By Andrew Osborn and Orhan Coskun | MOSCOW/ANKARA MOSCOW/ANKARA Syria would be divided into informal zones of regional power influence and Bashar al-Assad would remain president for at least a few years under an outline deal between Russia, Turkey and Iran, sources say. Such a deal, which would allow regional autonomy within a federal structure controlled by Assad’s Alawite sect, is in its infancy, subject to change […]
By Erik Kirschbaum | BERLIN BERLIN Nearly 55,000 migrants who were not eligible for or were likely to be denied asylum left Germany voluntarily in 2016, up by 20,000 from the number who left of their own volition in 2015, the government said on Wednesday. “That’s a considerable increase from last year,” Interior Ministry spokesman Harald Neymanns told a news conference, saying the 2016 figure had climbed […]
By Shinichi Saoshiro | TOKYO TOKYO Asia stocks followed Wall Street higher on Wednesday, while the dollar firmed against the yen following the release of upbeat U.S. economic data overnight. Crude oil prices held large gains on expectations of supply tightening once oil-producing nations implement a scheduled output cut. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS rose 0.4 percent. Australian stocks rode a rise in […]
CBC’s I-Team tackles a wide variety of stories in any given year. There are hidden camera shoots, accountability interviews, court cases, long hours on the phone with tipsters who want to remain anonymous, dozens upon dozens of freedom of information requests, and data-mining on all manner of topics. This year, the investigative team tackled everything from health and safety issues in the nail salon industry to doctors who […]
ABU DHABI // More Emirati teachers are resigning because they overworked and underpaid while their grievances are not being heard, according to a member of the Federal National Council. “They are continuing to leave and there is still a shortage of teachers for some subjects,” said Salem Al Shehhi, a member from Ras Al Khaimah. “They tried to speak to officials at the ministry and their managers […]
(Image: Newegg/Chrome Unboxed) An unannounced Asus Chromebook appeared on Newegg for a short period of time, revealing presumed specifications under a 360-degree 12.5-inch FHD (1920×1080) touch display. Likely to be announced at CES 2017, the Asus C302CA looks to boast an all-metal design similar to 2016’s Chromebook Flip. ChromeUnboxed, who first spotted the listing, reported the C302CA will be new to the Asus lineup, rather than replacing […]
By Nate Raymond | NEW YORK NEW YORK Three Chinese citizens have been criminally charged in the United States with trading on confidential corporate information obtained by hacking into networks and servers of law firms working on mergers, U.S. prosecutors said on Tuesday. Iat Hong of Macau, Bo Zheng of Changsha, China, and Chin Hung of Macau were charged in an indictment filed in Manhattan federal court […]
By Diane Bartz | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON Healthcare company Abbott Laboratories (ABT.N) has won U.S. antitrust approval for its proposed $25 billion acquisition of medical device maker St. Jude Medical Inc (STJ.N), the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Tuesday. Abbott agreed to divest two medical devices used in cardiovascular procedures to resolve FTC concerns the acquisition would stifle competition, the commission said in a statement. The company […]
Global debt sales reached a record in 2016, led by companies gorging on cheap borrowing costs that are now threatened by Donald Trump’s pledge to fire up the US economy. The bond rally that dominated the first half of the year helped entice borrowers that issued debt via banks to take on just over $6.6tn, according to data provider Dealogic, breaking the previous annual record set in […]
The low-for-long era is over. Central banks, fiscal activism and populism pricked the bond bubble in 2016. Next year will be a lot worse for bond investors, and the aftershocks of the burst will spread across many other assets. Since the crisis, investors have been buying bonds for capital gains and equities for yield, trusting in the holding hand of easy monetary policy. However, today the central […]
Law Blog rounds up the morning’s legal news: Pooled accounts: Tens of billions of dollars every year move through opaque law-firm bank accounts that create a gap in U.S. money-laundering defenses, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis. [WSJ] Judicial vacancies: Donald Trump is set to inherit an uncommon number of vacancies in the federal […] (via WSJ)
Submitted by Alice Salles via TheAntiMedia.org, The end of the year is approaching, and data concerning government abuses of power has begun pouring in. According to Facebook’s Global Government Requests Report, government’s requests for Facebook account data rose 27 percent in the first half of 2016. Facebook’s official announcement explained that requests for user data went from 46,710 in the last half of 2015 to 59,229 in […]
