Aamir Khan’s new film Dangal is a weighty biopic in more ways than one. One of Bollywood’s most acclaimed actors, he put on a staggering 27 kilograms to play the role of former wrestler Mahavir Singh – then shed it all in just five months to shoot scenes of a younger, fitter version of the character during his wrestling heyday. Dangal, which is now showing at UAE […]
Photo Passengers leaving the hijacked Afriqiyah Airways plane at Malta International Airport on Friday. Credit Matthew Mirabelli/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images CAIRO — All 109 passengers and crew members on board a hijacked Libyan airliner en route to the capital, Tripoli, were released on Friday, hours after two men claiming to be carrying explosives forced the plane to divert to Malta, Malta’s prime minister said. The hijackers, […]
I was really keen to test the Tabcat locator. I have used its predecessor, Loc8tor for several years to successfully find my cats whilst they were out on the prowl. Tabcat is a locator that does not rely on GPS or Bluetooth to find your pet. It uses radio frequency based technology which the brand says will give you a greater range and performance than Bluetooth cat […]
Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV), a developer of large-scale solar power plants and part of Saudi-based Abdul Latif Jameel Energy, has been awarded a 30-year 300MW solar project in Mexico. With this build-operate-own agreement, FRV said it is extending its global footprint into the Mexican market at a rate of $26.99/MWh for the first 15 years of the project. The construction of the plant will begin in mid-2018 […]
Shortly after the Berlin truck terrorism suspect Anis Amri was killed in a shoot out with Milan police, railway tickets found on Amri’s body showed he had traveled from Chambery in south-eastern France to Turin and then on to Milan, according to Italy’s Ansa. Which is strange because while he kept ticket stubs, he had virtually nothing else on him: Milan police said Amri was carrying few […]
ABU DHABI // After going through a divorce and a custody battle for her children, Aysha Al Naqbi knows the trauma that marriage break-ups can cause. So, Ms Al Naqbi has decided to dedicate herself to helping other women going through similar experiences. “It can be tough being a divorced female,” says Ms Al Naqbi, 38, from Khor Fakkan. “You will get questioned a lot, ‘why you’re […]
Filipino beauty pageant winners Parul Shah and Maggie Wilson have emerged victorious on the fifth season of reality-TV programme The Amazing Race Asia. They beat fellow beauty queens Yvonne Lee and Chloe Chen from Malaysia, as well as married couple Eric Tai and Rona Samson, who are also from the Philippines, in the grand finale this week. It was the culmination of 10 legs of competition that […]
Roy Zipstein | Apple Apple has given app developers more time to turn on App Transport Security (ATS) after originally insisting that software submitted to the App Store utilize the feature by the beginning of 2017. According to a brief note posted on the Apple developer website on Wednesday, ATS, first introduced in iOS 9 and OS X v10.11, will now not become mandatory for apps to […]
RAK National Hotels, a subsidiary of RAK Hospitality Holding, and Hilton Worldwide have announced that Hilton’s first mid-market hotel in Ras Al Khaimah is scheduled to open by the second quarter of 2017. The announcement was confirmed ahead of the 2016 Ras Al Khaimah Finance and Investment Forum, which took place this week. Hilton Garden Inn Ras Al Khaimah is to be located on the site of […]
Social enterprise Proximity Designs’s 3D printer is making high technology accessible to Myanmar’s impoverished farmers Whizzing across a blue-lit platform with a whirr and a squeak, liquid plastic emanating from its chrome tip, the 3D printer seems a far cry from the muddy, crop-filled fields that fringe Yangon. But in an industrial park south of Myanmar’s commercial hub, the advanced technology is now being used to design […]
From the Panama Papers to the impeachments of presidents of Brazil and South Korea, 2016 was a year marked by corruption scandals, and by rising public outrage over graft. The question is, will that translate into a lasting demand for cleaner politics? “A new phenomenon” is being seen, said Jose Ugaz, a renowned Peruvian lawyer and the chairman of Transparency International, a Berlin-based anti-corruption watchdog, who expressed […]
Qatar is set to launch a new shopping festival in January, targeting regional visitors from the UAE, which forms the second largest source market for the country. Under the slogan A Brand New Tradition, the first edition of Shop Qatar will start on January 7 with discounts on popular brands, cash prizes worth up to QR4 million, a schedule of entertainment featuring Cats the Broadway musical, live […]
