One of the authors of the report was Richard Falk, an American law professor and former United Nations human rights investigator whom critics regard as an anti-Israel extremist. He has been refused entry to Israel for what Israeli leaders have described as his hostile point of view. Continue reading the main story The report comes amid a hardening polarization on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with […]
Retail stocks were once again heading straight for the discount bin on Wednesday. Struggling department store operator Macy’s was the day’s biggest decliner on the S&P 500, dropping 2 per cent to $30.32 following news that one-time suitor Hudson’s Bay now has its eyes on upmarket retailer Neiman Marcus instead. Shares in Macy’s, which have been languishing at six-year lows amid falling sales and profits, had rallied […]
Emirates on Tuesday advised passengers travelling to the United States to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport amid widespread cancellations caused by storm Stella. The Dubai-based airline is one of several airlines to be impacted by the storm which brought heavy snow and high winds to the northeastern area of the US. In a tweet, Emirates urged passengers to check on its […]
Image: Google My kids are spoiled when it comes to technology. I won’t dispute that fact. It’s part of having a dad who is constantly testing and reviewing new products. The three of them get to use the products as well, and at times, actively participate in testing. However, they don’t have the luxury of doing whatever they want, whenever they want on any electronic device. One […]
The preparations for Fireworks Wednesday started Tuesday afternoon when the gardeners carefully laid out seven small piles of sand near the square. Seven is regarded as a holy number in Iran’s pre-Islamic Zoroastrian faith. They then brought over several wheelbarrow loads of firewood. I noticed several of my neighbors peeking down from their balconies. Fireworks Wednesday is traditionally celebrated on the last Tuesday before the end of […]
Key points ● Treasury yields have fallen, with the 10-year yield lower by 9 basis points to 2.50 per cent● Market expectations for at least four Federal Reserve rate increases this year dipped to less than one-in-five● Wall Street has extended gains, S&P 500 gaining as much as 0.9 per cent to 2,387.23● US dollar falls across the board, with the dollar index down 1 per cent […]
(Image: CNET) The Amazon Echo was the first mass-market, consumer-level device responding to voice control with general purpose functions, such as playing music. It was launched in the US in 2015. Then, in 2016, Google released its competing device, Google Home. Framingham, Mass.-based digital agency Stone Temple collected 5,000 questions to ask both Google Home and Amazon Alexa. Itverbally asked the devices each question and noted many […]
Three-dimensional chip stacks could be used in computers in the future. Integrated microscale flow batteries could both power and cool them. Credit: IBM Research Zurich Researchers at ETH Zurich and IBM Research Zurich have built a tiny redox flow battery. This means that future computer chip stacks—in which individual chips are stacked like pancakes to save space and energy—could be supplied with electrical power and cooled at […]
While it may not be the very definition of irony, we do find the fact that the Atlanta Fed has just cut its Q1 GDP forecast from 1.2% to 0.9%, a number which if confirmed would be the lowest quarterly print in year, just two hours before the Fed’s rate hike quite humorous. As a reminder, the number was as high as 3.4% one and a half […]
Residents and office workers were evacuated from a high-rise building in Dubai Media City on Wednesday after a fire broke out. Reports on social media said that the fire, which started on the ninth floor of the Business Central Tower A in Dubai Media City, was minor and was put out by Dubai Civil Defence. A Dubai Civil Defence spokesperson was quoted by local media as saying […]
A grand jury in California has charged four people — including two Russian intelligence officers — in a pair of computer hacks against Yahoo that victimised hundreds of millions of consumers, the US Justice Department said on Wednesday. The men penetrated Yahoo’s email accounts, often using “spear phishing” emails, and used information they obtained to access other accounts at Yahoo and Google. Among those targeted were Russian […]
With the oil market showing signs of losing faith in a price rebound, Opec is now asking itself: what more can it do? Production cuts agreed late last year between some of the world’s biggest producers inside and outside the cartel, are losing their sway given the near 10 per cent drop in the Brent benchmark over the past week. Brimming global storage tanks and a resurgent […]
