In October 1938, the one-hour adaptation of H G Wells’s The War of the Worlds, directed by Orson Welles, was broadcast on CBS Radio in the United States. A story of aliens invading rural New Jersey rendered as news broadcasts and authentic-sounding updates, it was a little too convincing. There are legends of panic in the streets, mass hysteria and heart attacks. That may have been the […]
Photo A Marine patrol in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in 2011. A new deployment of Marines will replace an Army unit stationed there. Credit Peter Parks/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images KABUL, Afghanistan — Approximately 300 United States Marines will return this spring to help fight a resurgent Taliban in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, the site of a yearslong bloody campaign, American officials in Afghanistan said on […]
JERUSALEM A truck driven by a Palestinian rammed into pedestrians on a popular promenade in Jerusalem on Sunday killing four people, according to Israeli police who called it a deliberate attack. “It is a terrorist attack, a ramming attack,” a police spokeswoman said on Israel Radio. Police said the dead, three women and one man, were all in their twenties. An Israeli bus driver who witnessed the […]
Good morning. Here’s our morning roundup of all the media news you need to know. Want to get this briefing in your inbox every morning? Subscribe here. Even when it comes to brutality, little is left to the media imagination these days. The latest example of the decline in consensus about the acceptable involves the Facebook video of a mentally disabled Chicago man who was attacked and […]
How’s your weekend going? Redditor, Law School Graduate, and nimble navigator William Craddick (/u/PleadingtheYiff / brand new Twitter handle @williamcraddick) has made quite the name for himself on Reddit’s “The_Donald” forum. In just three short months, Craddick has managed to rack up over 153,000 “post karma” and 48k “comment karma,” which (if you’re not familiar) is impressive. The guy is an incredibly effective dot-connector, perhaps owing it to his legal training – often posting lengthy reads that […]
Uncover some of the cool new features hidden in iOS 10. It’s been nearly 10 years since I camped out in the rain to purchase the original Apple iPhone. We’ve seen the iPhone go from a MP3 player feature phone to a full blown handheld computer that is finding its way throughout the enterprise market. At my engineering consulting firm, we have a BYOD policy with IT […]
Sources within the Office of the Prime Minister speaking to The Malta Independent on Sunday have indicated that the audit commissioned into the financial affairs of Minister Konrad Mizzi will be published next month to coincide with a fact-finding mission to Malta by the European Parliament’s Panama Papers committee. The committee, named the PANA Committee, is due to visit Malta on 20 February. The […]
By Alex Dobuzinskis SeaWorld in San Diego will host its last killer whale performance on Sunday, the culmination of its promise to phase out the decades-old show after criticism of its treatment of the captive marine mammals. SeaWorld Entertainment Inc President and Chief Executive Officer Joel Manby said in 2015 that the company would replace its signature theatrical killer whale show at the San Diego park with […]
Britain’s three quoted major supermarkets are expected to report this week that they enjoyed solid Christmas trading, though investor concern about a potential squeeze on consumer spending in 2017 means the focus is on their outlooks. Shares in market leader Tesco (TSCO.L) and Morrisons (MRW.L), the UK’s fourth biggest grocer, soared 38 percent and 55 percent respectively in 2016, reflecting a recovery in trading. That coincided with […]
The reputation of the main hospital in Iten was so bad that the only people who went there were those who wanted to “die quickly”, says Alex Tolgos, the county governor. But four years since Kenya started what the World Bank calls “one of the most rapid and ambitious devolution processes” on the planet, the hospital in the western Kenyan town has been transformed. More than half the […]
PHILADELPHIA — A movement to pressure and isolate Israel was dealt a major setback on Saturday when the Modern Language Association, the United States’ largest scholarly group, took a step toward rejecting an academic boycott of Israeli institutions. After two hours of contentious debate and procedural jockeying at its annual meeting here, the group’s delegate assembly voted 113 to 79 against a resolution endorsing a boycott, which […]
VATICAN CITY Pope Francis says he realises he may be the target of an attack but that he will continue to travel without bulletproof vehicles or heavy security because he wants to get close to people. Unlike his predecessors, who used bulletproof popemobiles or limousines, Francis uses ordinary cars on international trips, often in contrast to the leaders who greet him. “I am aware of the risks […]
