Top OPEC oil producer Saudi Arabia made a large cut in its crude output in January to support prices and lessen a glut, helping boost compliance with the group’s supply-reduction deal to a record high of more than 90 percent. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is curbing its output by about 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) from Jan. 1. Russia and 10 other non-OPEC […]
Excerpted from today’s Blain’s Morning Porridge by Bill Blain of Mint Partners Over weekend drinks, dinners, very good lunches and rugby banter I was repeatedly told by my chums with real jobs in Industry, Services and Government how terrible this Trump fellow is turning out. It’s terribly liberal of us all to be illiberal about him. A couple of times I tried to respond in rational terms […]
Love may be in the air on Saint Valentine’s Day but authorities in Australia, Malaysia and Singapore warned on Monday of a growth in online scams cheating lonely people out of their savings. Romance scammers are getting increasingly manipulative … If you meet someone who seems too good to be true, do some research to see if they’re the real deal Delia Rickard of the Australian Competition […]
Paraphrasing Garrison Keillor, it’s been a quiet week in the Apache Spark community – at least compared to last year, where the definitive Spark 2.0 was unveiled. Last week, Spark Summit pulled into Boston, and so did one of those nor’easters that make Boston so alluring in February. And so the Spark project, for now, is engaging in the blocking and tackling chores of cleaning up or […]
Good morning. Here’s our morning roundup of all the media news you need to know. Want to get this briefing in your inbox every morning? Subscribe here. Major Garrett of CBS News is rising to the defense of the extravaganza that is the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner — and he is nearly convincing. Garrett is a very good, no B.S. reporter who adeptly made the print-to-TV […]
By Angus McDowall | ALEPPO, Syria ALEPPO, Syria In the rubble-strewn square outside Aleppo’s ancient citadel and under the scorched vaults of its covered souk, workmen are starting to mend the destruction of a war that has shattered the Syrian city’s priceless historical heritage. About 20 volunteers sorted through the debris in Khan al-Gumruk, one of the souk’s great medieval inns, piling up the stones from a […]
Markets have started this week feeling much relieved, notes Bloomberg’s Richard Breslow, as the understandable fears that U.S.-Asia strategy might continue their lurch toward direct economic confrontation were given a respite. The phone call with Chinese President Xi went better than feared. And once the picture of the Japanese Prime Minister and American President high-fiving on the golf course was passed around, the sighs of relief were […]
DUBAI// Schools are likely to face higher operating costs, lower profit margins and a scramble for the best teachers, according to education experts. An extra 175,000 school places are expected to be created in the UAE by 2020, 90 per cent of which will be in the private sector. The findings from the PwC Middle East published Understanding the GCC Education Sector, Country Profile: UAE report, states […]
La La Land was the big winner at the 70th British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) film awards on Sunday night, the last big awards ceremony before the Oscars on February 26. The main Bafta nominations closely followed the Oscars’ list, with La La Land leading the pack with 11 nods (compared with 14 at the Oscars). Arrival had nine nods and Manchester by the […]
Jeb Hensarling did not hold back last week, when asked on CNBC about the flaws of Dodd-Frank. “It clogs the arteries of capitalism in our system. It hurts working people. It hurts consumers. It needs to go,” said the chair of the House Financial Services Committee, about the signature piece of financial regulation of the Obama era. “You can’t get a healthy economy as long as you […]
Photo The Jewish settlement Ma’ale Adumim, in the West Bank. Credit Dan Balilty for The New York Times WASHINGTON — President Trump, who presented himself as a staunch supporter of Israel during last year’s campaign, took a harder line on settlements in an interview published on Friday and indicated that he was rethinking his promise to move the United States Embassy to Jerusalem. Mr. Trump told an […]
GENEVA A U.N. report on establishing a database of companies with business ties to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank has been delayed, the U.N. Human Rights Council said on Monday. Reuters reported on Friday that the politically sensitive report, due this month from the office of U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, was not ready. The council’s president, El Salvadoran ambassador Joaquin […]
