The likes of Shoreditch in London and Williamsburg in New York are now so well-known that they’re starting to lose their hipster lustre, but constant change means that even the world’s most famous cities have new areas which make them worth revisiting. Here are several to watch in 2017. Somerville, Boston Technically a separate city, Somerville has gone from blue collar to every coloured collar you care […]
China has rapidly emerged as the leading issuer of green bonds, spurring excitement among the green finance community that they will help the world’s largest emitter reduce its choking pollution. But although the amount raised is carefully tracked, how the money is being spent is less clear. China issued $36bn of green bonds in 2016, up from almost none the year before, and analysts expect it to […]
Tesla boss Elon Musk surpassed even his own lofty standards of both hubris and humility on Wednesday, as he looked ahead to a day when the electric carmaker will be worth more than Apple — but also admitted he had confused his customers with a bad product-naming decision. “I want to preface this by saying I could be delusional,” Mr Musk told Wall Street analysts on his […]
Sign up to receive FirstFT by email here The Federal Reserve said it believed the recent slowdown in US growth was likely to prove temporary as it stayed on course for a further increase in short-term interest rates as soon as June. The US central bank kept its target range for the federal funds rate at 0.75 per cent to 1 per cent following its latest two-day meeting. In […]
Londoners of finance, pondering hard-Brexit relocation options, can turn to the quality of life ranking of the world’s top cities provided in Deutsche Bank’s sixth annual survey of global prices. If Wellington, New Zealand, doesn’t offer tantalising opportunities for corporate bond syndicate origination, or outlets for euro swap-clearing back-office expertise, perhaps second-placed Edinburgh is a better option for a post-UK future. Fans of John Irving will be […]
DUBAI // As the world’s highest building, it is no surprise the Burj Khalifa tops a list of the most instagrammed buildings in Dubai – but the other nine making up the top 10 makes interesting reading. With more than 1.5 million posts on the social media app, the Burj Khalifa is 22 times more popular as a photo opportunity than the iconic Burj Al Arab (70,400) […]
03 May 2017 Reaching a new milestone, Fine Hygienic Holding (FHH), one of the world’s leading manufacturers of hygienic products, recently launched the “New and Improved” Fine Baby® Diaper, which has been enhanced with maximum absorbency and is now offered in an affordable mega size pack. The launch of the new diaper comes shortly after the product received the prestigious endorsement of the Medical Wellness Association, which […]
SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER VALLETTA (AFP) – Malta’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat on Monday called a snap general election for June 3, bowing to pressure over his family being embroiled in the Panama Papers scandal. “Everybody knows about the attacks made in the past few days on me and my family. I have nothing to fear because I am clean,” Muscat told a large crowd in Valletta for […]
21% believe that Agrabah, the fictional city from ‘Aladdin’, is part of Middle East Dubai, 2 May 2017: A wide-ranging poll of the US public has revealed a huge “knowledge gap” when it comes to the Arab world, with 81 percent of the respondents unable to point out the region on a map. That was a key finding of an exclusive Arab News/YouGov poll, the results of which are published today to coincide with […]
02 May 2017 wasl Asset Management Group, one of the largest real estate development and management companies in Dubai – has announced the launch of the city’s second luxury Mandarin Oriental hotel, which is due to open in November 2020. The new location in Dubai’s Commercial District of Sheikh Zayed Road will complement wasl’s Mandarin Oriental hotel on the waterfront at Jumeira Beach, which will open in […]
May 2, 2017 by: Katrina Manson in New York President Donald Trump said on Monday that he would be “honoured” to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un under the right circumstances, despite historic levels of mistrust and tension between the world’s superpower and the rogue state over its nuclear ambitions. Mr Trump’s comments contrast with his hardline stance on Pyongyang and Friday’s call from Rex Tillerson, […]
The Syrian government and its main ally, Russia, deny that it uses such tactics. At a news conference held at United Nations headquarters in New York to release the report’s findings, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth, ridiculed what he described as “preposterous” assertions by the Syrian and Russian governments denying responsibility. Photo An inspection of damage to a hospital in the Aleppo area […]
