SoFi, the biggest and the brashest of a new breed of online lenders in the US, has sealed a $500m funding round, giving it firepower to push into new products and markets including Canada and Australia. The private San Francisco-based company last received a big shot of funds — its fifth — in September 2015, when SoftBank of Japan led a $1bn round, the biggest in the […]
In a war in which the United States has sought to minimize its own military footprint, this militia has become the American military’s ally of choice in northern Syria and its best hope of taking Raqqa in the coming months. Continue reading the main story But the budding alliance has drawn the United States deeper into the complex politics of northern Syria and prompted furious objections from […]
Credit: shatterered.io Today, researchers at the Dutch research institute CWI and Google jointly announce that they have broken the SHA-1 internet security standard in practice. This industry standard is used for digital signatures and file integrity verification, which secure credit card transactions, electronic documents, GIT open-source software repositories and software distribution. CWI cryptanalyst Marc Stevens says: “Many applications still use SHA-1, although it was officially deprecated by […]
Iraqi fighter jets struck Isis positions in neighbouring Syria on Friday, in what officials said was retaliation for a spate of car bomb attacks in the capital Baghdad. The air strikes coincided with Iraq’s ground forces pushing deeper into the western half of Mosul and reaching the first residential districts. Iraq’s second city, a critical Isis stronghold split by the Tigris river, is divided between government forces […]
Photo Christian families who had left El Arish, in northern Sinai, arriving at a church in Ismailia, Egypt. Credit Ahmed Aboulenein/Reuters CAIRO — Dozens of Egyptian Christian families fled their homes in the northern Sinai Peninsula on Friday, driven by a targeted campaign of Islamist violence that has killed at least seven people in recent weeks. People flooded into a church compound in the city of Ismailia, […]
Two years after Donald Trump was booed at an influential conservative event, the US president returned to the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday for a victory lap. But his rambling address, at an event that was more campaign rally than detailed presentation of policy, struck a jarring note at the end of a week that saw a semblance of orthodoxy from the new administration. While his […]
By Ahmed Aboulenein | ISMAILIA, Egypt ISMAILIA, Egypt Christian families and students fled Egypt’s North Sinai province in droves on Friday after Islamic State killed the seventh member of their community in just three weeks. A Reuters reporter saw 25 families gathered with their belongings in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia’s Evangelical Church and church officials said 100 families, out of around 160 in North Sinai, […]
Business A self-flying drone taxi will begin transporting passengers around Dubai this summer. The head of Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority said that self-flying taxis would start taking people across the city this July, 2017. The drone will be a customised Ehang 184. The Ehang is a drone that can fly without any human input, and carry a single passenger (weighing up to 100kg) and a bag. […]
The revelation that Kim Jong Nam was killed with the deadly nerve agent, VX, transforms a brutal piece of internecine political bloodletting into something with far broader implications. Although it denies responsibility, few doubt the North Korean regime is responsible — and is flashing signals to its enemies. “It is more than just killing someone,” said Patricia Lewis, research director at policy institute Chatham House. “This was […]
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman starts a month-long Asian tour on Sunday to build ties with the world’s fastest growing importers of Saudi oil and promote investment opportunities, including the sale of a stake in its giant state firm Saudi Aramco. The octogenarian monarch, who has overseen the launch of an ambitious economic reform plan since his accession two years ago, is expected to visit Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan […]
RIYADH Saudi Arabia’s King Salman starts a month-long Asian tour on Sunday to build ties with the world’s fastest growing importers of Saudi oil and promote investment opportunities, including the sale of a stake in its giant state firm Saudi Aramco. The octogenarian monarch, who has overseen the launch of an ambitious economic reform plan since his accession two years ago, is expected to visit Malaysia, Indonesia, […]
DUBAI: A group of men arrested for taking part in dangerous car stunts in Dubai has been ordered to clean the streets for a month. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the ruler of Dubai, issued the order after a video emerged of a motorist driving in circles at high speed in wet weather. The driver and his passengers have been ordered to clean the streets for four hours […]
