By Ju-min Park | SEOUL SEOUL South Korean special prosecutors team have filed fresh charges including bribery against a close friend of impeached President Park Geun-hye, the central figure in a political scandal that has engulfed the country, the team said on Monday. Choi Soon-sil, in jail since late October and on trial since last month, already faces charges of abuse of power and attempted fraud. On […]
BEIRUT Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said his government is ready to negotiate on “everything” in proposed peace talks in Kazakhstan but said it was not yet clear who would represent the opposition and no date had been set. Assad also said a ceasefire brokered by Turkey and Russia, his most powerful ally, ahead of the talks was being violated and the army’s role was to recapture an […]
Mayfield Robotics chief executive Michael Beebe unveils the Kuri robot at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, on January 6, 2017 Professor Einstein rolls his eyes, sticks out his tongue, and can give a simple explanation of the theory of relativity. With his lifelike rubbery “skin” and bushy mustache, he can almost make you forget he’s a robot. The Einstein robot is among dozens roaming the […]
By Joseph Ax | NEW YORK NEW YORK In the weeks since Hillary Clinton’s shock election defeat to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, a rumor has taken hold among New York City’s political chattering class: could she challenge Mayor Bill de Blasio’s reelection bid this year? Discussion of a possible Clinton campaign intensified last week when conservative news website Newsmax reported that Democrats unhappy with de Blasio were […]
By Bernie Woodall and David Shepardson | DETROIT DETROIT Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCHA.MI) (FCAU.N) on Sunday said it will invest $1 billion to modernize two plants in the U.S. Midwest and create 2,000 jobs, upping the ante as automakers respond to threats from President-elect Donald Trump to slap new taxes on imported vehicles. FCA’s announcement that it would retool factories in Ohio and Michigan to build new […]
Entrepreneurs in the country are using some old-fashioned handiwork to help create products for mass production at a fraction of the today’s costs. Whether this will be a manufacturing revolution or evolution, 3D printing is here to stay. For a man working at the frontier of a technological revolution, there is a surprising amount of handicraft to Ahmad Mackieh’s approach to 3-D printing that shows in the […]
Last year was tough for global aviation and, like many in this sector, there’s not much I wouldn’t give for a crystal ball to see what 2017 has in store. Having said that, the consensus is that we can expect more of the same, with the wide range of macro challenges that beset the world in 2016 continuing. War and regional conflicts are ongoing and the ever-present […]
After one of the most tumultuous years in its modern history, Turkey is struggling to convince global investors to look beyond economic weakness and political risk. Fund houses willing to bet on countries such as South Africa, where a corruption scandal is consuming the ruling ANC party, and Brazil, where President Michel Temer is battling to save his administration from corruption investigations, say the headwinds facing Turkey […]
Some analysts say Russia appears to have arrived at an accommodation in which the Turks are moving to establish a security zone in northern Syria to preclude Syrian Kurds from setting up an autonomous region. In return, the Turks appear to be backing off their efforts to unseat President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, who, with Russian help, is strengthening his hold on the country’s major cities to […]
The entire star-studded audience at the Golden Globes practically cried in unison, after Meryl Streep took to the mic to lament over an incident that happened last year regarding what she thought was Donald Trump mocking a disabled reporter. The rift was with NY Times reporter Serge Kovaleski, who said Trump was lying about witnessing Muslims celebrating in New Jersey after 9/11 — which later proved out to […]
A UAE-based humanitarian and charitable foundation will pay off the debts of over 300 patients. The Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan Humanitarian and Scientific Foundation announcement follows UAE President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan declaration of 2017 as the “Year of Giving”, state news agency, WAM, reported. “The foundation helps patients suffering from thalassemia, supports specialised medical institutions and provides humanitarian and charitable services […]
A week after a gunman killed 39 people in an Istanbul nightclub, the suspected assailant remains at large and secular Turks are feeling under attack. ISIS claimed the shooting, calling it an assault on what it called “a pagan holiday.” The government’s pledge to defend all lifestyles hasn’t kept an atmosphere of fear from descending on some of Istanbul’s secular neighborhoods. By way of contrast, some Turks […]
