Section: United Arab Emirates
Israel hits back after UN settlement vote
Israel yesterday summoned representatives of states that supported a UN resolution demanding it halt settlement activity, while cutting civilian co-ordination with Palestinians by way of rebuke.Ambassadors from 10 of the 14 countries that voted in favour of the resolution and have embassies in Israel – Britain, China, Russia, France, Egypt,...
Russia M&A bucks global slowdown for bank deals
Investment banking deal volumes in Russia rose almost 50% in 2016, with domestic advisors leading the charge, but continued sanctions and the economic contraction mean the industry remained a shadow of its former self.According to Thomson Reuters data up to December 14, equity capital market (ECM) volumes in Russia have more than doubled to...
Russian plane with 92 aboard crashes into the Black Sea
MOSCOW // A Russian plane headed to an air base in Syria with 92 people aboard, including members of a well-known military choir, crashed into the Black Sea on Sunday minutes after taking off from the resort city of Sochi, Russia’s Defense Ministry said.There was no indication anyone survived the crash of the Tu-154, which belonged to the...
Kazakhstan said to weigh its biggest bank bailout since 2009
Kazakhstan has extended an emergency loan to the country’s biggest bank, the first step in what could be a rescue that may reach 1.5tn tenge ($4.5bn), according to people familiar with the plans.A bailout is among the alternatives under discussion between officials from Kazkommertsbank JSC and the central bank as Kazakhstan edges closer to...
Ukraine rebels agree to indefinite ceasefire
Kiev: A top Ukrainian insurgent said on Friday the rebels had agreed to an indefinite ceasefire negotiated by Russia and Ukraine that would go into effect this weekend. The latest truce was hammered out with the help of European monitors and comes amid a surge in fighting that claimed the lives of eight Ukrainian soldiers this week. Russia denies...
Putin warms to Trump, flexes muscles on Syria
Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday appeared to cosy up to US President-elect Donald Trump while stamping his authority as the key powerbroker in Syria.At his annual end-of-year press conference, the confident Kremlin strongman praised Trump for tapping into the public mood in the US to claim his surprise win in the elections.“He went to...
OSCE warns of ‘massive upsurge in violence’ in Ukraine
Kiev: The chief European monitor for the war in Ukraine warned on Thursday that a “massive upsurge in violence” has seen fighting between Kiev’s forces and pro-Russian rebels reach levels not seen in months. The statement by Alexander Hug of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) came a day after the body hailed...
Two Ukrainian troops killed in past 24 hours
KIEV: At least two Ukrainian troops have been killed in the past 24 hours in renewed fighting in eastern Ukraine, officials said on Wednesday. Fighting between Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian government troops has killed more than 9,600 people since the conflict began in April 2014. A 2015 cease-fire deal did not completely stop fighting...
EM currencies and stocks book cautious gains in thin trading
Emerging markets struggled for direction in thin pre-holiday trade yesterday, though a pause in the dollar and higher oil prices helped Russia’s rouble to hit a one-week high. MSCI’s emerging market stock index eased 0.3%, with gains in Russia, Poland and some Asian bourses but seeing losses in Asian heavyweights Taiwan and South...
The coming Brexit tragedy
This past year changed everything, except how governments think. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the pre-negotiations for Brexit. With both sides ignoring the far-reaching implications of Donald Trump’s election as US president – namely, the decline of the liberal world order – the process seems set to produce a tragedy for the United...
