DUBAI // Drivers are sharing cars, using public transport and even moving house in response to this month’s increase in petrol prices, a survey suggests. Nearly one in five would consider car pooling or using school buses, and nearly a quarter would use public transport more often. One in five intend to reduce their commute by moving to a home closer to work or to public transport […]
A Palestinian hunger striker whose deteriorating health has posed a challenge to Israel’s policy of indefinite incarceration had agreed to give up his fast, one of his lawyers said Thursday as doctors said his condition had improved significantly. The end of the fast by the hunger striker, Mohammad Allan, came a day after Israel’s Supreme Court temporarily suspended the administrative detention order he was protesting. The lawyer, […]
LONDON — In a significant indication of warming Western relations with Iran after a deal limiting its nuclear program, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond will reopen Britain’s embassy in Tehran, probably on Sunday, British officials said Thursday. Four years ago, in November 2011, the ambassador’s residence there was ransacked and the British flag burned by protesters angry about the economic sanctions imposed on Iran in response to its […]
EY, a leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services, has acquired Seren, an international digital consultancy based in the UK with a significant footprint in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region. Seren has been working closely with governments, banks and media organisations in the Mena region to drive digital business transformation through a customer-centred approach to design, said a statement. Gerard Gallagher, Mena advisory […]
Ooredoo, a Qatar-based leading telecom group, has announced that its Maldives operation won an Internet Service Provider licence from the Communication Authority of the Maldives (CAM) earlier this month. The company received the licence after a competitive bidding process, which saw Ooredoo come out ahead of national and international competition, the company said. Ooredoo has established a strong presence in the Maldives in the mobile broadband sector […]
The UAE, which leads the Arab world for network readiness, must take full advantage of the potential offered by ICT solutions to drive social and economic transformation, according to experts. Considerable challenge is facing the UAE as it seeks to develop the infrastructure, institutions, and skills needed to reap the full benefits of ICTs, added senior executives from Cisco, a global leader in IT. Out of 143 […]
The recent action taken by the UAE to eliminate fuel subsidies has rekindled the debate on tax reform in the GCC, with the focus on domestic implementation of a broad-based Value Added Tax (VAT) on goods and services. While countries are facing an increasing amount of pressure on their national budgets, every GCC government understands the urgent need for fiscal-sustainability, added the report “VAT in the GCC […]
The UAE’s gross domestic electricity consumption has more than doubled over the past 10 years, and is expected to grow even more rapidly over the next five years as the country undergoes substantial population and economic growth, according to a recent study. The study by management consultancy Strategy&, formerly Booz & Company, revealed that energy usage in the UAE has grown at an annual average of four […]
The official launch date for the Gear S2 is still two weeks away, but Samsung is providing a sneak preview of its answer to the Apple Watch via a new video posted on its YouTube channel. Backed by a pulsing, techno-pop beat, the video shows a silver-tone digital timepiece with a round face, and teases at a number of features ranging from voice calls and messaging to […]
On opening day of the 2015 Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco yesterday, company CEO Brian Krzanich (pictured) gave attendees a look at a prototype smartphone integrated with an Intel RealSense 3D camera. The camera would be contained in a Google Project Tango smartphone. Holding up the prototype phone, about the size of an average Android smartphone, Krzanich said the device would “breaks the limits of what […]
Redmond is adding container support to its latest Windows Server 2016. The idea is to help developers deliver applications more quickly so they can keep up in a competitive landscape. Users will get the first public preview of Windows Server Containers in Microsoft‘s third technical preview of Windows Server 2016 and System Center 2016. The company is also integrating features such as Nano Server functionality and improving […]
UAE. The UAE’s gross domestic electricity consumption has more than doubled over the past 10 years, and is expected to grow even more rapidly over the next five years as the country undergoes substantial population and economic growth, according to a study by management consultancy Strategy&, formerly Booz & Company. The study reveals that energy usage in the UAE has grown at an annual average of 4% […]