Design masterminds from the fashion world have always extended their creativity and influence way beyond the runway and retail spaces, to infuse their iconic style into everything from everyday items like water bottles, all the way to fully fledged furniture collections. Amongst the most interesting projects for some of the top fashion designers are collaborations on hotel properties that represent their unique touch and taste across rooms, […]
When North Korea deployed hundreds of artillery units, submarines and soldiers to take part in its largest live-fire drill, it was intended as a chilling display of the reclusive regime’s military might. The country boasts the world’s fourth-largest standing army, with more than 1m troops as well as 7m reserves, and last week’s military exercise came as US President Donald Trump ramped up the pressure on Pyongyang […]
Ibn Arabi, undoubtedly one of the world’s great spiritual teachers, provokes mixed reactions. There are those that consider the 12th century mystic, philosopher, Islamic scholar, poet and sage to be the foremost spiritual leader and Sufi master in Muslim history. Others regard him as a heretic or even an apostate. There is rarely much middle ground. Ibn Arabi – known as Muhyiddin (the Revivifier of Religion) and […]
30 April 2017 UAE – According to the annual YouGov survey conducted by IP Global, the leading full-service property investment company; North America, UK, Germany and Australia remain the top property investment destination for UAE residents. The survey results show that when it comes to investing in property abroad, North America is the most popular market among UAE citizens. The UK with 13% and Australia with 11%, […]
The pope said he did not know enough about French politics to respond, but, he said, “Europe is in danger of breaking apart, this is true.” He noted that the migrant crisis fueled fears that destabilized the Continent, “but we mustn’t forget that Europe is made by immigrants.” Continue reading the main story “Centuries and centuries of immigrants,” he said. “It’s us.” That inclusive message has proved […]
ABU DHABI // Children as young as 15 are being diagnosed with a liver disease normally suffered by adults, with doctors blaming poor diet and sedentary lifestyle. Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis fatty liver is caused by a build-up of fat around the organ, leading to inflammation. It has become a growing problem among youths, doctors say. The fat damages the liver, affecting its function, and in up to 30 […]
It has a granite fountain and a bosque of shade trees. And to some rightwing Americans, the new headquarters of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is a monument to all that went wrong under eight years of Barack Obama’s presidency. The budget for the refurbishment of the Washington DC building, at about $363 a square foot, makes it more expensive than the Venetian hotel in Macau or […]
Emerging from an Hermès store in Shanghai with a shiny new watch costing “tens of thousands” of renminbi, Zhao Feifei is emblematic of a younger generation of Chinese consumers driving a rebound in sales of European luxury brands. “I’m earning more than before so I’m more willing to spend,” says Ms Zhao, who works in an internet finance company. The 30-year-old is one of the many customers […]
Sadara’s 26-plant chemical complex makes strong headway towards full operation with completion of plastics envelope JUBAIL, Saudi Arabia, April 27, 2017 – Sadara Chemical Company (Sadara) announced today the startup of its fourth and final polyethylene unit, the High Pressure Low Density Polyethylene (HP-LDPE) Train. This marks a significant milestone for the company as it continues to bring its world-scale manufacturing facilities on stream. The HP-LDPE Train […]
At Al Azhar, he embraced the mosque’s Grand Imam, Ahmad al-Tayeb, who urged the West not to hold an entire religion “accountable for the crimes of any small group of followers.” Continue reading the main story Pope Francis then turned to matters of state, seeking to encourage progress on human rights from his host, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Mr. Sisi ousted the Muslim Brotherhood in a military […]
Integrated lifestyle development establishes a new benchmark for experiential travel in the region Dubai, UAE – 27 April 2017 – Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, together with Marriott International (NASDAQ: MAR) today announced plans to launch the region’s first cinema-themed concept at Aloft Dubai City Centre Deira. The concept will feature a unique […]
‘Demagogic’ populism does not help cause of peace. The pope invoked Egypt’s “glorious history” as an ancient cradle of civilization to argue on Friday that the delivery of a more peaceful future required a new civility that appreciated differences, resisted the violent path of close-minded absolutism and condemned extremists who camouflage terror in religious language. Continue reading the main story “An education in respectful openness and sincere […]
