BEIRUT The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said warring sides appeared to cease firing across Syria after a truce deal came into effect at midnight on Friday (2200 GMT Thursday). The British-based Observatory said there had been some shellfire around Aleppo and in an area close to the capital Damascus shortly before the ceasefire, brokered by Russia and Turkey, began. (Reporting by John Davison; Editing […]
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for December 30, 2016, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film screenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun. newslide Dubai Farmers’ market Shop for fresh organic produce at The Farmers’ Market at Bay Avenue Retail Promenade. Buy farm-fresh seasonal goods directly from farmers and enjoy a host of family-friendly activities including live cooking […]
Technological revolution means robots no longer are the song of the future. The Governor of the Bank of England predicts today that up to half of British workforce face redundancy in the imminent ‘second machine age’. No wonder, the research of multi-robot systems generates serious buzz both for promising (albeit at times scary) results and for their application prospects in the real world. (via WSJ)
From an architecture pioneer to legends of screens, music and stage , the Arab world has lost its share of icons and stars in 2016. Here are some of those who we bid farewell to. Zaha Hadid October 31 1950 – March 31 2016 Born in Baghdad, Iraq, the award winning Iraqi-British architect pushed architectural boundaries with her designs and broke new grounds for female architects in […]
A new study just released from Public Health England concludes that 4 out of 5 Brits between the ages of 40 – 60 are fat, lazy and/or alcoholics, characteristics which the study shockingly found to be having an adverse effect on the group’s long-term health. The study, which compared data collected from 40 – 60 year olds between 2011 – 2013 to similar data collected 20 years […]
LOS ANGELES // Actor Carrie Fisher, who found enduring fame as Princess Leia in the original Star Wars, has died. She was 60. Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd, said her mother had died on Tuesday just before 9am. Fisher was “loved by the word and she will be missed profoundly”, Ms Lourd said. Fisher had been in hospital since Friday when she suffered a heart attack on board […]
A Kingdom of Oil From the beginning, the social contract between commoners and royals constituted a trade-off: a share of the country’s wealth in exchange for absolute rule by the Saud monarchs. A Life magazine correspondent visiting in 1943 described how, as King Abdulaziz waited on a roadside while a flat tire was fixed on his Packard, he gave a shepherd passing on camelback several gold pieces. […]
By Steve Gorman | LOS ANGELES LOS ANGELES Carrie Fisher, who rose to fame as Princess Leia in the “Star Wars” films and later endured drug addiction and stormy romances with show business heavyweights, died on Tuesday aged 60, her daughter said through a family spokesman. “It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 […]
World number two Rory McIlroy will be looking to maintain a proud record when he competes in the $2.65 million Dubai Desert Classic in February. The four-times major champion won the event in 2009 and 2015 and has finished in the top 10 in each of his seven previous visits to the Emirates Golf Club. “I have great memories of this tournament,” McIlroy said in a news […]
By Patrick Graham | LONDON LONDON Share prices inched higher on Tuesday as trading in some of the world’s major financial markets resumed after a Christmas break, with oil and the dollar also rising marginally. Concerns about Italian banks, Chinese growth and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s protectionist bent look set to keep investors on edge into the start of 2017. But expectations the new administration will splash […]
Since achieving global fame in 2000, Coldplay have elicited devotion and derision in equal measure. The question, then, is whether the British four-piece are one of the best bands of their generation – or the most overrated? Rob Garratt and Saeed Saeed state their cases. They are overrated Coldplay produce quintessentially mundane muzak for the masses. They are utterly innocuous, bitterly anodyne and completely forgettable audio dishwater, […]
By Anuradha Nagaraj CHENNAI, India (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Housemaids, brick makers, labourers, textile workers, fleeing migrants and children risking their lives in mica mines. These were the faces of modern day slavery in 2016 when the world saw a renewed resolve to combat all forms of human bondage. An estimated 45.8 million people globally live in some form of slavery, either trafficked into forced labour, sold […]
