The American ambassador, Nikki R. Haley, accused Russia of putting “its friends in the Assad regime” before global security. Continue reading the main story “It’s a sad day for the Security Council when member states make excuses for other members killing their own people,” she said in the council chambers after the vote. The resolution, proposed by Britain and France months ago and endorsed by the United […]
With US stock markets hitting record highs last week, the question has to be asked. Has the Trump reflation trade — long in equities, short in bonds — run its course? In the equity market it has been a crowded trade for quite some time. On the bond side, futures market data are telling us that there are exceptionally large speculative bear positions in the market. This […]
Continuing the trend of ‘soft’ survey data strong performance and expectation beats, The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence surged above the highest analyst’s expectation to 114.8 – the best print since July 2001. Consumers’ assessment of current conditions held relatively steady in February. Those saying business conditions are “good” declined slightly from 29.0 percent to 28.7 percent, while those saying business conditions are “bad” also decreased, from […]
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump acknowledged his immigration goals may not have been communicated effectively, saying “maybe it’s my fault,” and may use his speech to Congress on Tuesday to address the poor messaging in his month-old administration. The Republican Trump, a blustery newcomer to politics before winning the 2016 presidential election, gave himself a “C or a C+” on communication in an interview with “Fox & Friends” […]
In a 2011 biography of Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson wrote that the Apple co-founder “very much wanted to do for television sets what he had done for computers, music players, and phones: make them simple and elegant.” Jobs told Isaacson that he had “finally cracked” the key to creating an easy-to-use smart TV that synced with all your devices and the cloud; “the simplest user […]
Every so often, I like to dream about how we could think differently about the building blocks of the news industry. So far, I’ve tackled headlines, homepages, bylines, analytics, podcast ideas, comment sections and ideas for covering the President; in today’s installment, I’ll list some new ideas for newsletters. The nice thing about newsletters is that they’re great experimental platforms to test ideas and try new things. […]
There is good news that an economical manufacturing method for producing low-cost solar cells is coming up. This follows researchers making strides in overcoming the hurdle of the temperature gradient in developing a low-temperature production process. Thanks to researchers at the University of Toronto, the making of perovskite solar cells is looking easy in sharp contrast to the costly development of silicon solar cells. Hairen Tan of the […]
With 140 authors from around the world, covering a wide variety of genres, the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature is a treat for lovers of the written word. Here are some key sessions happening over the opening weekend. newslide Inventing the Future: Ashlee Vance on Elon Musk Friday, 11.30am With the Tesla electric car set to become increasingly common on UAE roads, this discussion – featuring Ashlee […]
Tuesday 12:30 GMT Overview Global stocks are finishing a positive month on a mixed note as traders appear cautious about making fresh bold bets ahead of Donald Trump’s speech to a joint sitting of the US Congress later on Tuesday. The dollar is fairly steady, while gains for perceived haven assets such as Treasuries and the Japanese yen speak to the underlying tentative tone. Hot topic The […]
By Thomas Escritt | AMSTERDAM AMSTERDAM Since the evening in 2004 when policemen arrived unannounced to escort him and his wife to safety, Geert Wilders has lived in safe houses under 24-hour guard to protect him from Islamist militants who threatened to kill him. Film-maker Theo van Gogh had been shot, stabbed and nearly beheaded by a militant Islamist earlier that day, and Wilders, another prominent critic […]
New smartphones will use AI to carry out tasks The smartphone revolution is poised to go onto the next level—with “superphones” equipped with artificial intelligence now on the horizon. By learning their owners’ habits, these new phones will be able to carry out tasks even when they’re offline. During a first phase only high-end smartphones will use the technology, like the new models unveiled by China’s […]
On the verge of Donald Trump’s address to Congress, investors have sent the benchmark S&P 500 to record highs. Money managers awaiting word from the new US president on how he will accelerate growth are looking for a reason to maintain their enthusiasm, and for good reason — by a variety of metrics, US share prices are in rare territory. Here are five charts that make bulls […]
