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 ...
Read More »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 ...
Read More »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 ...
Read More »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 ...
Read More »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 ...
Read More »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 ...
Read More »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 ...
Read More »Year of Giving will solidify UAE’s position as world’s most giving nation: Mohammed
Dubai /Â 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 ...
Read More »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 ...
Read More »MoF receives BSI Group certificate
Abu Dhabi / WAM The Ministry of Finance (MoF) announced that it received certification for the PAS 99:2012 Integrated Management System, including ISO 20000, ISO 27001, and ISO 22301. Commenting on the announcement, Musabah Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Assistant Under-Secretary for Support Services Sector at MoF, said, “This achievement falls in line with the ministry’s continuous commitment to adopt the best ...
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