replace TV advertising, comes amid questions about whether the owner of mobile messaging […]
Mondelez shares dropped 5 per cent in early trading on Friday after Kraft Heinz’s approach for Unilever lessened the odds that the US group would be an acquisition target. Speculation of a potential take-over by Kraft of Mondelez was a “key factor supporting multiples for the group at such a high level,” said Stifel Nicolaus analyst Christopher Growe. “While this potential transaction (between Kraft and Unilever) does […]
As the war between the Trump administration and the “fake news” media rages on, after seemingly escalating in recent weeks, Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and close adviser, allegedly met with a senior Time Warner executive recently to express the administration’s deep concerns about CNN’s news coverage, according to anonymous sources cited by the Wall Street Journal. The meeting apparently involved Gary Ginsberg, executive vice president of […]
The General Command of the UAE Armed Forces has announced the death of servicemen Nader Mubarak Eisa Soliman and Soliman Mohammed Soliman Al-Dhohouri while on duty with the Saudi-led Arab Coalition’s Operation Restoring Hope in Yemen.The General Command of the UAE Armed Forces offered its condolences to the family of the killed. Source
A Spanish court has sentenced the king’s brother-in-law to six years and three months in jail, delivering a harsh blow to the standing of the monarchy at the end of a long-running criminal trial that has captivated the nation. Iñaki Urdangarin, a former Olympic handball player and the husband of Princess Cristina, was found guilty of fraud, corruption and a range of other charges. The prosecution had […]
Donald Trump is trying to persuade his preferred candidate to succeed Michael Flynn as national security adviser to change his mind after the retired admiral tapped for the role told the US president that he could not accept the White House position, according to two people familiar with the situation. Mr Trump asked Robert Harward, a retired navy special forces officer, to succeed Mr Flynn, who was […]
Photo Shamsuldeen Ahmed Saed and Haitham Younis Wahab rigging a small water pump in the Rashidiya neighborhood of Mosul, Iraq. Credit Ben C. Solomon/The New York Times MOSUL, Iraq — The water taps are dry in Rashidiya. The water and sewage system collapsed in this eastern Mosul neighborhood after 100 days of street combat. On Sunday, Haitham Younis Wahab and his neighbor Shamsuldeen Ahmed Saed decided to […]
By Tulay Karadeniz | ANKARA ANKARA Turkey’s military said on Friday it was close to taking the northern Syrian city of al-Bab from Islamic State, a victory that would deepen Turkish influence in an area where it has created a de facto buffer zone. Al-Bab, an Islamic State stronghold 30 km (20 miles) from the border, has been a key target in an offensive launched by Turkey […]
By Syed Raza Hassan | SEHWAN SHARIF, Pakistan SEHWAN SHARIF, Pakistan Wailing Sufi devotees thronged a blood-stained shrine in southern Pakistan on Friday, shouting at police a day after a suicide bomber killed at least 77 people in an attack claimed by a regional branch of Islamic State. The bombing of the famed Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Sindh province was Pakistan’s deadliest attack in two years […]
Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg mounted a broad defence of social media on Thursday, taking on growing concerns about his company’s contribution to everything from recruitment by terrorists to the spread of fake news. In a 5,700 word treatise posted on the social network, the 32-year-old founder also laid out ideas that could lead Facebook increasingly into new forms of social engineering, as it intervenes more directly to ensure […]
There was predictable consternation in Beijing and among foreign policy experts in Washington. They fretted that Mr. Trump was recklessly undoing the landmark China diplomacy of Richard M. Nixon and Mao Zedong — fears that were misplaced, it turned out. Continue reading the main story Last week, Mr. Trump telephoned President Xi Jinping and promised to abide by “one China,” having discovered that Mr. Xi was not […]
Sprint refuses to be left in the dust when it comes to all the new unlimited plan news. Getting in on the action, the carrier announced new improvements to its unlimited plan on Thursday in hopes to attract new customers. Calling it the “Best HD Plan Ever,” the new Sprint deal that will be available starting Friday includes unlimited talk, text and data, and HD video streaming […]
Samsung’s heir apparent Lee Jae-yong has been arrested for bribery, embezzlement and perjury in connection with a massive corruption scandal, in a huge setback for South Korea’s largest conglomerate that could hinder its succession and restructuring plans. The 48-year-old de factor leader of Samsung is the highest-profile business figure engulfed by the influence-peddling scandal that is poised to topple President Park Geun-hye. The arrest of Samsung’s chief […]
Shaul Arieli, an Israeli expert on political geography who prepared maps for past negotiations with the Palestinians and is a member of Commanders for Israel’s Security, the group behind the billboard campaign, said “one state is impossible” for Israel. Demographically and economically, absorbing millions of comparatively poor Palestinians would destroy it, he said. Results of a survey of Israelis and Palestinians released on Thursday, put out jointly […]
Washington’s top diplomatic and military officials have set out their conditions for co-operation with Russia by calling on Moscow to fully comply with an international peace accord on Ukraine, in a reaffirmation of Obama era priorities. The comments from Rex Tillerson, secretary of state, and James Mattis, defence secretary, came amid accusations that other aides close to Donald Trump had improper communications with Russian officials, a scandal that […]
