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. Nate Silver’s “March Madness” analysis is out and, knock on hardwood, he’s not picking Hillary Clinton. I know, I know. Cheap (jump) shot. It’s that time of year when FiveThirtyEight, the ESPN-owned politics and sports data site founded by Silver, […]
It is fitting that just a few hours until the Fed’s second rate hike in two quarters, and one day after Goldman downgraded global stocks to Neutral for the next 3 months, not to mention with the results of the anticipated Dutch election due shortly, that global stocks as well as S&P futures are higher, while crude oil has finally managed to stage a rebound as the […]
By Philip Blenkinsop | AMSTERDAM AMSTERDAM The Dutch began voting on Wednesday in an election seen as a test of anti-immigrant and nationalist feeling, magnified in the last few days by a spat with Turkey, and as one of three polls this year that will gauge the strength of the ties that bind the European Union together. The centre-right VVD party of Prime Minister Mark Rutte, 50, […]
By Kevin Yao and Ryan Woo | BEIJING BEIJING China’s Premier Li Keqiang reassured investors on Wednesday that the world’s second-largest economy is strong and not at risk of a hard landing, while stressing Beijing’s support for globalization and free trade at a time of rising protectionism. Li also reiterated that China does not want a trade war with the United States, and urged talks with Washington […]
By Andrew Osborn | MOSCOW MOSCOW First, armed police seized some of its books. Next, its director was put on trial accused of stirring up ethnic hatred. And now, quietly, its shelves have been emptied and its volumes packed up, ready to be merged into another library’s collection. A year and a half after Russia’s only state-run Ukrainian language library, Moscow’s Library of Ukrainian Literature, was dragged […]
15 March 2017 Dubai, UAE – Al Shafar General Contracting Company (ASGC), a leading and award-winning UAE construction group, was the recipient of the Roads and Transport Authority’s Best Mega Construction Projects Contractor Award. The award was presented by Mohammed Obaid Al Mulla, Board Member of the RTA’s Board of Directors, and received by Abdul Aziz Mohamed Bin Shafar, Vice President and Executive Director of ASGC, during […]
TAIPEI China’s accelerated military development and recent activity by its military aircraft and ships around Taiwan pose an increased threat to the self-ruled island, according to a Taiwanese government defence report draft reviewed by Reuters. The 2017 Quadrennial Defence Review (QDR) also highlights the uncertainty over the future strategic direction of the United States in the region, the impact of Japan flexing its military capabilities and “conflict […]
NBC coined the slogan “Must-See TV” more than two decades ago; tonight, MSNBC invented “hurry-up-and-wait” TV. In an excruciatingly delayed primetime media extravaganza that was reminiscent of Geraldo Rivera’s slow-as-molasses unveiling of Al Capone’s vault in 1986, Rachel Maddow used her show Tuesday night to release a portion of President Trump’s tax returns from 2005. In doing so, the broadcast became a cautionary tale about the dangers […]
WASHINGTON The U.S. and South Korean military chiefs warned on Tuesday that North Korea could “conduct provocative actions” in response to large-scale joint drills between the two countries, as China’s premier also said tensions could lead to conflict. “The chairmen recognized the possibility that North Korea could conduct provocative actions during the Key Resolve/Foal Eagle exercise, or in connection with North Korean major political events in April,” […]
Donald Trump paid an effective tax rate of 25 per cent in 2005 on income of $150m, according to a leaked tax return that sheds a glint of light on the tax affairs the president has kept shrouded in secrecy. MSNBC reported that two pages of Mr Trump’s return — which revealed nothing about his income sources — showed the president paying $38m in tax and reporting […]
The president was expected to urge Saudi Arabia to support safe zones in Syria, which the administration has argued would be an alternative to accepting thousands of refugees from a country that has been ripped apart by six years of civil war. Continue reading the main story Mr. Trump and members of his inner circle regard Saudi Arabia as a vital component of the White House strategy […]
By Patricia Zengerle | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON The chairman of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee said on Tuesday he plans to hold public hearings on possible links between President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia, although he did not say when they would take place. “It will happen,” Republican Senator Richard Burr told reporters after a closed committee meeting. Asked if he knew when, he said, “I don’t yet, […]
