SHARJAH // Late-night camping by the roadside and on beaches is common practice in the Northern Emirates but the waste left behind is causing problems for desert wildlife. Litter can end up in the stomachs of camels, goats or gazelles, leaving them unable to digest their food, which can prove fatal. A drive north on the E311 reveals countless bags of litter strewn by the roadside, which, […]
Seven months after the leak of 11.5 million documents from a law firm in an incident that has come to be known as the “Panama Papers”, the world is right to ask what has been done since to fight global tax evasion and promote financial transparency. As president of Panama, and in particular through my interactions with the international community, it is clear that the affair shined […]
Tesla is probably bracing itself for a deluge of last-minute customers after it announced that those who will purchase the company’s vehicles after Jan. 15 are no longer going to enjoy unlimited free access to its charging facilities. The new policy, when it was announced in November, states a Jan. 1 deadline. There is no reason given so far, but the two-week reprieve has given some consumers who […]
Nintendo‘s current flagship handheld, the 3DS, is nearly seven years old, spawning different iteration of the console within that time period, first with the bulkier original 3DS XL, followed by the non-3D 2DS, and finally, the New 3DS and New 3DS XL, packing beefier internals under the hood. Seven years old is basically a death knell for a system, but if there’s a company who knows how […]
Saudi Arabia’s gross domestic product (GDP), adjusted for inflation, grew by just 0.9 percent from a year earlier in the third quarter of 2016. This compared to the 1.4 percent growth seen in the second quarter, according to data from the Central Department of Statistics showed. The Q3 growth was the slowest recorded since 0.3 percent in the first quarter of 2013. The slowdown comes as Saudi […]
Shaan Taseer, the son of a prominent Pakistani politician assassinated over blasphemy allegations, is himself now the target of a police case and a fatwa calling for his killing after he recorded a Christmas message criticizing the country’s blasphemy law. Mr. Taseer, a human-rights activist, was condemned in the religious edict by an Islamic group from the country’s mainstream religious tradition, after he recorded the message for […]
Submitted by Federico Pieraccini via Strategic-Culture.org, The two previous articles have focused on the various geopolitical theories, their translations into modern concepts, and practical actions that the United States has taken in recent decades to aspire to global dominance. This segment will describe how Iran, China and Russia have over the years adopted a variety of economic and military actions to repel the continual assault on their sovereignty by the […]
By Sally Hayden BEIRUT (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The screams of a dozen Syrian and Palestinian children pierce the air of a community centre in Lebanon’s Shatila refugee camp. Yet the children are not hurt. They are yelling to express the anger and fear they feel as victims of conflict in special “peace education” classes. “We don’t hit each other. We don’t say bad things about each […]
Can you still call something a “food craze” if it has been around since the Stone Age? Bone broth, which is all the rage in Hollywood and is catching on in the UAE, is essentially the same homemade soup your grandma – and generations before her – might have made from marrow bones, with assorted vegetables and herbs, although this latest variation simmers on the hob for […]
Telling voters what they wanted to hear worked out well for Donald Trump. As Mexico shifts into election gear in 2017, another populist, anti-establishment figure will be hoping to follow in the US president-elect’s footsteps. Like Mr Trump, Andrés Manuel López Obrador is a love-him or loathe-him figure with a message that resonates with the underprivileged and the angry. In the case of Amlo, as the maverick […]
After December’s No vote in the Italian referendum, the rise of Donald Trump and the British vote to leave the EU, it appears that the political landscape of the developed world is being redesigned by the victims of globalisation and technological change. Anger towards political elites is pervasive. Yet a few rage-free zones remain, of which Japan is the most conspicuous. How come this country, whose economy […]
DUBAI // Cleaning crews were out in force to pick up litter from the country’s parks, roads and beaches in a huge operation in the early hours of New Year’s Day. After residents and tourists rang in 2017, Dubai Municipality workers dressed in orange overalls were gathering up plastic bottles, food trays, cans and leftover bunting and confetti in large bags. Work to scrub and clean the […]
