ABU DHABI // The UAE has held on to its top ranking for the region in a survey of pupils’ proficiency, but experienced a drop in its global placings for two subjects. Results from the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) released on Tuesday also show that UAE pupils continue to fall below the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average in the three subjects tested – […]
Solar panels, which convert sunlight into electricity, are a key player in the fast-growing renewable energy sector, which also includes water- and wind-generated electricity The climate-friendly electricity generated by solar panels in the past 40 years has all but cancelled out the polluting energy used to produce them, a study said Tuesday. Indeed, by some calculations, the so-called “break-even point” between dirty energy input and clean output […]
The vast majority of UAE-based CEOs are confident about prospects for their organisations over the next three years, according to the KPMG 2016 CEO Outlook report. The survey findings revealed that 76 percent of polled UAE-based CEOs – compared to 41 percent of global CEOs – believe that their business will change significantly over the next three years. The survey also found that UAE bosses believe that […]
Today digital transformation is a widely known concept. The growing connectivity of people, machines and even businesses has changed the demands of the markets. In order to keep up and stay competitive, business have to adjust to these demands by digitizing their processes and business models. But the digital transformation also holds a lot of new opportunities to grow or even establish new branches of business. Therefore […]
Every morning in the Philippines, a handful of bodies are found littering the streets. Their faces are often covered in black plastic tape. Sometimes there are signs of torture. Usually, they have been shot in the head. Few bother police – they are usually suspected of being responsible. No one, frankly, should be surprised that it is happening. The country’s democratically elected leader, after all, was elected […]
Beirut, Lebanon, December 4, 2016 : (ME NewsWire) During a special honoring ceremony held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Dubai, the publishers of Global Reinsurance and StrategicRISK announced the winners of the 2016 MEA Risk & Insurance Excellence Awards, honoring Mr. Farid Chedid, Chairman and CEO of Chedid Re, a Chedid Capital Holding company, as the ‘MEA Industry Achiever of the Year’. The prestigious title awarded […]
Don’t worry about the robots, worry about the humans. Image: iStock There’s a huge difference between the modest aims of the artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning being used today, and the grand ideas of creating an artificial general intelligence that could match — and then rapidly exceed – the capabilities of a human mind As they develop, AI and machine learning will be able to […]
· Family businesses are threatened by rapidly changing internal and external environments · Study by Strategy& (formerly Booz & Company) stresses the need for family businesses to identify priority areas for action to institutionalize and adapt · Strategy& suggests three focus areas for institutionalization: governance, strategy and corporate enablers · Although each family business has unique features, Strategy& has identified four archetypes of family […]
One of CES’ major trends over the last few years has been the connected car — the concept of adding Internet connectivity and networking to our vehicles. Stealing the spotlight this year was Nvidia, which launched the Drive PX 2 — an in-car artificial intelligence system. PX 2 is designed for automakers exploring autonomous driving and includes 360-degree situational awareness, deep learning and the processing power of […]
03 December 2016 The Roads and Transport Authority – Majdi Abu Zaid: The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai has recently signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with Khalifa University and the University of Dubai calling for stepping up cooperation in the field of robots and drones. The step is part of RTA endeavours to keep pace with the latest technological trends, share expertise with the academic […]
In London last month, Arabian Business was treated to a behind-the-scenes explanation of how in March Google’s AlphaGo computer programme thrashed the world’s best player at the ancient board game Go. The match represented a breakthrough in artificial intelligence (AI) research being undertaken by Google’s DeepMind since the start-up was acquired for a reported $400m in 2014. Go involves two contestants moving black and white stones on […]
It has been a bad week for Conservative Eurosceptics, their worst since their EU referendum victory in June. The sight of Zac Goldsmith, a leading Brexiter, losing his 23,000 majority in a by-election to the pro-European Liberal Democrats capped it. “The result doesn’t change anything,” said a Conservative spokesman, pointing out that Theresa May was still committed to starting Brexit by the end of March 2017, whatever […]
