Investors should invest in properties as prices are reasonable and the market is showing signs of recovery, according to an Omani real estate developer. Latest data released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information showed sales are up 124 percent to $19.99 billion (OMR7.7 billion) in the first ten months of 2016 from $8.83 billion (OMR3.4 billion) for the same period 2015. Mortgage deals jumped by […]
A new scientific approach uses a model inspired from Google’s algorithm to determine the degree of stability of the planetary systems. The researchers employed a machine learning technique in order to create a mechanism that is 1,000 times faster than traditional methods when it comes to predicting stability. The study, published Nov. 23 in the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters, was carried out at the University of Toronto Scarborough […]
Apple CarPlay, Image: Ford Apple in a November letter to US regulators publicly acknowledged work on autonomous vehicles for the first time, after years of reports surrounding Project Titan. Steve Kenner, Apple’s director of product integrity, sent a five page letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, urging regulators not to impose too many restrictions on self-driving as the iPhone maker begins testing the technology. “The […]
Photo Coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide after Alabama won the Southeastern Conference championship Saturday. The team will play in a national semifinal on Dec. 31. Credit Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images The College Football Playoff’s selection committee on Sunday announced the four teams that will contend for this season’s national championship: Alabama (13-0), followed by Clemson (12-1), Ohio State (11-1) and Washington (12-1). Clemson, the second […]
DUBAI // A national survey to measure happiness and positivity was announced by the Government on Sunday. Starting on December 12, about 14,000 people – including nationals, expatriates, visitors and tourists – will be polled across the country. The survey will be conducted with the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority as well as the Abu Dhabi and Dubai statistics centres, said Ohood Al Roumi, Minister of State […]
Italians and Austrians headed to the polls in closely watched votes on Sunday that will gauge the strength of Europe’s populist and extreme right political parties. Italy’s constitutional referendum on Sunday will determine the political future of prime minister Matteo Renzi and test anti-establishment parties in the eurozone’s third-largest economy. The plebiscite on Mr Renzi’s flagship overhaul — which would shrink the powers of the Italian senate […]
Bizarrely enough, it’s difficult to determine what constitutes a “small business” in the United States. The US Small Business Administration has a table of standards [PDF] that ranges from about 250 to over a thousand employees. On the other hand, the Affordable Care Act kicks in certain requirements for businesses with over 50 employees. So, what exactly is small? When I researched my book, How To Save […]
Philippine Vice-President Leni Robredo said she will resign as housing secretary on Monday after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered her to stop attending Cabinet meetings, a development that could galvanise opposition to Duterte. Robredo said she received a text message from Cabinet Secretary Jun Evasco relaying the president’s instruction. Not attending the cabinet meetings would make it impossible for her to perform her duties as head of the […]
Microsoft Ventures, Microsoft’s venture-funding group, has been adding more companies to its investment portfolio over the last couple of months. In May, Microsoft announced plans to create Microsoft Ventures, a small early-stage investment group targeting startups in the cloud, security and machine-learning markets. In October, Microsoft created a new site for its Ventures arm that listed 10 concerns in which it had invested to date. (At that […]
China’s state broadcaster CCTV, better known as a conduit for Beijing’s propaganda efforts, is growing an international network beaming soap operas and news to audiences as far afield as Africa, the Middle East and the US. China International Communications Co (CICC), the commercial arm of China Central TV, streams Chinese content from CCTV and provincial broadcasters to overseas Chinese audiences — and is now setting its sights […]
Hotels operating in the UAE continued to see declines in occupancy and room rates during October, according to the latest data from industry consultants STR. It said the UAE’s hospitality sector reported an occupancy dip of 2.9 percent during the month to 75.6 percent, while average daily rates (ADR) dropped 9.6 percent to AED668.05, the lowest for an October since 2005. As a result, revenue per available […]
