Standard Life is in late-stage discussions to acquire Aberdeen Asset Management in an all-stock deal that would create the UK’s largest money manager with £660bn of assets and be worth around £11bn. The companies confirmed the talks on Saturday evening in a joint statement that said a deal would “leverage Standard Life and Aberdeen’s combined strengths to create a world class investment company”. They added that Standard Life […]
Photo American armored forces patrol on Friday near Manbij in northern Syria. Credit Delil Souleiman/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images WASHINGTON — The United States has increased its forces near the northern Syrian town of Manbij as concerns have grown that fighting could erupt among the complex array of militias and Syrian and Turkish troops who are operating on the crowded battlefield near there. Photographs of American troops […]
PARIS The political committee of French party The Republicans will meet on Monday to discuss the situation of its presidential candidate Francois Fillon, the party said in a statement on Saturday. “Given the evolution of the political situation just seven weeks from the presidential election … the political committee, which includes notably the candidates of the (party) primaries, has been brought forward by 24 hours to Monday […]
WASHINGTON Twenty-one civilians were killed in nine separate strikes by the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria between November and January, the U.S. military said on Saturday. That brings the total number of civilians unintentionally killed by the coalition since the start of operations against the militant group in 2014 to 220, the military said in a statement. “Although the Coalition takes extraordinary efforts […]
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has announced the release of his new book, titled “Ta’mulat fi Asa’adah Wl Ejabia” (Reflections on Happiness and Positivity). The Vice President said the book “includes lessons, examples and stories based on a different life philosophy: Positivity as a perspective, and happiness of people as a goal and a lifestyle”. Sheikh Mohammed said that through the book […]
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for March 5, 2017, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film screenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun. Ellen Fortini rounds up 10 things to do today in the UAE. Want to see your event listed here? Email us with the details and contact information at [email protected] newslide Nationwide New movie This Marvel […]
AMMAN, Jordan — Jordan on Saturday executed 10 prisoners with ties to Islamist extremism who had carried out five shootings and a bombing since 2003, a government spokesman said. Among those killed in the attacks were a British tourist, an outspoken Jordanian critic of Islamist extremism and members of the Jordanian security forces. The executions on Saturday were the first since Jordan began a crackdown on Islamist […]
By Sophie Louet and John Irish | AUBERVILLIERS, France AUBERVILLIERS, France Embattled French presidential candidate Francois Fillon defended his political plans on Saturday as the only credible future for the country and vowed to stay in the race, a day before a Paris rally called to demonstrate the strength of his support. Once the frontrunner, conservative Fillon is mired in a scandal over his wife’s pay, and […]
ANKARA Turkey said on Saturday a MiG-23 warplane, probably belonging to the Syrian air force, had crashed on the Syrian side of the border and a search was under way for the pilot who probably bailed out and may have come down on Turkish soil. But a local Turkish governor told Anatolian news agency a rescue team had reached the remains of the plane, which suggested it […]
By Ayman al-Warfalli | BENGHAZI, Libya BENGHAZI, Libya East Libyan forces carried out air strikes around major oil ports on Saturday as they sought to regain control of the area from a rival faction, a military spokesman said. The eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) and allied forces retreated on Friday from Es Sider and Ras Lanuf, two of Libya’s largest export terminals, as a faction known as […]
LONDON Scottish fund manager Aberdeen Asset Management (ADN.L) and insurer Standard Life (SL.L) are exploring a possible merger, the two companies said in a statement. Aberdeen shareholders would own 33.3 percent of the combined group under the terms of the potential merger, with Standard Life shareholders owning the other 66.7 percent, the companies said. “Further to the recent press speculation the boards of Standard Life and Aberdeen […]
In Jerusalem — where the governor will spend most if not all of his time outside the airport — he will meet with the mayor, Nir Barkat, and a group of business leaders. Continue reading the main story The impromptu nature of Mr. Cuomo’s trip is not accidental. With a rash of anti-Semitic threats and racist vandalism occurring in New York and nationwide, the governor said he […]
WASHINGTON A spokesman for ex-President Barack Obama on Saturday denied President Donald Trump’s allegation that the former president ordered a wiretap of him last October. Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis said: “A cardinal rule of the Obama administration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice.” He added, “As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House […]
Emerging markets had a third month of strong inflows into their equities and bonds in February, in a further sign of reviving optimism over an asset class that was expected to be caught in the crosshairs of any US move to protectionism. There were cross-border flows to EM assets of more than $17bn in the month, up from just over $14bn in January, data from the Institute […]
Researchers have invented a 3-D printing process for cellulose, the world’s most abundant polymer, which could rival petroleum-based plastics as source of printing feedstock. (via WSJ)
MEXICO CITY An explosion in a building outside Mexico City on Saturday morning killed at least two people in the same town recently hit by a devastating explosion of a fireworks market, according to local media. The building, in a residential neighborhood of Tultepec in the State of Mexico, was destroyed by the blast that sent a large plume of smoke into the air, according to TV […]
If you’re used to Facebook videos in your News Feed playing with the sound muted, get ready for a surprise as Facebook turns up the volume on them automatically. Must read: iPhone 8 — Here’s what we know Don’t like the idea of videos blaring at you as you scroll through your feed? Then it’s time to tweak the “Videos in News Feed Start With Sound,” setting. […]
Good morning. Here’s our morning roundup of all the media news you need to know. Want to get this briefing in your inbox every morning? Subscribe here. So what have you heard more often: “Fox & Friends” shilling for President Trump or sophisticated people confiding their real reason for reading The New Yorker is the cartoons? Ah, if only Bob Mankoff had long ago negotiated some piece […]
In the most arid areas where there is little to no water, there live nematodes of no more than 1 mm which feed on bacteria and help to mineralise soil and produce nutrients. In an orchard of Jaén a new species has appeared with a feature that makes them unique on the Iberian Peninsula: the males lack the copulatory organ. The southern part of the Iberian Peninsula, […]
KUALA LUMPUR Malaysia on Saturday expelled the North Korean ambassador to the country, declaring him “persona non grata” and asking the envoy to leave Malaysia within 48 hours. The move comes nearly three weeks after Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, was murdered at Kuala Lumpur’s airport with a toxic nerve agent. U.S. and South Korean officials have said […]
Jon Corzine, the former New Jersey governor and Goldman Sachs chief who oversaw the collapse of MF Global, is poised to take the stand next week in a potentially explosive trial over the alleged negligence of the company’s auditor, PwC. The world’s second-biggest professional services firm was the auditor of MF Global, the futures brokerage that collapsed in October 2011 after huge bets on the debt of […]
By David Shepardson | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday accused former president Barack Obama of wire tapping him in October during the late stages of the presidential election campaign, but offered no evidence to support the allegation. “How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!,” Trump said in a […]
The Switch, Nintendo’s newest video game system, merges home gaming comfort and portability to create a unique, eye-catching platform. The nifty Joy-Con motion controllers foster the same casual-friendly gameplay that made the Wii a hit, while Switch’s tablet-style design and side-grip controller slots improve Nintendo’s Wii U vision. When you consider Nintendo’s dominance over the portable console market, it’s easy to imagine Switch following suit […]
LONDON Britain’s foreign minister Boris Johnson will go to Moscow in the coming weeks to discuss the differences between the two countries over Syria and Ukraine, the Foreign Office said on Saturday, in the first such visit for five years. Britain backed sanctions against Russia in response to its annexation of Crimea in 2014, and the countries have clashed on other issues, including Russia’s support for Syrian […]
