The welcome After some confusion finding the valet parking service – the entrance is not where you would expect and signage is not straightforward – when I eventually pull up, I am attended to promptly and efficiently. At the reception counter, I’m greeted with a smile, but despite requesting an early check-in and having it confirmed before arrival, the room is not ready. After a 10-minute wait […]
By Roberta Rampton and Colin Packham | SYDNEY SYDNEY Denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula can still be achieved peacefully because of Washington’s new engagement with China, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Saturday, despite growing fears North Korea could soon conduct a new nuclear test. South Korea is on heightened alert ahead of another important anniversary in the reclusive North that could be the trigger for […]
MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan As many 140 Afghan soldiers were killed on Friday by Taliban attackers apparently disguised in military uniforms in what would be the deadliest attack ever on an Afghan military base, officials said. One official in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, where the attack occurred, said on Saturday at least 140 soldiers were killed and many others wounded. Other officials said the toll was likely to […]
By Angela Moon | NEW YORK NEW YORK Social media did not take kindly to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions referring to the country’s 50th state of Hawaii as just “an island in the Pacific.” Using the hashtag #IslandinthePacific, many on Twitter reminded Sessions that Hawaii is in fact part of the country, the birthplace of former President Barack Obama and home to Pearl Harbor. Sessions told […]
A lead sulfide quantum dot solar cell developed by researchers at NREL. Credit: Dennis Schroeder Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have developed a proof-of-principle photoelectrochemical cell capable of capturing excess photon energy normally lost to generating heat. Using quantum dots (QD) and a process called Multiple Exciton Generation (MEG), the NREL researchers were able to push the peak external quantum […]
21 April 2017 Total has reinforced its ongoing commitment to research and development (R&D) at Heriot-Watt University after the energy company signed a five-year partnership agreement with the University’s Institute of Petroleum Engineering. Worth a minimum of £2.5m, the agreement follows over two decades of research partnership and recognises the world-class research being undertaken at the University which has a campus in Dubai. It will cover global […]
Oil producers are moving closer towards agreement on extending the Opec-led deal to limit output, Saudi Arabia’s energy minister said on Thursday, as the cartel battles excess stockpiles and a resurgent US shale industry that have weighed on prices. Khalid al-Falih said the deal could be run for another three to six months beyond the end of June. Under the terms of the existing accord, Opec members […]
SYDNEY U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Saturday the United States would honour a controversial refugee deal with Australia, under which the United States would resettle 1,250 asylum seekers, a deal President Donald Trump had described as “dumb”. Pence told a joint news conference with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in Sydney that the deal would be subject to vetting, and that honouring it “doesn’t mean […]
DETROIT A federal judge in Detroit on Friday sentenced Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) to three years’ probation and independent oversight for the German automaker’s diesel emissions scandal as part of a $4.3 billion settlement announced in January. The plea agreement called for “organization probation” in which the company would be overseen by an independent monitor. The sentencing was one of the last major hurdles to VW moving past […]
Judges in the town of Ivrea, northern Italy, have finally reached a verdict in the case of telecom executive Roberto Romeo, who lost his hearing after the removal of a brain tumor. The Italian court ruled the plaintiff’s brain tumor was caused by the excessive use of mobile phone. The decision, handed down April 11, was made public only nine days later, on April 20, and can […]
By Dan Levine and Mica Rosenberg | SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK President Donald Trump’s travel ban on citizens of six Muslim-majority nations faces its second challenge at a U.S. appeals court next month, and this time more Republican states are backing the measure, while one Democratic state attorney general dropped out of the legal fight this week. Some legal experts say the states’ realignment could […]
PANAMA CITY A Panamanian court has granted bail to the two founders of Mossack Fonseca, the law firm at the centre of the Panama Papers scandal, in a case allegedly tied to a sprawling corruption scandal in Brazil. Following their February arrest on charges of money laundering, Jurgen Mossack and Ramon Fonseca each paid $500,000 on Friday and will be set free later in the day, the […]
