Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, arrived in Abu Dhabi on Monday on an official state visit, state news agency WAM reported. Upon her arrival at the Presidential Airport, Merkel was greeted by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. An official reception ceremony was held in honour of the German Chancellor, where both the […]
By Brian Ellsworth | CARACAS CARACAS Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro shocked many of his countrymen on Monday by calling for a constitutional assembly in a move similar to one his predecessor and mentor Hugo Chavez used almost 20 years ago. But there is a key difference: while Chavez enjoyed broad popularity following his 1998 election, Maduro faces slim odds at the ballot box and critics say he […]
WASHINGTON The United States on Tuesday criticized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s intent to create a new super-body known as a “constituent assembly,” saying it was an attempt to cling to power. “We have deep concerns about the motivation for this constituent assembly which overrides the will of the Venezuelan people and further erodes Venezuelan democracy,” said Michael Fitzpatrick, the deputy assistant secretary of state for the Western […]
They include coal executives Christopher Cline, founder of coal company Foresight Reserves LLC, and J Clifford Forrest, president of Rosebud Mining Company — each gave $1 million. Also contributing $1 million each: Hushang Ansary, a longtime oil executive and businessman, and his wife, Shahla Ansary. Inaugural committee donors who gave at least $1 million were invited to a long list of exclusive events over the inauguration weekend, […]
According to recent polling by Elabe, he would take 65 per cent of the vote in a second-round run-off against Le Pen. It is expected that Macron – a centrist – should be able to attract a wider spectrum of second-round voters than Le Pen, pulling in left-leaning voters from Hamon and Mélenchon as well as those leaning to the right that voted Fillon in the […]
By Andrew Osborn | MOSCOW MOSCOW Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny said on Tuesday he had lost 80 percent of sight in his right eye after an assailant threw green liquid in his face last week, but could not get treatment abroad because of a travel ban. Navalny, who hopes to run for the presidency next year, organised the biggest anti-government protests in years in March, and has […]
ABU DHABI // The Armed Forces has announced the death of a soldier who was participating in Operation Restoring Hope. Hassan Abdullah Al Bishr was martyred while participating in Saudi-led coalition, reported Wam, the state news agency. The General Command extended its sincere condolences to the soldier’s family and prayed to Allah for his soul to rest in peace and for his family to find solace. Further […]
US President Donald Trump said the federal government needed a shutdown this autumn to fix what he called a “mess” in the wake of a Congressional deal that ignored key elements of his budget requests. Taking to Twitter to express his irritation over an agreement sealed on Sunday between the two parties that contained no funding for his border wall, Mr Trump complained that the Republicans had inadequate […]
By Andreas Rinke and Denis Pinchuk | SOCHI, Russia SOCHI, Russia German Chancellor Angela Merkel, on a rare visit to Russia, said that Berlin and Moscow had to keep talking despite their disagreements, but those same differences overshadowed her talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. At a news conference following a meeting in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi, diverging positions were aired over […]
This past Saturday marked 100 days since Donald Trump became president, and many news organizations marked the occasion with data-intensive packages that measured his progress and made it really easy for the public to understand what’s happened so far. Some highlights: The Guardian published an interactive making it really easy to analyze the first 100 days by putting the numbers in context. They also published daily briefings […]
US wheat prices jumped 8 per cent in two days as worries over the damage caused by a late winter storm prompted a scramble to cover bearish bets. More than 30cm of snow that hit western Kansas, southeastern Colorado and western Oklahoma toppled plants just ahead of the winter wheat harvest. Hard red winter wheat, the high-quality grain that is used to make bread and mainly grown […]
Louvre Hotels has announced plans to open 10 new hotels in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) by the end of 2017, adding 1,600 keys to its current room inventory. The new properties will take its total regional keys to more than 11,000 and follows a productive 2016 when Louvre launched 12 properties in key markets including the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Tunisia and Lebanon. […]