UAE. The recent action taken by the UAE to eliminate fuel subsidies with effect from 1 August 2015 ignited the debate on tax reform in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Whilst these countries are facing an increasing amount of pressure on their national budgets, every GCC government understands the urgent need for fiscal-sustainability in the long-term. This urgency, according to Deloitte’s latest report “VAT in the […]
UAE. After a decade of finding bargains in real estate markets against the backdrop of a secular weak US Dollar, as well as a regime of declining interest rates, foreign investors in the last year have faced the prospect of sharply higher housing prices in Dubai, as their nations’ currencies have fallen against the US dollar. In times of a weak dollar market, real estate prices have […]
RIYADH // President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi has commended the UAE’s contributions in Yemen and praised the level of relations between the countries. The Yemeni leader said his meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, during his recent visit to the UAE had “widened the horizons of the distinguished relations between the two countries”. Mr Hadi […]
ABU DHABI // Parents need to know more about childhood development to determine the difference between normal behaviour and problems such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, say medical experts. ADHD is believed to affect about 9 per cent of children around the world. In 60 per cent of the cases, the disorder continues into adulthood, affecting people’s personal and professional lives. The problem is often characterised by […]
This device turns your TV into a large touchscreen tablet, allowing you to control everything with a swipe and a tap. Just clip it to the top of your TV and gain full touch control. Don’t sweat about greasy screens – you don’t have to actually touch the screen, just get close to it with a simulated tap. Touchjet Wave can also be controlled remotely using your phone. […]
Amnesty International issued a scathing report Tuesday on the Yemen conflict, accusing all armed antagonists there of complicity in war crimes, including indiscriminate attacks on civilians. The report, “Nowhere Safe for Civilians,” called on the United Nations to establish a panel of inquiry to “independently and impartially investigate alleged war crimes committed during the conflict.” Donatella Rovera, a senior researcher for Amnesty who has worked in many […]
WASHINGTON — Senator Robert Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey, said on Tuesday that he would vote against the nuclear accord with Iran. “At the end of the day, what we appear to have is a rollback of sanctions and Iran only limiting its capability, but not dismantling it or rolling it back,” Mr. Menendez said, according to prepared remarks of a speech he delivered at Seton Hall […]
WASHINGTON — Partisanship has become the pre-eminent scapegoat for American political failure, an all-purpose explanation for Washington’s inability to act. Yet in rare circumstances, it can actually guarantee action. So, notwithstanding an acrimonious debate, polarization makes the United States’ acceptance of the Iran nuclear deal very likely. That is because the mechanism for congressional consideration, agreed on by Republican leaders and the White House, reverses the typical […]
DUBAI // A man was stabbed to death by his roommate because he turned on the bedroom light and disturbed him, Dubai Criminal Court heard on Tuesday. Prosecutors said that at about 10pm on April 9 Indian F K, 29, victim M Y, also Indian, and a third roommate, R R, were in their accommodation in Dubai Investments Park preparing to sleep when a fight broke out. “F K turned off […]
MoneyGram, a global provider of money transfer and payment services, said its customers will now be able to send and receive funds at Al Noor locations in Baghdad, Basrah and Najaf in Iraq. Maher Haddad, senior regional director at MoneyGram, said: “The remittance industry in Iraq is growing and our presence in the country is growing with it to provide more choices for customers who need to […]
SpeedCast International, a leading satellite telecommunications service provider, has won a multi-year communications contract from Gulf Marine Services (GMS). The new dual-beam Ku-band satellite service will provide high-performance broadband connectivity for client office applications and voice services across nine GMS barges, said a statement. GMS is one of the largest providers of self-propelled, self-elevating accommodation jack-up barges in the world, it said. The vessels work in offshore […]
China’s Lenovo Group will lay off 10 per cent of white-collar staff after sales of Motorola handsets fell by a third, raising doubts over the personal computer giant’s bet that a money-losing brand it bought for nearly $3 billion will help it become a global smartphone leader. Shares in the world’s biggest maker of PCs slid nearly 9 per cent on Thursday after it said its quarterly […]
