Bloomberg Turkey said on Tuesday it wanted a ground operation in neighbouring Syria with its international allies, as a UN envoy held talks in Damascus aimed at saving a troubled ceasefire plan. Tensions escalated over Russia’s air war in support of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, with Ankara branding it “vile, cruel and barbaric†and EU President Donald Tusk saying ...
Read More »Admin
A jurist of colossal consequence
Antonin Scalia, who combined a zest for intellectual combat with a vast talent for friendship, was a Roman candle of sparkling jurisprudential theories leavened by acerbic witticisms. The serrated edges of his most passionate dissents sometimes strained the court’s comity and occasionally limited his ability to proclaim what the late Justice William Brennan called the most important word in the ...
Read More »UAE, India must build on strategic ties
The UAE-India friendship has not only been accelerated by business ties, but also cultural links, age-old maritime trade and vibrant people-to-people contacts. The two nations have potential and success models to share. Each has what it takes to strengthen cooperation with the other side. In recognition of the economic weight of the UAE, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited the ...
Read More »Trouble with banks is contained, for now
Three asset classes — energy, high- yield corporate bonds and emerging-market currencies — became unhinged last year amid abnormal asset price volatility. Now the banking segment seems to be getting a lot closer to following the same route. Should this occur — thankfully, that’s still a big if at this stage — the consequences for the real economy and global ...
Read More »Why Turnbull has to ‘do a Merkel’
The cynicism or moral immobilism of the Western powers toward the Syria conflict has been a reminder that states all too often conform to the behaviour pattern predicted by the neo-realist conception of international relations. Yet in a handful of countries, including Australia and Germany, the popular response to the refugee crisis created by the conflict has reminded these states ...
Read More »Epilogue to the South Pacific tuna treaty
Once again the South Pacific Tuna Treaty is in the news. But this year with heels dug in on both sides the outdated tuna treaty may have taken its last breath. For the past five years the tuna treaty’s annual funding negotiation has been an ordeal as the parties involved locked horns on how much the United States should pay ...
Read More »At US-ASEAN Summit, preparing for a new normal
The element of signaling surrounding the first US-ASEAN summit in Sunnylands, California was strong. The White House decision to host ASEAN leaders at the same venue where US President Barack Obama previously received Chinese president Xi Jinping symbolized the increasingly pivotal role the US was according ASEAN as an institution. Visiting Laos and Cambodia, US Secretary of State John Kerry ...
Read More »â€˜Brooklyn deal’ draws top investors
BROOKLYN / Bloomberg Vornado Realty Trust, one of the biggest owners of Manhattan office towers, and Silverstein Properties Inc. are among potential bidders for real estate offered by the Jehovah’s Witnesses in an area of Brooklyn that’s in high demand by developers. The companies have expressed interest in at least one of three properties for sale, including the Brooklyn Heights ...
Read More »Cairo real estate weakens amid currency volatility
Cairo / Emirates Business JLL, the world’s leading real estate investment and advisory firm, on Tuesday released its 2015 annual review of the Cairo Real Estate Market, assessing the latest trends in the office, residential, retail and hotel sectors. The report notes that Cairo real estate market has witnessed mixed performance across various segments in 2015 which was impacted by ...
Read More »Al Habtoor buys Vienna’s Imperial hotel
Vienna / Bloomberg Vienna’s Hotel Imperial, used by stars including Madonna and Mick Jagger as well as politicians and diplomats, was bought by Dubai’s Al Habtoor Group LLC for US$78.8 million. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. sold the 138-room property, which will continue to operate under its Luxury Collection brand, the Stamford, Connecticut-based company said in a statement on ...
Read More »