Why Chittorgarh? The city, located in the windswept Mewar, in eastern Rajasthan, is steeped in the romance of Rajput history, which reverberates with tales of chivalry and tragedy. It was attacked three times by powerful enemies and each time, while the men rode out to battle, its courageous women and children chose death before dishonour, performing self-immolation. Built in the 7th century AD, Chittorgarh has the largest […]
By Crispian Balmer | ROME ROME Virginia Raggi was heralded last year as a poster child for Italy’s 5-Star Movement, her election as mayor of the capital holding out the prospect of future triumph for the group at a national level. But her first seven months in charge of Rome have been plagued by scandals, and Raggi now faces possible trial for abuse of office and false […]
For Wideman, who spent much of his working life in places like Wyoming and Western Massachusetts and rural Maine, this solitude has been further compounded by cold mathematics. Not only is mainstream publishing overwhelmingly white, it is also nearly bereft of black writers like him: American men of letters descended from Southern slaves, who position themselves as part of a grand and omnivorous intellectual and artistic tradition. […]
Filipino-American chef Sheldon Simeon has made it as one of the final seven contestants competing on Top Chef, the American reality-television cooking show. Simeon previously appeared on the programme’s 10th season in 2012, finishing in third place among 18 chefs and winning the “Fan Favourite” audience award. The current 14th season features eight returning contestants from previous editions competing against eight new chefs. Raised in Hawaii by […]
Manuel Valls sought to make up lost ground in the race for France’s Socialist presidential nomination by attacking frontrunner Benoît Hamon’s “illusory” economic proposals and “ambiguous” stance towards radical Islam. In a primetime television debate four days before the party’s primary run-off, the former French prime minister challenged his rival’s claim that automation would destroy jobs, leaving individuals with fewer work opportunities. Mr Valls criticised Mr Hamon’s […]
All but one of the students were enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA. Created in 2012 by an Obama-administration executive action, DACA allowed teenagers and young adults who came to the United States illegally as children with their parents to register with the government and in turn receive a two-year renewable protection against deportation, along with work permits and Social […]
DUBAI // The emirate’s oldest dog rescue centre is preparing for its annual rush, as the novelty of puppies bought as Christmas gifts begins to wear off and owners realise the work, training and love needed to keep a pet. Each year hundreds of dogs are abandoned in the emirate, with staff at K9 Friends Dubai taking calls daily to look after dogs left by owners who […]
Investors are signalling a stronger US economy and the risk of rising inflation under the Trump administration, as robust price gains for precious and industrial metals have this month spurred a rise in miners’ shares. MSCI’s ACWI Metals & Mining index, a broad barometer that tracks companies around the world, has rallied nearly 15 per cent in 2017, the strongest year-to-date showing in more than a decade, […]
BRASILIA Brazil’s top labour prosecutor said President Michel Temer’s proposals to modernize the country’s labour laws were illegal in a report published on Tuesday that provided ammunition to workers’ unions fighting the reforms. Updating outdated labour laws to allow outsourcing and more flexibility in contracts and work hours is part of Temer’s plan to reduce business costs and pull Brazil from its worst recession on record. But […]
By Steve Holland and Valerie Volcovici | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON U.S. President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on Tuesday to move forward with construction of the controversial Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines, rolling back key Obama administration environmental policies in favor of expanding energy infrastructure. While oil producers in Canada and North Dakota are expected to benefit from a quicker route for crude oil to […]
BERLIN Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) said it will halt production at one of its biggest auto-making factories in Germany on more days than originally planned because of shrinking demand for the Passat saloon and estate models. Production of the Passat at VW’s northern German plant in Emden will be stopped on Feb. 16-17 and Feb. 21, a spokesman said, adding to disruptions agreed earlier this month. Europe’s largest automaker […]
Now: The Best of Indie Arabia Various artists (Universal Music Mena) Five stars To expats of a certain age, the “Now..!” brand of music compilation albums are synonymous with the kind of plastic pop wheeled out at social gatherings in the days before iPods or YouTube. Since 1983, the brand has shifted more than 100 million copies across five continents. Compiling the biggest hits of the day […]
