Microsoft looks ready to widen its Cortana Skills Kit availability as of next week, simultaneous with its Build 2017 developer conference in Seattle. Microsoft has published its schedule and session descriptions for many of its Build 2017 talks via its official Build schedule builder mobile application. (I downloaded a version from the Google Play Store today for my Android phone.) The session list includes several Cortana Skills […]
Like the quirky characters in the upcoming film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the Hubble Space Telescope has some amazing superpowers, specifically when it comes to observing galaxies across time and space. One stunning example is galaxy cluster Abell 370, which contains a vast assortment of several hundred galaxies tied together by the mutual pull of gravity. That’s a lot of galaxies to be guarding, and […]
Better known for his role in Danny Boyle’s Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire, Dev Patel has proven equally adept at drama and comedy. Patel joined the cast of Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom, as well as starred alongside acting royalty in the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. This year, he’s starring alongside Jeremy Irons in The Man Who Knew Infinity, and Lion, with Nicole Kidman and Rooney Mara. Lion is based […]
DUBAI // “Iron” Mike Tyson, the former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, hopes his new Dubai gym will unearth a diamond in the rough that could go on to make a career in the fight game. Speaking at Atlantis The Palm on Thursday, the American said Dubai is the perfect venue to launch the Mike Tyson Academy of boxing and fitness. “People don’t have to fight […]
11:00 am Suppose we could be brave, Bryce, and go with a pic of Jeffery Lacker as our portrait for today 11:01 am Well, he stepped down from the Richmond Fed after fessing up to helping a colleague at a sister publication — Medley — on a story 11:02 am 11:03 am I could give you a rival’s analysis of the story 11:03 am It’s not the […]
Some 2,000 integrated point-of-sale (POS) will be rolled out in more than 650 retail stores across Singapore, supporting various payment options including Samsung Pay and Apple Pay. Local payments services provider Network for Electronic Transfers of Singapore (Nets) and United Overseas Bank would install the terminals at retail brands under the Dairy Farm Singapore Group. A pilot involving the “unified POS systems” was carried out in November […]
Or at least not just about the Panama Papers. This election is about saving journalists their jobs. You see, the thing is, this really was the government that kept on giving. And I’m not referring to the just announced minimum wage increase which we will get in two years time, nor the hundreds of employees who have just started working with government and have been immediately given […]
Sign up to receive FirstFT by email here The Federal Reserve said it believed the recent slowdown in US growth was likely to prove temporary as it stayed on course for a further increase in short-term interest rates as soon as June. The US central bank kept its target range for the federal funds rate at 0.75 per cent to 1 per cent following its latest two-day meeting. In […]
By Clement Uwiringiyimana | KIGALI KIGALI An independent woman candidate announced on Wednesday she would challenge President Paul Kagame, joining two other candidates hoping to defeat him in August elections after 17 years in office. Diane Rwigara, a 35-year-old accountant, said she would work to eradicate poverty, injustice and promote freedom if elected. She does not belong to any political party. Kagame is widely admired for restoring […]
By Samia Errazzouki and Patrick Markey | RABAT/ALGIERS RABAT/ALGIERS A Moroccan phosphate ship has been held in a South African port by a complaint from Western Sahara Polisario movement that it transported cargo unlawfully from the disputed territory, a lawyer and Polisario said on Wednesday. The seizure of the vessel, carrying 50,000 tonnes of phosphate to New Zealand, may be a test for the Polisario’s use of […]
By David Morgan and Richard Cowan | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON President Donald Trump and his aides courted moderate Republican lawmakers on Wednesday on a proposal to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system as the White House struggled to avoid another embarrassing defeat on a top legislative priority. As White House aides prepared for meetings and phone calls to persuade skeptical lawmakers on the healthcare bill, Republican House of Representatives […]
Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 2 Director: James Gunn Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan Three stars The Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel’s flawed team of intergalactic heroes, are back for more of the irreverent action that helped turn one of Marvel’s more obscure properties into a massive box-office hit in 2014. They are, in a way, anti-Marvel – sometimes dishonest, often objectionable and […]
