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Can Technology Solve India’s Biggest Problem? India’s government is giving a unique ID to each of its 1.2 billion citizens, creating the world’s largest biometric data set. But some are questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to use technology to solve the country’s most critical problems: poverty and corruption. Photo: Karan Deep Singh/The Wall Street Journal By Gabriele Parussini Jan 13, 2017 12:56 pm IST 0 COMMENTS […]

Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., 13 January 2017  Lawmakers from around the world are meeting today in Abu Dhabi to discuss the policies needed to support the transformation of the global energy system. Held the day before the opening of the seventh Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the 2017 Legislators Forum, “Renewable Energy – the Role of Legislators in Catalyzing Action”, is the second meeting of […]

The rollout of India’s new biometric identification system is not without problems as outlined in a story in The Wall Street Journal Friday. One of the biggest reasons there are still issues with the biometric IDs–which are already being used widely to distribute subsidies for food and fuel–is the sheer scale of Aadhaar. (via WSJ)

In this Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015, file photo, 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokees appear on display at a Fiat Chrysler dealership in Doral, Fla. On Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017, the U.S. government alleged that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles failed to disclose that software in some of its pickups and SUVs with diesel engines allows them to emit more pollution than allowed under the Clean Air Act. The Environmental Protection […]

Filipino-American pop superstar Bruno Mars is tipped to perform at this year’s Miss Universe pageant, which will be held in Manila’s Mall of Asia Arena on January 30. The rumours emerged after Department of Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo told the press that the pageant had booked a pop star from the United States with Filipino lineage to perform at the beauty pageant. “The singer from America is […]

Barack Obama has ended a longstanding US policy that allowed Cuban nationals who reached the US to be eligible automatically for residency, putting a final stamp on his foreign policy legacy. “Effective immediately, Cuban nationals who attempt to enter the United States illegally and do not qualify for humanitarian relief will be subject to removal, consistent with US law and enforcement priorities,” the White House said in […]

The proposal — opposed by businesses that make and use the solvent — comes eight years after the European Union approved a ban on sales of methylene chloride paint strippers to consumers and companies, with the exception of businesses using it in industrial sites with protective equipment and other cautionary measures. The chemical is also known as dichloromethane. The would-be rule is the third the EPA has […]

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Consumer Reports on Thursday says it now recommends Apple’s new MacBook Pro laptops to consumers, after Apple issued a software fix that resolved the laptops’ battery issues. After evaluating three models back in December, Consumer Reports refused to recommend them. While the laptops were impressive in areas such as display quality and performance, there were wild variations in battery life. Consumer Reports’ tests showed the battery life […]

By Patricia Zengerle | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON The Obama administration on Thursday announced the repeal of a measure granting automatic residency to virtually every Cuban who arrived in the United States, whether or not they had visas, ending a longstanding exception to U.S. immigration policy. The end of the “wet foot, dry foot” policy, which allowed any Cuban who reached U.S. soil to stay but returned any picked […]

Donald Trump’s upcoming presidency has led many investors to size up oil, coal and gold trades that could benefit from the sweeping changes he has promised. But a growing band of specialist commodity traders think investors may be overlooking the one raw material in line for bigger price gains than others when the US president-elect takes office: uranium. While interest in the key fuel for nuclear power […]

Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for January 13, 2017, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film screenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun. *Due to the national days of mourning, some events may not run as indicated. We suggest confirming with organisers in advance newslide Abu Dhabi Concert Get tickets for Jordi Savall – Ibn Battuta: The Voyager […]

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing in February. (Image: file photo) Despite pleas from privacy groups to rein in the US government’s surveillance powers before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, the Obama administration has done the opposite. The outgoing government will now allow the National Security Agency (NSA) to share raw globally intercepted personal data with the government’s other intelligence agencies. […]

