By RICK GLADSTONE April 25, 2016 Iran said on Monday that it would seek to sue the United States at the International Court of Justice at The Hague to prevent the distribution of nearly $2 billion in impounded assets from Iran’s central bank to compensate American victims of overseas attacks. Distribution of the impounded assets, which the United States Supreme Court validated in a decision last week, has enraged […]
A 3D plastic representation of the Facebook logo is seen in this illustration in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, May 13, 2015. Reuters/Dado Ruvic Facebook Inc (FB.O) is developing a stand-alone camera app, similar to disappearing photo app Snapchat, to increase user engagement, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The app, being developed by Facebook’s “friend-sharing” team in London, is in its early stages […]
By MICHAEL D. SHEAR April 25, 2016 HANOVER, Germany — The United States will significantly increase the number of military personnel, including Special Forces, in Syria to fight the Islamic State, President Obama said on Monday as he concluded a six-day trip to the Middle East, Britain and Germany. Mr. Obama, whose comments came in a speech in which he pressed for European unity, said that he would add 250 […]
ABU DHABI // Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, on Monday visited Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, at his Al Bahr Palace majlis in Abu Dhabi. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, accompanied Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and […]
Today at Auto China 2016, Nissan unveiled the all-new Tiida, announced a Maxima launch, and further strengthened their presence in China through their Intelligent Mobility platform. Tiida is an example of Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility initiative, whereby the automaker envisions a world free from emissions and vehicular fatalities. “With Intelligent Mobility, we are making this vision a reality,” said Daniele Schillaci, Executive Vice President, Global Marketing & Sales, Nissan […]
Verizon Deploys OpenStack NFV in 5 U.S. Data Centers Working with Big Switch Networks, Dell and Red Hat, Verizon said it has just wrapped up “the industry’s largest-known” network functions virtualization (NFV) OpenStack cloud deployment across five of its data centers in the U.S. NFV enables network services typically provided by separate devices like routers, firewalls and load balancers to be delivered through a virtual machine environment. […]
DUBAI // “Passing the buck” on fire safety will be halted by the updated Fire and Life Safety Code to be released next month. A new section on responsibility puts the onus on consultants and developers as well as residents – owners and tenants – to keep a building safe from fire. In another key provision, the main consultant, manufacturer or supplier of fire safety material, plus […]
U.S. Health & Human Services Goes Salesforce for $100M CRM Upgrade The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) recently announced an agency-wide $100 million Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for Salesforce subscriptions. The agreement will allow HHS operating staff and personnel in other divisions to purchase Salesforce products and services through a central purchasing vehicle. The agency said the agreement will help streamline CRM (customer relationship management) […]
By TIM ARANGO April 25, 2016 BAGHDAD — Iraqi forces, backed by American airstrikes and advised by American officers, have been making strides in Anbar Province, slowly taking back territory from the Islamic State. But in Falluja, a city in Sunni-dominated Anbar that has been in the hands of the Islamic State longer than any other in Iraq or Syria, civilians are starving as the Iraqi Army and militias […]
UAE. End of Service Gratuity (Gratuity) is a statutory severance pay across most Middle Eastern jurisdictions and one which is conceptually analysed as akin to a retirement savings scheme or pension scheme. This article explores some of the common pitfalls and tricky issues which arise in relation to statutory Gratuity in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under Federal Law No.8 of 1980 Regarding the Organisation of Labour […]
NASA and the U.S. Department of State were among the federal agencies that received low marks on IT security, according to a recent report card issued by the New York-based firm Security Scorecard. Also receiving low grades were the states of Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Washington. The 2016 U.S. Government Cybersecurity Report, released earlier this month, analyzed the cybersecurity vulnerabilities of some 600 local, state and federal government […]
A generic picture of a Xerox logo on a photocopier. TECOM Reuters/Catherine Benson/Files Xerox Corp reported a 4.2 percent fall in quarterly revenue, hurt by a strong dollar and lower sales of printers and copiers, sending its shares down 12 percent in morning trade. The company is focusing on its services business, which offers business process outsourcing and document outsourcing, as sales of printers and copiers, its […]