“All the Rivers,” the new English title of the book, was published last week in the United States by Random House, and Ms. Rabinyan, 44, seemed a little nervous. She wanted Americans to read the book for what she said it is — a story of a specific love and its boundaries — and not because of the free speech controversy here or the backdrop of a […]
Prototype of the hand that sees. Credit: Newcastle University A new generation of prosthetic limbs which will allow the wearer to reach for objects automatically, without thinking—just like a real hand—are to be trialled for the first time. Led by biomedical engineers at Newcastle University, UK, and funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the bionic hand is fitted with a camera which instantaneously […]
Elsewhere on Wednesday, – TFW you have become verb used to specify there should be no lying in this particular bond quoting: Shortly after his indictment in 2013, Mr. Peters engaged in a chat session with a potential buyer about the price that would be offered for mortgage securities. The customer wrote, “Ok don’t litvak me! Go ahead with that bid.” – Guardian longread on where oil […]
May 2, 2017, Doha The Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) has noted an increase in number of complaints regarding scam calls through its 103 hotline, media reports and social media comments. CRA would like to urge consumers to not share any personal information that could compromise their privacy if they receive a call from unknown persons. Significant numbers of consumers reported receiving calls (through apps like WhatsApp and […]
A leaked document made some startling allegations, indicating that Facebook was targeting emotionally insecure and vulnerable users. The company denies such claims. The leaked document reveals that Facebook conducted research to target vulnerable users, but was not published. Nevertheless, although the paper was not released, it still sparked plenty of controversy when it leaked last week and the media was abuzz with reports of how Facebook targeted […]
ABU DHABI // Two major development projects will bring thousands of homes and jobs to an underdeveloped area on the outskirts of the capital. The Dh4 billion Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City is 90 per cent complete and will open soon, while construction is under way on a Dh2.5bn Emirati housing neighbourhood near Abu Dhabi International Airport. The first of the homes will be ready by 2019. The […]
This past Saturday marked 100 days since Donald Trump became president, and many news organizations marked the occasion with data-intensive packages that measured his progress and made it really easy for the public to understand what’s happened so far. Some highlights: The Guardian published an interactive making it really easy to analyze the first 100 days by putting the numbers in context. They also published daily briefings […]
The Apple Watch launched with much fanfare. But the recent disappearance of some of its apps happened almost unnoticed. Big-name apps such as Google Maps and Amazon have pulled their support for Apple’s wearable Apple Watch as Apple prepares for the launch of Watch Series 3. The wearable fitness tracker has just launched watchOS 3.2 last March, so the absence of some apps may come as a surprise to […]
02 May 2017 wasl Asset Management Group, one of the largest real estate development and management companies in Dubai – has announced the launch of the city’s second luxury Mandarin Oriental hotel, which is due to open in November 2020. The new location in Dubai’s Commercial District of Sheikh Zayed Road will complement wasl’s Mandarin Oriental hotel on the waterfront at Jumeira Beach, which will open in […]
DUBAI // A central system for monitoring drone use in the UAE is being set up as part of new standards for unmanned aerial vehicles. The system would involve a mandatory serial number to be used by potential manufacturers, reported Wam, the state news agency. The surveillance system was part of new regulatory standards for commercial and recreational drone use endorsed by the Emirates Authority for Standardisation […]
New regulatory standards for commercial and recreational use of drones have been endorsed by the Emirates Authority for Standardisation & Metrology (ESMA), including a surveillance system for detecting unmanned aerial vehicles in the UAE. Dr Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahad, chairman of ESMA, said in comments published by state news agency WAM that the new standards envisage a central system to monitor any drone operating in the UAE […]
WiGait uses wireless signals to continuously measure a person’s walking speed. Credit: Jason Dorfman, MIT CSAIL We’ve long known that breathing, blood pressure, body temperature and pulse provide an important window into the complexities of human health. But a growing body of research suggests that another vital sign – how fast you walk – could be a better predictor of health issues like cognitive decline, falls, and […]