SEOUL South Korean prosecutors on Wednesday summoned ousted leader Park Geun-hye for questioning about a corruption scandal that led to her dismissal as president last week, the office said. Park had been summoned to appear for questioning at 9.30 a.m. (0030 GMT) on March 21, the prosecutors’ office said in a mobile text message to media. (Reporting by Christine Kim and Se Young Lee) ‘); $(‘.second-article-divide’).append($(‘.slider.slider-module’)); $(‘.third-article-divide’).append(”); […]
By Susan Heavey and Susan Cornwell | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON President Donald Trump and congressional leaders are weighing changes to their plan to dismantle the Obamacare health law, a White House spokesman said Tuesday, as Republicans defended their effort following an estimate that it would cause 14 million Americans to lose insurance next year. Press Secretary Sean Spicer said White House officials and leaders in the Republican-controlled U.S. […]
Photo Mahmoud Abbas, right, the president of the Palestinian Authority, met with Jason Greenblatt, President Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, in the West Bank on Tuesday. Credit Mohamad Torokman/Reuters JERUSALEM — President Trump’s new envoy to the Middle East met on Tuesday with Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, striving in the administration’s first diplomatic undertaking here to maintain a public evenhandedness amid the […]
(Corrects name of gallery in paragraph 3 to Ayyam) By Tarek Fahmy. DUBAI Palestinian painter Samia Halaby has blunt advice for aspiring Arab artists – get your inspiration first-hand, whether from ordinary people or historical documents, avoiding the “lies” of the media. Halaby, who made her name with abstract paintings, drew on both kinds of source for her most overtly political project, a series of drawings of the 1956 […]
Microsoft has added LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman to its board of directors. As of Hoffman’s appointment, announced March 14, Microsoft’s board is back up to 12 members.Hoffman is a partner with Greylock Partners. He cofounded LinkedIn in 2002 and before that, was an executive vice president at PayPal. Microsoft purchased LinkedIn last year for $26.2 billion. Earlier this year, Microsoft made Kevin Scott, LinkedIn’s head of engineering, […]
This weekend, New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet took a shot at his rival, Washington Post boss Marty Baron. During an interview at South by Southwest Sunday, an audience member asked Baquet what he thought of The Washington Post’s new slogan: “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” “‘I love our competition with The Washington Post,’ Baquet said. ‘I think it’s great. But I think their slogan — Marty […]
By Simon Carraud and Brian Love | PARIS PARIS Francois Fillon’s troubled election campaign suffered yet another blow on Tuesday when magistrates put him under formal investigation on suspicion of embezzling state funds, a first for a presidential candidate in France. Election graphic – here With less than six weeks to go until the first round of voting, Fillon has been unable to draw a line under […]
DUBAI // The UAE has more open communication with its citizens than people abroad realise, acording to a senior adviser at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy. Tom Fletcher, former British ambassador to Lebanon, said there was a perception in the West that the region was a more “closed world”. “But when most people come here, they can see it’s not the case and they can see this effort […]
newslide Actress Sonakshi Sinha has confirmed she will perform as part of Justin Bieber’s Purpose world tour stop in India. The 29-year-old star will be one of the opening acts at the gig to be held at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai on May 10. “I am really fond of Justin Bieber’s music and I love how his sound has evolved over the years,” says Sonakshi, […]
Republicans are battling to save their new healthcare bill after Congress’s non-partisan watchdog said it would cause about 24m Americans to lose insurance and prompting fierce retaliation from the White House. On Tuesday, the Trump administration fought back against the Congressional Budget Office’s findings that the legislation, while reducing the budget deficit by $337bn, would cause an estimated 52m Americans to be uninsured by 2026. This compared […]
Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, moved to allay fears that the kingdom was backing away from its pledge to curb production, underlining its concern about a 10 per cent plunge in the crude price over the past week. The kingdom’s energy ministry rushed out a rare statement on Tuesday asserting its commitment to “stabilising the global oil market”, just as global benchmark Brent crude slipped […]
By Anthony Boadle | BRASILIA BRASILIA Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Tuesday called charges “false” that he tried to block an ongoing investigation of the biggest graft scandal in Brazil’s history, which helped end the 13-year rule of his leftist Workers Party. Addressing a packed court, a defiant Lula appeared for the first time in one of five corruption trials in which he is […]
