April 4, 2017 by: Hudson Lockett in Hong Kong Tuesday 06.00 BST Overview Asian bonds rallied on Tuesday and yield on US Treasuries dipped to a five-week low ahead of key US events later in the week, while sentiment on South Africa’s rand soured further after S&P downgraded the country’s credit rating. Hot topic The yield, which moves inversely to price, on 10-year US Treasuries rose 1 […]
UAE-based Rotana has signed an agreement with RSG International for a new five star hotel and serviced apartment project in Dubai. Named Sabah Rotana, the 54-storey, 534-room property located in Sufouh Gardens on Sheikh Zayed Road will be managed by Rotana on behalf of RSG International and is scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2020. The agreement was signed by Raj Sahni (Abu Sabah), owner […]
By David Morgan | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON Top White House officials met moderate and conservative Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday in an effort to revive a plan to repeal and replace Obamacare. Key members of the administration, including Vice President Mike Pence, invited a group of moderate Republicans known as the “Tuesday Group” to the White House. Pence then went to Capitol Hill to […]
MANILA Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has fired his interior minister for “loss of trust and confidence”, the most senior government executive to be removed for corruption issues, two Cabinet officials said on Tuesday. The firebrand Duterte came to power 10 months ago on a platform of fighting drugs, crime and corruption to grow the economy. He has removed dozens of bureaucrats, two senior immigration officials and a […]
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, stands for a photograph with Camel Race Association staff during a Sea Palace barza. Seen with Dr Arif Nayed Ambassador of Libya to the UAE (back 4th R), Sheikh Tahnoon bin Mohammed, Ruler’s Representative of the Eastern Region of Abu Dhabi, and Sheikh Sultan bin Hamdan (R). Ryan Carter / […]
By Robin Emmott and Gabriela Baczynska | BRUSSELS BRUSSELS International donors are set to pledge billions more dollars for Syrian refugees at a two-day conference from Tuesday that the European Union says must also help prepare for an eventual end to more than six years of war in Syria. With millions displaced within Syria and in neighbouring countries, the United Nations has appealed for $8 billion this […]
M1 has introduced two mobile plans tailored for business users as it looks to increase its service offerings for the local enterprise market. The Singapore telco announced the M1 Enterprise Mobile 6 and 12 plans, offering unlimited local messaging and voice calls, and 6GB or 12GB data allowance that could be used locally as well as in 56 global markets. These countries were selected based on their […]
By Greg Torode and Michael Martina | HONG KONG/BEIJING HONG KONG/BEIJING China is steadfastly opposed to the deployment of advanced U.S. anti-missile radars in South Korea because it does not know whether the defences, intended for North Korean missiles, are capable of tracking and countering Beijing’s own nuclear programme, experts say. Beijing’s resistance to the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defence) anti-missile system put up south of […]
By Michelle Nichols | UNITED NATIONS UNITED NATIONS U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will chair a United Nations Security Council meeting on North Korea on April 28 to discuss how the body can combat Pyongyang’s banned nuclear and missile programs, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said on Monday. North Korea has been under U.N. sanctions aimed at impeding the development of its nuclear and missile programs since […]
By Julia Edwards Ainsley | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced steps on Monday to prevent the fraudulent use of H1B visas, used by employers to bring in specialised foreign workers temporarily, which appeared to fall short of President Donald Trump’s campaign promises to overhaul the programme. Trump had promised to end the lottery system for H1B visas, which gives each applicant an equal […]
That big hug was just what Mr. Sisi’s government sought, said Eric Trager, a scholar on Egypt at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “It wants to see the White House legitimate it, and set it on a new course.” Continue reading the main story The scene provided a powerful counterpoint to Mr. Sisi’s many critics, in Egypt and abroad, for whom he is known as […]
The annual Cesco Week gathering for the global copper industry starts Monday in Santiago. For the first time in five years, attendees arriving in the Chilean capital can reflect on a copper price that is higher than at the previous year’s event. However, optimism that 2017 represents a turning point in the market should be tempered by the realisation that any sustained recovery in the copper price […]
