Wednesday , 17 December 2025

Opinion

Trump’s new travel ban still divisive

  US President Donald Trump issued a revised order restricting people from six Muslim-majority countries from entering United States. The new directive, which is effective from March 16, excludes Iraq and allows those having current US visa to travel freely. Like the previous order issued on January 27, the new one bans all refugees for 120 days, but Syrian refugees …

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The surprising roots of Malaysia’s rage

  It didn’t take long for Malaysia to retaliate against North Korea for barring its citizens from leaving the country on Tuesday. Within hours, a security cordon had surrounded North Korea’s Malaysian embassy to prevent diplomatic staff from leaving. The response may not be legal under international law, but it’s certainly understandable. North Korea is not only accused of sponsoring …

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Retail bankruptcies don’t always help rivals

  A competitor’s loss doesn’t always translate into a win. Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. said that sales at established stores rose 5 percent in the most recent quarter from the year before as it picked up retail locations from now-defunct sporting goods competitors such as Sports Authority and Golfsmith. But the company also warned sales and earnings growth would slow …

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Note to Snap: Being profitable at IPO matters

  Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, has had its oversubscribed initial public offering and a big first-day pop. But if recent tech IPO history is any indication, longer-term investors are headed for a big disappointment. I’ve written before why I think Snap’s not worth its valuation ($23.8 billion at the IPO price of $17, $28.3 billion at the time …

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Forcing EU to make the biggest decision

  In trademark EU style, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker outlined a vision for the bloc’s future recently by presenting five of them. While some will see an attempt to shape the agenda without taking responsibility, it sounded more like an impatient call for members to find the courage to rally around an actual strategic decision. By striking a neutral …

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Uber should beware the DUD behind Indian expansion

  It’s great that Travis Kalanick is seeking leadership help, though the Uber Technologies Inc. CEO might need advice in another area. Let’s call it DUD — distressed Uber debt. After a dashboard video of Kalanick’s spat with a driver, Fawzi Kamel, went viral last week, the co-founder of the ride-hailing service offered “a profound apology” and promised to change …

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Trump’s un-American travel ban, part II

  President Donald Trump’s latest executive order restricting immigration from several majority-Muslim countries is less sweeping and careless than his last one, which federal courts put on hold last month. But even if it withstands judicial scrutiny, it is still un-American and unwise — and if it doesn’t, the president needs to resist his impulse to lash out. The new …

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Beijing-Seoul crisis deepens over THAAD

  Militaries of US and South Korea announced US missile launchers and some components of the controversial Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense System, or THAAD, arrived in South Korea, a step to deter belligerent North Korea. But the move has not only angered North Korea, which continues to pursue a broad range of nuclear missiles, including those fired from road mobile …

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What IMF doesn’t know about Ukraine economy!

  The conflict between Ukraine and Russia entered a new phase recently. The separatist, pro-Russian “people’s republics” of eastern Ukraine announced they were taking over Ukrainian oligarchs’ assets on their territory. Few people outside Ukraine know that throughout the three-year hostilities, these factories and mines paid Ukrainian taxes, and their output was counted toward Ukraine’s gross domestic product. If the …

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Aussie banks’ high-risk X Factor nothing to sing about

  It’s that time of year when Australia’s bank executives go through their equivalent of a reality-TV audition. Like an episode of the X Factor, the parliamentary hearings into the four major banks are conducted in an atmosphere of high theater. Chief executives attempt to carry off pitch-perfect performances while the parliamentarians sat in judgment try to launch a few …

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