By Mica Rosenberg and Dan Levine | NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO Even if President Donald Trump wins an appeal of a court ruling blocking his executive order on sanctuary cities, arguments made by the government in the case could permanently harm its efforts to cut off federal funding to targeted cities, some legal experts say. Trump’s original order, issued on Jan. 25, stated that cities […]
By Steve Holland | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON U.S. President Donald Trump told the leaders of Canada and Mexico on Wednesday that he will not terminate the NAFTA treaty at this stage, but will move quickly to begin renegotiating it with them, a White House said. The announcement came after White House officials disclosed that Trump and his advisers had been considering issuing an executive order to withdraw the […]
Donald Trump has decided not to pull the US out of the North American Free Trade Agreement, agreeing instead with his Canadian and Mexican counterparts to “proceed swiftly” with negotiations to update the agreement, according to the White House. The move came in hastily arranged calls between the three leaders after news leaked that the White House was considering unveiling an executive order on Saturday that would have […]
The remarks, in an interview that was recorded Tuesday, came at the end of Ms. Trump’s rocky 24-hour trip this week to Germany, her first official foray since taking a West Wing office last month. Continue reading the main story A spokeswoman for Ms. Trump did not respond to questions about her position on immigration — or about whether her remarks were intended to pressure her father. […]
PARIS Fewer French voters believe centrist Emmanuel Macron got off to a good start in the last lap of France’s presidential election than far right leader Marine Le Pen, a poll showed on Thursday. Macron, the favourite to win the presidency, has suffered several costly public relations missteps since he and Le Pen qualified in a first round of voting on Sunday for the decisive May 7 […]
Breitbart News hit a wall Tuesday in its campaign to storm the ramparts of the media establishment when one of the most influential press associations in Washington, D.C. denied its application for credentials to cover Congress because of concerns over the site’s funding, staffing, workspace and independence. The decision by the Standing Committee of Correspondents of the House and Senate Press Gallery — a body chaired by […]
Turkish policymakers surprised investors by tightening monetary conditions on Wednesday, helping to support the lira on a day of widespread weakness across emerging market currencies and prompting some to rethink their pessimism towards the country. While the Turkish central bank kept its main interest rates unchanged, it defied expectations by raising the late liquidity lending rate by 50 basis points. Describing the move as “a hawkish surprise”, […]
Qatar said Wednesday that the deal to secure the recent release of a hunting party kidnapped in southern Iraq went ahead with the “full knowledge” of Baghdad. Responding to a complaint by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi that ransom money was brought into Iraq without its approval, the emirate said it had regularly consulted with officials in Baghdad during the tense negotiations. It was the first official statement […]
United Airlines can’t catch a break, as a giant bunny set to be the world’s largest just died on one of the airline’s planes and it’s a mystery how it happened. Hot on the heels of the recent United Airlines scandal regarding forcibly removed passengers, the airline is now in trouble again as a huge bunny died while being transported to its new “celebrity” owner. Giant Bunny […]
Two of America’s most prominent Republican dynasties — the Bushes and the Romneys — are locked in a $1bn-plus battle to acquire the Miami Marlins baseball team, in a tangled sale process that previously included a rival bid from the family business of Jared Kushner. A consortium bid fronted by Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor and presidential candidate, and Derek Jeter, the retired New York Yankees […]
There was some snickering two days ago when it emerged that as his first paid speech appearance, former president Barack Obama who – at least on paper was a determined crusader against the big banks – will receive $400,000 for roughly an hour of his time from, well, a bank or rather Cantor Fitzgerald. Moments ago, Obama seemingly concerned by the public response the news has generated, […]
By Luc Cohen | LA MATANZA, Argentina LA MATANZA, Argentina Billboards in Buenos Aires province’s working-class La Matanza district trumpet a soon-to-be completed bus lane alongside the face of the district’s mayor, an ally of former populist President Cristina Fernandez. Although it was originally conceived when Fernandez was president, the 2 billion-peso ($129.24 million) “Metrobus” lane is being paid for by centre-right President Mauricio Macri’s government and […]
