OTTAWA The Bank of Canada may not be known for its humor but it marked the nation’s 150th anniversary with a bit of whimsy, embedding a computer code in its website that lets users unlock a digital celebration. Though Governor Stephen Poloz unveiled a commemorative C$10 banknote at a live ceremony last week, the central bank’s Web team had a nerdier take on the event. The team […]
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for April 21, 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 Abu Dhabi Kids’ fun Take […]
Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science Arthur Sinodinos has told ABC radio he does not want see any unintended consequences trickle into Australia’s tech sector as a result of the abolition of the current 457 visa program. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced he was scrapping the existing Temporary Work (Skilled) 457 visa on Tuesday, replacing it with a new Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa in March 2018. […]
I read a quote that said: “If you think you’re too big for the small jobs, then maybe you are too small for the big jobs.” The quote was a play on words to state that someone who thought certain types of work were below them didn’t have the mentality, maturity, or experience to earn a high-profile job. We have two problems in the Gulf countries when […]
TOKYO Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday sent an offering to a controversial shrine to Japan’s war dead seen in China and the two Koreas as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism, a move likely to spark protest, Kyodo news agency reported. The offering at the Yasukuni Shrine spring festival came as Japan seeks greater cooperation with China and South Korea in the face of rising […]
President Donald Trump has tried to ban people from certain Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. and has begun deportation raids, following through on his campaign promise to creating a more cautious, less open America. Recent migrants to the country are starting to worry how far the measures will go and some Indians are worried that the skilled-worker visas they use to enter the country could become […]
DUBAI // The UAE’s youth have the will, knowledge and culture to carry the vision of the country’s leadership into the future, said Dr Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. Addressing Emirati youth at an open dialogue session to encourage political participation, held at Etihad Museum, Dr Gargash answered questions on the challenges facing the country and the running of the Federal National Council. “Young […]
WASHINGTON The United States is aware of a higher-than-usual level of activity by Chinese bomber planes, signalling a possible heightened state of readiness, U.S. officials told Reuters on Thursday, but downplayed concerns and left open a range of possible reasons. None of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, suggested alarm or signalled that they knew the precise reason for such Chinese activity. Those possibilities include […]
Poynter on Thursday announced a final list of 21 local news organizations that will participate in the Poynter Local News Innovation Project, receiving guidance from the Institute to help them transform their newsrooms into digital-first enterprises. The program, a project of the Knight-Lenfest Newsroom Initiative, is designed to spur digital transformation in local news organizations and will include tiny, low-circulation newspapers as well as major metros. Here’s […]
A secret court that oversees the US government’s legal surveillance requests rejected a record number of applications last year, according to new figures. Newly released data by the US Courts show that the Washington DC.-based Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA court) rejected nine applications during the final year of the Obama administration’s tenure. It’s the largest number of requests the FISA court has denied in its entire […]
BEIRUT Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and hardline rival Ebrahim Raisi were both approved to run in May’s presidential election by a government vetting body, while former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was disqualified, state media reported on Thursday. The approval of Rouhani, a moderate, and Raisi, a political hardliner thought to have the backing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sets up a showdown between rival political camps. Four […]
The US has set the stage for a global showdown over steel, launching a national security investigation that could lead to sweeping tariffs on steel imports in what would be the first significant act of economic protectionism by President Donald Trump. The decision to use a 1962 law allowing the US government to limit imports that threaten its security readiness is intended to deliver on Mr Trump’s […]
Feb 15, 2017 11:46 am IST India’s space agency on Wednesday launched a record 104 satellites from a single rocket as it crossed another milestone in its low-cost space-exploration program. The satellites from seven countries were carried by the Indian Space Research Organization’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle on its 38th consecutive successful flight. The mission reinforces India’s emerging reputation as a reliable and cost-effective option for launching […]
There’s little doubt from the budget offered last month that Donald Trump wants to take the government in some radically different directions than that of his predecessor in the Oval Office, Barack Obama. Trump’s initial blueprint for fiscal year 2018 calls for massive increases in military spending and immigration enforcement, along with hefty reductions in foreign aid, environmental protection and a grab bag of social programs. But beyond the […]
When Anne Burton Walsh read about a new program being offered at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP in the firm’s alumni newsletter last fall, “I felt as though I had written it in a dream,” the New York attorney recalled recently. The email said the firm was looking for women who had previously worked at Davis […] (via WSJ)
Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) has announced a contribution of AED330 million ($89.8 million) to implement development projects and programmes in key sectors in Somalia, particularly infrastructure and transport. The funding underpins efforts to improve public services, create new job opportunities and ensure stability and social development, state news agency WAM reported on Wednesday. It said the contribution aims to help Somalia overcome the economic challenges […]
Ahmad Al-Rubaye/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images Among the reasons DynCorp gave for the declination to prosecute in the filing were the voluntary disclosure it made, an internal probe and steps the company took to enhance its anti-corruption compliance program. (via WSJ)
A couple of weeks ago, the authority that oversees broadcast licensing in Germany concluded that internet streaming services should be subject to the same licensing imposed on broadcast radio and television. The focus is on Twitch.tv which exemplifies this new paradigm; according to a press release, the Germans see streaming platforms as little more than tiny TV stations operating without a license. This […]
SYDNEY Australia plans to raise the bar for handing out citizenships by lengthening the waiting period, adding a new “Australian values” test and raising the standard for English language as part of a shake up of its immigration programme. The move comes in a week when Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced axing a temporary work visa popular with foreigners and replacing it with a tougher programme in […]
April 20, 2017 The UAE Banks Federation (UBF), a professional body representing 49 member banks operating in the UAE, today hosted a high-level delegation from SWIFT, the global provider of secure financial messaging services. The delegation – led by Mr. Alain Raes, Chief Executive for Europe, Middle East and Africa and Asia Pacific for SWIFT – met with UBF’s executive management and chairmen of concerned technical committees […]
In a lab deep within Tata Consultancy Services’ landscaped campus in the western Indian city of Pune, 16 recent graduates are experimenting with new technologies that are shaking up a flagship national industry. TCS, the largest of India’s powerful IT services companies, set up the lab 18 months ago to enable new starters to work on the “internet of things”, the field of connected machines and appliances that […]
SEOUL U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United States was looking at ways to pressure North Korea over its nuclear programme as North Korean state media warned the Americans of a “super-mighty preemptive strike”, saying don’t “mess with us”. U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a hard line with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who has rebuffed admonitions from sole major ally China and […]
Last Friday, New York legislators agreed on a budget that includes funding for tuition-free education at public colleges and universities. That plan, the Excelsior Scholarship, maintains most of the features of a proposal Governor Andrew Cuomo introduced earlier this year, including tuition-free enrollment at the City University of New York and State University of New York systems to students of families earning up to $125,000 per year. […]
DOHA, 20 April, 2017 The annual Middle East Forum supports the worldwide movement to improve quality and safety in healthcare and will host healthcare improvement experts and innovators from around the globe during the three day conference from May 5 to 7 2017. The Ministry of Public Health, Primary Health Care Corporation, Sidra Medical and Research Center, World Innovation Summit for Health, and Qatar Biobank will be participating in […]
