Humans will be extinct in 100 years because the planet will be uninhabitable, according to Australian microbiologist Frank Fenner, one of the leaders of the effort to eradicate smallpox in the 1970s. He blames overcrowding, denuded resources and climate change. Fenner’s prediction is not a sure bet, but he is correct that there is no way emissions reductions will be enough to save us from our trend […]
For an earnest young Christian named Ben Lowe, revelation came on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, in Africa. A relentless warming of the lake was reducing the catch of fish, the people were going hungry — and he had learned of scientific evidence that climate change was to blame. For the Rev. Brian Sauder, who grew up attending a small Anabaptist church in rural Illinois, the moment […]
A man types on a computer keyboard in Warsaw in this February 28, 2013 illustration file picture. Reuters/Kacper Pempel/Files SAN FRANCISCO The Chinese hacking group suspected of stealing sensitive information about millions of current and former U.S. government employees has a different mission and organizational structure than the military hackers who have been accused of other U.S. data breaches, according to people familiar with the matter. While […]
UAE. The Dubai Technology & Media Free Zone (the DTMFZ), commonly known as TECOM, is a Free Zone in Dubai comprised of a number of well-known business parks including Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, Dubai Design District, Knowledge Village and various others. The DTMFZ was re-launched on Tuesday under the new name Dubai Creative Clusters (the DCC). At the same time, the Dubai Technology & Media […]
UAE. Dubai and Abu Dhabi have been ranked as the 23rd and 33rd most expensive cities to live in (respectively) according to Mercer’s 2015 Cost of Living Survey. The two cities have experienced a significant jump compared to 2014, with Dubai soaring 44 places from last year’s position at 67 and Abu Dhabi going up 35 places 68th in 2014. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the most […]
LEBANON. Economena Analytics, a specialized economic information provider, released its Lebanese Economic Outlook (LEO) for the second quarter of 2015. Key forecast findings show heightened levels of pessimism in recent months, with growth forecasts for 2015 falling to 1.5% in the Q2 survey from 2% at the start of the year. The findings are based on the views of 17 leading Lebanese economists. None of the surveyed […]
Every week, The National looks at the people and politics of the UAE, as the country steps more confidently forward on the world stage. June 11 New Zealand military visit to Ajman Museum A military delegation from New Zealand visited Ajman Museum and was received by Faisal Al Nuaimi, general manager of Ajman Tourism Development Department accompanied by ATDD national heritage adviser Ali Al Matroushi. Mr Al […]
San Francisco Nearly 20 percent of Apple Watch buyers are not only shelling out hundreds of dollars for the timepiece but are springing for a spare band too, giving the tech giant a profitable second dip into customers’ wallets, according to data provided exclusively to Reuters. The data from Slice Intelligence, a research firm that mines e-mail receipts, offers a rare window into the money-making potential of […]
SANTIAGO, Chile — A haunting, yellowish glow radiates from the tiny section of empty wooden benches and crumbling concrete behind the north goal at Estadio Nacional. All around this space there is noise: 47,000 soccer fans screaming and jumping in delight as Chile’s national team plays Ecuador in the opening game of the Copa América. But no one sits on those wooden benches. They are reserved in […]
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Thursday called for a radical transformation of politics, economics and individual lifestyles to confront environmental degradation and climate change, as his much-awaited papal encyclical blended a biting critique of consumerism and irresponsible development with a plea for swift and unified global action. The vision that Francis outlined in the 184-page encyclical is sweeping in ambition and scope: He described a relentless […]
UAE. Private wealth in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) showed solid growth in 2014 (8.4 percent), according to a new report by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Global Wealth 2015: Winning the Growth Game, being released today. In the UAE, the growth of private wealth was driven mainly by equities. After all, between 2013 and 2014, the amount of wealth held in equities rose by 13.8 percent […]
UAE. EY’s Europe, Middle East, India and Africa (EMEIA) Fraud Survey, Fraud and corruption – the easy option for growth?, has found that many businesses still do not have the basic building blocks in place for effective compliance. Only 52% of MENA respondents stated they had an anti-bribery or anti-corruption (ABAC) policy and code of conduct in place. The survey, which polled 3,800 employees of large businesses […]