By Manolo Serapio Jr | MANILA MANILA A group of miners on Monday opposed the appointment of the Philippine environment minister saying her ordered closure of more than half of the country’s mines showed an “undeniable bias” against the sector. Regina Lopez, a former environmental activist appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte last June, is among a few cabinet members who have yet to be confirmed by Congress. […]
It’s old news by now that way more than half of digital traffic comes through the side doors of social media and search rather than a reader selecting from a home page menu. That’s OK, the theory goes, because at least readers are exposed to the content and will take note of the source. But that brand-building effect may be much weaker than supposed, a new Pew […]
Submitted by Nick Kaman of Letters from Norway Introduction: Norwegians are just now starting to grapple with the effects of their “single cylinder” economy, mostly dependent on oil and gas (ca. 60% of exports). Despite optimism about $50-$70/barrel oil, American crude output is surging, on track to be the highest ever, since 1970, while cracks start to form in OPEC’s latest agreement. In addition to the oil […]
If you’re a gamer who still cannot decide if you should buy a PS4 Slim or Pro, then this good news from Sony might help you resolve the issue. The PS4 sale is a limited-time offer. Let’s get into the details. Best PS4 Slim Deals Gamers who have been holding tight to their money might run out of reasons not to spend for a new game console. […]
An award-winning Arabic-language film, Hedi, will be released with Arabic subtitles in the UAE, and across the region, as the local industry looks at ways to boost the popularity of Arab films in cinemas. This was one of a raft of measures to improve the popularity of Arab cinema, in the region and globally, discussed during a panel talk – New Prospects: Challenges and Opportunities in the […]
By David Alire Garcia | MEXICO CITY MEXICO CITY Thousands of protesters in more than a dozen Mexican cities took to the streets on Sunday to express their fierce opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump, portraying the new leader as a menace to both America and Mexico. Waving Mexicans flags and hoisting anti-Trump signs in both Spanish and English, some vulgar, many protesters also heaped scorn on […]
Bleak about the future of journalism? Here are some encouraging statistics: In 2015, ProPublica ended the year with $450,000 in small donations (contributions less than $10,000 that weren’t individually solicited). In 2016, that amount was $2.9 million. So far this year, that number is already more than $600,000. ProPublica received $4,500 from monthly recurring donations in the month of October. By January, that number had increased to […]
The Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada was teeming with activity late last month, but it had nothing to do with testing alien technology, nuclear bombs, or any other conspiracy theory. This time, the U.S. Air Force focused on improving operations to achieve better results during warfare. The Air Force held a Red Flag 17-1 on Jan. 24 to test out its multi-domain operations, and made a […]
Shown above are seawater battery pack (left) and seawater battery kit (right) developed by Professor Youngsik Kim’s reserach team at UNIST. Credit: UNIST Researchers at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) in South Korea will be working to develop a new battery, using abundant and readily available seawater. UNIST will be working with public organizations in the energy sector to develop a new type of […]
US President Donald Trump has warned US airlines that foreign rivals “bring big investments” while pledging to support them amid tough competition, in the latest indication of his stance in the ongoing dispute between Gulf and US carriers. The new president told a White House meeting with the country’s largest airlines, air freight companies and airports on Thursday that he would support the US aviation industry in […]
It was a weekend that included an intimate golf outing of more than four hours; a lavish Saturday night dinner; and an unexpected joint statement on North Korea’s missile launch. Yet even more notable was what the two-day summit between Donald Trump and Japan’s Shinzo Abe did not include — controversy. Three weeks into his presidency, Mr Trump appears to be adopting a more traditional US foreign […]
Photo Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said on Sunday that he and President Trump “have known each other for years.” Credit Pool photo by Gali Tibbon JERUSALEM — As President Trump appeared to shift closer to the political center on several contentious policies on Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested on Sunday that it was unrealistic to expect their two countries to agree completely on all […]
