“Dedication, that’s what you need, if you want to be a record breaker,” sang the TV entertainer Roy Castle on the long-running BBC programme dedicated to notable feats. London’s FTSE 100 has been on a dedicated record-breaking run all of its own, notching up an unprecedented 14 consecutive sessions of gains by the end of last week, a run which only ended on Monday, when the index […]
NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Millennials, some so young they need their parents’ permission and others with babies in tow, will join women’s protests this weekend as their generation for the first time faces challenges to rights they have known most of their lives. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend the Women’s March on Washington and sister marches in other cities around the […]
Traders are anticipating big swings in the pound, ratcheting up the cost of hedging against sterling volatility in preparation for fast-moving developments in the UK’s ever-more fractious relationship with the EU. Theresa May’s Brexit speech that she will deliver on Tuesday has already caused big shifts in the pound, following weekend media reports about its likely content. However, traders are now weighing up the impact of Donald […]
The family of an 18-year-old woman is fighting in court for access to a new tuberculosis drug that doctors say may be her only hope of survival, in a case that is being closely watched by TB experts and health workers in India and around the world. The family of the young woman, whose name her lawyer asked to keep confidential, filed a petition in Delhi’s High […]
Diffraction-based analytical methods are widely used in laboratories, but they struggle to study samples that are smaller than a micrometer in size. Researchers have nevertheless been successful in using electron diffraction to reveal the structure of nanocrystals. (via WSJ)
Source: United Nations University Hong Kong and Singapore in 2015 produced the highest volume of e-waste in the region, generating 21.7kg and 19.95kg, respectively, per capita. At 19.13kg per capita, Taiwan rounded up the top three e-waste producers, while China more than doubled its production between 2010 and 2015–at 107 percent–to 6.7 million tonnes. Across East and Southeast Asia, the average e-waste generation per capita was 10kg […]
The pound has fallen below the $1.20 mark for the first time since the October “flash crash”, ahead of a speech on Tuesday when UK prime minister Theresa May is expected to signal that Britain will fully break out of the EU’s common market after Brexit. The UK currency fell as much as 1.6 per cent to a low of $1.1986 against the dollar in early Asian […]
Researchers are hoping to transform the fortunes of magnesium this year, by showcasing it as a viable alternative for luxury car makers and the aerospace industry. (via WSJ)
By Ben Hirschler | DAVOS, Switzerland DAVOS, Switzerland Trust in governments, companies and the media plunged last year as ballots from the United States to Britain to the Philippines rocked political establishments and scandals hit business. The majority of people now believe the economic and political system is failing them, according to the annual Edelman Trust Barometer, released on Monday ahead of the Jan. 17-20 World Economic […]
Water is a critical ingredient for life. And with the discovery of water ice in other planetary objects, scientists are abuzz over the probability of the presence of — and the prospect of supporting — life beyond the boundaries of planet Earth. Tech Times looks at three of the most recent concrete evidence of water ice on three planetary bodies: Ceres, Pluto and Mars. Water Ice On […]
The very first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to perform a perched landing using machine learning algorithms has been developed by researchers. The revolutionary development of a fixed wing aircraft that can land in a small or confined space has the potential to significantly impact intelligence-gathering and the delivery of aid in a humanitarian disaster. (via WSJ)
The UAE is upskilling its population – and not only nationals. During a Federal National Council session on January 10, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, Saqr Ghobash Saeed Ghobash, revealed the country is attempting to increase the number of “highly skilled” workers to 40 percent of the workforce by 2021. Currently, workers categorised in the top three skill levels, including executives and those with tertiary qualifications, […]
Researchers have invented a range of instruments from giant telescopes to rovers to search for life in outer space, but so far, these efforts have yielded no definitive evidence that it exists beyond Earth. Now scientists have developed a new tool that can look for signs of life with 10,000 times more sensitivity than instruments carried on previous spaceflight missions. (via WSJ)
Teenagers who play video games for more than four hours a day suffer from symptoms of depression, but frequent use of social media and instant messaging may mitigate symptoms of game addiction in these teens, new research suggests. (via WSJ)
Bernie Sanders is of the opinion that a repeal of Obamacare could potentially lead to a huge number of deaths each year. With the Congress considering partial repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Bernie Sanders tweeted on Jan, 12 that 36,000 people may die yearly as a result. As Republicans try to repeal the Affordable Care Act, they should be reminded every day that 36,000 […]
In its first aquisition of calendar 2017, Microsoft announced plans to buy Montreal-based deep-learning startup Maluuba for an undisclosed amount. Maluuba has done work in natural-language understanding and reinforcement learning. Harry Shum, Microsoft executive vice president of the company’s Artificial Intelligence and Research Group, explained a potential scenario where Maluuba’s technology could help this way: “Imagine a future where, instead of frantically searching through your organization’s directory, […]
Investors in Fiat, the carmaker under investigation for violating emissions laws, have been accused of ignoring clear signs of corporate governance failings at the Italian-US business. Fiat Chrysler’s share price fell 16 per cent on Thursday immediately after the US environmental watchdog warned the company could face a fine of up to $4.6bn. It is accused of breaking emissions laws in 104,000 diesel vehicles. The US regulator […]
Over millions of years retroviruses have been incorporated into our human DNA, where they today make up almost 10 per cent of the total genome. A research group has now discovered a mechanism through which these retroviruses may have an impact on gene expression. This means that they may have played a significant role in the development of the human brain as well as in various neurological […]
Submitted by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com, Electric, driverless shuttles with no steering wheel and no brake pedal are now operating in Las Vegas. There’s a new thrill on the streets of downtown Las Vegas, where high- and low-rollers alike are climbing aboard what officials call the first driverless electric shuttle operating on a public U.S. street. The oval-shaped shuttle began running Tuesday as part of a […]
The British Antarctic Survey has announced it is relocating Halley VI, a research facility that sits atop the floating Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica. The ice shelf happens to be moving toward the Weddell Sea at 0.4 kilometers (approximately a quarter of a mile) per year. There is a higher possibility of huge chunks of ice breaking off as icebergs. The relocation of Halley VI is to […]
ABU DHABI // UAE driving schools are switching in increasing numbers to e-learning to help drivers be safe and responsible on the road. Waleed Mamoun Afanah is among those who have benefited from the online learning. Instead of sitting through long classroom lectures on driver attitude and responsibilities and figuring out what each traffic sign, road marking and traffic control device at intersections signifies, the 27-year-old Jordanian […]
“Hello and welcome to LA,” intones a woman’s voice during the intro to Armenian-American producer Bei Ru’s third album, LA Zooo. “It’s another beautiful day, with sunny skies and highs in the mid-90s. So enjoy your stay, and remember: it’s a zoo out there.” So begins an album that, with track titles including Tigers on Tujunga, Animal Pharm and Do Not Feed the Cannibals, not only evokes […]
|By Saifur Rahman| Sales transactions fall 20.76% to Dh103 billion The total value of land transactions declined marginally by 2.99 per cent to Dh259 billion in 2016, down from Dh267 billion recorded in 2015, and 18.8 per cent up from Dh218 billion recorded in 2014, according to Dubai Land Department (DLD) reports. The number of real estate transactions also declined 4.9 per cent to 60,595 last […]
Fresh, clean water coming directly from the tap is a true luxury. In developing countries, people often have no choice but to use a contaminated river for drinking water. Water filters can help by quickly converting polluted surface or ground water into safe drinking water. In a new article, researchers have now introduced a novel multifunctional composite material that removes inorganic, organic, radioactive, and microbial impurities from […]
