Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the UAE’s multi-billion dollar national railway network, has announced it has transported 10 million tonnes of granulated sulphur for the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) since launching stage 1 operations. Two trains move along the phase 1 network daily under the current timetable from Shah and Habshan to its point of export at Ruwais, each carrying up to 11,000 […]
MOSCOW Russia has released anti-Kremlin activist Ildar Dadin from a Siberian prison, freeing the first person jailed under new rules that made some forms of non-violent protest a criminal offence, his lawyer told Reuters on Sunday. Dadin’s release had been expected after the Supreme Court had overturned his conviction on Wednesday. He was originally sentenced in December 2015 to three years in jail — later reduced on […]
Barcelona is home to Mobile World Congress. TomasSereda, Getty Images/iStockphoto Mobile World Congress will see a slew of smartphone launches, but beyond the shiny new devices, the next technology battlefields are slowly coming into focus. Among the likely hardware highlights at next week’s mobile technology event in Barcelona are LG showing off its new LG G6 smartphone, while Huawei is expected to unveil the follow-up to its […]
By Joseph Sipalan and Angie Teo | KUALA LUMPUR KUALA LUMPUR Malaysia on Sunday declared its international airport a “safe zone” after completing a sweep of the terminal where the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was assaulted with a deadly chemical last week. Kim Jong Nam died on Feb. 13 after being smothered at the airport’s budget terminal with VX nerve agent, classified […]
Back pain affects about 700 million people and is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Now, a new study shows that it is not just uncomfortable and debilitating, but also a potential indicator of early death. Examining the health and death records of 4,390 older Danish twins, a team of researchers from the University of Sydney in Australia found that those who reported lower back pain had a […]
Akamai has published its Q4 2016 State of the Internet/Security report As always, an interesting read and an opportunity to look at trends in attacks. Not all trends are up and to the right. As the report states, Q4 2016 was “the third consecutive quarter where we noticed a decrease in the number of attack triggers”. Still, “the overall 2016 attack count was up 4% as compared […]
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N) on Saturday said fourth-quarter profit rose 15 percent from a year earlier, helped by gains from investments and derivatives. Net income rose to $6.29 billion, or $3,823 per Class Ashare, from $5.48 billion, or $3,333 per share, in the comparable quarter the previous year. Quarterly operating profit fell 6 percent to $4.38billion, or $2,665 per share, from $4.67 billion, or $2,843 […]
Thinking about switching to AT&T or upgrading your current phone? Right now may be a good time. Starting Friday, AT&T is offering the iPhone 7, Galaxy S7, and LG G5 on a buy one, get one free promotion. According to the press release, new and existing customers who sign up for an AT&T Next or AT&T Next Every Year plan are eligible for a free smartphone through […]
North Korea is evading international sanctions with a sophisticated network of overseas companies, enabled partly by its continued access to the international banking system, says a forthcoming United Nations report seen by Reuters. North Korea is under heavy U.N. sanctions and a strict arms embargo designed to impede the development of its banned nuclear and missile programmes. The U.N. panel of experts, which produced the 100-page draft […]
The latest update for Final Fantasy XV, Patch 1.05, introduced several additions such as the Booster Pack and DLC for Season Pass holders, which includes the single-handed sword Ragnarok for more powerful Warp Strikes by Noctis, and compatibility for the PlayStation 4 Pro. It has been previously revealed that there are many more things coming for the latest installment in the long-running RPG franchise, and recent reports have […]
SoFi, the biggest and the brashest of a new breed of online lenders in the US, has sealed a $500m funding round, giving it firepower to push into new products and markets including Canada and Australia. The private San Francisco-based company last received a big shot of funds — its fifth — in September 2015, when SoftBank of Japan led a $1bn round, the biggest in the […]
Sign up to receive Authers’ Note daily by email here Despite appearances to the contrary, the Trump trade may be moving into reverse as the president’s maiden State of the Union address approaches. The overall level of the stock market is, of course, at fresh records. But the pattern within it is shifting again. The end of the week saw sharp falls for almost all equity markets […]