The feature also lets friends exchange money with people who use non-Gmail addresses. Image: Google Google’s Wallet-powered money exchange feature from Gmail on the web has come to its Android app. The feature lets Gmail users send and request money using the same process as attaching photos and other files. After selecting a recipient, the payee simply taps the attachment icon and selects either the “send money” […]
The men who fed a cat to dogs has been ordered to clean Dubai Zoo by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Sheikh Mohammed said the culprits will clean the zoo for four hours a day for three months as punishment for the act. In a series of tweets, the crime was described as “brutal and […]
Most of the South African taxpayers cited in the Panama Papers and identified as risky by the South African Revenue Service (SARS) had used a very similar offshore structure, which was facilitated by a single domestic intermediary, SARS disclosed on Wednesday. The information emerged during an engagement by three parliamentary committees with a range of government departments and agencies involved in the fight against illicit financial flows, […]
According to Google, background tabs are responsible for up to a third of Chrome’s power use on a desktop. Image: Google Google has begun to throttle some background tabs in Chrome as part of a plan to reduce its browser’s impact on power consumption. Chrome 57 introduces the first phase of its plan, which ultimately aims to kill background tab processing and reduce the browser’s impact on […]
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. Nate Silver’s “March Madness” analysis is out and, knock on hardwood, he’s not picking Hillary Clinton. I know, I know. Cheap (jump) shot. It’s that time of year when FiveThirtyEight, the ESPN-owned politics and sports data site founded by Silver, […]
Agricultural traders and investors are watching the debut of a new derivative product that will allow them to bet on the benchmark price of Black Sea wheat. Wheat is the largest traded grain on the international markets and Russia became the leading exporter last year. Russia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine — collectively known as the Black Sea region among grain traders — accounted for just under a third […]
It is fitting that just a few hours until the Fed’s second rate hike in two quarters, and one day after Goldman downgraded global stocks to Neutral for the next 3 months, not to mention with the results of the anticipated Dutch election due shortly, that global stocks as well as S&P futures are higher, while crude oil has finally managed to stage a rebound as the […]
Saudi Arabia’s Capital Market Authority (CMA) has received enquiries from companies from the Gulf Cooperation Council considering listing on its new parallel market, Nomu, a senior executive said on Tuesday. The companies were in the process of appointing advisers to support their potential listings, said Yarub Awadh Albadi, head of CMA’s initial public offering unit. The Nomu market, which launched on Feb. 26, is designed for small […]
Ride-sharing operator Grab has unveiled two new research facilities in Bangalore and Ho Chi Minh City, as well as plans to add more than 800 jobs across six of such centres worldwide over two years. The new hires would support four other R&D sites including Singapore, Beijing, Jakarta, and Seattle, the company said in a statement Wednesday. Its research efforts would focus on building out Grab’s transport […]
By Kevin Yao and Ryan Woo | BEIJING BEIJING China’s Premier Li Keqiang reassured investors on Wednesday that the world’s second-largest economy is strong and not at risk of a hard landing, while stressing Beijing’s support for globalization and free trade at a time of rising protectionism. Li also reiterated that China does not want a trade war with the United States, and urged talks with Washington […]
Released on March 3, the Nintendo Switch console has now reportedly managed to push 1.5 million units, which is an impressive figure for its first week, especially considering that Nintendo’s overall sales projection for March is just 2 million. The Nintendo Switch seems set to pass that mark altogether, possibly even sooner than expected. Nintendo Switch Sales Breakdown According to reports, 500,000 Switch units were sold in […]
Shares in Cathay Pacific fell as much as 6.9 per cent on Wednesday after the Hong Kong flag carrier swung to its first annual loss since 2008. The airline reported a net loss of HK$575m ($74m) for 2016 in the face of increased competition from mainland Chinese airlines and falling demand for its premium class seats. The net loss compares with a HK$6bn profit reported in 2015, […]
