It was planned as a routine engagement for Martin Schulz — open a new children’s playground, say a few words, sign some autographs and pose for selfies. But the event in a drab suburb of the industrial western town of Hamm was anything but an easy ride for the German Social Democrat leader, who is challenging Chancellor Angela Merkel in September’s parliamentary election. What began as a […]
BOSTON When the Masjid Al-Kareem mosque in Providence, Rhode Island, received a threatening letter in November calling Muslims a “vile and filthy people,” its members were frightened enough they asked for and got extra police protection. The 42-year-old mosque was far from alone. The letter it received was one of 2,213 anti-Muslim bias incidents in the United States last year, according to a report released Tuesday by […]
JAKARTA An Indonesian court is expected to decide on Tuesday whether Jakarta’s Christian governor is guilty of blasphemy against Islam, in a trial that is widely seen as a test of religious tolerance in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation. The government has been criticised for not doing enough to protect religious minorities but President Joko Widodo, a key ally of Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, has urged […]
PARIS Police gradually began reopening Paris’ Gare du Nord train station early on Tuesday morning after earlier evacuating the platforms and cordoning off the area because of a security alert, local police authorities said. A Reuters witness at the scene said there were between 20 to 30 police vans outside the station in central Paris with security forces wearing balaclavas and carrying assault weapons. “End of security […]
TOKYO The International Monetary Fund called on Asian economies to learn from Japan’s experience and act early to cope with rapidly ageing populations, warning that parts of the region risk “getting old before becoming rich.” Asia has enjoyed substantial demographic dividends in the past decades, but the growing number of elderly is set to create a demographic “tax” on growth, the IMF said in its economic outlook […]
Whether for passion or greed, hunting the bones and baubles of ancient rulers makes for great drama – and the true-life tale of archaeologist Howard Carter, who discovered the lost tomb of Tutankhamun in 1921, is as amazing as the treasures he found. It remains one of the greatest archaeological achievements, with more than 5,000 items found including the boy-king’s death mask and coffin. The story of […]
The former head of the US Department of Justice told Congress that she had warned the White House in January that Michael Flynn, the first national security adviser appointed by Donald Trump, could be blackmailed by Russia. Sally Yates, who served as acting attorney-general early in the Trump administration, told Congress that she had warned the White House that Mr Flynn had left himself open to being […]
There are about 60 such light sources in the world, which have been become increasingly valuable as tools in medicine and engineering. In April, for example, scientists using X-rays from a light source at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California discovered new details about the structure of proteins that regulate blood pressure, raising the possibility of better treatments for hypertension. Continue reading the main story Sesame, […]
WASHINGTON The U.S. Senate easily confirmed Heather Wilson, a former Republican member of the House of Representatives, on Monday to be President Donald Trump’s secretary of the Air Force. The vote was 76-22 in favor of Wilson becoming the top civilian overseeing the Air Force. The 22 “no” votes all came from Democrats. At her confirmation hearing in March, Wilson praised the stealth capability of Lockheed Martin […]
While the hedge fund world finds itself in a time of crisis, with a “great rotation” of capital away from active management which continues to largely underperform the broader market, and toward cheaper, passive strategies, nothing could spoil the mood at one of the industry’s biggest events held today at the Lincoln Center, the 22nd annual Ira Sohn conference, where a dozen of the hedge fund industry’s […]
By Shu Zhang and Matthew Miller | BEIJING BEIJING A Chinese government campaign to cut leverage in the banking system and limit some risky activities appears to be working, but it is also pushing borrowers back towards alternative funding sources that carry similar risks to the financial system. First-quarter official data shows banks cut the amount they lent to and borrowed from other financial institutions by 1.4 […]
GENEVA United Nations mediator Staffan de Mistura said on Monday that he was reconvening peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition in Geneva on May 16. In a statement, de Mistura voiced hope that the agreement reached last week in Astana among Russia, Iran and Turkey to set up “de-escalation” zones in Syria will be implemented in full “thus bringing about a significant de-escalation in violence, […]
