Dec 12, 2016 12:46 pm IST Air pollution in New Delhi spiked again last week, covering the city in a thick, toxic smog that resulted in reduced visibility, as harsh winter days approach. The Indian capital’s air quality has been at hazardous levels for much of the past week, according to measurements taken by the U.S. embassy. Real-time air quality data from India’s Central Pollution Control Board […]
By Tom Bergin and Jim Finkle | LONDON/BOSTON LONDON/BOSTON Cyber attacks on the global banking system have continued – and succeeded – since February’s heist of $81 million from the Bangladesh central bank, underscoring the continuing vulnerability of the SWIFT messaging network, a SWIFT official told Reuters. The network, which handles trillions of dollars in transfers daily, has warned banks of the escalating threat to their systems, […]
By Alwyn Scott | SEATTLE SEATTLE Donald Trump on Monday widened his attack on defence contractors, slamming Lockheed Martin Corp’s (LMT.N) F-35 fighter jet program as too expensive as aides to the president-elect said he intends to keep pushing to cut the costs of military hardware. Trump’s latest Twitter broadside sent defence shares tumbling and fanned concerns that the incoming administration will reduce defence contractors’ profit margins […]
Abu Dhabi’s hosting of the Formula One championship showdown race last month helped raise the fortunes of hoteliers in the emirate, according to data from industry analysts STR. Despite a year-on-year decrease, the absolute level of average daily rates would be the highest in Abu Dhabi since last November, boosted by visitors coming to see Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg go head-to-head for the world title, STR […]
Following Friday’s report by RCB’s Charlie McElligott which sought to answer “THE” question every investor is asking, namely “what could derail this rally“, today’s the cross-asset strategist has released a follow up analysis in which he warns that even though the bond battering continues – and is likely to continue for a while – the market is now being set up for a “massive mean-reversion” counter-trend rally […]
As the first mainstream fiction film tackling the thorny issue of gun control in the United States, Miss Sloane – which opened the 13th Dubai International Film Festival on December 7 and goes on general release in the UAE on December 15 – was always likely to attract angry headlines from both sides of the debate. So while it might be surprising that no one has tackled […]
ALEPPO, SYRIA: The Syrian army recaptured a major district of Aleppo on Monday, leaving opposition fighters cornered in a small pocket as the battle for the city entered its “final phase.”President Bashar Assad’s forces held more than 90 percent of the onetime opposition stronghold of east Aleppo, a monitor and military official said, and appeared on the verge of retaking the entire city.A Syrian military official in […]
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 are already among the most hotly anticipated smartphones of 2017 and foldable screens could make them worth the wait. Following the disastrous Galaxy Note 7 release this year, which ended up with two recalls and a kill switch to permanently disable it, Samsung has some serious catching up to do and it needs to come up with something big for […]
India’s experiment to strip the value from nearly 90% of its cash has put the country at the forefront of a global campaign against paper money. But after a month, daily life is in disarray. (via WSJ)
For the last 28 years, I have written a prediction column for the new year. I study our research and look for trends that provide hints of what might impact the tech industry in the near future. In 2017, be on the lookout for augmented reality products (more so than VR), the further development of autonomous vehicles and smart cities, and the impact of the […]
More than two million people lived in Mosul when it fell to the Islamic State on June 10, 2014. It was a conservative city where most women already covered their hair with a scarf and their arms with long sleeves. But as in other places where the militants imposed their creed, the new rules took enforced modesty to such an extreme that it riled families in Mosul, […]
ABU DHABI // With kindergarten pupils making up nearly 20 per cent of the private schools population, investors are being encouraged to open more schools catering to the early years education. The Abu Dhabi Education Council, which regulates private schools in the emirate, recently held a workshop for about 60 prospective and current investors to offer information on the business opportunities available in the education market. It […]
