For President Trump, the designation debate is an election promise made good. He has made no bones about taking an approach to the Middle East that is narrowly focused on counterterrorism, and that plays to domestic supporters who view all Islamist movements — or even all Muslims — as potentially hostile. Continue reading the main story In much of the Middle East, though, the rapid pace and […]
LONDON Shares in Anglo-Dutch consumer goods group Unilever (ULVR.L) (UNc.AS) dropped 8 percent on Monday after U.S. rival Kraft Heinz Co (KHC.O) abruptly ditched its surprise $143 billion merger proposal. Backed by Warren Buffett and the private equity firm 3G, Kraft had wanted to buy Unilever to build a global consumer goods giant but its offer was flatly rejected on Friday by the maker of Lipton tea […]
OTTAWA One in four Canadians say Ottawa should have adopted a temporary halt on Syrian refugees in response to the United States’ controversial travel ban, though the majority supported the government’s current immigration plan, an Angus Reid Institute poll showed on Monday. Sixty percent of those surveyed in an online poll said the Canadian government had done a good job of resettling Syrian refugees since the Liberals […]
By Lesley Wroughton and Yeganeh Torbati | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON One of Rex Tillerson’s first directives as U.S. secretary of state was an order to senior staff that his briefing materials not exceed two pages. It was a reflection of Tillerson’s management style honed at the helm of Exxon Mobil, an oil company known for its relentless focus on efficiency, and one reason his closest aides at the […]
ITP Media Group is hosting the UAE’s first Influencer Marketing Summit this morning at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Dubai Marina, chaired by the BBC broadcaster Andrew Neil. The event will see high profile social media stars such as Joelle Mardinian giving the first keynote speech, while also examining how influencers and brands can work together, and issues of transparency and legislation. (Refresh the page for updates) […]
The fate of Munich’s Linux project is only part of the story of open source software. Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto After a nearly decade-long project to move away from Windows onto Linux, Munich has all but decided on a dramatic u-turn. It’s likely that, by 2021, the city council will start to replace PCs running LiMux (its custom version of Ubuntu) with Windows 10. Going back maybe 15 […]
Stock markets in the Middle East were mixed in modest trading volumes on Sunday with Saudi Arabia and Qatar outperforming because of support from the banking sector, while Egypt fell as the currency hit a three-month high. Two-thirds of the 12 listed banks on Saudi Arabia’s bourse gained, lifting the index 0.1 percent. Alawwal Bank added 2.7 percent, with most activity occurring in the last hour of […]
STOCKHOLM The Swedish embassy in Washington has asked the U.S. State Department for an explanation of a comment made by President Donald Trump that suggested there had been some sort of security incident in Sweden on Friday. The U.S. President was speaking at a political rally in Florida on Saturday when, in connection with the mention of a need to keep the United States safe, he said: […]
By Carl O’Donnell | NEW YORK NEW YORK U.S. food company Kraft Heinz Co (KHC.O) withdrew its proposal for a $143-billion merger with larger rival Unilever Plc (ULVR.L), the companies said on Sunday, raising questions about whether Kraft could turn its focus to another target. Kraft had made a surprise offer for Unilever to build a global consumer goods behemoth that was flatly rejected on Friday by […]
Despite financial woes, Faraday Future is pushing through with its factory in Las Vegas, six months after its construction was stopped from lack of funding. In a statement published on the company’s website, Faraday Future says it will have a competitive bidding process for the construction of its car plant, and has already solicited five bids from “top U.S. and international contractors.” This news comes on the […]
Kraft Heinz, the Warren Buffett-backed US food group, dropped its $143bn pursuit of consumer products rival Unilever on Sunday, only two days after publicly confirming its interest in acquiring the Anglo-Dutch rival. Kraft Heinz said in a joint statement with Unilever that it had “amicably agreed to withdraw its proposal for a combination of the two companies”. A takeover would have created the world’s second-largest consumer goods […]
Photo The Iranian city of Ahvaz during a sandstorm on Saturday. Rain has turned the dust there into mud, which caused power stations to stop working. Credit Morteza Jaberian/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images TEHRAN — Days of protests against dust storms, power outages and government mismanagement in one of Iran’s most oil-rich cities subsided on Sunday after security forces declared all demonstrations illegal. Residents of Ahvaz, a […]
Consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble (P&G) will launch a consumer technology innovation center in Brazil next month. The facility will be working on research and development to bring more innovative ideas and sustainability to products, packaging and processes. The firm has some 17 such centers in operation worldwide. Initially, the center will be based at a former P&G administrative building in the São Paulo state town […]
President Trump unveiled an alternate universe Thursday in which virtually every problem of his is the creation of the press. In a rambling, angry and contradictory media meltdown, Trump bashed “the failing New York Times,” The Wall Street Journal, CNN and the BBC, among others, following a fleeting announcement of a new nominee for Labor Secretary. It constituted what at minimum is a quadrupling down — or might […]
Home-grown restaurant Publique will open its doors in the next two weeks in Souk Madinat Jumeirah. It occupies half the space formerly used by Rivington Grill. The other half is taken up by another new offering – Folly by Nick and Scott – which is also set to open around the same time. Publique is a venture by restaurateurs Jonathan Vercoutere and Julien Pilard, the guys behind […]
Theresa May has ordered her top officials to examine Kraft Heinz’s proposed takeover of Unilever to see if it raises concerns for the wider British economy and merits government intervention. The $143bn takeover approach is a big test for Mrs May’s industrial policy: last year she criticised Kraft’s 2010 takeover of the British chocolate maker Cadbury — the US company reneged on a promise to retain factories […]
The two projects, the first to open since Mr. Trump became president, are among the dozen international business deals from his former life still moving forward — from India to Indonesia, Uruguay to the Dominican Republic. None of them are “new deals,” as defined by the family, as they were already well underway before the election. Continue reading the main story A Web of Complications Mr. Sajwani […]
Hackers are carrying out surveillance on members of the Israeli military by hacking into their Android phones in order to monitor activity and steal data – potentially including photos and audio recordings – according to security companies. Developed and deployed by currently by a so-far unidentified group, ViperRAT is designed to collect sensitive information from infected devices, with those behind the malware seemingly most interested in images […]
In light of the recent flurry of leaks by the so-called “deep state”, which includes such agencies as the NSA and FBI and which last week lead to the resignation of Mike Flynn after a phone recording of his phone conversation with the Russian ambassador was leaked to the WaPo and other anti-Trump publications, an article published on January 12 by the NYT has generated renewed interest. […]
By Saqib Iqbal Ahmed | NEW YORK NEW YORK U.S. stock investors may look to a host of results from consumer-facing companies including Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N) next week for signs on whether the recent market rally has more room to run. The consumer names are among the last major companies of the S&P 500 earnings season to report, but the results will also be watched for […]
By Cod Satrusayang | BANGKOK BANGKOK Thai police ordered thousands of worshippers to leave the country’s biggest Buddhist temple on Sunday so it can intensify its search for its former abbot, who is wanted on money-laundering charges. Thailand’s ruling junta used a special emergency law on Thursday to let police explore the scandal-hit Dhammakaya Temple after months of failing to get it to hand over Phra Dhammachayo. […]
For populists on both sides of the Atlantic, “expert” is now an expletive, a synonym for out-of-touch elitists swindling the common man. This was perhaps most obvious during the Brexit referendum campaign, when the UK Justice Secretary and “Leave” advocate Michael Gove told a stunned interviewer that “the people of this country have had enough of experts … from organizations with acronyms saying that they know what is best.” Polling indicates […]
By Julia Edwards Ainsley | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON The Department of Homeland Security has prepared new guidance for immigration agents aimed at speeding up deportations by denying asylum claims earlier in the process. The new guidelines, contained in a draft memo dated February 17 but not yet sent to field offices, directs agents to only pass applicants who have a good chance of ultimately getting asylum, but does […]
DUBAI // The Terry Fox Run returned to Dubai yesterday for the first time in three years, with more than 4,000 people taking part in the cancer research event despite the cool, cloudy weather. Participants were able to run, walk, bike and rollerblade or use a wheelchair on the 5-kilometre route on the creek side of Dubai Festival City Mall. The event was held under the patronage […]