DUBAI // Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, wants driverless transport to account for 25 per cent of journeys in the emirate by 2030. The announcement was made on the opening day of the second Mena Transport Congress and Exhibition, an event organised by the Roads and Transport Authority – as a 10-seater driverless vehicle went on a trial run in the emirate. […]
The Lexus NX is a vehicle of firsts for the luxury brand from Toyota. It was the first compact crossover from Lexus, the first with a turbocharged engine, and the first example of a more extreme design language. This new, aggressive exterior styling is now showing up on other Lexus models, like the new RX 350 F Sport we tested earlier this month. While some won’t like […]
A Toshiba Corp logo displayed on one of its television sets is seen through a vehicle in Tokyo, Japan, November 26, 2015. Reuters/Toru Hanai/Files TOKYO Toshiba Corp, in a hurry to raise cash before closing its books for the business year that ended at the end of last month, was able to structure the sale of its medical equipment business to Canon Inc in an unorthodox way […]
BANGKOK After more than two years of riding high on growing demand for cloud data storage, Thailand’s hard disk drive exporters are bracing for a fall from grace. Data due later on Monday will likely show Thai exports of hard disk drives (HDDs) in March extended a run of double-digit growth after jumping 45 percent in the first two months of 2016 to $1.1 billion. The rise […]
DUBAI // He may be a desert explorer and 11-time world record holder, but there was one thing about Max Calderan that all the pupils at a primary school wanted to know – was he ever bitten by a snake? The answer was yes, but three days later it was the snake that died. The Italian adventurer recently became the first person to cross the 340-kilometres Tropic […]
UAE. JLL, the world’s leading real estate investment and advisory firm, today released its first quarter (Q1 2016) Dubai Real Estate Market Overview report, assessing the latest trends in the office, residential, retail and hotel sectors. In Q1 2016, it has been observed that most segments continue to soften across the Dubai market, but long term outlook still remains positive due to future growth drivers. Commenting on […]
UAE. The latest Global Economic Conditions Survey from ACCA and IMA, released today, found that more half of firms are either cutting or freezing employment, while only 14% are increasing investment in staff. Responding to the findings, Faye Chua, ACCA head of business focus said: “Take North America out of the equation and the economic picture painted by this survey isn’t a pretty one. Emerging markets are […]
INTERNATIONAL. There are now approximately 1,300 corporate venture funds worldwide and in 2015 US$28b of corporate venture capital (CVC) flowed into over 1,300 deals across a range of sectors[1]. The growth in the CVC market is explored in a new EY report, The Innovation Paradox, which, through data analysis and in-depth interviews with a range of corporate fund managers, looks at the variety of strategies, approaches and […]
DUBAI // A man wrecked the bowling centre where he worked, smashing windows, televisions and setting chairs on fire, when his employer refused to change his visa status, Dubai Criminal Court heard on Sunday. The 27-year-old Egyptian was working at Dubai Bowling Centre but only had a visit visa. When the manager refused to offer him a residency visa after a few months, he allegedly started tearing […]
DUBAI // A 22-year-old Emirati soldier is accused of raping an Ethiopian woman he claims was his girlfriend, while his friend is charged with attempting to rape her. The soldier denied rape at Dubai Criminal Court, telling judges that they were in a relationship and often had consensual sex. The Emirati co-accused, 20, denied attempted rape charge. Prosecutors said the incident occurred on November 29 last year […]
In 1900, John and Horace Dodge founded the Dodge Brothers Company in Detroit, Michigan. They jumped into the mix of a budding automotive industry, attracting the attention of Olds Motor Vehicle Company and Ford. The Dodge bothers later became an exclusive supplier to Ford but that relationship was never meant to be. “I am tired of being carried around in Henry Ford’s vest pocket,” declared John Dodge […]
A Volkswagen logo is pictured at Volkswagen’s headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, April 22, 2016. Reuters/Hannibal Hanschke BEIJING Volkswagen AG is optimistic that its positive sales trend from the two previous quarters will continue in China, the world’s biggest auto market, its China chief Jochem Heizmann said on Sunday. Volkswagen also plans to invest 4 billion euros ($4.49 billion) with its joint venture partners in China this year, […]