Fiat Chrysler said on Sunday that it would invest an extra $1bn in the US and create 2,000 new US jobs at a time when global carmakers are under pressure from President-elect Donald Trump to boost US jobs and investment. Fiat Chrysler, which made its announcement as the Detroit auto show geared up to open to the press on Monday, insisted that the move had nothing to […]
“This is part of the same pattern inspired by Islamic State, by ISIS, that we saw first in France, then in Germany and now in Jerusalem. This is part of the same ongoing battle against this global scourge of the new terrorism,” he added. Continue reading the main story Mr. Netanyahu has often made the comparison between local attacks against Israelis and those in the rest of […]
Two senior Republican senators urged President-elect Donald Trump to punish Russia in response to U.S. intelligence agencies’ conclusion that President Vladimir Putin personally directed efforts aimed at influencing the outcome of the November election. In a joint appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain said evidence was conclusive that Putin sought to influence the election – a point that […]
By Rodrigo Campos | NEW YORK NEW YORK Investors puzzled over whether U.S. interest rates are rising due to a stronger economy or because of fears about inflation might want to look at the recent gains in REITs for some useful guidance. Real estate investment trusts typically perform poorly in an environment of rising interest rates, as they are used by some investors as a proxy for […]
By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin | DUBAI DUBAI Former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani died on Sunday at the age of 82, state media reported, a big blow to moderates and reformists deprived now of their most influential supporter in the Islamic establishment. “Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani was taken to hospital after heart attack and more than an hour long efforts by doctors to revive him were not successful,” the […]
Yet many Western analysts believed that he sought a less confrontational relationship with the United States than other powerful figures in the Iranian hierarchy, for whom hostility toward Washington was a touchstone of ideological purity. Continue reading the main story Mr. Rafsanjani, for instance, was credited with suggesting that “Death to America” be dropped from the litany of slogans at Tehran’s Friday prayers, a weekly moment of […]
One of the more cherished bits of jargon used in finance is an idea that cash may sit on the sidelines, as if piles of notes are substitute players ready to dive into the great game of markets. Investors are still sitting on large piles of cash, holding nearly 5 per cent of their portfolios in spare liquidity in December, according to data from BofA Merrill Lynch. […]
By Jack Kim and Tony Munroe | SEOUL SEOUL North Korea said on Sunday it can test launch an intercontinental ballistic missile at any time from any location set by leader Kim Jong Un, saying the United States’ hostile policy was to blame for its arms development. Kim said on Jan. 1 that his nuclear-capable country was close to test-launching an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). (Full Story) […]
CHICAGO A push by Washington for more business-friendly regulation and fiscal support for the economy could improve America’s mix of policies which in recent years have relied too much on the Federal Reserve, Fed Governor Jerome Powell said. Powell, speaking on Saturday at a conference, did not mention the incoming Trump administration by name but his comments suggest some Trump policies will be welcomed by U.S. central […]
Here are the big questions for investors ahead of the coming trading week. What impact will Donald Trump’s press conference have on markets? “I will be having a general news conference on JANUARY ELEVENTH in N.Y.C. Thank you.” That was how the president-elect last week [3] tweeted news of what is surely the first big market-moving event of the year — if it takes place. Mr Trump […]
President-elect Donald Trump accepts the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia engaged in cyberattacks aimed at disrupting the U.S. elections, his incoming chief of staff Reince Priebus said on Sunday, adding that “actions may be taken” in response. Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Priebus said Trump “accepts the fact that in this particular case it was entities in Russia” that were behind the intrusions into the Democratic […]
UAE, January 8, 2017 The UAE Government has announced that it has completed the legal system for venture capital funds as one of the first projects approved by the Government Accelerators initiative launched by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai in line with the goals of the UAE National Agenda. The legal system for venture capital […]
