To understand the Xperia XZ, you need to understand the genesis of its name, and therefore the weird rollercoaster ride that has been Sony’s Xperia line of phones in recent years. In February 2016, the Japanese electronics behemoth announced that its flagship Z-line of Xperia phones had ended, and in its place would be the more mainstream X-line of devices. Essentially, this meant that Sony was going […]
Dubai Opera has just celebrated its first 100 days of operation, with more than 60 shows delivered and passing the milestone of 100,000 tickets sold along the way. Whilst these achievements are ones of which everyone who works at Dubai Opera is exceptionally proud, we all recognise that we are really just starting out on the path towards our goal of regularly bringing world-class cultural, artistic and […]
By Harriet McLeod | CHARLESTON, S.C. CHARLESTON, S.C. Jurors could begin deliberating on Tuesday whether white supremacist Dylann Roof should be sentenced to death or life in prison for killing nine black people at a historic church in Charleston, South Carolina, a federal judge said on Friday. The same jury that found Roof, 22, guilty last month of 33 federal charges including hate crimes heard a third […]
Photo The Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov has been called back to its home port, Murmansk. Credit Norway Royal Airforce, via European Pressphoto Agency MOSCOW — Russia has ordered its only aircraft carrier to return home, part of a general drawdown of forces involved in the Syria conflict, a senior general announced on Friday. The carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, was sent to the eastern Mediterranean in the […]
Teva Pharmaceuticals, the world’s largest maker of generic drugs, has cut its sales and profit expectations for 2017 as it braces for more pricing and competition pressure on its best-selling drug — the multiple sclerosis treatment Copaxone. The Israeli group said net revenue for full-year 2017 would now be $23.8bn-$24.5bn, compared with the $25.2bn-$26.2bn range it gave in July. Expectations for earnings per share have also been […]
Apple’s iPad Pro 2 is expected to come in three models this year, ready to go head to head with the powerful Microsoft Surface Pro 4. The iPad Pro is currently available in 9.7- and 12.9-inch configurations and it’s Apple’s most powerful tablet so far. The two iPad Pro models are widely considered to be among the best tablets on the market, but they’re due for a […]
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: 5 January 2017 Thomson Reuters, the world’s leading source of news and information for professional markets and the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), will co-host the 11th MENA Regulatory Summit on February 5th & 6th in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Held under the patronage of the UAE Minister of Economy, H.E Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, the summit will debate key challenges that […]
A round-up of major happenings in Pakistan in the last week. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Credit: PTI Panama Papers investigation After weeks of acrimony, the first day in office for new Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar was an unusually harmonious one, with all parties hailing the constitution of a new bench for the Panama Papers hearings that will resume on January 4. Nisar excluded himself from […]
With Formula One such big business in Abu Dhabi, it shouldn’t be any surprise that the country’s first go-kart-racing school has arrived in the capital. Hosted by Al Forsan International Sports Resort, wannabe future F1 racers can learn invaluable advice to improve technical skills and increase confidence at the school. It offers a single class or a bundle of four, teaching future drivers all they need to […]
In recent months, in delivering lectures on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and holding audience discussions, I have asked hundreds of people across Israel a hypothetical question: Assuming that Sergeant Azaria had stuck to his original story and admitted that he knew that the man lying on the ground presented no danger to anyone, but he had nevertheless decided to put a bullet in his head, should he be […]
Nobody likes to admit going along with the consensus. It sounds better to be contrarian, and in markets there is far more money to be made when you latch on to an unpopular notion that turns out to be correct. That is how you get to buy things cheap. But sometimes the herd gets it right, even if it gets overexcited and “overshoots” its target. On balance, […]
Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Development Co is reportedly mulling plans to commit up to $15 billion to partner with a new fund to invest in global technology. Bloomberg reported that Mubadala is looking to partner with SoftBank Group Corp and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in the SoftBank Vision Fund which is set to close in January and will be capped at $100 billion, citing people familiar with […]
