When is an internal combustion engine not an internal combustion engine? When it’s been transformed into a modular reforming reactor that could make hydrogen available to power fuel cells wherever there’s a natural gas supply available. (via WSJ)
Image: Relax VR The early promise of virtual reality (VR) was vast: We would be transported to new worlds and live in alternate realities. While scientists and programmers have been investigating the possibilities of VR since the 1960s, it’s only in the last few years that the technology started to gain mainstream traction, with VR applications spanning from education to real estate. Australian startup Relax VR is […]
Samsung’s heir apparent Lee Jae-yong has been arrested for bribery, embezzlement and perjury in connection with a massive corruption scandal, in a huge setback for South Korea’s largest conglomerate that could hinder its succession and restructuring plans. The 48-year-old de factor leader of Samsung is the highest-profile business figure engulfed by the influence-peddling scandal that is poised to topple President Park Geun-hye. The arrest of Samsung’s chief […]
A new innovation could make printing solar cells as easy and inexpensive as printing a newspaper. Researchers have cleared a critical manufacturing hurdle in the development of a relatively new class of solar devices called perovskite solar cells. This alternative solar technology could lead to low-cost, printable solar panels capable of turning nearly any surface into a power generator. (via WSJ)
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg emphasized the importance of a “strong news industry” in his 5,000-plus word manifesto published this afternoon. Calling the news “critical to building an informed community,” Zuckerberg said Facebook will do more “to make sure this vital social function is sustainable.” “…From growing local news, to developing formats best suited to mobile devices, to improving the range of business models news organizations rely on,” […]
By John Irish | BONN, Germany BONN, Germany France considers the U.S. position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “confused and worrying”, its foreign minister said on Thursday, reacting to U.S. President Trump’s dropping of the America’s commitment to a two-state solution. Jean-Marc Ayrault met Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at a G20 meeting of foreign ministers in Bonn where, he said, he got some reassurance about Washington’s stance […]
Credit: Disney Research A new method developed by Disney Research for wirelessly transmitting power throughout a room enables users to charge electronic devices as seamlessly as they now connect to WiFi hotspots, eliminating the need for electrical cords or charging cradles. The researchers demonstrated their method, called quasistatic cavity resonance (QSCR), inside a specially built 16-by-16-foot room at their lab. They safely generated near-field standing magnetic waves […]
Ten years ago Vladimir Putin angrily declared that the post-cold war order was a sham. Standing before the western military and diplomatic establishment at the Munich Security Conference, the Russian president accused the US of plunging the world into chaos by warmongering, meddling in other countries’ affairs and disregarding international law. For many, it marked the moment that Mr Putin became an adversary. Now, as foreign policy […]
SMEs are going to dominate the renewables space, especially in emerging markets, such as the GCC, with the private sector playing a key role in driving adoption. UAE SMEs driving adoption and growth of the renewables sector The UAE’s cleantech industry is today buzzing with several start-ups and medium sized firms investing huge amounts of time and resources to identify better, more efficient and sustainable ways to […]
The alerts are designed to warn people about impending severe weather events such as flooding. Image: IBM Research scientists are building a new form of networking technology designed to provide billions of people with potentially lifesaving weather alerts, even if they don’t have internet connectivity. Developed by IBM Research and The Weather Company, Mesh Network Alerts is a peer-to-peer mesh networking technology that allows Android devices to […]
The owner of the messaging app Snapchat has set its valuation as high as $22.2bn ahead of its initial public offering, less than the company had originally hoped for but still putting it on track to be one of the US’s largest tech flotations. A price range of $14 to $16 a share, revealed in an updated regulatory filing on Thursday, puts Snap’s valuation in a range […]
It is not just equities that are rebounding this month. The dollar is up almost 2 per cent against a basket of its peers as it resumes an upward path that most in the foreign exchange market believe is the natural consequence of the economic policies Donald Trump has vowed to deliver. Given the US president has suggested he prefers a weaker dollar, its fresh strength has […]
By Robin Emmott | BRUSSELS BRUSSELS European NATO allies agreed on Thursday to jointly buy planes and submarines and possibly open a new command headquarters for elite troops as Europe seeks to show the United States it is serious about its own security. In signing ceremonies at NATO, defence ministers from France and Germany said they will buy Lockheed Martin C-130J transport planes, while Germany, Belgium and […]
In 2017 and beyond, consumers will finally start to benefit from some of the innovations that have been evolving over the past year, from 3D prosthetics to customised insurance packages. Many of these trends will be cemented in our routine lives over the next couple of years. Innovative insurance A new era has dawned on the UAE’s insurance industry since the rollout of the Dubai Health Authority’s […]
Last month Beijing’s ambassador in Pyongyang held a Chinese new year reception for more than 70 senior North Korean officials. According to Chinese news reports, the ambassador’s guests lauded “the blood alliance and friendship between both countries”. On Sunday, just three weeks later, Kim Jong Un would severely test the patience of his Chinese “friends” with a ballistic missile test. Then came the murder in Malaysia on […]
Mr. Trump’s position on a two-state solution discarded a policy that has underpinned America’s role in Middle East peacemaking since the Clinton administration and raised a host of thorny questions. Continue reading the main story The Palestinians are highly unlikely to accept anything short of a sovereign state, and a single Israeli state encompassing the Palestinians would either leave them as second-class citizens or would no longer […]
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 […]
