Dubai, UAE 08 March 2017 Amlak Finance PJSC, a leading specialized real estate financier in the Middle East, today announced its Full Year Financial Results for the year ended 31 December 2016. Amlak reported net profits of AED 107 million at the end of December 2016, a decrease of 20% compared to AED 135 million in 2015. The Company’s total revenues, however, reached AED 778 million in […]
The launch of the Nike Pro Hijab, a lightweight, breathable, adjustable, competition-worthy garment for hijab-wearing athletes, reflects both consumer demand and the growing number of elite female Muslim athletes. In the 2016 Rio Olympics, for example, 14 Muslim women – four of them in hijab – won medals. “Sports is one of the few platforms that brings people together, and the more big brands are noticing the […]
ROME A prize-winning racehorse dubbed the “Blonde Bombshell” and a thoroughbred colt were stolen from their stables in Italy on Tuesday, in a blow for an industry reeling from years of crisis. The abduction of the chestnut mare, called Unicka, and the colt, named Vampire Dany, was discovered by the horses’ trainer at the Wave stables near Pisa, northern Italy, when he went to feed them on […]
By Marja Novak | LJUBLJANA LJUBLJANA The Slovenian government on Wednesday agreed to raise doctors’ wages by a total of as much as 50 million euros per year, and the move prompted other public-sector trade unions to seek wage increases, as well. The move was agreed in talks with the doctors’ trade union, Fides, which followed a partial two-week strike by doctors in November. Finance Minister Mateja […]
“Talk is cheap, implementation is difficult,” said Fadel Gheit, a senior oil company analyst at Oppenheimer & Company. “They will have to recreate books that never existed.” Photo Khalid A. al-Falih, Saudi Arabia’s energy minister and chairman of Saudi Aramco, speaking at a conference in Houston on Tuesday. Credit Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle, via Associated Press As a prize, there are fewer bigger than Saudi Aramco. The Saudis […]
By Ginger Gibson and David Shepardson | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON When the bosses of some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies headed to Washington in January to meet U.S. President Donald Trump, it had all the makings of a potentially hostile meeting. Just weeks before, Trump had sent drug stock prices plummeting after accusing the companies of “getting away with murder” by charging too much for medicines. But […]
For many, South Korea’s decision to host a missile shield to defend against its hostile northern neighbour should not be controversial. In the past month alone, North Korea has fired six ballistic missiles, with a barrage of four successful launches on Monday trumpeted by Pyongyang as being a drill targeting US bases in Japan. But in a region riven by simmering historical grievances, Seoul’s move has sparked a bitter […]
By Rozanna Latiff and Liz Lee | KUALA LUMPUR KUALA LUMPUR Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak struck a softer tone with North Korea on Wednesday, a day after accusing it of treating Malaysians as “hostages” amid a diplomatic meltdown over the murder of the estranged half-brother of the North’s leader. Malaysian police have identified eight North Koreans wanted for questioning in connection with the killing of Kim […]
SEOUL A man claiming to be the son of the slain, estranged half brother of North Korea’s leader said he was lying low with his mother and sister, in a video posted online by a group that said it helped rescue them following the murder a month ago. The governments of Netherlands, China, the United States, and a fourth unnamed country provided emergency humanitarian assistance to protect […]
Under Australia’s data retention laws, the number of enforcement agencies able to warrantlessly access customer call records, location information, IP addresses, billing information, and other data stored for two years by telecommunications carriers is restricted to 21. But in a submission [PDF] released today, the Communications Alliance (CA) has said a number of government agencies are skirting the restrictions and remain able to call upon telcos to […]
SYDNEY Climate change was responsible for breaking more than 200 Australian weather records over the past three months, researchers said on Wednesday, a glimpse of conditions to come that will likely threaten energy security and agriculture. Much of Australia’s east coast endured its hottest summer on record, the independent Climate Council said, while torrential rain in Western Australia caused flash flooding. The sort of unseasonable conditions seen […]
Here are the big questions set to frame a new trading week for markets. How frothy are equity and junk bond valuations looking?Another record-breaking week for equities and a red hot reception for the Snap initial public offering is not the only sign of investor optimism running wild. Junk bond spreads — the premium investors demand to hold the bonds over Treasury yields — are heading towards […]