By Stephane Nitschke | BREMERHAVEN, Germany BREMERHAVEN, Germany Hundreds of U.S. tanks, trucks and other military equipment arrived by ship in Germany on Friday to be transported by rail and road to eastern Europe as part of a NATO buildup that has drawn Russia’s ire. Two shiploads arrived in the northern port of Bremerhaven and a third was due in a few days, bringing the fleets of […]
Never mind football’s alarmingly martial terminology. What Saban, who cut his coaching teeth on defense, noticed and passed along helped Alabama find solutions that led to 269 rushing yards — more than twice the average Washington had allowed in games this season. Continue reading the main story “It’s good for the offense,” Bobby Williams, a special assistant who has held several coaching jobs on Saban’s staffs, said […]
As the first battery cells roll off the production line at Tesla’s 1.9m sq ft Gigafactory in Nevada a scramble is under way to secure supply of the lithium that is their key ingredient. This week a small Australian mining company sold a lithium prospect in west Africa to a Chinese buyer for $78m — or more than 2,000 times the amount it paid for the deposit […]
Photo Maqluba, a Middle Eastern dish, is an aromatic glory that requires a certain manual dexterity for its presentation. Credit Gentl and Hyers for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Amy Wilson. “Why did you take your shoes off?” Maha Sarsour demanded as she emerged from her kitchen to greet me. I debated whether it would be better or worse to say that […]
Argentina is looking to sell up to $10bn of debt, taking advantage of calmer conditions across bond markets and a pullback in the US dollar. The year-old government of Mauricio Macri is just one of a host of other emerging markets, including Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria, all racing to raise finance soon to mitigate risks stemming from the uncertainty over the direction of US policy, with […]
Chinese internet company Baidu displays its new “Little Fish” voice-controlled home assistant unit which also features a touch screen Chinese internet colossus Baidu is out to make a splash with ‘Little Fish,’ a family robot that is a voice-controlled virtual valet akin to Amazon Echo or Google Home. Baidu showed off “Little Fish,” a translation of its Chinese name “Xiaoyu Zaijia,” on Thursday at the Consumer Electronics […]
Dubai Financial Market (DFM) saw its capitalisation rise by more than 12 percent during 2016 to AED337.6 billion ($91.9 billion), it has been announced. DFM’s General Index increased 12.1 percent to 3,531 points at the end of 2016 compared to 3,151 points at the end of 2015. Indices of eight out of the nine sectors featured on the DFM ended the year in the green, with the […]
Xiaomi’s division in India claims to have topped $1 billion (roughly 6,800 crore rupees) in revenue in 2016, following an announcement in October that it sold more than 1 million smartphones in India in 18 days. In a Facebook post celebrating the revenue milestone, head of Xiaomi India Manu Kumar Jain wrote that the company thinks it’s the first to cross the $1 billion revenue mark in […]
What with the Golden Globes, the Oscars, the Baftas and the host of other award ceremonies jamming up their calendars, it’s a wonder that the stars of stage, screen and television ever have time to act. Plus, as British comedian Ricky Gervais liked to point out on each of the four occasions he presented the annual Golden Globes ceremony in Los Angeles, watching the impossibly wealthy and […]
Three women in black niqabs covering their hair and faces skateboard down a street, their scarves and colorful dresses flowing behind them. A catchy tune with provocative lyrics — “May all men sink into oblivion” and “If only God would rid us of men” — plays as the women alternately glide on in-line skates, cruise on scooters and parade down the street in vibrant outfits, all things […]
China strengthened the renminbi’s trading range on Friday by the most since it depegged it in 2005, as investors awaited data expected to show Beijing is continuing to burn through its reserves to support the currency. The renminbi’s sudden strength has caught global markets off-guard and wrongfooted investors betting the Chinese currency would start the year by continuing its gradual slide as outflow pressures persisted in spite […]
06 January 2017 MARC has affirmed its AAA(fg) rating on KMCOB Capital Berhad’s (KMCOB) guaranteed serial bonds of up to RM320.0 million with a stable outlook. The rating and outlook reflect the unconditional and irrevocable financial guarantee provided by Danajamin Nasional Berhad (Danajamin), which carries MARC’s insurer financial strength rating of AAA and counterparty credit ratings of AAA/MARC-1. As at end-December 2016, KMCOB has an outstanding amount […]
