For Bill Kochevar, paralysed from the neck down for eight years after a cycling accident, it was a personal triumph. Using his own arm and hand, he scooped forkfuls of mashed potato from a bowl into his mouth. For the team of biomedical engineers at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, Mr Kochevar’s restored ability to feed himself was a milestone in neurotechnology. He was the […]
BEIJING/TAIPEI A Taiwan man who had gone missing in China is being investigated on suspicion of harming national security, China’s government said on Wednesday, in a case that has caused alarm on the self-ruled and democratic island Beijing claims as its own. Lee Ming-che, a community college worker known for supporting human rights in China, disappeared earlier this month after entering China’s Zhuhai city via the Chinese […]
HAVANA Cuban President Raul Castro participated in an “intimate and simple family ceremony” on Tuesday interring the ashes of his sister Agustina del Carmen Castro Ruz, according to state television. Agustina was the youngest of the seven Castro siblings, including Raul and Fidel, who together have run the island nation for nearly 60 years. Agustina, who kept a low public profile, died on Sunday in Havana at […]
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for March 29, 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. Want to see your event listed here? Email us with the details and contact information at [email protected] newslide Abu Dhabi Family workshop Book […]
Overseas companies that invest in the UK issued a flurry of warnings on Tuesday about the threat Brexit poses to their businesses, signalling their growing concern as the UK prepares to start the formal process of leaving the EU. Forty European business lobbies, representing 20m companies in 34 countries, issued a statement calling for a post-Brexit settlement which would preserve the integrity of the single market, deliver […]
By Valerie Volcovici and Jeff Mason | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an order to undo Obama-era regulations to curb climate change, keeping a campaign promise to support the coal industry while calling into question U.S. support for an international deal to fight global warming. Flanked by coal miners, Trump enacted his “Energy Independence” executive order at the Environmental Protection Agency. A coalition of […]
Photo A man carried the bodies of people killed in fighting between Iraq security forces and the Islamic State in Mosul last week. Credit Felipe Dana/Associated Press WASHINGTON — The senior United States commander in Iraq said Tuesday that an American airstrike likely triggered the collapse of a building in Mosul that killed more than 100 civilians this month, but indicated that an investigation would also examine […]
The Republican-controlled Committee on Oversight and Government Reform approved a bill earlier today to allow for a congressional audit of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy, a proposal Fed policymakers have opposed and likely faces a difficult path to final approval in the Senate. Under the bill, the Fed’s monetary policy deliberations could be subjectto outside review by the Government Accountability Office. While similar bills have garnered some […]
New photovoltaic plant will add 61.3 MWp of installed energy capacity to Risha, Jordan Lowest tariff for solar energy ever presented for a Jordan-based photovoltaic project The plant marks ACWA Power’s strategy of continuous investment Jordan, and its second Solar Photovoltaic Plant The new PV plant will bring the installed capacity in Jordan as controlled by ACWA Power to 1,665 MW further consolidating ACWA […]
By Daniela Desantis | ASUNCION ASUNCION Security forces surrounded Paraguay’s Congress on Tuesday while lawmakers argued over a possible change in law that would allow President Horacio Cartes to run for re-election, a move that the opposition says would weaken democratic institutions. A bill allowing presidents to run for a second five-year term was defeated in the legislature last year. This week a group of senators asked […]
The images and roles of female characters in video games send a powerful message that can influence the underlying attitudes of gamers. Researchers found a link between video game exposure and sexism in a new study of more than 13,000 adolescents. (via WSJ)
Elon Musk, pictured in 2015, referenced a new company called Neuralink in a tweet, promising to elaborate in a blog post Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk hinted Tuesday that he is working on a new startup focusing on brain-computer interface, part of his vision to help humans keep up with machines. Musk, the founder of electric carmaker Telsa and exploration firm SpaceX, referenced the new company called Neuralink […]
