By Nigel Stephenson | LONDON LONDON Global shares edged up on Tuesday, helped by gains in banks after Italy’s largest lender unveiled a 13 billion euro share issue, while the dollar held steady before a Federal Reserve meeting expected to deliver higher interest rates. UniCredit launched Italy’s biggest share issue to clean up its balance sheet and boost profitability in the latest move to strengthen the Italian […]
We launched The Review’s Crossroads podcast about a year ago and our best episodes of 2016 reflect the unique stories that shaped the year. We travel from modern-day UAE to 1960s Turkey, from 1990-era Grozny to Aleppo through music, books, news and history. For example, we hear about the hidden history of Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island, where people lived until the 1990s. In Turkey, a record collector […]
By Laila Bassam | ALEPPO, Syria ALEPPO, Syria The Syrian army and its allies have taken full control over all the Aleppo districts abandoned by rebels during their retreat in the city, a Syrian military source said on Tuesday. Rebel defences collapsed on Monday, leading to a broad army advance across more than half of the remaining insurgent pocket in Aleppo and a retreat of opposition fighters […]
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The minority Christian governor of Indonesia’s capital sobbed in court Tuesday on the first day of his blasphemy trial as he recalled the role of Muslim godparents in his childhood and said he would never intentionally insult Islam. The national upheaval over the governor’s alleged blasphemy has challenged Indonesia’s reputation for practicing a moderate form of Islam, shaken the government and exposed religious […]
13 December 2016 UAE, Philippos Petrakakos, CEO of Natura Food Imports, owner of distribution rights of Greek water Hyas in the region declared that the UAE is considered as an important gateway for European brands into the GCC and the Middle East. Petrakakos noted that quality, health standards and trading regulations implemented by UAE authorities on international goods are regarded with the utmost respect by global companies. […]
BEIJING Chinese soldiers laid wreaths on Tuesday at a ceremony to mark the 1937 massacre of civilians in the Chinese city of Nanjing by Japanese troops. The televised event at the Nanjing Massacre memorial recalls an incident in which China says Japanese soldiers killed 300,000 people in the city that was then its capital. A postwar Allied tribunal put the toll at 142,000, but some conservative Japanese […]
It seems that Netflix’s integration into the Google Home platform is proceeding smoothly. A number of users are now confirming that the popular media-streaming service is already popping up on their devices alongside Google’s native Photos service. Netflix, Photos On Google Home The world got a first glimpse of how Netflix will get integrated into Google Home last October during the platform’s demonstration. There was no follow-up […]
By Emmanuel Jarry and Andrew Callus | PARIS PARIS France’s far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen, who wants to become president in next spring’s elections, celebrated Britain’s vote to leave the European Union. “Victory for freedom!” she said on her Twitter page in June after Britons voted for Brexit. “We now need to hold the same referendum in France and in (other) EU countries.” But unlike […]
By Steve Holland | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON President-elect Donald Trump will announce Exxon-Mobil Corp’s Rex Tillerson as his choice for secretary of state on Tuesday, a senior transition official said, confident that the oil executive can get past questions about his ties to Russia. Trump is to make the announcement on Tuesday morning, going with a business leader whose experience in diplomacy is from making deals with foreign […]
By Kanupriya Kapoor | JAKARTA JAKARTA A tearful governor of Jakarta denied on Tuesday he had intended to insult the Koran at the start of his blasphemy trial in the Indonesian capital, which is seen as a test of religious freedom in the world largest Muslim-majority nation. Around 100 Muslim protesters calling for the jailing of Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, an ethnic Chinese Christian, chanted “God is […]
Here’s a little known fact about supermoons: They’re made up and a complete waste of everyone’s time. Supermoons are a by-product of an always-on media machine that demands a constant stream of things to comment on and—in the absence of actual commentary-worthy items—is more than willing to completely fabricate them. The term “supermoon” refers to a full moon that occurs when the moon […]
After eight years in which interest rates in rich countries have kept close to all-time lows, a change of weather is in the air. Donald Trump’s election as US president and widespread expectations that the Federal Reserve will nudge rates higher this week have made their mark on the markets. The big question is whether short-term pressures for higher US interest rates are strong enough to overturn […]