Frequent tornadoes and thunderstorms that kill people and destroy property have become a matter of grave concern. In the United States alone, the insured losses caused by severe thunderstorms have been put at $8.5 billion from the period between January to June 2016. A new study has tried a linkage between climate change and the increasing incidents of tornadoes. Calling for a deeper study on some meteorological factors, […]
Europe’s financial markets are bracing for Italy to reject the government’s constitutional reforms in Sunday’s referendum, with investors warning that an emphatic No vote risks a sharp sell-off in Italian assets. Although there has not been panic ahead of the vote, there are signs of some nerves among money managers and traders whose attention in recent weeks has been dominated by the reflation trade unleashed by Donald […]
Disaffected Hillary snowflakes at colleges and universities all around the country, many of whom surely cried themselves to sleep last night, woke up this morning to some of the best news they’ve received in weeks. According to a new study by the University of New Hampshire Carsey School of Public Policy, white people are dying off faster than ever in the U.S. Moreover, the biggest declines are […]
A worker holds part of a pair of trousers at PT Trisula Garmindo Manufacturing in Bandung, West Java province September 17, 2013. In PT Trisula International’s hangar-sized factory outside the western Indonesian city of Bandung, hundreds of workers stitch together clothes for some of the world’s top brands. Amid the clatter and hum of their machines are hopes for a renaissance that can restore Indonesia’s place among […]
Been on a safari? Swum with dolphins? Tracked bears in the wild? It’s time for something different, then. Luckily, there are plenty of new experiences being launched around the world. Swimming with humpbacks Ningaloo Reef, Australia The Ningaloo Reef has been one of the world’s best spots for swimming with whale sharks for a few years now, but this year, operators have been licensed to run swimming […]
Communication is broken, according to Twilio’s VP of Product Management Patrick Malatack, who thinks the root of the problem is that businesses are overlooking the fact that their customers are human. Speaking at StartCon in Sydney, Malatack said there’s a belief among businesses that personalised communication experiences are not scalable, that you can’t humanise communications and serve a wide customer base at the same time. “That’s no […]
Link to Fitch Ratings’ Report: 2017 Outlook: Middle East and North Africa Sovereigns 01 December 2016 Fitch Ratings-Hong Kong-30 November 2016: Persistent low oil prices will maintain economic pressure on the oil exporters of MENA, which together with limited fiscal reform and political risk, lead to a Negative Outlook for the region in 2017, Fitch Ratings says in a new report. With three of the 12 MENA […]
Expect deep, moody, saturated shades to dominate in 2017 – paint brand Benjamin Moore has named Shadow, a rich shade of amethyst, as its colour of the year. “Allusive and enigmatic, Shadow is a master of ambience. It is a colour that calls to mind a past, yet it can also make a contemporary, colour-confident statement,” says Helen Mullett, international marketing director of Benjamin Moore Paints. “Shadow […]
Salvatore Ferragamo is often mistaken for his iconic fashion designer grandfather and founder of the Salvatore Ferragamo fashion brand, who became known after his shoes because a must-have in Hollywood for actresses such as Katherine Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. Eighty-nine years later, Ferragamo’s grandson is nowhere near the fashion house. Instead, he heads the family’s $680m hospitality estate in Tuscany, Il Borro. The 700 hectares historic hillside […]
DUBAI // Pupils across the UAE continue to improve their maths and science skills, but are still performing below international average, according to a global study released on Tuesday. More than 600,000 students around the world participated in TIMSS, or the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Studies, a large-scale international assessment of mathematics and science education for pupils in grades 4 and 8 that is carried […]
Migrant workers categorize crayons at a toy factory in Dongguan, Guangdong province March 9, 2010. South China’s export stronghold Guangdong is experiencing labour shortages that could result in higher wages, but they are not as severe as reported by the media, provincial Communist Party boss Wang Yang said (Reuters/Joe Tan). Global trade and the supply chains that support it are undergoing a period of profound change. Supply […]
November 29, 2016 The UAE Banks Federation, the professional body representing 49 banks in the UAE, hosted today (Tuesday, November 29, 2016) its 4th CEOs Advisory Council Meeting in Dubai. The meeting provided an engaging platform to assess UBF’s progress in developing a unified approach to customer complaints, discussed the industry’s preparedness in cyber-security domain and reviewed latest developments in the sector. Speaking on the sidelines of […]