Virgin America refutes a recent report that one of its flight got delayed due to a Galaxy Note 7 prank. The company, however, did not comment on whether a passenger indeed trolled its flight 358 by renaming his Wi-Fi hotspot with the notorious Samsung device. ( Drew Angerer | Getty Images ) BBC has reported that a Virgin flight has been disrupted almost to the point of […]
DUBAI // While the cool weather makes this time of year perfect for enjoying the outdoors, residents of a Dubai community have spent the past two weeks locked indoors with their windows shut. The Remraam community in Jebel Ali has been plagued by a foul odour of sewage, which residents said was making them ill. Louise Woods, who has been living in Remraam Community since July, said […]
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for December 23, 2016, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film screenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun. newslide Abu Dhabi Festive fun Visit Al Maryah Island for the Winter Wonderland, featuring cosy winter cottages hosting activities including bauble-decorating, cracker-making and gingerbread-house-decorating. A skating rink and snow park offer a wintry feel, while […]
Photo Basel Ghattas, an Arab member of Israel’s Parliament, in 2015. Mr. Ghattas was accused of smuggling cellphones to Palestinian prisoners. Credit Ahmad Gharabli/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images JERUSALEM — An Arab member of Israel’s Parliament was arrested on Thursday after being accused of smuggling cellphones to Palestinian prisoners, capping days of fractious debate that raised questions about the nature of loyalty and identity in a predominantly […]
Nearly a decade ago, Warren Buffett bet Protege Partners, a fund of hedge funds, that over the course of 10 years the S&P would outperform Protege’s returns net of all fees, costs and expenses. To make it real, the loser agreed to pay $1 million to the charity of the winner’s choice. At this past year’s annual meeting, Warren Buffett provided an update on the now […]
Automotive technology is rapidly advancing on all fronts. This past year saw several massively important developments ranging from vehicle-to-vehicle communication to the advent of 48-volt electrical systems. To be sure, self-driving cars dominated the automotive news over the last 12 months. Hardly a week went by without a significant autonomous vehicle announcement from an automaker, tech company, ride-sharing service, or other player in the increasingly […]
The US State Department has approved a possible foreign military sale to the Government of Kuwait of 218 tanks and related equipment, support, and training. The estimated cost of the sale is $1.7 billion, it said in a statement. It said the Government of Kuwait has requested the possible sale in support of its recapitalization of 218 M1A2 tanks, to include 240 .50 Cal M2A1 machine guns; […]
A UCI professor and colleagues have created an online survey platform called the Moral Machine to learn what people think a self-driving car should prioritize in the event of a fatal accident – and it’s not necessarily the lives of its occupants. Credit: Thinkstock Despite dramatic reductions in accident-related fatalities, injuries and damages, as well as significant improvements in transportation efficiency and safety, consumers aren’t as excited […]
The 26-year-old woman is suspected of uploading statements that insulted the ‘azan’ and Islam on Facebook. JOHOR BAHRU: The police detained a woman last night on suspicion of making a statement insulting the call to prayers (azan) and the Islam via Facebook. Johor police chief Wan Ahmad Najmuddin Mohd said the 26-year-old woman was detained at 8pm at a house in Taman Rekamas, Simpang Renggam, near Kluang, […]
Although students at Abu Dhabi’s Future Rehabilitation Centre achieve varying degrees of independence after they graduate, the ideal is to land a job. One such graduate to have achieved this is Eid Al Shamsi, a 21-year-old Emirati who is now working at the Ministry of Interior’s human rights department. When he was a boy, Mr Al Shamsi had initially been enrolled in a private school, where he […]
For Lindsay Lohan, adopting new roles and changing her image seems to have become as much a part of her personal life as it was in her acting career. Following well-documented struggles with addiction, turbulent relationships and a somewhat chequered history as an actress, the 30-year-old is embracing her latest real-life role. She has become a self-proclaimed humanitarian campaigner for Syria and Turkey, in addition to reportedly […]
Photo An Airbus A321 featuring the Iranian flag at an Airbus plant in Hamburg, Germany, this week. The acquisition of modern planes is an important achievement for President Hassan Rouhani of Iran. Credit Fabian Bimmer/Reuters The European aircraft manufacturer Airbus completed a deal on Thursday to sell 100 jetliners to Iran, a move described by both sides as a major step toward revitalizing Iran’s aged commercial fleet […]