By Ayesha Rascoe and Matt Spetalnick | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON The White House on Monday insisted that Washington’s “one China” policy should not be used as a “bargaining chip” with Beijing after President-elect Donald Trump said the United States did not necessarily have to be bound by its long-standing position that Taiwan is part of China. Signaling further resistance Trump will face in Washington if he tries to […]
International heads of state named on the rolls of clandestine companies in tax havens. Canada’s big banks facilitating tax avoidance through thousands of offshore enterprises. Strawmen fronting businesses to mask the identities of the real owners. After a year-long investigation into 11.5 million leaked tax haven documents, the Panama Papers were finally made public last April — and they landed like a bomb. […]
Former Center for Public Integrity data editor David Donald, a pioneer and leader in the development of modern computer-assisted reporting worldwide, died Saturday at Reston Hospital Center in Virginia after a year-long battle with cancer. He was 64. Donald was one of the early and most successful practitioners of data-based, investigative journalism that relied on computer analysis. He became a passionate Pied Piper for such reporting, crisscrossing […]
A Lufthansa flight headed to Germany from Texas was diverted to a New York City airport on Monday night after a bomb threat was called in to the airline’s headquarters, officials said. Flight 441 to Frankfurt from Houston landed safely and was taken to a remote area of John F. Kennedy International Airport around 8:30 p.m. local time, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokesman […]
Photo Kayla Harrison plans to take up mixed martial arts in the World Series of Fighting, and hopes “to see it go more toward the professional route.” Credit Earl Wilson/The New York Times Only one American has ever won an Olympic gold medal in judo: Kayla Harrison. And she has won two, in London in 2012 and in Rio this year. Yet despite her achievements, Harrison is […]
MEXICO CITY China and Mexico pledged on Monday to deepen ties at a meeting between their top diplomats following last month’s U.S. presidential election victory of Donald Trump, who has tested Washington’s relationship with both countries. Before arriving in Mexico on Sunday, Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi met with members of Trump’s team in New York, including his pick for national security adviser, retired Army Lieutenant General […]
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 […]
SHANGHAI China will appoint “river chiefs” to prevent pollution in the nation’s waterways, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Monday, in the latest step taken by Beijing to rein in environmental damage. With the evolution of China from an agricultural nation to an industrial one, toxic pollutants from factories have increasingly seeped into the environment, leading to health problems among the population. A detailed system for […]
By Doina Chiacu and Gina Cherelus | WASHINGTON/NEW YORK WASHINGTON/NEW YORK The front-runner for secretary of state in President-elect Donald Trump’s administration, Exxon Mobil chief executive Rex Tillerson, faces a struggle getting confirmed by U.S. senators concerned about his close ties to Russia. Lawmakers from both major parties also raised questions on Monday about former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton, who has been mentioned as a possible […]
Trading volumes across markets have soared following the US presidential election, a boon to Wall Street investment banks as money managers prepare for a new environment under the future Trump administration. Since the November election result, there have been seven days when more than $20bn of investment grade debt has traded hands — a level that had previously only been breached 18 times since data has been […]
By Alastair Macdonald | BRUSSELS BRUSSELS European Union leaders will set out plans this week for negotiating Britain’s exit, diplomats said, after national officials met late on Monday to prepare an EU summit statement. After the 28 national leaders meet in Brussels on Thursday, British Prime Minister Theresa May will leave and the other 27 will dine without her and agree principles on how negotiations with London […]
12 December 2016 Dubai, UAE: Deyaar has launched a fresh drive to help customers make the right investment choices, with a range of generous promotional offers that include zero down payments on new properties and waivers for Dubai Land department fee. Marking the end of a successful year, Deyaar is launching the promotion that covers some of its key residential projects – Midtown, Mont Rose and Ruby […]
