Short-term borrowing costs in China have climbed to their highest level in two years as comments from President Xi Jinping fan investor expectations that a “regulatory windstorm” is part of a broader crackdown on the financial sector. China’s premier on Thursday described finance as the “core of a modern economy”, according to state news agency Xinhua, adding that “accurate judgment of potential financial risks serves as a […]
Researchers have found a way to use artificial intelligence to fight a complication of diabetes that affects the eyes. (via WSJ)
For the first time, researchers have measured the force that draws tiny crystals together and visualized how they swivel and align. Called van der Waals forces, the attraction provides insights into how crystals self-assemble, an activity that occurs in a wide range of cases in nature, from rocks to shells to bones. (via WSJ)
By Julia Love and Rishika Sadam Google parent Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) posted a surge in profit and revenue on Thursday as its core advertising business continued to grow at an extraordinary rate and problems such as an advertiser boycott of YouTube had little impact. Alphabet’s profit beat Wall Street estimates and rose 29 percent to $5.43 billion, a performance that analysts called exceptional for a company so […]
Mahatma Gandhi said that a journalist’s peculiar function is to read the mind of the country and to give definite and fearless expression to that mind. Journalism plays a critical role in the development of any society. It’s a driving force for social progress, thought and expression. It informs the public on important matters; it holds entities and people accountable for their actions and decisions; and it’s […]
The Israeli agency that liaises with the Palestinians on civilian affairs, known as Cogat (an acronym for Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories), said Israel supplies Gaza with 30 percent of its total electricity needs at a monthly cost of about $11 million. Continue reading the main story Israel did not immediately cut off the supply, apparently hoping that international donors would step in and pay. […]
Researchers have developed a breakthrough alternative to fire-prone lithium-ion batteries. (via WSJ)
Two acclaimed authors made an appearance on the second day of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. Held at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec) until May 2, the 27th edition of the event welcomed Abbas Beydoun, author of The Autumn of Innocence, on Thursday. The first prize winner of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award in the literature category, the novel’s theme of tyranny was discussed at […]
Worldwide smartphone shipments grew by 4.3 percent, according to research firm IDC. The figure is a few ticks above above the firm’s previous first-quarter forecast of 3.6-percent growth. Samsung regained the title of “world’s largest smartphone vendor” from Apple during the first quarter thanks to shipments of 79.2 million smartphones, IDC said. Samsung’s position was bolstered by deep discounts on the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, which […]
A brick made of Martian soil simulant compacted under pressure. The brick was made without any additional ingredients and without baking. Credit: Jacobs School of Engineering/UC San Diego Explorers planning to settle on Mars might be able to turn the planet’s red soil into bricks without needing to use an oven or additional ingredients. Instead, they would just need to apply pressure to compact the soil—the equivalent […]
Columbia University researchers have developed a personalized algorithm that predicts the impact of particular foods on an individual’s blood sugar levels. The algorithm has been integrated into an app, Glucoracle, that will allow individuals with type 2 diabetes to keep a tighter rein on their glucose levels — the key to preventing or controlling the major complications of a disease that affects 8 percent of Americans. The […]
In ‘Minority Report,’ the protagonist uses gloves that give him the power of virtual manipulation. The light seems to allow him to control the screen as if it were a touchscreen, but he’s touching nothing but air. That technology is still science fiction, but a new study may bring it closer to reality. Researchers report that they have discovered the photodielectric effect, which could lead to laser-controlled […]
By Georgina Cooper | CHICHESTER, England CHICHESTER, England British experts will carry out tests to try to determine how a rare copy of the U.S. Declaration of Independence found its way to an archive in southern England. The handwritten manuscript, only the second such parchment in existence, had been stored for more than 60 years in a strong-room among miles of documents in the West Sussex Record […]
A recent Saudi government and security shake-up aims to strengthen King Salman’s increasingly powerful son against a royal rival and to bolster ties with Washington, analysts and diplomats say. Royal decrees at the weekend saw a number of allies of Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman moved into key positions and another son of the king named as ambassador to Washington. The goal, a foreign diplomat told […]
The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, which created the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and later led to the creation of both PBS and NPR, also recognized the importance of archiving public broadcasting material in the United States. It stipulated that CPB should: …Establish and maintain, or contribute to, a library and archives of noncommercial educational and cultural radio and television programs and related materials and develop […]
Credit: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Researchers at MIT, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory have devised a way to wirelessly power small electronic devices that can linger in the digestive tract indefinitely after being swallowed. Such devices could be used to sense conditions in the gastrointestinal tract, or carry small reservoirs of drugs to be delivered over an extended period. Finding a safe […]
The malware code contains references to Felis and Mus — Latin for ‘cat’ and ‘mouse’. Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto A sophisticated form of Trojan malware allows its highly-skilled creators to secretly take over an infected system — and it comes with self-updating capabilities that enable it to strengthen itself, fix bugs, or change what it looks like in order evade detection. Once it has infected a system, the […]
Since at its core, yesterday’s 1-page “tax plan” was a Goldman creation, who better to explain what Trump offered than Goldman Sachs itself, which it did overnight in a far lengthier note from its chief Washington analyst Alec Phillips. Here is Goldman with an elaboration of the handful of bullet points contained on the much anticipated one page, extended to 6 pages. Q&A on the President’s Tax […]
In a world-first, researchers have imaged electrons moving in graphene using a quantum probe found only in diamonds. The technique could be used to understand electron behavior and allow researchers to improve the reliability and performance of existing and emerging technologies. These images could reveal the microscopic behavior of currents in quantum computing devices, graphene and other 2-D materials, and be used to develop next generation electronics, […]
Screenshot via YouTube Waymo is moving forward with plans to bring self-driving cars to US roads by opening up rides to the public. Earlier this week, Waymo, formerly known as Google’s self-driving car project, said that a handful of Phoenix, Arizona residents have already tested out the technology as part of the early rider program. Now, other residents can apply to join the project as part of […]
New research has identified the minimum temperature of a bolt of lightning as it strikes rock. The study discovered that, based on the crystalline material in the sample, the minimum temperature at which the fulgurite formed was roughly 1,700 degrees Celsius. (via WSJ)
Saudi Arabia has imposed limits on the ownership of prepaid SIM cards for citizens and foreigners, restrictions that the regulator said aim to prevent the use of cards in carrying out militant attacks in the kingdom. Foreign residents, who make up more than a third of the population, are now limited to two prepaid SIM cards across all operators, according to two people familiar with the matter. […]
By Joseph Nasr | DORTMUND, Germany DORTMUND, Germany For all its economic success, Germany has a growing problem with inequality and poverty, and yet Chancellor Angela Merkel seems to be deflecting the blame so far as the battlelines are drawn for elections in September. GRAPHIC – German income inequality tmsnrt.rs/2p3AtK4 Renowned for its highly-skilled workforce, Germany has in fact a greater proportion of working poor – people […]
Ransomware incidents have surged 50 percent from a year ago, educational institutions are becoming a playground for cyber espionage and 68 percent of healthcare security threats are internal, according to Verizon’s 2017 Data Breach Incident Report (DBIR). The DBIR is based on data from 65 organizations, 42,068 incidents and 1,935 breaches in 84 countries. At a high level, Verizon’s DBIR isn’t that surprising. One of the recent […]