The Gulf emirate of Qatar is tiny, but it’s made a name for itself by placing big bets. Thanks to vast reserves of natural gas, its 2.6 million residents enjoy the world’s highest per-capita income: $129,700 a year. Qatar has acquired more than $335 billion worth of assets around the globe, buying up trophies such as London’s Shard, the tallest building in Europe. The emirate has also […]
PARIS Francois Hollande’s election as president in 2012 was supposed to herald a new dawn for French socialism after 17 years of right-wing rule, but by June his party could be struggling to survive. Weeks before the start of an election to pick France’s next president, the ruling bloc is in tatters. Socialist Party (PS) nominee Benoit Hamon is floundering after adopting a hard-left programme that alienated […]
ANKARA Turkey was warning Europe not to interfere in a referendum next month on changing the constitution and expanding President Tayyip Erdogan’s powers, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Tuesday, adding Europe should “mind its own business”. The issue of the referendum has already badly strained relations between Turkey and several European countries, including Germany and the Netherlands, after they banned Turkish ministers from campaigning in their […]
Lenovo-owned Motorola could have a new smartphone in the pipeline, dubbed the Moto X 2017. A series of leaked images have surfaced online, which suggest that there is a possibility that the company may soon announce the next-gen Moto X smartphone. The leaked images of the alleged Moto X 2017 were posted on Google+ on March 28 by a user called Jerry Lin. Two images show off the next-gen Moto […]
Cuban president Raúl Castro is preparing to step down next year, Venezuela has cut millions of dollars in aid and Donald Trump’s election has cast a shadow over the nascent US-Cuba detente. Unnerved by the changes, Havana’s domestic reform drive has ground to a halt as the Communist party battens down the hatches. Marino Murillo, the senior official leading Cuba’s reforms, has not been heard in public […]
The assassination of Mr. Fuqaha could herald a new kind of shadow war between bitter foes — a message from Israel to Hamas’s new, hard-line leader, Yehya Sinwar. Or Mr. Fuqaha’s death could be an ominous sign of internecine rivalries among Palestinian factions and even within Hamas under Mr. Sinwar, who carries a reputation as a harsh enforcer of loyalty in the group. Continue reading the main […]
Can I make this LED bulb a user interface to my home? Image: Simon Bisson First, a confession. I always wanted one of those internet-connected rabbits. You know the ones: they’d glow yellow if it was sunny, drop an ear if the NASDAQ had conniptions, and make burbling noises when a friend was trying to Skype you and you’d turned off all your speakers. What they were […]
DUBAI Amazom.com (AMZN.O) has agreed to acquire Middle East online retailer Souq.com, [IPO-SOUQ.DU], the two companies said in a joint statement on Tuesday. The value of the deal was not disclosed. “By becoming part of the Amazon family, we’ll be able to vastly expand our delivery capabilities and customer selection much faster, as well as continue Amazon’s great track record of empowering sellers,” said Souq.com’s co-founder, Syrian-born […]
When it comes to creating new materials, single crystals play an important role in presenting a clearer picture of a material’s intrinsic properties. A typical material will be comprised of lots of smaller crystals and the grain boundaries between these crystals can act as impediments, affecting properties such as electrical or thermal resistance. (via WSJ)
Elon Musk is a man who wants to do a myriad of things: he wants autonomous electric cars cruising down streets in the near future, he wants to send people to Mars and our Moon, and he wants to build a substitute to trains that travels blazingly fast. Now, he has another item in his to-do list: to link up your human brain with artificial intelligence. How? With the […]
Patient experience at the forefront as the UAE healthcare market continues to grow 28 March 2017 Abu Dhabi – The UAE healthcare market is estimated to reach Dh71.56 billion by 2020, achieving an annual average growth of 12.7 per cent, marginally higher than the GCC growth average, propelled by medical tourism and a higher than ever demand for new facilities & technologies. With its vision to develop […]
Jordan’s state media say public and private sector officials from Saudi Arabia and Jordan have signed 15 economic agreements, including establishing a joint fund that will launch an estimated $3 billion worth of investments in Jordan. The Petra news agency says the agreements were signed after a meeting late Monday between Saudi King Salman and Jordan’s King Abdullah II. Planned projects include reconstruction and rehabilitation of a […]
