By Diana Asonova | YAKUTSK, Russia YAKUTSK, Russia For millennia, extinct mammoths lay undisturbed in the permafrost in Russia’s Yakutia region. They have now turned into a source of wealth, and the local government is keen to start tapping it. Mammoth ivory is highly sought after for use in trinkets and jewelry, especially in Asia. The material is promoted by people in the trade as an ethical […]
SEOUL North Korea demanded on Thursday the handover of “terror suspects” who plotted to kill leader Kim Jong Un with a biochemical substance, repeating accusations it made last week that U.S. and South Korean spies were behind the plan. The North’s KCNA news agency last week accused the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and South Korea’s National Intelligence Service of a plot to assassinate its “supreme leadership” with […]
By Leigh Thomas and Matthias Blamont | PARIS PARIS While street demonstrations are mainly a younger person’s domain in France, when it comes to protest voting by spoiling ballots, the over 65s appear to be the most active age group. Turned off by the choices on offer in the country’s most unusual presidential election run-off in decades, the segment of voters most likely to have protested by […]
By Michele Sinner and Julia Fioretti | LUXEMBOURG/BRUSSELS LUXEMBOURG/BRUSSELS Uber provides a transport service and must be licensed, the European Union’s top court said on Thursday, in a potential blow to the U.S. firm which says it is merely a digital enabler. “The Uber electronic platform, whilst innovative, falls within the field of transport: Uber can thus be required to obtain the necessary licenses and authorizations under […]
A one-of-a-kind 3D printer built at the University of Minnesota can print touch sensors directly on a model hand. Credit: Shuang-Zhuang Guo and Michael McAlpine, University of Minnesota, “3D Printed Stretchable Tactile Sensors,” Advanced Materials. 2017. Copyright Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA. Engineering researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed a revolutionary process for 3D printing stretchable electronic sensory devices that could give robots the […]
There can’t be many global brands that have the means, or even the inclination, to shut down an entire city block in Los Angeles – but that is precisely what Hermès did earlier this year. As part of its touring spring/summer 2017 men’s collection, for one night, Hermès transformed a forgotten warehouse in Los Angeles into DwnTwnMen LA, an interactive exhibition, fashion show venue and art space. […]
By Tom Perry and Laila Bassam | BEIRUT BEIRUT Lebanon is on the brink of crisis again with its politicians at odds over an election law at the heart of the nation’s sectarian system, threatening to leave the country without a parliament for the first time. Parliament’s term expires on June 20 and without a compromise Lebanon faces what one minister has called the most serious political […]
YEKATERINBURG, Russia A Russian court on Thursday gave a suspended jail sentence to a blogger who was detained after he played the Pokemon Go video game inside a Russian Orthodox church in 2016. Ruslan Sokolovsky was found guilty of inciting religious hatred after posting a video on YouTube where he is seen playing Pokemon Go game on his cell phone in a church. The video scored more […]
Ericsson has launched its “dynamic orchestration” solution, which the networking giant said will allow mobile telecommunications carriers to migrate to 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) applications by virtualising their networks. Ericsson’s self-professed “ambition to lead IT transformation services” led it to develop the solution, which delivers cloud-based software and professional services on demand and in real time, with the solution working across hybrid networks and multiple […]
By James Pearson and Ju-min Park | SEOUL SEOUL Like many other Americans who came to teach at the foreign-funded Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST), Kim Hak Song was a Christian missionary who raised money from a church to come to North Korea. Kim had been running PUST’s experimental farm before he was detained on Saturday, travelling by train from Pyongyang to China’s border town […]
BT’s own goals cost the boss dearly. FT Opening Quote, with commentary by Matthew Vincent, is your early Square Mile briefing. You can sign up for the full newsletter here. Two months ago, all Paris St Germain had to do to reach the quarter finals of the European Champions League was not concede three goals in the final 2 minutes of their match against Barcelona. Barcelona’s ensuing […]
By Ben Blanchard | BEIJING BEIJING When leaders of 28 nations gather in Beijing next week for a summit to map out China’s ambitious new Silk Road project, one question is likely to be on attendees’ minds – what exactly is the Belt and Road Initiative? Proposed in 2013 by President Xi Jinping to promote a vision of expanding links between Asia, Africa and Europe underpinned by […]