Former U.S. President Barack Obama reportedly warned current President Donald Trump against hiring Mike Flynn as his national security adviser, former White House officials revealed. Obama warned Trump about Flynn in the days following the 2016 Presidential Elections, but the warning went under the radar so far. News now came to light just as former acting Attorney General Sally Yates is about to testify that Flynn made misleading […]
The Middle East & Africa region is a strategically important growth market for Sony Mobile Xperia XZ Premium, winner of several top industry awards including ‘Best Smartphone at MWC 2017’, leads innovation push Dubai, 08 May 2017 Sony Mobile Communications has shown strong global financial performance by reporting a profit of 10.2 Billion Yen (US$ 91 Million) this year, as per financial results from the company. […]
A crux of an outdoor climbing route (left) vs. one using fabricated holds (right). Credit: Dartmouth College Through a combination of 3-D modeling, digital fabrication and other techniques, a Dartmouth-led research team has replicated sections of popular, outdoor rock climbing routes on an indoor climbing wall. The study demonstrates how these technologies can be used strategically to reproduce large-scale environments by considering how users interact with such […]
ABU DHABI // A new pier, arena and waterfront promenade with residential complexes and restaurants are part of a Dh12 billion development plan for Yas Island. Announced on Monday, the plan for the 14 million square foot area on the southern part of the island, near Yas Plaza and Yas Beach, includes the new home for twofour54, the media industry’s free zone that is currently located near […]
By Nadoun Coulibaly | OUAGADOUGOU OUAGADOUGOU A trial of Burkina Faso’s former leader Blaise Compaore and his cabinet began on Monday after delays, with the court dismissing calls from the defence to cancel the proceedings. Compaore, who fled during a popular revolt in 2014 as he sought to extend his 27-year-rule of the West African country, is being tried in absentia. The former Western ally currently resides […]
Even so, Russia has sent signals it is hoping to gain support for the agreement from the United States despite their deep differences over the Syria war, now in its seventh year. Continue reading the main story Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov of Russia will visit with his American counterpart, Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, in Washington on Wednesday to discuss Syria and other issues, both […]
By Arshad Mohammed | NEW YORK NEW YORK Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Monday she would prefer that President Donald Trump not criticise judges and the media but that U.S. democratic institutions can withstand such comments. Speaking in an interview, Rice also described Trump as having a somewhat “transactional” view of foreign relations but she broadly endorsed his approach of seeking to enlist […]
By George Frey | HILDALE, Utah HILDALE, Utah The Utah mansion where convicted pedophile and polygamous religious sect leader Warren Jeffs once lived is being purchased by one of his former wives, who hopes to make it a tourist attraction and home for people who have left the church. The house and adjacent buildings are part of a walled compound that straddles two blocks in the town […]
WASHINGTON U.S. President Donald Trump and French President-elect Emmanuel Macron agreed during a phone call on Monday to meet during a May 25 NATO leaders meeting in Brussels, the White House said. “President Trump emphasized his desire to work closely with President-elect Macron in confronting shared challenges, and noted the long and robust history of cooperation between the United States and its oldest ally, France,” the White […]
ALGIERS Libya’s neighbours and the United Nations on Monday voiced their support for a meeting held last week between the North African country’s main rival figures, the head of the U.N.-backed government, Fayez Seraj, and eastern commander Khalifa Haftar. The two men had held talks in Abu Dhabi, their first in more than a year and a half, over a U.N.-mediated deal that Western powers hope will […]
Comcast is making it a whole lot easier to manage a home Wi-Fi network, introducing the new xFi platform gunning for top Wi-Fi routers. In recent times, various companies such Eero, Google and others have made efforts to facilitate the setup and maintenance of a home network. Comcast now joins the party as well, announcing its new xFi cloud-based gateway for easy home network management. Smart Wi-Fi For […]
When it comes to international news, The New York Times doesn’t want to be BuzzFeed, HuffPost or The Guardian. It wants to be, well, The New York Times. Whereas other publishers are looking to lure massive new audiences with editions published in various languages, The New York Times is being deliberately conservative with its foreign-language offerings. It has Spanish- and Chinese- language homepages but isn’t planning to […]