We are already witnessing the emergence of a digital divide: by 2020, every business will be either a digital predator or digital prey, according to Forrester Research. Digital disruptors are driving change everywhere, including in the Middle East, with people watching entertainment on Netflix, booking rides through Careem, and finding places to stay via Airbnb. However, according to a recent Forbes article, as many as 84 percent […]
By Joe Brock | JOHANNESBURG JOHANNESBURG The chances of South African President Jacob Zuma’s ex-wife, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, becoming the next leader of the African National Congress were given a boost on Saturday with the endorsement of the ruling party’s women’s division. The ANC will pick a new leader at a conference in December and, given its national dominance since coming to power at the end of apartheid […]
HELSINKI HMD Global, the Finnish company that owns the rights to use Nokia’s brand on mobile phones, announced on Sunday its first smartphone, targeted for Chinese users with a price of 1,699 yuan ($246). The launch marks the first new smartphone carrying the iconic handset name since 2014 when Nokia Oyj (NOKIA.HE) chose to sell its entire handset unit to Microsoft (MSFT.O). The new device, Nokia 6, […]
Photo The Raiders’ Connor Cook, the first quarterback in N.F.L. history to make his first start in a playoff game, was hit by Jadeveon Clowney. Credit Eric Gay/Associated Press HOUSTON — Brock Osweiler redeemed himself after last month’s benching. Jadeveon Clowney established himself as a postseason force. And the Houston Texans got their first playoff victory since the 2012 season, beating the Oakland Raiders, 27-14, on Saturday. […]
BAGHDAD: Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi said on Saturday an agreement had been reached with Turkey over an Iraqi demand that Turkish forces withdraw from a town near Mosul in the north of the country, Iraqi state TV reported.Abadi met his Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim in Baghdad. State television did not provide further details about the agreement over the town of Bashiqa, where Turkish forces have been […]
Oil started the first week of 2017 with a bang but ended it with a whimper, as the Opec fireworks that dominated the last quarter gave way to the more mundane reality of monitoring if the cartel will make good on its pledged cuts. Brent crude oil briefly touched an 18-month high above $58 a barrel on the first day of trading but there was little fresh […]
BAGHDAD Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Saturday an agreement had been reached with Turkey over an Iraqi demand that Turkish forces withdraw from the Bashiqa camp near Mosul in the north of the country, Iraqi state TV reported. However, a joint communique issued after Abadi met his Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim in Baghdad did not refer to any such deal, but said both sides stressed […]
HMD Global is launching the first Nokia smartphone since the Finnish-based company was sold to Microsoft in 2014, after securing exclusive rights to the Nokia brand. The 5.5-inch Nokia 6 will launch in early 2017, HMD Global announced on Saturday. It will only be available in China, as HMD said “it seeks to to meet the real world needs of consumers in different markets around the world.” […]
YAMOUSSOUKRO Heavy gunfire erupted early on Saturday near the main military camp in Ivory Coast’s second largest city, Bouake, where disgruntled soldiers launched an uprising a day earlier over salaries and bonuses, a resident and a soldier said. “The shooting is very heavy right now at the 3rd Battalion. I’m nearby and I hear it like it was right next to us,” resident Konan Benoit told Reuters […]
LAGOS A Nigerian militant group, which has claimed a wave of attacks on oil pipelines in the Niger Delta, said on Friday that it had asked its fighters to prepare to fight the “enemy” as authorities were not ready for dialogue. The Niger Delta Avengers had declared a ceasefire last year after staging major attacks on oil facilities crippling the OPEC member’s oil output in a fight […]
By Ange Aboa and Loucoumane Coulibaly | BOUAKE, Ivory Coast BOUAKE, Ivory Coast Disgruntled soldiers demanding salary increases and the payment of bonuses seized control of Ivory Coast’s second-largest city, Bouake, on Friday, in an uprising that spread to at least two other cities. A statement from Defence Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi read out on state television said a group of soldiers had used their weapons to force […]
Photo The Russian Olympic Committee headquarters and the Russian Athletics Federation office in Moscow. Credit Maxim Shipenkov/European Pressphoto Agency United States intelligence officials have determined that last year’s cyberattacks on the World Anti-Doping Agency originated with the Russian government, perpetrated in apparent retaliation for what President Vladimir V. Putin deemed to be an American-led effort to defame Russia for widespread doping. That conclusion was published Friday in […]