Eat the World DXB is in full swing this weekend, with 25 international street-food traders from the United Kingdom, the United States and Singapore serving up street food with vendors from the UAE (each street food trader is cleverly marked by its country’s flag). Held in Burj Park with a close-up view of the Burj Khalifa, the festival has plenty of food on offer, a host of […]
By Frank Jack Daniel | MEXICO CITY MEXICO CITY An emboldened Mexico hardened its opposition to President Donald Trump on Friday by saying it would retaliate if the United States imposed a border tax and that it can afford to lose financial aid that might be pulled to pay for a border wall. Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said Mexico could respond to any tax the United States […]
By John Walcott and Matt Spetalnick | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON A proposal the Trump administration is considering to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organisation has stalled over warnings from defence and intelligence officials that the move could backfire, according to officials familiar with the matter. “If you do that, there is no way to escalate, and you would foreclose any possibility of talking to the […]
Dubai’s Department of Economic Development (DED) received 27,027 consumer complaints in 2016, an increase of 23 percent compared to the previous year. On average, the DED received 2,252 complaints monthly as continued awareness campaigns led to better understanding of consumer rights and responsibilities across the emirate, state news agency WAM reported. The complaints received in 2016 involved non-compliance with warranty terms (39 percent of complaints), refunds (17 […]
sharjah A four day festival of marine life has opened at the Sharjah Aquarium to help educate and inform about the importance of preserving marine ecosystems around the UAE. Families have been enjoying free sea themed entertainment shows including life-size models of mermaids, octopus, sharks and seahorses in a setting to reinforce the virtual marine environment. The aquarium has been complemented by a fun beach, theatre, hand […]
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for February 25, 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. newslide Abu Dhabi Concert Emirati pianist Eman Al Hashimi (pictured), French pianists Angelina Natal and Natalia Stetsenko, and French violinist Clara Saïtkoulov will […]
Two years after Donald Trump was booed at an influential conservative event, the US president returned to the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday for a victory lap. But his rambling address, at an event that was more campaign rally than detailed presentation of policy, struck a jarring note at the end of a week that saw a semblance of orthodoxy from the new administration. While his […]
Just like real doctors and nurses, online health tools with good — but controlled — communication skills can promote healthier lifestyles, according to researchers. However, if their tone is conversational, these tools may lull users into a false sense of comfort, they add. In a study, people who experienced a back-and-forth interaction with an online health risk assessment website were more likely to follow the health behaviors […]
Ford has spent the last few years transforming itself from a car company into a technology and transportation company. Ford still wants to sell cars, but increasingly the company focuses on how those vehicles interact with city infrastructure, other vehicles, and the passengers themselves. One of the executives leading that imitative is Don Butler, Director of Connected Vehicles and Services at Ford. I spoke with […]
If you’ve read the latest headlines about Britain’s tech industry, you’d think the country hadn’t be rocked by the greatest political and economic uncertainty since the Second World War. Not only are UK startups raising record amounts of funding year on year, but tech giants like Amazon are investing and doubling down on the UK economy, as if the mood music was taken straight from a dance scene […]
The outage highlighted a problem with OnHub and Wifi’s reliance on Google cloud services for network connectivity. Image: Josh Miller/CNET Google has apologized for annoying Google Wifi and OnHub customers after accidentally triggering a mass factory reset on the routers. A bunch of Wifi and OnHub owners panicked yesterday after discovering the devices were returned to a factory state, leaving owners offline despite the absence of any […]
For years, it was something in the olive oil. Scientists, puzzled by the lengthy lifespans of Mediterranean communities, pointed to the condiment as a key ingredient in the elixir of life. Then there was Japan, whose lengthy spell at the top of global longevity rankings was put down to its citizens’ low-fat diet and love of raw fish. Now, with South Koreans storming to the top of […]
