Mike Mullen, the former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, has voiced concerns about the temperament of Michael Flynn, the controversial retired army general who Donald Trump has chosen for national security adviser. Mr Mullen said Mr Flynn, who served as his top intelligence officer at the Pentagon, had been “highly regarded” in the military. But speaking at the Aspen Institute, he said he was less impressed by […]
Symantec, a computer security company, has decided to buy identity-theft protection company called LifeLock for around $2.3 billion or $24 per stock. With the goal of improving its consumers’ computer security sector, Symantec has agreed to acquire LifeLock, seller of identity protection services. The board of directors for both companies has approved the deal, which was bound to close in the early part of 2017. The World’s […]
An onboard smoke alert forced a flight from Miami to Doha to make an emergency landing in Zurich yesterday afternoon. The Boeing 777-300 (flight QR778) was 15 nautical miles (28 kms) northeast of Zurich when the crew reported smoke on the flight deck, according to a report in Aviation Herald. The plane landed safely at Zurich where it was met by emergency vehicles. Following an inspection by […]
Downtown Damascus feels busy and alive, with people boarding vans and buses to get to work as in any other city. But the heavy traffic is partly a result of the security checkpoints that have proliferated. Continue reading the main story We were forbidden to photograph checkpoints, but they are ubiquitous. Our government-required minder alternately castigated, teased and charmed the soldiers and militiamen to speed our passage. […]
Photo President Hassan Rouhani of Iran, center, at a welcome ceremony earlier this month in Karaj, just west of Tehran, has said that his country will remain committed to a nuclear deal with the United States and other world powers. Credit Office of the Iranian Presidency, via Associated Press TEHRAN — At first blush, the election of Donald J. Trump would seem to be bad news for […]
The head of a leading Russian sovereign wealth fund has hailed Donald Trump’s election victory as a new opportunity for Moscow to do business with the US. “We believe having a businessman in the White House who makes pragmatic decisions is very important,” Kirill Dmitriev, chief executive of the state-run Russian Direct Investment Fund, told the Financial Times in an interview. “We believe what is great about […]
Donald Trump’s plan to shake up Washington is facing a daunting obstacle — a security clearance system already struggling because of reorganisation and a half-million strong backlog. An influx of fresh faces is what Mr Trump’s voters, disgusted by Washington insiders, want from the new president. But many newcomers to government will be confronted by their first clearance investigations. Others could have overseas ties that must be […]
ABU DHABI// The European Union Delegation to the UAE has been officially opened in the capital. Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State, chairman of the board of directors of National Media Council, met with Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission, at the inauguration ceremony at Etihad Towers. “The UAE is a country we […]
A protest rally in Malaysia against the government of Najib Razak — who is fighting allegations of grand corruption linked to a troubled state investment fund — brought thousands onto the streets of Kuala Lumpur but also spurred a widening official crackdown. Although Saturday’s rally passed off peacefully, 15 activists and opposition politicians have been arrested on charges which human rights campaigners described as “manufactured”. The charges […]
In late October, when it was still conventional wisdom that Hillary was “guaranteed” to win the presidency, the WaPo explained that among the neo-con, foreign policy “elites” of the Pentagon, a feeling of calm content had spread: after all, it was just a matter of time before the “pacifist” Obama was out, replaced by the more hawkish Hillary. As the WaPo reported, “there is one corner of […]
After everyone from Jesse Jackson, to the terrified mainstream media to prominent Congressional Democrats have called upon Obama to issue a blanket pardon for Hillary Clinton, he finally admitted that it’s not possible to pardon someone who hasn’t yet stood trial for a crime. And while Obama was referencing a potential pardon of Edward Snowden with his comments, one could assume that the law should be applied […]
As the dust settles and Macbook Pro owners begin working with their new laptops, problems begin to crop up. The latest of these involves a graphics card inconsistency that could confuse and even mislead users. Based on initial reports, the problem concerns how some MacBook Pro units purportedly show the wrong graphics card readout. MacBook Pro Readout Glitch The news was first reported by MacRumors, which cited users complaining […]
