Two weeks ago we previewed that the U.S. Department of Energy could begin to sell off some of its strategic petroleum reserve (SPR) as soon as January, the beginning of a multi-year process to shrink the nation’s stockpile of oil. Congress has authorized DOE to sell off $375.4 million worth of oil in its recent budget resolution. The DOE said that such a sale could be held […]
The humanoid robot ‘Jia Jia’ can hold a simple conversation and make specific facial expressions when asked “Jia Jia” can hold a simple conversation and make specific facial expressions when asked, and her creator believes the eerily life-like robot heralds a future of cyborg labour in China. Billed as China’s first human-like robot, Jia Jia was first trotted out last year by a team of engineers at […]
By Jonathan Landay | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON The risk of conflicts between and within nations will increase over the next five years to levels not seen since the Cold War as global growth slows, the post-World War Two order erodes and anti-globalization fuels nationalism, said a U.S. intelligence report released on Monday. “These trends will converge at an unprecedented pace to make governing and cooperation harder and to […]
By Marius Zaharia and Fathin Ungku | SINGAPORE SINGAPORE Singapore’s defence minister said on Monday that the nine armoured vehicles seized in Hong Kong could not be detained or confiscated but that he welcomed Hong Kong’s pledge that the dispute would be handled in line with its laws. Hong Kong customs seized the troop carriers in November as they were being shipped from Taiwan to Singapore after […]
BEIJING Chinese police shot dead three “violent terror” suspects in the western Xinjiang region, the government said on Monday, the latest clash with Islamist militants who the government says want to break the region away from China. The government says separatists in Xinjiang, home to the Muslim Uighur minority, aim to form their own state called East Turkestan, and have links with militants abroad, including in Asia […]
Mayfield Robotics chief executive Michael Beebe unveils the Kuri robot at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, on January 6, 2017 Professor Einstein rolls his eyes, sticks out his tongue, and can give a simple explanation of the theory of relativity. With his lifelike rubbery “skin” and bushy mustache, he can almost make you forget he’s a robot. The Einstein robot is among dozens roaming the […]
Monday 2.15am GMT Overview Asian stocks were on the rise, buoyed by record highs for Wall Street on Friday and a broadly encouraging US employment report. Hot topic Investors were keeping a cautious eye on China’s currency market, although the renminbi has softened since Friday and last week’s burst of strength. The renminbi was 0.1 per cent weaker at Rmb6.9325 per dollar, as the People’s Bank of […]
Image: ZDNet Anniversaries are opportunities to reflect on what has come before, and to imagine what may transpire in the future. For some, an anniversary is a time for reconfirmation and reaffirmation of beliefs; for others, it is an opportunity to acknowledge the past and to move on. This weekend, industry analysts and volume buyers are returning from CES in Las Vegas, having just seen the multitude […]
If Paris is the capital of modern perfume then the Middle East, notably Mesopotamia and Egypt, were the hub in ancient times, stretching back 5,000 years. Le Grand Musée du Parfum in Paris charts some of that period with maps showing the sources and routes of myrrh, olibanum (frankincense), cinnamon, saffron and Indian spices to the ancient capitals of Alexandria, Babylon and Samarkand. Olibanum is an aromatic […]
Two senior Republican senators urged President-elect Donald Trump to punish Russia in response to U.S. intelligence agencies’ conclusion that President Vladimir Putin personally directed efforts aimed at influencing the outcome of the November election. In a joint appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain said evidence was conclusive that Putin sought to influence the election – a point that […]
More tourists from the Philippines, Pakistan and China visited Dubai in the first 10 months of 2016 compared to the same period last year, official figures from Dubai Tourism reveal. The Philippines reported a 19 percent increase in visitor numbers, growing from 262,000 to 311,000. They were closely followed by Pakistanis which registered 16 percent jump to 489,000 from 421,000. The third on the list were Chinese […]
Here are the big questions for investors ahead of the coming trading week. What impact will Donald Trump’s press conference have on markets? “I will be having a general news conference on JANUARY ELEVENTH in N.Y.C. Thank you.” That was how the president-elect last week [3] tweeted news of what is surely the first big market-moving event of the year — if it takes place. Mr Trump […]