While President Trump chose not to attend the elite extravaganza in Davos last week, choosing instead to lambast the great-est and good-est of the world’s executives in their crony capitalist safe space, the cognitively dissonant CEOs reassured each other by saying ‘ignore the tweets’, confident that “if [Trump] knows the facts, he’ll respond according to the facts.” It depends whose ‘facts’ those are, of course. As Bloomberg […]
A ship capable of breaking through thick Arctic ice to deliver Russian liquefied natural gas to Asia is due to begin trials, marking an important step towards completion of a $27bn LNG project championed by president Vladimir Putin. The tanker is the first of a new class of icebreaking LNG carriers that will open an export route from Siberia to the Pacific — reducing Russia’s dependence on […]
Britain’s security co-operation with EU countries will be on the table as part of the Brexit negotiations, Theresa May has said as she prepares to become the first world leader to meet new US president Donald Trump. The prime minister plans to discuss British-US co-operation on terrorism and Nato at the meeting in Washington on Friday, the prime minister said on Sunday — and sent a signal […]
BEIRUT The Syrian army and its allies on Sunday drove Islamic State from several villages east of Aleppo, a military media unit run by Hezbollah and a war monitor reported, bringing them closer to territory held by Turkey-backed rebels. Several overlapping conflicts are being fought in Syria, dragging in regional and global powers as well as the government and local groups, complicating the battlefield in the north […]
But by April, protests against Mr. Assad had spread throughout Syria. One summer day I joined a group of young women in an upscale neighborhood of western Aleppo. We walked through a market carrying banners critical of the regime. A few minutes later, pro-Assad militiamen arrived in several cars and began circling us. We ran. A girl and I who sought refuge in a house in an […]
BEIRUT The Syrian army and its allies on Sunday drove Islamic State from the village of Soran, east of Aleppo, state media and a military media unit run by Hezbollah reported, bringing them closer to territory held by Turkey-backed rebels. Several overlapping conflicts are being fought in Syria, dragging in regional and global powers as well as the government and local groups, complicating the battlefield in the […]
There was a noticeable political subtext to the recent London Fashion Week Men’s programme, where many of the designers used their collections to comment on current international problems and controversies. One of those embracing a sociopolitical theme was Sharjah-born Khalid Al Qasimi, whose collection was inspired by John Lennon’s “Bed-In” protest in an Amsterdam Hotel in 1969. While that concept seemed a long way from topical issues […]
Henfey Park is not where Ryan earned the nickname Matty Ice, a reference to a fearless, swashbuckling style that has led to memorable late-game rallies and victories. But it may be where he honed the kind of daring, yet unflappable, confidence that has served him well in nine N.F.L. seasons. “Those games are the foundation for our toughness and competitiveness,” McGlinchey said Thursday. “We’ve had a few […]
George Osborne, the former UK chancellor, is to join BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, as an adviser. BlackRock’s chairman and chief executive Larry Fink said the company wanted Mr Osborne’s “unique and valuable perspective on the issues affecting the world”, citing his work helping the UK and the G20 to recover from the financial crisis. “At the centre of our mission is helping people around the […]
The future certainly isn’t what it used to be on the dusty patch of land that faces the Siemens HQ at Masdar City. There, on a plot dedicated to experimental projects, a deceptively ordinary-looking four-bedroom villa has been built – and it appears decidedly at odds with Masdar’s earlier “greenprint” for our sustainable urban future. Not only are self-ventilating wind towers and egg-shaped rapid-transport systems noticeable by […]
20 January 2017 Abu Dhabi, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Etihad Airways today announced four additional weekly flights on the popular Abu Dhabi – Malé route, increasing frequency to the idyllic Maldives to 11 services a week between 1 July and 17 September 2017. The capacity increase will cater to high demand during the peak summer season. The announcement comes as the Abu Dhabi-based airline completed five years […]
“Basically what I did was work very, very hard, physically and mentally, to play 21 years, and that was the key to my career,” said Rodriguez, who set the record for games played as a catcher. “I know there was a lot of speculation, but look at where I am right now.” Now he is part of the gilded 1 percent who have worn a major league […]