The US State Department has notified Congress of the possible sale of F-15QA aircraft to Qatar for $21.1 billion and F/A-18E/F aircraft to Kuwait for $10.1 billion, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement. Qatar asked to purchase 72 of the fighter aircraft with weapons and related support, the statement said. Kuwait has requested to buy 40 F/A-18E and F/A-18F aircraft and related equipment, […]
1979: A threatening revolution Saudi Arabia, a young country pieced together only in the 1930s, has built its legitimacy on religion. By promoting its stewardship of the holy sites at Mecca and Medina, it could justify its royal family’s grip on power. Continue reading the main story Iran’s revolution, in 1979, threatened that legitimacy. Iranians toppled their authoritarian government, installing Islamists who claimed to represent “a revolution […]
Iuna Al Hashemi remains remarkably calm as she discusses the “very challenging” business year for Bahrain’s national telco, Batelco. Once a monopoly, Batelco is now facing a crowded market, with strong competition from Kuwait’s Zain and Saudi Telecom Company-owned VIVA, as well as about ten internet providers for 1.4 million residents. Current economic conditions are making it increasingly difficult to keep up margins. Batelco Group, the […]
19 November 2016 MARRAKECH, Morocco (19 November, 2016) – In response to the close of COP22, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, leader of WWF International’s Climate & Energy Practice, issued the following statement: “The UN climate talks continue to be filled with twists and turns, but they have delivered what they needed to this week – putting substance behind the promise of the Paris Agreement so it can be fully […]
As SHTFPLan.com’s Mac Slavo notes… While the powers that be are determining the fate of alternative media voices that are now branded under the dubious label “fake news” and blacked out from online search results, it is worth keeping in mind all the disinformation and downright lies that have been perpetrated by the corporate news media – typically hand in hand with a political agenda. Whether […]
The pace of global debt sales this year is running at a record level, surpassing $6tn this week, as companies from Pfizer to MasterCard rush to lock in borrowing costs on fears that a Donald Trump stimulus package will send interest rates even higher. A flurry of new sales this week caps a tumultuous period for bond investors, who are counting more than $1.5tn of losses, as […]
The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday for legislation to extend American sanctions on Iran for 10 years, a move that proponents called critical economic leverage to ensure Iranian compliance with an international nuclear agreement. The legislation, known as the Iran Sanctions Extension Act, needs Senate approval and President Obama’s signature before the end of the year, when American sanctions are set to expire. Under the […]
BEIRUT: Doctors and nurses at a pediatric hospital in eastern Aleppo scrambled Friday to evacuate babies in incubators from underground shelters to safety after the facility in the besieged Syrian city was bombed for the second time this week. Medics and aid workers also reported a suspected attack involving toxic gas in a district on the western edge of the province. At least 12 people, including children, […]
Donald Trump has begun putting together his transition team and naming the cabinet members who will come to power in Washington after the inauguration on January 20. Follow the FT’s guide to the main players he has already picked — and the positions yet to be filled — here. Trump’s choices: MIKE PENCE Vice-president © AFP Mike Pence, the Indiana governor and former congressman, was picked as Donald […]
Photo Iraqi forces watched television coverage of President-elect Donald J. Trump in the village of Arbid on the southern outskirts of Mosul last week. Credit Ahmad Al-Rubaye/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images ERBIL, Iraq — Many Muslims in the Middle East have reacted with a mix of caution, suspicion and scorn to Donald J. Trump’s election victory and his appointments of aides with hostile views toward Islam. Struggling […]
President-elect Donald Trump, who faces dozens of lawsuits from his business dealings, has agreed to pay $25m to resolve claims brought by New York state and thousands of students alleging he ran a fraudulent real estate course. The settlement includes a lawsuit filed by Eric Schneiderman, New York’s attorney-general, who sued Mr Trump, The Trump Entrepreneur Institute, formerly known as Trump University, and Michael Sexton, the former […]
Already, many Israelis and Palestinians are buzzing about the prospect. Where would the embassy go? Would it straddle the line between West Jerusalem, which is predominantly Jewish, and East Jerusalem, which is predominantly Arab? Would it touch off street protests in Palestinian cities or a backlash among Arab allies like Egypt and Saudi Arabia? Continue reading the main story “Jerusalem is a symbolic, emotional and real issue,” […]