Philippine police raided an Islamic centre in Manila and briefly detained scores of people as part of heightened security before a major Catholic festival, a spokeswoman said Sunday. Two men were arrested for illegal drugs during the raid on the Islamic Centre in the heart of Manila on Saturday, as authorities warned of possible attacks by Islamic militants when the Feast of the Black Nazarene reaches its […]
Last year was truly unforgettable. It is the year we celebrated Mara’s 20th anniversary and launched three new businesses: an infrastructure investment vehicle for Africa; an online jobs portal, Mara Jobs; and a last-mile delivery business, Mara Xpress. It is also the year we launched the inaugural Ashish J Thakkar Global Entrepreneurship Index 2016 to better understand entrepreneurial environments around the world. But perhaps what will stick […]
NEW YORK China’s Anbang Insurance Group is in talks to invest in a project to redevelop a flagship New York City building owned by Kushner Companies, the family real estate business run by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, according to a person familiar with the discussions. The talks to revitalize the 41-floor building located at 666 Fifth Avenue, were first reported by the New York […]
Good morning. Here’s our morning roundup of all the media news you need to know. Want to get this briefing in your inbox every morning? Subscribe here. Even when it comes to brutality, little is left to the media imagination these days. The latest example of the decline in consensus about the acceptable involves the Facebook video of a mentally disabled Chicago man who was attacked and […]
Inventor and CEO of Hoverboard Technologies, Robert Bigler unveils his GeoBlade transporter at the Consumer Electronics Show on January 6, 2017 in Las Vegas Hoverboards are aiming for a comeback after a series of debacles and recalls for the quirky wheeled personal transport devices. A handful of new self-balancing skateboard-like gadgets made their appearance at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. These personal […]
HELSINKI HMD Global, the Finnish company that owns the rights to use Nokia’s brand on mobile phones, announced on Sunday its first smartphone, targeted for Chinese users with a price of 1,699 yuan ($246). The launch marks the first new smartphone carrying the iconic handset name since 2014 when Nokia Oyj (NOKIA.HE) chose to sell its entire handset unit to Microsoft (MSFT.O). The new device, Nokia 6, […]
Russia has demanded Apple and Google to take down the app of LinkedIn, the professional social networking website that was blocked in the country last year, from local app stores. The move mirrors China’s request for Apple to remove apps by The New York Times from the country’s App Store. LinkedIn Taken Down From App Stores In Russia Smartphones users in Russia, whether they are using iOS or Android […]
Jared Kushner, son-in-law and advisor to President-elect Donald Trump, has held talks recently with one of China’s most politically-connected tycoons about a potential real-estate deal, raising fresh questions about conflicts of interest in the New York billionaire’s incoming administration. The 36-year old real estate developer, who is married to Ivanka Trump, met with Wu Xiahoui, chairman of Anbang, a privately owned Chinese conglomerate, as recently as November […]
HMD Global is launching the first Nokia smartphone since the Finnish-based company was sold to Microsoft in 2014, after securing exclusive rights to the Nokia brand. The 5.5-inch Nokia 6 will launch in early 2017, HMD Global announced on Saturday. It will only be available in China, as HMD said “it seeks to to meet the real world needs of consumers in different markets around the world.” […]
Alexa made its debut as the heart of the Amazon Echo—a family of internet-connected speakers that answer questions, run apps, and let people get weather reports or order goods on Amazon Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa is emerging as one of the big winners at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, cropping up in TVs, cars, fridges—you name it—in what may signal a breakthrough moment for the smart technology. […]
A round-up of major happenings in Pakistan in the last week. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Credit: PTI Panama Papers investigation After weeks of acrimony, the first day in office for new Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar was an unusually harmonious one, with all parties hailing the constitution of a new bench for the Panama Papers hearings that will resume on January 4. Nisar excluded himself from […]
WASHINGTON President-elect Donald Trump said he had a “constructive” meeting with members of U.S. intelligence agencies on Friday and plans to appoint a team to give him a plan to combat cyber attacks within 90 days of taking office on Jan. 20. “While Russia, China, other countries, outside groups and people are consistently trying to break through the cyber infrastructure of our governmental institutions, businesses and organizations […]
