Fintech has been gaining momentum across the globe due to the ability of disruptive technology to empower people to avoid being overcharged and underserviced when it comes to handling their money. As the sector moves away from a fad and into a more mature industry that is now seriously impacting the financial world, it is an exciting time for all parties involved. Digital wallets will be owned […]
Lithium-ion batteries have become essential in everyday technology. But these power sources can explode under certain circumstances and are not ideal for grid-scale energy storage. Sodium-ion batteries are potentially a safer and less expensive alternative, but current versions don’t last long enough yet for practical use. Now, scientists have developed an anode material that enables sodium-ion batteries to perform at high capacity over hundreds of cycles, according […]
BEIRUT Syrian Islamist fighters have executed scores of insurgents in the west of the country in an increasingly bloody battle between different militant groups, the SITE Intelligence Group said. An offshoot of the Jund al-Aqsa group killed more than 150 members of rebel factions in the village of Khan Sheikhoun in southern Idlib province, the U.S.-based monitoring service reported on Wednesday. Dozens of those executed were members […]
SYDNEY Australia’s Catholic Church has paid A$276 million ($213 million) in compensation to thousands of child abuse victims since 1980, a government inquiry heard on Thursday — the first time the total compensation paid by the church’s schools, orphanages and residences has been revealed. A report at a royal commission into institutional abuse said 3,066 victims had received some form of compensation from a Catholic body in […]
By Joyce Lee and Hyunjoo Jin | SEOUL SEOUL A South Korean judge questioned Samsung Group leader Jay Y. Lee and another executive behind closed doors on Thursday to decide whether they should be arrested over their roles in a corruption scandal that has engulfed President Park Geun-hye. Dozens of protesters surrounded by riot police met Lee, 48, who was wearing a dark coat and navy tie […]
Story highlights Arrests were related to Brazilian bribery scandal Ramón Fonseca and Jürgen Mossack both say they are innocent Ramón Fonseca and Jürgen Mossack both face charges of money laundering after authorities raided the firm’s Panama City headquarters last Thursday. The investigation of the firm and subsequent raid were related to “Operation Car Wash,” an investigation into a sprawling Brazilian bribery scandal. In a statement, the Attorney […]
About 10 years have passed since Google’s stalwart engineers started creating a system that, in all reality, defeats the conventional logic of database services. It’s now named Cloud Spanner, and it’s the first global database — an information storage system spanning millions of machines across data centers placed all throughout the world, which Google itself has long used to maintain proprietary services like Gmail, Google Photos and […]
Until Tesla’s UAE launch earlier this week, owning one of the Californian carmaker’s already-iconic cars here seemed little more than a pipe dream for most of us without the means or time to import one – let alone the practicalities of running a fully electric car in a country with limited charging options. Now, however, with the Model S and X open for orders, for delivery in […]
Use adverbs sparingly. At their best, they spice up a verb or adjective. At their worst, they express a meaning already contained in the sentence: The blast completely destroyed the church office. The cheerleader gyrated wildly before the screaming fans. The accident totally severed the boy’s arm. The spy peered furtively through the bushes. Consider the effect of deleting the adverbs: The blast destroyed the church office. […]
By Phil Stewart and Robin Emmott | BRUSSELS BRUSSELS U.S. President Donald Trump’s defence secretary warned NATO allies on Wednesday that they must honour military spending pledges to ensure the United States does not “moderate” support for the alliance. Jim Mattis, on his debut trip to Brussels as Pentagon chief, also accused some NATO members of ignoring threats, including from Russia. “America cannot care more for your […]
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for February 16, 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 listings@thenational.ae newslide Abu Dhabi Food trucks Love […]
Joo Kim Tiah, the son of one of Malaysia’s wealthiest tycoons, sat on stage in the summer of 2013 as his new business partner announced their plans for a C$360m luxury condominium-hotel project on Vancouver’s most prestigious downtown thoroughfare. With characteristic salesmanship, Donald Trump bragged that the 63-storey glass tower on West Georgia Street would be “one of the great buildings, not only in Canada and the […]