By Nandita Bose | WHEATON, Ill. WHEATON, Ill. German grocery chain Aldi Inc is trying to beat the world’s biggest retailer at its own game: low prices. Already with 1,600 U.S. stores, Aldi has set a minimum target of selling groceries at a 21 percent discount to its U.S. rivals, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N), Chief Executive Jason Hart told Reuters. His strategy, previously unreported, centers on […]
The grand finale of NASA Cassini spacecraft has set one more milestone after the successful second dive on May 2 between the Saturn and its rings. With its camera — equipped with CL1 and CL2 filter — pointed at its rings and away from the planet’s surface, Cassini offered amazing images with an eerie touch. The second dive also gave Cassini a broader proximity to the planet’s outer […]
The number of automatic teller machines (ATMs) in the UAE has increased by 67 in the past year, according to the country’s central bank. In a statement run by state news agency WAM, it said the UAE now has a total of 5,211, with the increase in ATMs “another indicator of the growth of business sentiment in the country”. The central bank statistics also said that up […]
A shake-up of the overarching Israel Broadcasting Authority — widely considered an outdated and wasteful enterprise — has been decades in the making. At one point it was said to have had up to 18 unions for about 1,800 employees. Israeli officials and experts across the political spectrum said that reform was essential. Continue reading the main story But the way it is unfolding appears chaotic and […]
YANGON The International Committee of the Red Cross has asked Myanmar to let aid workers get access to people caught up in conflicts that have displaced tens of thousands despite a transition that brought Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to power. Authorities have blocked the ICRC from areas under the control of ethnic minority forces and from visiting some prisoners, the organisation’s president, Peter Maurer, told […]
Domino’s DRU autonomous robot (Image: Domino’s) Domino’s has announced that its autonomous delivery vehicle is now operating commercially, delivering pizzas to customers in Hamburg, Germany. The robot delivery system was created in partnership with Starship Technologies, a European startup founded by two of Skype’s co-creators Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis in 2014. “Robotic delivery units will complement our existing delivery methods, including cars, scooters, and e-bikes,” Don […]
11 May 2017 The Bahrain based leading Islamic banking group, Al Baraka Banking Group B.S.C (ABG) announced that it achieved a total operating income of US$ 249 million during the first quarter of 2017 and the total financing and investments recorded slight increases at the end of March 2017 compared to end of December 2016. Al Baraka Banking Group has continued during the first quarter of 2017, […]
Vice President Leni Robredo’s trust rating remains to be ‘good’ based on SWS’ classification Patty Pasion Published 12:54 PM, May 11, 2017 Updated 1:03 PM, May 11, 2017 DECLINE. Trust ratings for Vice President Leni Robredo slid down by 15 points based on the lates survey by the Social Weather Stations. Photo by Ben Nabong/Rappler MANILA, Philippines – The trust rating for Vice President Leni Robredo remains […]
By Amanda Becker | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON President Donald Trump’s dismissal of Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey has raised questions about the future of the agency’s probe into Russian attempts to sway the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion with Trump’s campaign. Democrats are worried Comey’s firing on Tuesday could jeopardize the ongoing FBI probe and have renewed calls for an independent investigation. Some Republicans have […]
By Douglas Busvine | DHARAMSALA, India DHARAMSALA, India Top U.S. lawmakers delivered a blunt message to China on Wednesday that they would not relent in their campaign to protect human rights in Tibet, calling for legislative and trade steps to press home their point. Nancy Pelosi, leading a bipartisan Congressional delegation to meet the Dalai Lama, vowed to stand by the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader even as […]
Stock markets in the Asia Pacific region were mixed on Thursday as energy stocks enjoyed a boost from improved crude prices. In Sydney the S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.7 per cent as energy stocks climbed 1.1 per cent. Shares in major banks were recovering from a drop brought on by a new levy announced on Tuesday night, with National Australia Bank up 1.1 per cent. Tokyo’s Topix […]
A professor at the American University of Sharjah (AUS) is set to begin an epic 5,400km run across the United States. Dr Nicholas Ashill, Professor of Marketing, is tackling the three-month journey to inspire people to dream big and to help families suffering from pulmonary fibrosis, state news agency WAM reported. The New Zealander, who is the Chalhoub Chair of Luxury Brand Management at the School of […]