By Patrick Graham | LONDON LONDON Share prices inched higher on Tuesday as trading in some of the world’s major financial markets resumed after a Christmas break, with oil and the dollar also rising marginally. Concerns about Italian banks, Chinese growth and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s protectionist bent look set to keep investors on edge into the start of 2017. But expectations the new administration will splash […]
By Stephen Kalin | EAST OF MOSUL, Iraq EAST OF MOSUL, Iraq Iraqi forces will resume their push against Islamic State inside Mosul in the coming days, a U.S. battlefield commander said, in a new phase of the two-month-old operation that will see American troops deployed closer to the front line in the city. The battle for Mosul, involving 100,000 Iraqi troops, members of the Kurdish security […]
Retailers in the U.S. are hoping to clear stock a day after Christmas so, for bargain hunters, Dec. 26 is the next best day — after Black Friday and Cyber Monday — to score some amazing deals and discounts. Before we forget: today is also a federal holiday. This means that most government offices, banks, post offices, schools, and libraries will be closed on this day. Some people, […]
ABU DHABI // Parking in the capital will be free all day on New Year’s Day. Residents can park for free from midnight on Sunday, January 1 until 8am on Monday, January 2. New Year’s Day will be a holiday for all federal ministries and departments, as well as the private sector. Official work will resume on Monday, January 2, it was announced last week. The Integrated […]
The Associated Press and the Center for Public Integrity investigated how pharmaceutical companies are using their political clout to push a new form of opioids as their answer to the epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse. The pills are marketed as abuse-deterrents because they usually are difficult to crush and dissolve, but they also are lucrative for the industry. Some key findings: Lawmakers in 35 states introduced more […]
In February, Anis Amri, a Tunisian refugee with a criminal past, was officially classified by the German authorities as a potential terrorist. For six months this year he was under near constant police surveillance. None of that helped. Amri went to ground and only resurfaced three days ago as the man investigators believe rammed a truck into a Christmas market in central Berlin, killing 12 people. The […]
A Russian military aircraft crashed into the Black Sea on its way to Syria on Sunday, and none of the 92 people on board were expected to have survived, according to the Russian defence ministry. Among those on board the Tupolev-154 were members of the well-known Alexandrov Choir, who were to perform at Hmeymim air base. From that base, in Latakia province, Russia has flown most of […]
By Lucia Mutikani | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON New U.S. single-family home sales rose more than expected in November and consumer sentiment hovered near a 13-year high this month, strengthening the view that the economy will gain further momentum next year. President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to cut taxes and increase infrastructure spending is expected to boost economic growth, though it already has sparked a surge in mortgage rates that […]
She says she hasn’t decided what she’ll do next, but that it likely will involve working for a foundation or, perhaps, in the private sector. She’ll depart the FEC having largely seen her standing goal of revealing sources of secret money in politics stymied. Goodman, in an interview, wouldn’t commit to staying at the FEC through 2017. “I will make a decision early next year about my […]
UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has declared 2017 as the “Year of Giving” to promote the culture of volunteering and loyalty to one’s country. The “Year of Giving” will focus on three main pillars – the sense of community responsibility in the private sector, the spirit of volunteering and instilling loyalty and commitment in the next generations to serve their country, news agency WAM […]
Australia’s cybersecurity capabilities and researchers will be showcased to global players in the United States in February, in a delegation sent to the RSA Conference in San Francisco led by Special Adviser to the Prime Minister on Cyber Security Alastair MacGibbon and recently appointed CEO of the Australian Cyber Security Growth Network Craig Davies. According to Nicola Watkinson, Austrade’s senior trade and investment commissioner for North America, […]
The FBI has launched an investigation into the security breach that had affected computers of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for several years starting from 2010, according to people familiar with the matter. Senior officials of the FDIC believe that the infiltration was sponsored by the military of China, as revealed in a congressional report that was published in July. Hackers Invade The FDIC According to the congressional […]