For years, it was something in the olive oil. Scientists, puzzled by the lengthy lifespans of Mediterranean communities, pointed to the condiment as a key ingredient in the elixir of life. Then there was Japan, whose lengthy spell at the top of global longevity rankings was put down to its citizens’ low-fat diet and love of raw fish. Now, with South Koreans storming to the top of […]
JERUSALEM — The Israeli government has denied a work visa to an investigator for Human Rights Watch, a prominent advocacy organization, accusing the group of engaging in “Palestinian propaganda.” Human Rights Watch, which has worked in Israel for three decades, denied the accusation, calling the visa rejection “part of a pattern” of actions by the right-wing government in the country to hinder the work of rights groups. […]
TOKYO Asian shares took a breather on Friday, slipping from 1-1/2-year highs as material shares were hit by sudden falls in copper and other commodity prices while investors assessed Washington’s stance on tax and currency policies. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS was down 0.5 percent, giving back part of this week’s gains, though it is likely to log its fifth straight weekly advance. […]
Submitted by Daniel Mitchell via The Foundation for Economic Education, Early last month, in a column on my hopes and fears for 2017, I fretted about fiscal chaos in Italy leading to default and bailouts. Simply stated, I fear that Italy, along with certain other “Club Med” nations, has passed the point of no return in terms of big government, demographic decline, and societal dependency. And this […]
February 24, 2017 by: Nic Fildes, Telecoms Correspondent Shine Technologies has reversed roles, revealing it will stop selling its popular ad-blocking technology to telecoms companies, and instead launch an advertising service. The Israeli company backed by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing built its name as one of the leading companies in the ad-blocking sector, automatically filtering marketing from the screens of smartphones. Its technology was embedded at […]
We may be about to witness the extinction of a very rare bird indeed: the $1m Monaco home. Savills agent Irene Luke hasn’t seen one on her books for several years. “We’re selling a parking space for €190,000,” she says, “so you’re not going to get very much for a million dollars.” Luke taps at a computer, trawling through all sorts of listings the public doesn’t have […]
February 24th, 2017, Dubai, UAE International leadership coaches Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, Kate Sweetman and happiness expert Alexander Kjerulf will be among key speakers at the 12th Human Capital Forum MENA. The forum will gather HR professionals from the MENA region to discuss their latest challenges including change management, employee engagement, training & development and maintaining a high-performing workforce in a tough economic climate. The forum is taking […]
Hotels in the UAE saw revenue and room rates drop during January but occupancy levels were boosted by strong performance in the smaller emirates of Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah, according to latest data from analysts STR. Average daily rates (ADR) across the UAE hospitality market fell by 8 percent last month to AED711.80 while revenue per available room (RevPAR) decreased by 7.5 percent to AED577.09, […]
The deadly nerve agent VX was used in the murder of the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s brother, investigators in Malaysia said on Friday. Analysis of swabs from Kim Jong Nam’s eyes and face found VX, a chemical weapon, according to a preliminary report. It is described by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as “the most potent of all nerve agents”, with a […]
That leaves many governments invested in vague hopes that such a settlement, however rickety or superficial, will somehow stop the metastasis of the Syrian crisis and ease fears of Islamic State terrorism — often conflated with concerns about ordinary Syrian refugees — that have fueled the rise of right-wing politicians. Photo Syrian refugees live in makeshift tent settlements in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Credit Diego Ibarra Sanchez for […]
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, February 23, 2017-( ME NewsWire) Sustainability reporters across the globe have been using the GRI Guidelines for the past 15 years. GRI reports have been published from more than 90 countries around the world, with thousands of organisations referencing the guidelines to create the leading framework for sustainability reporting. The Guidelines are specifically referenced in policy or regulation in more than 40 countries […]
Rex Tillerson, US secretary of state, struck a conciliatory tone during a visit to Mexico, saying the neighbouring countries had an opportunity to upgrade their economic relationship. After meeting Mexican officials during his second mission as the top US diplomat, Mr Tillerson said the countries had agreed to “seize the opportunity to modernise and strengthen our trade and energy relationship”. His remarks came just after President Donald […]