Sherlock Holmes looks terrible. Tired, dishevelled and haunted, he shakes as his brother Mycroft says: “The roads we walk have demons beneath. And yours have been waiting a very long time.” Meanwhile, supposedly-dead arch-villain Moriarty repeats: “Did you miss me?” over and over again. And this is just the trailer for Sherlock season 4, which begins tonight on BBC First, available on OSN. With Sherlock boasting all […]
The women cowered behind a flimsy bedroom door. One of them dialed 911. Another clutched a stubby kitchen knife. Continue reading the main story Since leaving the corps in 2012, Siatta had been unable to switch off the habits of war. He was hypervigilant and struggled to relax. He watched people, sizing them up and scanning for threats. In the varying situations of everyday life, he constantly […]
DUBAI // UAE leaders hailed the beginning of a new year promising progress as hundreds of thousands of Emiratis and people from around the world celebrated the arrival of 2017 in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and across the country. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid expressed pride for challenges that were overcome and achievements accomplished last year. The Vice President and Ruler of Dubai said he looked forward to the […]
In 2014, Walt Disney World Resort began construction of its ambitious project to bring the moon, Pandora, from James Cameron’s movie Avatar, to life in Disney Animal Kingdom. Fans of the epic adventure have actually been waiting since it was officially announced in 2013. Now, three years later, Disney Parks has finally unveiled a two-and-a-half minute sneak peek into the incredible alien world that awaits visitors in the summer […]
Video Two bombs kill and injure dozens in Iraq At least two dozen people were killed in central Baghdad on Saturday when two bombings, claimed by the Islamic State, hit the city. Photo by Ali Abbas/European Pressphoto Agency. Watch in Times Video » BAGHDAD — Two bombings claimed by the Islamic State killed at least 25 people in central Baghdad on Saturday as fighting intensified in the […]
When Ghada Kunash discovered the work of artist Majd Kurdieh, it was a “light-bulb moment” for her. She looked at his simplistic, childlike drawings and immediately recognised the depth and poetic stories within. Kurdieh is a Syrian refugee who lives on the edge of a forest in Lebanon. He is in his late 20s and lives alone, with only the characters he creates as company. He makes […]
©AFP BAGHDAD/ERBIL, Iraq, Dec 31 — Two bombs claimed by Islamic State killed 25 people in central Baghdad on Saturday, as fighting intensified in the northern city of Mosul where government forces are trying to rout the jihadis from their last major stronghold in the country. The blasts, including one suicide attack, tore through a busy market in the Sinak neighbourhood, police said. A pro-Islamic State news […]
By Ben Blanchard and Benjamin Kang Lim | BEIJING BEIJING China’s military has become alarmed by what it sees as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s support of Taiwan and is considering strong measures to prevent the island from moving toward independence, sources with ties to senior military officers said. Three sources said one possibility being considered was conducting war games near the self-ruled island that China considers as […]
The passing of George Michael this week reminded many of the seemingly short life expectancy of musicians (and performers in general). In fact, as on study found, while blues, jazz, and country singers typically live as long as the average American; rock, techno, punk, metal, rap, and hip hop stars die significantly sooner. “I hope I die before I get old,” The Who’s Roger Daltrey sang in […]
For those out of the loop, Amazon has just been granted a patent for an “airborne fulfillment center utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles for item delivery,” a fancy phrase for what’s essentially a flying warehouse. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office had already handed Amazon the go-ahead back in April, but only now have the plans surfaced online via the office’s website. What’s described in the patents, as others […]
Getty Images/iStockphoto With 2016 drawing to a close, here is a look at some of the things — tech, as well as a number of industry metrics — that you should be keeping an eye on over the coming year. CES thoughts Before I begin, I want to mention the first big tech shindig of 2017, which will be CES. I pay very little attention to CES […]
Hindsight Capital beats the market, and all competition, every year. But how would it do over a decade? For the uninitiated, Hindsight Capital is an imaginary hedge fund that is blessed with perfect foresight, which features at this time of year in the Long View column. As real fund managers deploying real money have to hedge their bets, it always does far better than any of them […]
