April 23, 2017 by: Anne-Sylvaine Chassany in Paris Emmanuel Macron will go head-to-head against Marine Le Pen in the run-off election for French president on May 7 after qualifying in Sunday’s first round vote. Mr Macron, an independent centrist, came out on top with 23.7 per cent of the vote ahead of Ms Le Pen, the far-right leader, on 21-22 per cent, according to three estimates for […]
Scientific evidence of a ‘higher’ state of consciousness has been found in a new study. Using brain imaging technology, researchers measured the tiny magnetic fields produced in the brain and found that, across three psychedelic drugs, one measure of conscious level — the neural signal diversity — was reliably higher. Source
Saudi Arabia and Oman will lead the GCC’s multi-billion dollar investments in cultural tourism, with a series of projects to develop new world-class attractions, according to a new report. The research, compiled by Colliers International, said Saudi Arabia is ready to invest up to $2 billion – one of the highest commitments of any government to cultural tourism in the region – with a number of projects […]
Image: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images By Chloe Bryan, Tricia Gilbride, and Laura Vitto2017-04-23 13:09:48 UTC All dogs are good, but some dogs are the best. Using a unique and complex algorithm that we cannot disclose (just kidding, we picked 50 dogs from the American Kennel Club website, gave each a score out of 10, then argued with each other in the case of a tie), we have ranked […]
Airtel is India’s fastest mobile network, offering average total download speeds of 6.15Mbps, according to network coverage mapping company OpenSignal’s first public report into the Indian telecommunications market. Airtel topped both the 4G download speed and 3G download speed categories, at 11.53Mbps and 4.77Mbps, respectively, while Jio took home the 4G availability gong and Vodafone India won in the 4G latency and 3G latency categories. OpenSignal drew […]
23 April 2017 Ras Al Khaimah, UAE – Novel international group, a leading highly diversified investment company from China, has signed an agreement with Al Marjan Island (AMI) Company to acquire 720.000 sq. Ft. of landon the man-made island in RasAl Khaimah. Alan Feng, Director, Novel company said that: “Our Group aims at enlarging its presence overseas via high standing partnerships, joint venture and other projects. The […]
What are the best ways to reduce spam? How can we work together to reduce this threat and create a more trusted Internet? Last October, in the vibrant city of Bangkok, the Internet Society joined regulators for an in-depth conversation about how to eliminate spam and its harmful effects. Our kind hosts were the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and the International Institute of Communications (ICC). […]
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for April 23, 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 Art exhibition See […]
When North Korean traders give Li Jian long lists of the goods they want to buy, he checks the items against a 236-page Chinese translation of the UN sanctions imposed after Kim Jong Un’s regime conducted a sixth nuclear weapons test in September. “If it’s on the sanctions list, we can’t provide it,” Mr Li said from his office in downtown Dandong, the Chinese border city through which […]
LONDON Britain’s Theresa May appeared on course to win a crushing election victory in June after opinion polls put support for her ruling Conservative party at around 50 percent, double that of the opposition Labour party. May’s decision to call a June 8 election stunned her political rivals this week and a string of polls released late on Saturday suggested the gamble had paid off, with one […]
DUBAI // School classes taught in Arabic across the UAE must use only the modern standard form of the language, regulators say. Previously, modern standard was typically only spoken by teachers who taught the language. The new rule now applies to classes such as Islamic studies and UAE social studies. Arabic should be the communication language, said Minister of Education Hussain Al Hammadi. “Some teachers use their […]
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has warned overseas organisations selling to Australia that noncompliance with the proposed GST Low Value Goods legislation amendment may result in their websites being blocked. The comments were made in response to a question posed by the Senate Economics Legislation Committee on Friday, which is looking into the Treasury Laws Amendment (GST Low Value Goods) Bill 2017 that will see goods under […]
The weekly EIA report showed a surprise rise in gasoline inventories and a further rise in oil production, which rattled oil bulls. Image: Shutterstock 22 April 2017 Big commodity swings have been witnessed during the past month, not least in the farm sector where bloated global stocks and the prospect of another bumper year — weather permitting — have led to heavy selling by hedge funds […]
“Thousands of new doors opened and rents soared. This created a bubble, and like housing, that bubble has now burst.” – Richard Hayne, Urban Outfitters CEO, March 2017 The devastation in the US retail sector is accelerating in 2017, and in addition to the surging number of brick and mortar retail bankruptcies, it is perhaps nowhere more obvious than in the soaring number of store closures. […]
Around 10,000 scientists and their supporters marched through London on Saturday — one of more than 500 demonstrations worldwide celebrating “robustly funded and publicly communicated science as a pillar of human freedom and prosperity”. As the London demonstrators marched from the Science Museum to Parliament Square, they waved hundreds of colourful placards made in labs and homes across Britain, with messages ranging from “Nature isn’t fooled by […]
The top 100 start-ups in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) together have raised over $1.42 billion in funding and each has raised more than $500,000 individually, according to new research. Following a record year of more than $870 million in startup investment, analysts MAGNiTT published a report into the backgrounds of the founders of MENA’s most successful start-ups. It said the 100 start-ups, including the […]
After sitting through a course in table manners last week, I’m confident I have previously ruined many chances to impress at formal dinners simply because I did not sit down properly or forgot to place my napkin to the left of the plate when I was ready to leave the table. Participants at the Dining Like A Diplomat workshop, organised by the Protocol School of Washington in […]
Challenging market conditions have led to flexible and revised approaches from landlords across Muscat in an effort to entice prospective tenants, according to real estate consultancy Cluttons. The Cluttons Muscat Spring 2017 Property Market Outlook has identified an increasing flexibility of finance terms, as landlords work to ensure high occupancy rates at a time of weaker demand across the real estate market. It said subdued economic activity […]
The recent split judgment of the Pakistan Supreme Court, giving the country’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif breathing space by appointing a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe the Panama Papers’ claims of financial irregularities by him and his family, has changed the strategic scenario in the country. The JIT comprises members of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan […]
22 April 2017 Kuwait – Gulf Bank’s salary account promotion has been receiving great feedback from customers; a true testament to the great value of this offer. Running until 31st December 2017, the salary account has been tailored for the Kuwaiti customers with a minimum salary of KD500, whereby they are entitled to enter a draw and win the biggest salary cash prize in Kuwait of KD250,000 […]
Only a minority of the world’s pipelines can be cleaned with pigs like this one. Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto Around one-third of the world’s gas pipelines can be inspected using ‘pipeline pigs’. These cylindrical devices have figured in three James Bond movies, in one case being modified to secretly transport a person across borders. Back in the real world, the problem is that the other two-thirds of the […]
NEW YORK United Continental Holdings Inc (UAL.N) said on Friday Chief Executive Oscar Munoz will not become chairman in 2018, under an amendment to his employment agreement approved after an uproar over the treatment of a passenger. In a reversal of his earlier employment agreement, Munoz has opted to leave “future determinations related to the Chairman position to the discretion of the Board,” United said in a […]
ABU DHABI // National Service recruits and volunteers have come away from military training with greater discipline, patience, appreciation for those serving in the Armed Forces, and life-long friends. After months of physical and technical training at Armed Forces’ National Service centres across the country, Emirati conscripts said the time in service had had a profound effect on their physiques, attitude and outlook. Hadi Al Badi, a […]
ABU DHABI // An app that helps Syrian refugees find jobs in Turkey and a device that limits water consumption were named winners at the New York University Abu Dhabi Hackathon. Eighty students from universities across the globe participated in the seventh edition of the event. Ten teams were given 72 hours to produce technology that promotes a social good. With the Hiat application, recruiters and businesses […]