LONDON The “sheer intransigence” of the British government over Brexit could lead to a second Scottish independence referendum, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Tuesday, warning time was running out for the country to change course. Writing in the Times newspaper, Sturgeon said Britain’s vote to leave the European Union had changed the landscape since Scotland last held a referendum on its independence, voting by a 10-point […]
BANGKOK A top official in Thailand’s palace has been fired for “extremely evil” misconduct and political interests which threatened national security, the government said on Tuesday. Police General Jumpol Manmai, who had served as intelligence chief under ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, had until recently been one of the most senior figures in new King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s household. The government said in a statement Jumpol had […]
SINGAPORE – The Government spent $800 million on animal management measures last year, said Senior Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee on Tuesday (Feb 28). The amount includes spending on animal culling, but Mr Lee told Parliament that the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) does not track this amount “as this is only a small part of AVA’s overall work.” Mr Louis Ng (Nee Soon […]
Rumors have been circulating recently about a looming expansion for Hearthstone following the major Gadgetzan update late last year. The leaks have cited the so-called The Lost Secrets of Un’Goro update and Blizzard has officially confirmed it last Feb. 27. The publisher, however, announced a slightly different title, which is Journey to Un’Goro. Ancient Jungle Essentially, Un’Goro is purportedly an ancient jungle teeming with primordial wonders. So you can expect […]
A voracious thirst for petroleum makes the US one of the largest importers of oil. But for the past two weeks it has also scaled the ranks of exporters. Outbound shipments of crude have surpassed 1.2m barrels a day, more than last month’s daily production of Algeria, Ecuador or Qatar, each a member of Opec. The foreign sales underscore how the US has become more integrated into […]
The Australian government has told the Senate Economics References Committee that the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) will subject its forthcoming policy and procedural changes to an independent Privacy Impact Assessment and “broad consultation” before implementing them in response to the 2016 Census debacle. One such change, however, will not include allowing citizens to omit their names from Census forms, with the government holding firm that it […]
SHANGHAI An undisclosed buyer has placed the largest overseas order for China’s home-developed military drones, the Xinhua news agency has reported, in a boost for the Chinese arms industry’s efforts to increase export volumes. The order for the Wing Loong II was placed before the next-generation unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) successfully completed its maiden flight, Xinhua said late on Monday, citing the system’s developer Chengdu Aircraft Design […]
LG opened Mobile World Congress 2017 with its latest flagship smartphone, the LG G6. All four major U.S. carriers have announced the handset will see a release on their networks and when you can expect it to go on sale. LG Launches 5.7-Inch LG G6 Mobile World Congress 2017 has just kicked off and as expected, LG officially showed off the LG G6 to the world. The […]
Pro-government lawmakers accused Mr. Sadat of leaking drafts of the law to foreign embassies, and of faking the signatures of 16 fellow lawmakers on another proposed law that he had drafted. Mr. Sadat denied the accusations, saying he had circulated his criticism only in a news release via email and his website. Continue reading the main story Mr. Sadat’s expulsion highlighted the lopsided balance of parliamentary power […]
Chinese companies have borrowed more money from the international bond market than from domestic investors so far this year, breaking with tradition as authorities in Beijing focus on curbing capital outflows. Banks and other corporate borrowers have been quietly encouraged to raise money offshore in other currencies, limiting the need for Chinese companies to sell renminbi to finance overseas investments. Borrowing more outside the mainland also allows […]
The National Australia Bank (NAB) has announced the appointment of three executives on Tuesday, which includes former New South Wales Premier Mike Baird. Baird will join the bank in the capacity of chief customer officer, Corporate & Institutional Banking, after announcing his retirement from politics in January. Joining Baird at NAB is Patrick Wright, who leaves his tenure as global chief Operations & Technology at Barclays in […]
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Private launch company SpaceX plans to fly two paying customers on a tourist trip around the moon using a spaceship under development for NASA astronauts and a heavy-lift rocket that has not yet flown, Chief Executive Elon Musk told reporters on Monday. The launch of the first-ever privately funded tourist flight beyond the International Space Station is tentatively targeted for late 2018, Musk told […]