LONDON In his first day as a newspaper editor, former finance minister George Osborne taunted British leader Theresa May over her snap election strategy and “unrealistic” Brexit stance. Carrying a bundle of newspapers as he arrived at the offices of the Evening Standard, London’s daily metropolitan newspaper, Osborne said his editorship would provide “the straight facts and the informed analysis”. Osborne, 45, was dismissed last year as […]
May 2, 2017 by: Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran Iran’s hardliners are committed to the nuclear deal with world powers even as they use the accord to attack President Hassan Rouhani ahead of elections this month, a senior hardline politician said. The agreement was a “done deal” and there would be no attempts to sabotage it, said Alireza Zakani, a senior figure in the hardliners’ camp and a […]
By Wa Lone and Simon Lewis | YANGON YANGON Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has declined an invitation to meet U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Washington this week alongside top diplomats from Southeast Asia, citing other commitments, Myanmar officials said on Tuesday. Nobel laureate Suu Kyi – who serves as Myanmar’s foreign minister while also being de facto head of its civilian government – […]
By Laila Kearney | NEW YORK NEW YORK New York is bracing for President Donald Trump’s first trip back to his hometown since taking office in January in a Thursday visit that is expected to draw protests and snarl traffic in the United States’ most populous city. The trip could mark a repeat of the chaotic 2-1/2 months between the real estate developer’s Nov. 8 election and […]
Brussels is rushing out proposals to impose EU control on the City of London’s lucrative euro-clearing market, forcing UK operators to either relocate or be policed by European authorities. In a provocative regulatory salvo fired as Brexit talks begin, the European Commission is preparing to issue legislative proposals in June that would heavily restrict London’s ability to host one of its flagship financial businesses. The commission’s power […]
PARIS Aides of French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen on Tuesday brushed off criticism of her use of phrases lifted straight from a speech by conservative rival Francois Fillon in her May Day address to supporters. Florian Philippot, deputy leader of Le Pen’s anti-European Union, National Front (FN) party, said the party “completely owned up” to the fact that the speech resembled one by Fillon a […]
When I visited a dozen news organizations on our Innovation Tour last November, there was a surprising consensus among the biggest players on the next big thing they had in focus: Voice-activated news for devices like Amazon Echo and Google Home. As was true for Virtual Reality/360-degree video a year earlier, the medium is so new that publishers are just beginning to figure out where to start. But […]
Dr. Steve Pieczenik, the consummate intelligence insider, made a bold claim on the Alex Jones show today, suggesting the National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster and Jared Kushner were behind a counter revolution to silence the alt-right. He cited the outing of General Flynn, the demotion of Stephen Bannon, Gorka and others, as evidence that something was happening inside the White House to silence the movement that got […]
Tuesday 06:00 BST Overview Stocks across Asia were mixed on Tuesday as investors grappled with Wall Street’s lowest level of volatility since before the financial crisis amid a holiday-interrupted week. European bourses are expected to open higher, with spreadbetters predicting the UK’s FTSE 100 will climb 26 points to 7,230 and Germany’s Dax to gain 22 points to 12,460. US index futures suggest the S&P 500 will […]
PANAMA CITY (AFP) – The co-founder of the law firm at the center of the Panama Papers scandal says the fallout has set off a “thriving” boom in the creation of tax shelters in the United States. Juergen Mossack, who partnered with Ramon Fonseca to create the Panamanian firm Mossack Fonseca, said in a document obtained on Thursday (April 21) by AFP that after the Panama Papers […]
Dubai, May 1, 2017 Western Union, a leader in global payments, today announced a collaboration with the Arab Federation for e-Commerce, to jointly boost the uptake of e-Commerce and digital payments in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Representing 14 governments from MENA, the Arab Federation of e-Commerce aims to establish efficient processes, practices and platforms for the development of secure and efficient e-commerce to […]
Infosys, the Indian IT services company that stands to be one of the biggest losers from a US visa crackdown, plans to hire 10,000 Americans in the next two years, according to the company’s chief executive. News of the hiring spree, due to be announced on Tuesday, is likely to be seen as a win for the White House as it tries to push companies into creating […]