By Matt Spetalnick and David Brunnstrom | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON Faced with a growing test of resolve for a new U.S. president who vowed while campaigning to get tough on North Korea, Donald Trump’s aides are pressing to complete a strategy review on how to counter Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear threats. Pyongyang’s latest missile launches and the assassination in Malaysia of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s estranged […]
By Saikat Chatterjee | HONG KONG HONG KONG Asian stocks edged lower on Wednesday after a strong start to the week due to profit-taking as investors lacked conviction to buy risky assets before a U.S. policy meeting next week that may see interest rates rising for the second time in three months. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan eased 0.1 percent in early trade, a […]
Now fitness lovers can further tap into the power of having a personal trainer in their pockets that provides customized workouts thanks the latest update to Sworkit. The popular fitness app announced a new feature on Tuesday that provides flexible workout plans that are tailored to each its users. Called the Sworkit Workout Builder, this first-of-its-kind feature allows users to build the ideal workout plan that best […]
Banks have structured some unusual and complex deals for European companies to raise capital through a combination of debt and equity derivatives in recent weeks, reflecting investor enthusiasm for convertible securities. Last week BASF launched a $600m bond bundled with warrants, in a so-called neutral structure which effectively makes the chemicals group a middleman between its investors and its banks. The deal, put together by Deutsche Bank, […]
By Jonathan Stempel | NEW YORK NEW YORK PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP [PWC.UL] pinned the blame for MF Global Holdings Ltd’s collapse squarely on the commodity brokerage and its former chief executive, Jon Corzine, at the start on Tuesday of a trial over whether the auditor should pay about $3 billion for its alleged negligence. Jurors are considering a demand by MF Global’s bankruptcy plan administrator that PwC be […]
As Abdelmonem Alserkal tours his latest architectural commission, his pristine white kandura stands in contrast to the monochrome building that broods in Alserkal Avenue – the warehouse creative community he has brought to life in Dubai’s industrial neighbourhood of Al Quoz. A muted study in steel, small mirrors, translucent polycarbonate and sprayed, shot-blast and polished concrete, the new venue is the latest milestone in Alserkal Avenue’s decade-long […]
How do you solve a problem like China’s excess corn stocks? Use it to make translucent film for greenhouses is one answer, its most influential agricultural expert said on Monday, as Beijing casts about for ways to rid itself of unwanted stores of corn and other agricultural commodities built up in recent years. The end of China’s failed minimum price policy for corn has forced a restructuring of […]
GoldenEye ransomware targets human resources departments because they’re used to opening emails and attachments from unknown sources. Image: Ali Donzanti What is a ransomware attack? Cybercriminals didn’t use to be so obvious. If hackers infiltrated your corporate network, they would do everything possible to avoid detection. It was in their best interests not to alert a victim that they’d fallen victim to cybercrime. But now, if you […]
Donald Trump is not alone. When the US president complained, just before taking office, at the size of his country’s trade gap with Germany, he highlighted an issue that has long been the source of irritation in Washington and beyond. It is a topic that is now also stimulating debate within Germany — with possible consequences for the country’s trade ties with the rest of the world […]
Few institutions embodied the eurozone crisis more clearly than Bankia, the Spanish lender which was bailed out in 2012. Yet you would have been hard pressed to see any signs of that as the lender tapped debt markets this month. The bond sale by Bankia, still majority owned by the Spanish government, attracted almost €5bn in orders for the €500m of debt it sold. Its “tier 2” […]
Credit: iStock/xavierarnau Michael Siminovitch, director of the California Lighting Technology Center at UC Davis, wasn’t looking for enlightenment when he wandered into a Buddhist temple in Thailand a few years ago. He was touring Thailand as a distinguished visiting professor at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi’s school of architecture. He’d never been to a temple in his life. The temple was a highly crafted, architectural marvel, […]
07 March 2017 Geneva – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for global air freight markets showing that demand, measured in freight tonne kilometers (FTKs), rose 6.9% in January 2017 compared to the year-earlier period. While this was down from the 10% annual growth recorded in December 2016 it still was well above the average annual growth rate of 3% over the past five years. Growth […]
