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 […]
By Gram Slattery | SANTIAGO SANTIAGO Chile’s government set to work on Monday repairing roads and restoring electricity to southern regions affected by a major earthquake that struck on Christmas Day, frightening thousands but resulting in no fatalities or major damage. The quake, a magnitude 7.6 centered off Chiloe Island northwest of Patagonia, caused thousands in the tourism and salmon farming region to evacuate to higher ground […]
Emirates airline has announced that it will operate the first ever commercial Airbus A380 flight to Morocco and North Africa, when it takes the iconic double decker aircraft to Casablanca on March 26, 2017. The airline’s flagship aircraft will replace the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft currently used on the Dubai-Casablanca route, offering increased seat capacity across all three cabin classes and an enhanced premium product experience. The switch […]
In January of 2016, the Bundesbank announced that three years after commencing the transfer of some of its offshore-held gold from vaults located at the Banque de France in Paris and the NY Fed in New York, it had repatriated a total of 366.3 tonnes, bringing the German central bank’s gold reserves held in Frankfurt to 1,402 tonnes, or 41.5% of Germany’s total gold of 3,381 tonnes, […]
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 […]
It is easy to forget there was a time in the UAE before big concerts such as Coldplay’s New Year’s Eve performance that will rock du Arena on Saturday night. That major shows put on by world-class acts such as The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Rihanna and Justin Timberlake were not always the norm in the UAE. The country has become such a regional entertainment hub in […]
MILAN/LONDON On the morning of July 29, former Italian Industry Minister Corrado Passera was traveling in a high-speed train toward the medieval city of Siena, racing to meet the directors of the world’s oldest bank to present them with a rescue plan. Monte dei Paschi di Siena, Italy’s third-largest lender, was destined to be wound down within months unless it could raise billions of euros and pull […]
ABU DHABI // Parking in the capital will be free all day on New Year’s Day. Residents can park for free from midnight on Sunday, January 1 until 8am on Monday, January 2. New Year’s Day will be a holiday for all federal ministries and departments, as well as the private sector. Official work will resume on Monday, January 2, it was announced last week. The Integrated […]
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 […]
JERUSALEM: In the days following the UN Security Council’s resolution affirming the illegality of Israeli settlements, it is business as usual as the Jerusalem municipality is expected to approve about 5,600 more homes.Israeli officials acknowledged that the move to expand the settlements in East Jerusalem was a direct response to the Security Council Resolution 2334 that was approved by 14 countries — Britain, Russia, China, France, Egypt […]
China’s land ministry will automatically renew residential leases set to expire next year, temporarily dispelling homeowners’ concerns about an erosion of their property rights. In an announcement at the weekend, the land ministry said that 20-year residential property leases in the eastern city of Wenzhou would be automatically extended without charge, ending speculation that homeowners would face steep renewal fees equivalent to one-third of their property’s value. Ever […]
By Jake Spring | NINGDE, China NINGDE, China A dusty village on the outskirts of Ningde, a third-tier city in China’s southeast, seems an unlikely place for the headquarters of a potential global leader in future automotive technology. Yet China’s top-down industrial policy diktats – move up the value chain, clean up polluted urban skies, and shift to plug-in cars – have Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL) […]
But with few spies in the city, American officials say assessing the enemy is difficult. “We’ve spent a lot of time trying to understand the situation on the ground in Raqqa,” Lt. Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian, the air war commander, said in an interview from his headquarters in Qatar. “It’s improving. It’s still not at the level we’d like it to be.” Continue reading the main story […]
A Dubai-based developer has announced a partnership with wellness real estate and technology firm Delos to introduce wellness inspired homes to the UAE over the next five years. MAG Property Development said the first project to be carried out by the partnership will be the residences at MAG of Life Creek Resort, the world’s largest wellness concept in Dubai Healthcare City phase 2. The MAG of Life […]
ArabPlast 2017 promises an international participation accentuated by the presence of the giant operators in the industry of plastics, petrochemicals and rubber Dubai, UAE, 25 December 2016 As the biggest plastics, petrochemicals and rubber industry exhibition in the MENA region, ArabPlast 2017 is set to bring together the key players, experts and industrials in the field from around the world, between 8th-10th January at Dubai World Trade […]
Qatar’s Nebras Power said on Sunday its subsidiary Nebras Power Netherland BV had completed the acquisition of a 35.5 percent stake in Indonesia’s largest independent power producer, PT Paiton Energy. PT Paiton Energy owns a 2,045 MW thermal power plant. Nebras announced the acquisition in a bourse statement. In October, Nebras’ chief executive Khalid Jolo told Reuters the company planned to acquire the stake from France’s Engie […]
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for December 26, 2016, including Christmas attractions, food markets, art exhibitions, fitness events, performances, film screenings and family fun. newslide Abu Dhabi Film screening Catch a screening of The Patience Stone. The film is about a young woman in a country torn apart by war, who watches over her comatose husband and begins to tell him […]
By Stephen Kalin | EAST OF MOSUL, Iraq EAST OF MOSUL, Iraq This is the third Christmas that Staff Sergeant Magdiel Asencio is spending in Iraq. For Sergeant First Class Noel Alvarado, it is number four. And so it is with many U.S. troops stationed less than a hour’s drive from the front line with Islamic State. Few thought they would be back nearly 14 years after […]
COTABATO CITY—The grenade explosion that left a police officer and 11 others injured outside a Catholic church in Midsayap, North Cotabato, on Christmas Eve was meant for the police, a local official said. Midsayap Mayor Romeo Araña told reporters that the main target of the attack by two men riding a motorcycle were the police officers who were part of the security during the Christmas Eve Mass. […]
A Russian military aircraft crashed into the Black Sea on its way to Syria on Sunday, and none of the 92 people on board were expected to have survived, according to the Russian defence ministry. Among those on board the Tupolev-154 were members of the well-known Alexandrov Choir, who were to perform at Hmeymim air base. From that base, in Latakia province, Russia has flown most of […]
SANTIAGO An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.7 struck 225 km (140 miles) southwest of Puerto Montt in southern Chile on Sunday, United States Geological Survey said. A tsunami warning was issued for areas within 1,000 km (621 miles) of the epicenter of the quake, the U.S.-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. The Chilean Navy also issued a tsunami warning. The quake’s depth was about 15 […]
AMMAN Syrian President Bashar al Assad told Russia on Sunday he was saddened by the crash of a Russian military plane on its way to Syria but the countries’ fight against Islamist militants would not be affected. In a condolence message sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Assad said the two countries were partners in the “fight to lay the foundations of stability, security and peace” in […]
A Russian military plane carrying 92 people, including dozens of Red Army Choir singers, dancers and orchestra members, crashed into the Black Sea shortly after takeoff from Sochi on its way to Syria on Sunday, killing everyone on board, Russian authorities said. Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said one of its TU-154 Tupolev planes had disappeared from radar screens at 0525 MSK (9.25 p.m. ET), two minutes […]
