Mend it, don’t end it’ was Bill Clinton’s rhetorical straddle regarding affirmative action. Republican efforts to ‘repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act (ACA) (Obamacare) look increasingly like ‘mend it, don’t end it.’ The problem is not that, as is frequently said, no entitlement can be ended. The most consequential legislation of the 1990s, the 1996 welfare reform, repealed ...

  Among financial geeks, the repurchase market is seen as the lifeblood of a monetary system. Without it, banks can’t really operate. China’s seized up, prompting the People’s Bank to perform an emergency cardiac massage. Other regulators in Beijing may want to look on closely, because they may be called upon to undertake a similar maneuver shortly. To understand what ...

  The Federal Reserve might be doing the right thing for the US economy by moving to bring interest rates back up to normal. But for foreign companies and governments that have borrowed trillions of US dollars, the adjustment could be painful. Thanks in large part to a prolonged period of extremely low US interest rates, borrowers around the world ...

  North Korea launched yet another missile. The missile test, though it turned out to be damp-squib, is nevertheless evidence of Pyongyang’s continued determination to develop intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). It seems there is nothing which can hold it back from pursuing its nuclear ambitions. North Korea is pushing hard to upgrade its weapons systems to cope with the so ...

  Abu Dhabi / WAM Khalifa University was ranked the 76th best university in Asia, according to the latest Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Rankings. This prestigious placement follows the decade-old university’s naming as the top university in the UAE, according to 2016 THE World University Rankings and QS 2016 World University Ranking. In addition, the university was ranked fourth ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) successfully completed the welding of Reactor Coolant Loop piping and the Reactor Containment Building (RCB) dome structure for Unit 3 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant. The completion of pipe welding for the Reactor Coolant Loop has set a new global benchmark for quality in pipe welding, and the RCB dome ...

  Abu Dhabi / WAM The United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Armenia have agreed on reciprocal exemption from entry visa requirements for their citizens. The agreement, which goes into effect on Wednesday, was announced during talks held by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Serzh Sargsyan, ...

  Sharjah / WAM The Sixth International Government Communication Forum (IGCF 2017) was officially inaugurated on Wednesday with keynote speeches from HH Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Media Council, and Ali Ahmadov, Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan. Emphasising the role of education and ...

  Dubai / WAM His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Wednesday chaired a Cabinet meeting and launched ‘UAE Centennial 2071’, a long-term government plan based on the recent and crucial keynote lecture given by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy ...

  Dubai / WAM Dubai ports operator DP World is exploring opportunities relating to the expanded Panama Canal, the company has confirmed. DP World said that its chairman and CEO, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, met Panama President Juan Carlos Varela on Tuesday to discuss potential logistics and industrial parks and other projects in the country. Panama’s minister of commerce and industry, ...