February, 2017

• 1 February

  Trump and the art of the Syrian peace deal

  

    For almost half a decade, the world’s only superpower has mostly abdicated its role in helping to resolve the world’s most consequential conflict. Now former President Barack Obama’s excessive caution about Syria has given way to President Donald Trump’s unstrategic uncertainty. The question is whether this qualifies as an improvement. It’s certainly good news that Russia has invited the …

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• 1 February

  Confusion, protests persist over Trump travel ban

    US President Donald Trump’s immigration ban and curb on refugee admission sparked a global backlash. It is highly confusing and utterly condemnable. Refugees, visa holders and permanent US residents are all among those affected. On the other hand, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly issued a statement declaring that the entry of green-card holders is in the national interest. He …

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• 1 February

  The dream of cheap nuclear power is over now

  

    For much of my life, I loved the idea of nuclear power. The science was so cool, futuristic and complicated, the power plants so vast and majestic. I devoured science-fiction novels like “Lucifer’s Hammer,” where a plucky nuclear entrepreneur restarts civilization after a comet almost wipes us out. I thought of accidents like Three Mile Island and even Chernobyl …

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• 1 February

  India’s bad bank plan would be a $60bn mistake

  

    With most of its state-run lending businesses resembling one giant bad bank, it’s puzzling why India keeps toying with the idea of setting up a new one. The government’s annual assessment of the economy even invokes Sherlock Holmes to make a fresh case for an asset reconstruction company within the public sector. Other schemes have not worked, years have …

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• 1 February

  Deutsche Bank’s Russian scheme isn’t needed now

  

    Deutsche Bank, for which fines have become almost a routine expense, has agreed to pay $630 million to end US and UK investigations into a scheme that helped wealthy Russians move $10 billion out of Russia. But those clients have little need for such a channel anymore: Capital outflow from Russia has slowed to a trickle. Between 2012 and …

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• 1 February

  Top banks weigh on Abu Dhabi, other Gulf markets move little

  

    DUBAI / Reuters Shares in two of Abu Dhabi’s top banks fell on Wednesday after fourth-quarter earnings, while other Middle East markets hardly moved as global equities and oil prices offered little positive impetus. National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) slid 5.0 percent after posting a fourth-quarter net profit of 1.33 billion dirhams ($362 million), up 28 percent from …

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• 1 February

  European stocks bounce back from 3-day selloff

    Bloomberg European stocks rallied on Wednesday as earnings reports from Siemens AG and Volvo AG boosted industrial shares, while positive data from China and the U.S. helped lift shares most sensitive to economic growth. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index advanced 0.9 percent at the close. The benchmark is rebounding after capping its worst three-day drop since the week before …

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• 1 February

  Dollar rises, treasuries fall as Fed meeting looms

    Bloomberg The dollar advanced, while Treasuries tumbled as corporate results and economic data bolstered optimism that growth is accelerating before the Federal Reserve’s latest policy decision. U.S. stocks erased early gains. The S&P 500 Index was little changed as 10-year yields above 2.50 percent weighed on high dividend paying industries and boosted banks. Apple Inc. rose the most since …

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• 1 February

  Year of Giving will solidify UAE’s position as world’s most giving nation: Mohammed

  

    Dubai / WAM The Giving Retreat was held on Wednesday under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The retreat included the largest brainstorm of its kind in the UAE, bringing together over 100 experts, stakeholders, officials and humanitarian workers in an interactive dialogue …

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• 1 February

  Nakheel makes history, posts AED4.96bn profit in 2016

  

    Dubai / WAM Nakheel announced on Wednesday its highest annual net profits in the company’s history: AED4.96 billion in 2016 – a 13 per cent increase on the 2015 net profit of AED4.38 billion. Nakheel generated a net profit of AED955 million for the last quarter of 2016 – up 22 per cent on the AED781 million posted for the …

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