With the debate continuing over how Android security compares to the security of other mobile platforms, Google is getting more proactive. The mobile operating system maker just launched Android Security Rewards, complete with cash incentives to encourage security researchers to keep digging for — and reporting — flaws. Google will provide both money and public recognition to security researchers who discover and disclose vulnerabilities to the Android […]
Global Health By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr. A vaccine against leishmaniasis based on the saliva of sand flies has worked well in monkeys and may have potential to work in humans, according to a new study. Leishmanias, caused by a parasite injected by the bite of bloodsucking sand flies, infects about one million people a year, mostly in the Middle East and South America. It can cause […]
Networks upgrade key for Iraq to be Net transit hub BAGHDAD, 16 hours, 26 minutes ago A more reliable terrestrial broadband network could enable Iraq to become a transcontinental transit route for Internet traffic, a senior executive at one of two firms providing submarine connectivity to the war-torn country told Reuters. Iraq is ideally located to carry Internet traffic between Asia and Europe and built a submarine […]
BAHRAIN. On June 12, 2015, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services affirmed its long- and short-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings on the Kingdom of Bahrain at ‘BBB-/A-3’. We also affirmed our long- and short-term foreign and local currency credit ratings on the Central Bank of Bahrain at ‘BBB-/A-3’. The outlooks on both Bahrain and its central bank remain negative. RATIONALE We expect that Bahrain’s fiscal […]
By JODI RUDOREN June 14, 2015 JERUSALEM — In a pre-emptive strike against a forthcoming United Nations report on the war last year between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday issued a lengthy paper arguing that its troops adhered to international law and blaming the militants for most of the s civilian casualties in Gaza. Israel has refused to cooperate with the […]
INTERNATIONAL. This year Ipsos celebrates 20 years of the European Media and Marketing Survey (EMS) or as it is called now, The Ipsos Affluent Survey Europe. The Affluent European whom the survey tracks comes in all shapes and sizes, with a myriad of different wants and needs, yet, these individuals (the Top 13% of income earners) have one thing in common: they have significant disposable income and […]
Some things can’t be summed up in 140 characters. Twitter Inc’s (TWTR.N) announcement that Dick Costolo would exit as CEO on July 1 was long on plaudits but offered few clues on how the company will tackle its biggest problem: user growth. Twitter’ shares were down 0.6 percent in early afternoon trading on Friday, after rising much as 3.9 percent just after the opening, as investors assessed […]
NEW YORK Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) CEO Dick Costolo is stepping down, under pressure from investors frustrated by the Internet company’s slow growth and seemingly constant shake-ups in its upper ranks. Costolo will be replaced by co-founder Jack Dorsey on an interim basis. The company’s shares rose 7.7 percent to $38.60 in after-market trading. “Unfortunately this news isn’t surprising,” said Nate Elliott of management consultant Forrester Research. “The […]
Contributing Op-Ed Writer June 11, 2015 Shmuel Rosner TEL AVIV — Reuven Rivlin was elected president of Israel a year ago. Since then, this Likud Party member and former speaker of the Knesset has become Israel’s voice of moderation and reason on many issues. He has denounced racism, defended the autonomy of Israel’s judiciary and argued for better relations between Jews and Arabs. Mr. Rivlin is the […]
A motorcyclist rides past the entrance of the headquarters of Hon Hai, which is also known by its trading name Foxconn, in Tucheng, New Taipei city, December 24, 2013. Reuters/Pichi Chuang/Files MUMBAI Foxconn Technology is in talks to manufacture Apple’s(AAPL.O) iPhone in India, government officials said, in a move that could lower prices in the world’s No.3 smartphone market where the U.S. firm trails Samsung Electronics and […]
Al Hilal Bank opens new branch in Masdar City ABU DHABI, 6 days ago Al Hilal Bank has inaugurated its new brand in the Masdar City, a mixed-use project being developed in Abu Dhabi which is envisioned to emerge as a sustainable eco-city. The branch aims at highlighting Al Hilal Bank’s commitment to introducing products, services and facilities that are environmentally friendly and powered by state-of-the-art technology. […]
Researchers work at a laboratory at a genomics organization in Tianjin, China, April 2, 2014. Reuters/Stringer SHANGHAI/LONDON Years of pouring money into its laboratories, wooing scientists home from overseas and urging researchers to publish and patent is starting to give China a competitive edge in biotechnology, a strategic field it sees as ripe for “indigenous innovation.” The vast resources China can throw at research and development – […]