George Michael, the British pop superstar who reached early fame with WHAM! and went on to a solo career lined with controversies and chart-topping hits that blended soul and dance music with social commentary, has died, his publicist said Sunday. He was 53. Michael passed away at his home in Goring, England. According to a statement to Billboard magazine, manager Michael Lippman said he died of “heart […]
What a year it was for television. The idea that this is a golden age for small-screen entertainment has become almost a cliché, but there is no denying we have never had so much high-quality TV entertainment to choose from – so much so, it is tough to keep up. We have limited our best-of list to just five, which means we had to reluctantly leave out […]
British pop singer and songwriter George Michael, who rose to fame in the 1980s as the frontman of Wham! before pursuing a successful solo career, has died “peacefully” at his home in England at the age of 53. Michael, born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, first made his name on the UK pop scene in the early 80s as one half of Wham!, with chart-topping hits such as “Wake […]
AJMAN // With unspoilt beaches, majestic mountains and competitive prices, tourists from the UAE and around the world are flocking to the Northern Emirates. The Ajman Tourism Development Department said 552,220 tourists have stayed in hotels this year, compared to 509,658 last year, said Faisal Al Nuaimi, general manager of the department. In Fujairah, more than 760,000 visitors stayed in hotels, a 6 per cent increase from […]
One may assume the life of a member of a Royal Family is easy, right? After all, members receive the “royal treatment” all year long. But the truth is royal families are just like all our families. Their lives can include controversy, scandal and some drama. And this year was no different. Whether it was relationship rumours, links to the Panama Papers scandal, tax fraud trials or […]
Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti, centre, performs with George Michael, left, and Annie Lennox from Eurythmics during the “Pavarotti & Friends“ concert in Modena June 6, 2000. Stefano Rellandini / Reuters British singers Paul McCartney and George Michael, left, perform at the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park in London, July 2, 2005. Stephen Hird / Reuters In this April 10, 1997, file photo, George Michael, left, and […]
Over the past year, technology and ‘sharing economy’ start-ups have continued their disruption of traditional industries — from Uber and other ride hailers’ shake-up of the taxi market to Airbnb’s myriad alternatives to conventional hotel stays. But which will be the next businesses to be challenged by further digitisation and automation? FT correspondents have looked ahead five to 10 years to identify those industry sectors and companies […]
After more than three months out of the spotlight, Kim Kardashian West is set to make her first public appearance of the new year in Dubai. The American reality television star rescheduled after cancelling her planned trip to the UAE back in October after being robbed at gunpoint in Paris, France, during fashion week. The 36-year-old most famous for reality series Keeping up with the Kardashians was […]
When US authorities started pursuing banks for their role in slicing, dicing and packaging the arcane products that sparked the financial crisis, they initially focused on domestic lenders. Now it is Europe’s banks that are in the crosshairs. Two days before Christmas, Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse have agreed to settle with the US Department of Justice over the alleged mis-selling of mortgage-backed securities in the run-up […]
The UAE is set to be one of the world’s main centres for New Year’s Eve concerts on Saturday, with a variety of gigs in genres ranging from stadium rock and EDM to Arab pop and hip-hop. The locations are as eclectic as the sounds on offer, with mammoth venues such as Abu Dhabi’s du Arena and Dubai’s Meydan Racecourse hosting events along with resorts, restaurants and […]
Israel on Sunday summoned ambassadors of countries that belong to the UN Security Council for a Christmas Day reprimand for their support of a resolution condemning Israel’s illegal settlements on Palestinian lands. The UK was among the countries which saw its diplomats called into Israel’s ministry of foreign affairs on Sunday. David Quarrey, Britain’s ambassador to Israel, told the Financial Times. While Mr Quarrey was in the […]
Written by Ritu Sarin | New Delhi | Published:December 25, 2016 4:55 am The Letters of Intent along with the precise quantum of orders to each foreign firm would be finalised soon. The remonetisation drive — and the frantic printing of banknotes — has brought some Christmas cheer for some of the world’s largest currency paper suppliers. Over Thursday and Friday, principals of eight foreign firms were […]