By Lindsay Dunsmuir | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON The United States has strongly signalled it will continue to support Ukraine, Finance Minister Oleksandr Danylyuk said on Friday, adding that the war-torn country had a “good, pragmatic” relationship with Washington. Ukraine has previously expressed some nervousness about the possibility the Trump administration might try to cut a deal with Russia over Crimea and the eastern part of Ukraine that has […]
The list of celebrities coming out as cannabis users is growing like a weed. Anne Hathaway appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen on Thursday, which just so happened to be the unofficial stoner holiday 420. While on the show, Hathaway played a game called “Plead The Fifth.” The game is simple, Cohen asks her three questions, she has to answer two of them, and […]
Two pillars — Trump and China — have supported a bounteous few months for global portfolio investors. But the hope invested in both is starting to fade, casting a bearish tinge over what nevertheless remains a largely optimistic picture. In the case of Donald Trump, expectations that the US president would act swiftly to push though tax reforms, deregulation and bold infrastructure investments are starting to ebb […]
MOSCOW Russian state news organisation Rossiya Segodnya said on Friday it objected to a Reuters article it said had falsely claimed that Kremlin-backed media had tried to influence the 2016 U.S. election. A Reuters spokesperson said the news agency stood by the story which reported exclusively on April 19 that a Russian government think tank controlled by Vladimir Putin had developed a plan to swing the election […]
A Qatari hunting party kidnapped in southern Iraq in 2015 has been freed and was being handed over to a Qatari delegation in Baghdad on Friday, a senior interior ministry official told AFP. Sources close to the negotiations said their release was part of a far-reaching regional deal involving the release of prisoners and the evacuation of civilians in neighbouring Syria. “The interior ministry has received the […]
By David Morgan | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Friday promised a big announcement about tax reform next week and ordered an administration review of Obama-era tax rules written to discourage U.S. companies from relocating overseas to cut their tax bills. “We’ll be having a big announcement on Wednesday having to do with tax reform. The process has begun long ago, but it really formally begins […]
Elon Musk has been working on a human-computer brain interface called Neuralink, aiming to link human brains to artificial intelligence. Neuralink aims to hook up the human brain to AI through micron-sized devices and the potential applications hold great promise. For instance, AI could serve as an extension of the human brain and help with certain brain injuries stemming from a stroke, cancer lesions, or other health […]
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for April 22, 2017, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film screenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun. Ellen Fortini rounds up 10 things to do today in the UAE. Want to see your event listed here? Email us with the details and contact information at [email protected] newslide Al Ain Concert Get tickets […]
United Continental chief executive Oscar Munoz will not automatically assume the role of chairman in 2018 as previously planned, as the airline group also introduced plans to more directly link employee bonuses to customer experience. The moves come less than a fortnight after the company became the centre of a storm over the forcible removal of a passenger from a crowded United flight, as well as a […]
While geopolitical concerns and French election uncertainty are factors, The Wall Street Journal notes that many markets are flashing red on growth as investors begin to return to pre-election bets on the ol ‘new normal’ – a persistently weak economic expansion. There are clear signs that the sugar rush of Donald Trump’s victory and global-growth hopes has faded, raising doubts among some investors about whether stocks can […]
Apple has obtained a permit to test self-driving vehicles, putting the iPhone maker in competition with Google and others. Pictured here is an autonomous vehicle on a test run north of London Apple has joined the list of companies with permits to test self-driving cars in California, according to an updated roster released on Friday by state officials. The iPhone maker has disclosed little about its ambitions […]
21 April 2017 Washington – CIBOK Editorial Committee today announced its establishment and the 1st edition “Cybercrime Investigation Body Of Knowledge” (CIBOK) published work. CIBOK is designed to provide a new standard for law enforcement organizations and enterprises around the globe with knowledge, skills and behaviors required to solve or prevent today’s complex and sophisticated cybercrime. The CIBOKfirst edition publication is available in English and Japanese. “As […]