By Patrick Rucker and James Oliphant | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON U.S. Senate Democrats on Thursday pressed Ben Carson, Donald Trump’s nominee to lead housing policy, on potential conflicts of interest between the agency he is set to run and properties in which the president-elect may hold a financial stake. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) hands out billions of dollars each year to developers and landlords. […]

Chatbots, collective intelligence and blockchain are some of the big technology trends that will change the way entrepreneurs run their businesses in 2017, says Klaus-Michael Vogelberg, chief technology officer at Sage. Vogelberg sees six major trends in 2017 that could make a big difference to the way business builders will work in 2017 and beyond. 1. Chatbots and autonomous interfaces Autonomous interfaces, such as chatbots or digital […]

By Phil Stewart and Patricia Zengerle | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon put Russia at the top of a list of threats to U.S. interests on Thursday and told Congress that America must be ready to confront Moscow where necessary, even as he backed Trump’s bid for better relations. The remarks by retired Marine General James Mattis were the latest by one of […]

Fernandez was surprised at the scale of the problems on the Westside and the apprehension of the residents who remember the unmet promises of the past. “This is a very racialized atmosphere — the rich, white billionaire going to save the black folks,” he said while driving past boarded-up homes and shuttered churches and shops. “You can only go the speed of trust and just weather the […]

ABU DHABI // “We are all proud,” said Suhaib Al Bastaki, son of Mohammed Ali Zainal Al Bastaki, who was one of the five Emiratis killed in Afghanistan on Tuesday. Al Bastaki was the deputy director general of the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation and had dedicated his life to humanitarian work. “My father travelled the world to help the poor and orphans everywhere. Every week […]

Global investors sold the dollar and sought government bonds and gold on Thursday in the wake of Donald Trump’s pre-inauguration press conference, revealing the first sign of buyers remorse for a reflation rally that has dominated global markets since early November. Mr Trump’s press conference, his first as president-elect, was held in New York’s Trump Tower on Wednesday and was dominated by his ties to Russia, his […]

By Susan Cornwell | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON The U.S. Senate on Thursday took a first concrete step toward dismantling Obamacare, voting to instruct key committees to draft legislation repealing President Barack Obama’s signature health insurance program. The vote was 51-48. The resolution now goes to the House of Representatives, which is expected to vote on it this week. Scrapping Obamacare is a top priority for the Republican majorities […]

By Gopal Sharma | KATHMANDU KATHMANDU Nepal fired the head of its earthquake reconstruction agency and named his predecessor to the job in a game of musical chairs that critics say is only making conditions worse for the survivors of the 2015 disaster. Thousands of homeless people remain in temporary shelters after the 2015 quakes that left 9,000 people dead and destroyed more than 626,000 homes, monuments […]

Lily, the autonomous camera drone that sold a whopping $34 million in preorders, has announced they are shutting down. In an email sent to customers about an hour ago, the startup says that they were unable to raise an additional round of funding which would have allowed them to start production of the drone. So they announced that they will be winding down the company, and offering an […]

Rex Tillerson has set the stage for a major diplomatic clash between Washington and Beijing after the nominee for US secretary of state said China should not be allowed to access islands it has built in the South China Sea. At his confirmation hearing before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, Mr Tillerson said China’s construction of artificial islands in the contested sea was “akin […]

Green Bay will surely throw more complicated — and more dangerous — things at Prescott on Sunday when the Packers visit the Cowboys for an N.F.C. divisional playoff game, but in one way, Elliott’s antics provided a perfect snapshot of Prescott’s remarkable season. Nothing seems to faze him. Spitballs. Winning streaks. Criticism after a tough night. Praise after a great day. “I don’t know,” Prescott said when […]

By Patricia Zengerle and Yeganeh Torbati | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson expressed views on Wednesday at odds with President-elect Donald Trump’s positions on key foreign policy issues like nuclear proliferation, trade deals, climate change and relations with Mexico. In a nine-hour Senate confirmation hearing, the former chief executive of oil company Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) said he favoured maintaining U.S. sanctions against Russia for […]

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