Sennheiser’s new MB 660 UC wireless headset is a serious piece of kit in many respects. A chunky headset with large ear cups and a solid, no-nonsense headband, it’s designed to take a few knocks — both in the office and at home. When it needs to travel, the MB 660 UC sits in a tough, zippable carry case. The package will consume a fair amount of […]
Data breaches are the oil spills of the digital economy. Over 429 million people were affected by reported data breaches in 2015 – and that number is certain to grow even higher in 2016. These large-scale data breaches along with uncertainties about the use of our data, cybercrime, surveillance and other online threats are eroding trust on the Internet. This is why the 2016 edition of […]
There is an old adage that trust takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair. When it comes to the Internet and its users, the same holds true. For average Internet users, trust in the Internet has to be built. They have to gain confidence in the safety of their private information online. When a user’s private online information is made public, they lose […]
The UK’s Information Commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, has been in post just under four months, but already the differences between her approach and those of her two most recent predecessors (Richard Thomas and Christopher Graham) are starting to become clear. This may be due partly to the fact that she comes to the role with six years’ experience as the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia, whereas […]
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 […]
Liberty plays football in Division I’s second rung. The university is run by Jerry Falwell Jr., a godly sort who understands the need for occasional accommodation with the secular world. Earlier this year he strolled around the Republican National Convention with his candidate, Donald J. Trump, a thrice-married man whom numerous women have accused of sexually harassing them. Photo Jerry Falwell Jr., the president of Liberty University, […]
Motion capture technology helped researchers at NC State University develop an energy-efficient technique for accurately tracking a user’s physical activity based on data from wearable devices. Credit: Edgar Lobaton Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed an energy-efficient technique for accurately tracking a user’s physical activity based on data from wearable devices. One goal for wearable health technologies is to identify and track physical activity by […]
Every year, Brazilian venture capital firm Monashees takes entrepreneurs from its portfolio companies on an overseas discovery tour. This year, instead of Silicon Valley, the firm headed to the Yangtze Valley, in a clear sign of a new front opening for Chinese investment in Latin America. China is seeking to expand lending and investment in Brazil and elsewhere on the continent, as it shifts from its traditional […]
Apple iPhone 5s (Image: File photo) Taiwanese prosecutors on Friday indicted a former senior level Foxconn manager for allegedly stealing and selling 5,700 iPhone handsets in China, to pocket around $1.56 million, according to AsiaOne. Thousands of iPhone handsets were smuggled out of the factory, prosecutors said, at the direction of a Taiwanese manager name “Tsai” working in Foxconn’s handset testing area. The iPhone handsets stolen by […]
On April 7, 14 large blue letters quietly disappeared from the outer walls of an office building in an exclusive neighborhood in northern San Salvador. One by one, the letters came down from the blue and beige stucco walls, leaving behind faint traces of the name of the law firm that had been working there just days before: M-O-S-S-A-C-K-F-O-N-S-E-C-A. Employees of the El Salvador branch of Mossack […]
Photo Tiger Woods after a shot on the 11th fairway during the third round at the Hero World Challenge in Nassau, the Bahamas. Credit Lynne Sladky/Associated Press NASSAU, the Bahamas — On his fifth hole Saturday at the Hero World Challenge, Tiger Woods holed a bunker shot for his fourth birdie of the day. It had taken him only 41 holes in his first competitive start in […]
(Image: Liminal) Australian health insurer Medibank has launched an immersive virtual reality (VR) experience for Australian hospitals on Google Daydream View, in collaboration with a group of neuropsychologists at Melbourne-based VR developers Liminal. The “Joy” experience, which was entirely designed in 3D using Google’s Tilt Brush, provides hospital patients with a virtual experience to attempt to relieve loneliness and isolation, particularly for long-stay patients with restricted mobility. […]
Apple logo. Apple has revealed it is investing heavily in autonomous vehicles in a letter asking the government to make it easier to develop self-driving cars. The company is “excited about the potential of automated systems in many areas, including transportation,” Apple said in a November 22 letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offering Apple’s opinion about draft regulations for the sector. “Apple looks […]