By Carlos Rawlins and Lesley Wroughton | CARACAS/WASHINGTON CARACAS/WASHINGTON Venezuela’s opposition sought to keep pressure on President Nicolas Maduro with scattered protests on Monday, but there was relief for the socialist government when the Organisation of American States cancelled a crisis meeting. One group of protesters tried to block a major Caracas highway and another dropped a pile of straw in front of court offices to protest […]
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP has a lost client because of its work for another client: President Donald Trump. Wallace Global Fund, a left-leaning private foundation, has terminated its relationship with Morgan Lewis as a protest against Mr. Trump and the firm’s handling of his business conflicts. The fund’s decision was “out of profound disagreement […] (via WSJ)
By Steve Holland | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON U.S. President Donald Trump moved to reset U.S. relations with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday after the prior Obama administration’s strained ties, giving him firm backing and vowing to work together to fight Islamic militants. “I just want to let everybody know in case there was any doubt that we are very much behind President Sisi. He’s done a […]
A new sexual harassment lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News Channel has increased the pressure on the cable network with allegations that Bill Shine, its co-president, failed to protect a female contributor from retaliation by Roger Ailes after she spurned his unwanted advances. Julie Roginsky, a Fox News contributor and political consultant, alleged in a complaint filed in New York State supreme court that she was denied […]
Investors face a test of nerve as the second quarter beckons. The rally in US stocks and the dollar sparked by the election of Donald Trump is looking stretched, amid doubts about the president’s ability to deliver fiscal stimulus for the economy that can justify lofty equity valuations. The shifting mood has spurred money into emerging markets and European stocks, with EM currencies enjoying a stellar March […]
By Clement Uwiringiyimana | KIGALI KIGALI Inmates protesting living conditions at Gasabo prison in the Rwandan capital of Kigali hurled stones over the prison’s walls on Monday, damaging nearby houses and disrupting traffic, residents and officials said. Rioting began on Friday when the prison, which houses at least 5,000 inmates, caught fire, according to residents living near the prison. Police used tear gas to stop the protest. […]
By Yashaswini Swamynathan U.S. stocks were flat on Monday, with investors awaiting the earnings season to justify high valuations, and, more immediately, the implications of President Donald Trump’s “very difficult” meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump said in a tweet last Thursday that the meeting over the coming Thursday and Friday would be “a very difficult one” as the United States could not risk massive trade […]
Spain’s foreign minister Alfonso Dastis has said his government is “surprised” at the tone of commentary in the UK over Gibraltar, after a weekend in which former Tory leader Michael Howard suggested Britain could go to war to defend the territory. “I think that someone in the UK is losing their temper and there’s no reason for that,” said Mr Dastis, as he sought to play down […]
Somali pirates have seized an Indian vessel carrying 11 crew members, the ship’s owner said Monday, the third such hijacking in less than a month as piracy resurges in the country. The “Al Kausar” cargo ship was carrying items such as wheat and sugar from Dubai via Yemen to Somalia’s Bossaso port when it came under attack, owner Isaak Them told AFP. “The vessel was hijacked on […]
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia At least 10 people were killed in explosions in two train carriages at metro stations in St. Petersburg on Monday, Russian authorities said. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is in St. Petersburg for a meeting with Belarussian leader Alexander Lukashenko, said the cause of the blasts was not clear and efforts were underway to find out. He said he was considering all possibilities including […]
PARIS French presidential candidate Francois Fillon, an outsider to win after involvement in financial scandal, said on Monday he would order a parliamentary inquiry into allegations President Francois Hollande interfered in the justice system, if elected. Once the frontrunner, the conservative former prime minister’s poll ratings have slumped since allegations surfaced that he paid his wife and sons hundreds of thousands of euros of public money for […]
Hackers have potentially made off with confidential information about athletes. Image: iStock Russian hackers have compromised the servers of the world governing body for athletics and have likely made off with athletes’ medical data. The attack against the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has been attributed to the APR 28 hacking group – also known as Fancy Bear – and took place in February this year. […]