By Andrew Cawthorne and Eyanir Chinea | CARACAS CARACAS Venezuelan security forces fired scores of tear gas volleys and turned water cannons on rock-throwing protesters on a bridge in Caracas on Wednesday as the death toll from this month’s anti-government unrest hit at least 29. A 20-year-old male demonstrator died in those latest clashes in the capital after being hit by a gas cannister, said officials of […]
President Donald Trump’s top economic team unveiled what they called the biggest tax cut in US history, proposing a sharp reduction in corporate taxes and a simplification of individual rates they said would unleash economic growth. Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, said the proposal would slash corporate taxes from 35 per cent to 15 per cent and include a “one-time” cut-rate tax to induce companies to repatriate […]
The Iraqis do not have the luxury of conducting a siege: Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has told his generals that dragging out the Mosul operation, now in its seventh month, would work only to the advantage of the Islamic State, which many in the West call ISIS or ISIL, but the Iraqis call Daesh. Continue reading the main story This was not the mission that American military […]
Oil prices reversed early losses on reports of the third weekly drawdown of crude stocks in the US, although analysts cautioned on waiting for further signs that Opec’s production cuts are finally tightening the market. Inventories of US crude fell by a larger than expected 3.6m barrels in the week ended April 21, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday, compared with expectations for a draw of […]
With renowned hotel chains launching stylish new properties all across the Middle East, we are spoilt with choice when it comes to spending the night in some of the most modern and futuristic buildings in the world. Hotels with a past however have their own certain appeal, offering architectural highlights of the historic kind. Browse through the following hotels from around the globe and be inspired by […]
ERBIL, Iraq Islamic State militants have developed an improvised explosive device (IED) that can be launched from rifles or dropped from an aerial drone, an arms monitoring group said on Wednesday. Conflict Armament Research (CAR) said the Sunni militant group was “promoting the development of ‘own-brand’ weapons” to provide its insurgents with otherwise unavailable armaments. “The (IED) can be thrown, launched from an improvised rifle attachment, or […]
By Syed Raza Hassan | KARACHI, Pakistan KARACHI, Pakistan Afghan and Indian intelligence agencies gave funds and other assistance to Pakistani Taliban militants to fight Islamabad, the group’s former spokesman, who surrendered last week, said in a video released by Pakistan’s military on Wednesday. Afghanistan strongly refuted the claim, while India’s Ministry of External Affairs said it was not yet able to comment on the video. Both […]
By Marton Dunai | BUDAPEST BUDAPEST Anti-government protesters have filled Budapest’s streets in recent weeks, but divisions within the opposition and weak support outside the capital mean they are unlikely to herald a serious threat to Prime Minister Viktor Orban in next year’s election. Triggered by a law targeting an international school founded by liberal U.S. financier George Soros, the rallies have galvanised broader public anger against […]
There are several rumors about the OnePlus 5 making the rounds. Some say it will be called the OnePlus 5 because of a Chinese fear of the number 4. Others say it will sport dual cameras. A Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip is apparently a shoo-in too as rumors suggest. While these give an idea of what the phone will be, that’s all they give — an idea. So far, […]
Modest dress is enjoying a renaissance. Fashion brands are increasingly embracing the long-held view shared by those in region that style does not have to equate to revealing a lot of flesh. Building on the foundations of sensuality over sexuality, and demure over décolletage, the West is finally catching up with the Middle East in terms of tasteful dressing. Women in the Middle East have long expressed […]
ANKARA Turkish authorities arrested more than 1,000 people on Wednesday they said had secretly infiltrated police forces across the country on behalf of a U.S.-based cleric blamed by the government for a failed coup attempt last July. The nationwide sweep was one of the largest operations in months against suspected supporters of the cleric, Fethullah Gulen, a former ally of President Tayyip Erdogan who is now accused […]
It’s taken the new chief executive of the London Metal Exchange Matthew Chamberlain four years to understand the complexity of the 140-year-old bourse. Now he’s on a mission to simplify it. Days after his appointment was announced by the LME’s parent Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing the 35-year-old former investment banker has outlined his vision to attract more customers and protect London’s place as the centre of […]