By Ahmed Rasheed | BAGHDAD BAGHDAD Several thousand Iraqi federal police are ready to join the assault against Islamic State in east Mosul, a spokesman said on Monday, reinforcing troops who have faced weeks of fierce counter-attacks from the militants. The extra forces are being deployed as the gruelling U.S.-backed campaign to crush Islamic State in its Iraqi stronghold enters its ninth week. Elite army troops have […]
By J.R. Wu | TAIPEI TAIPEI U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s declaration that the United States could link its policy on Taiwan to trade negotiations with China prompted concerns on the island that it may become a pawn in wider superpower discussions. “Trump’s comments regularly mention Taiwan. What advantage is this giving Taiwan? This is something we must consider,” Johnny Chiang, an opposition Nationalist lawmaker, told reporters. “Otherwise, […]
The prospect of a more aggressive Federal Reserve and a surge in the oil price hit global bonds on Monday, sending the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note above 2.5 per cent for the first time since 2014. Treasuries have led a sharp sell-off in sovereign bonds since Donald Trump’s victory in last month’s US election, raising the prospect that Fed officials will have to raise […]
Goldman Sachs said the formal agreement by non-OPEC oil producers this weekend in Vienna to help curb output was reached with a goal of “normalization” of inventories and not necessarily just at raising oil prices. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) had previously agreed to cut output by 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd), and on Saturday, 11 non-OPEC producers agreed to join the effort […]
Gabriel Yared begins every day the same way. He gets up, and reaches for a Bach score, burying his head in the baroque master’s music. “Why do I do this? I put a ceiling of perfection and beauty over my day, and every day is the same to me – trying to reach beauty,” says the celebrated French-Lebanese film composer, who was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement […]
Authorities in southern India are on alert as a cyclone moving toward the country’s southeastern coast intensifies, weather officials said. Cyclone Vardah, packing winds of up 110-120 kilometers an hour (68-74 miles per hour) is moving in from the Bay of Bengal and is expected to make landfall at Chennai in the southern state of Tamil Nadu later today, the India Meteorological Department said Monday. The cyclone, […]
By Laila Bassam and Lisa Barrington | ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT The Syrian army and its allies captured Sheikh Saeed district in Aleppo in overnight fighting, a war monitor and a Syrian official said early on Monday, amid the most intense bombardment in days, leaving insurgents in only a tiny pocket of the city. Sheikh Saeed lies in the south of the rebels’ east Aleppo enclave, which […]
This is part of a series on the global rise of exchange traded funds Each day, the investing public hears news of the latest developments in exchange traded index funds (ETFs). But rare is the mention of traditional index funds, which I call Tifs, although the acronym has yet to gain acceptance. In 1976, I created the first Tif. It was named First Index Investment Trust (now […]
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Giants fans began booing early in the third quarter of their team’s game with the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. It was an impressive show of restraint. Booing in the first quarter would have been understandable. The Giants’ offense certainly deserved it. Odell Beckham Jr., who had dropped two crucial passes, knew that. “I walked onto the field and told myself, ‘You need […]
By Howard Schneider | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON The Federal Reserve inaugurates the Trump era this week with a near-certain interest rate increase and new economic forecasts providing a first glimpse into whether the U.S. election has reshaped the central bank’s growth and inflation outlook. Fed fund futures show a 97 percent probability that the Fed will lift rates by a quarter of a percentage point at the end […]
December 12, 2016 by: Andrew Byrne in Skopje Macedonia’s election results hung in the balance on Monday morning, with former prime minister Nikola Gruevski’s ruling party holding a narrow lead over the leftwing opposition but both claiming victory. With 98 per cent of votes counted by early Monday morning, the conservative VMRO DPMNE party had 37.9 per cent compared with 36.6 per cent for Zoran Zaev’s SDSM […]
By Laila Bassam and Tom Perry | ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT Syrian rebels have received a U.S.-backed proposal to leave Aleppo along with civilians under safe passage guaranteed by Russia, rebel officials said as government forces closed in on Sunday, but Moscow denied a deal had been reached. If the proposal were to be taken up by all sides, it would end four years of fighting in […]