For the tattered Rashidiya neighborhood here, the recent battle never ended. It just shifted course along the river. Rashidiya was the last district in eastern Mosul declared liberated in late January, but army officers say Islamic State sleeper cells remain entrenched. Continue reading the main story And those are not the only troubles here. Even as American-backed Iraqi forces prepare an offensive against the Islamic State stronghold […]
The reflation trade is back, in earnest. On Wednesday, all-world stock indices traded at all-time highs for the first time since spring 2015. US 10-year bond yields rose back to 2.5 per cent. Bank stocks rallied, with Goldman Sachs at an all-time high for the first time in a decade. So did tech stocks — Apple is back at a record. All of this after a hawkish […]
By Roberta Rampton and Noah Barkin | WASHINGTON/BERLIN WASHINGTON/BERLIN U.S. Vice President Mike Pence heads to Europe this week to meet with allies seeking clarity on the Trump administration’s foreign policy strategy and its stance towards Russia after the resignation of the top White House national security aide. Pence, who has hewn more closely to Republican orthodoxy than his boss President Donald Trump, will attend the Munich […]
By Steve Holland and Patricia Zengerle | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON Senior Republicans issued their boldest challenge yet to U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday, promising to get to the bottom of the relationship between his aides and Russia, and calling for ousted national security adviser Michael Flynn to testify before Congress. Trump, facing a deepening crisis less than a month into his presidency, sought to focus the attention […]
VIENNA Grumpy waiter service is as traditional as apple strudel in Vienna, but a cafe in one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks has caused disquiet with what seems to be an Austrian first: charging customers for charging their phones. Tired of tourists powering up batteries for hours, cafe owner Galina Pokorny has introduced a 1 euro ($1.06) fee for those who plug in their mobiles for […]
Fox News host Tucker Carlson had Erik Wemple on his show Tuesday night and attempted to paint The Washington Post media columnist as a hypocrite for covering the media’s white-gloved treatment of Russia while neglecting to examine “Russia Behind the Headlines,” a pro-Russia advertising insert syndicated by The Post. During the exchange, which lasted for 10 minutes, Carlson also accused Wemple of going easy on The Washington […]
Donald Trump responded to a growing crisis surrounding his White House on Wednesday by rekindling a public war with the US intelligence community, accusing it of mounting a dirty tricks campaign to undermine his presidency by leaking information about his administration’s ties to Russia. In an early-morning Twitter barrage the US president blamed the escalating crisis that forced this week’s departure of Michael Flynn, his national security […]
Wednesday 14:30 GMT Overview Global equities were on track to close at all-time highs as Wall Street hovers near record levels in the wake of comments from Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen. And Ms Yellen’s more hawkish than forecast rhetoric has been backed up on Wednesday by stronger than expected US retail sales and inflation data that are pushing up the dollar and bond yields, while leaving […]
Over the years, Vigliotti, who is 63, gradually evolved from a hauler of waste to a producer of fine fertilizers. And so he was well positioned when New York City contracted last year with six companies to transform the food waste it currently collects from the curbsides of almost a million residents. Four of those companies will send their scraps to traditional compost facilities. A fifth will […]
With an initial goal of creating a battery that lasts longer and recharges more rapidly, Czech firm HE3DA has learnt its nanotechnology also massively lowers production costs. (via PCMag)
Harrison Ford has near-miss with passenger liner Harrison Ford has had a close run-in with a passenger airliner at an airport in California in the United States. The actor, 74, was told to land his single-engine plane on a runway at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Southern California on Monday, but he mistakenly landed it on a parallel taxiway, passing over an American Airlines jet holding. […]
Kim Jong Un’s brother, who was killed in Malaysia on Monday, begged the North Korean leader to spare his life after escaping an earlier assassination attempt, the head of South Korean intelligence said on Wednesday. Kim Jong Nam wrote to the supreme leader in 2012 to ask him to spare his life and those of his family, Lee Byung-ho, director of the National Intelligence Service, told lawmakers […]
