ABU DHABI // Tobacco as well as fizzy and energy drinks are expected to be taxed this year, the Minister of State for Financial Affairs announced. Obaid Al Tayer was speaking on Wednesday as the Federal National Council approved a draft law that paves the way for value-added tax (VAT) and excise duties on selected items, by setting up a legal framework for taxation. While the GCC […]
Image: LG I’ve been using a non-final LG G6 unit for a couple of weeks and have decided this is likely my next Android phone, depending on the price. Rumors have indicated we might see the LG G6 launch on 7 April, a week after Samsung announces the Galaxy S8 and before the S8 hits the streets. According to information that Android Central received, the LG G6 […]
One of the authors of the report was Richard Falk, an American law professor and former United Nations human rights investigator whom critics regard as an anti-Israel extremist. He has been refused entry to Israel for what Israeli leaders have described as his hostile point of view. Continue reading the main story The report comes amid a hardening polarization on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with […]
From lush landscapes to buzzing cities, Vietnam is designed to dazzle. Few countries have changed so much in so little time. This intrepid corner of Southeast Asia has persevered through colonialism, communism, war and poverty, and like the proverbial phoenix, has risen again to claim top spots on countless bucket lists. Prepare for sensory overload. Though it has not forgotten its past, Vietnam has come roaring into […]
Image: Google My kids are spoiled when it comes to technology. I won’t dispute that fact. It’s part of having a dad who is constantly testing and reviewing new products. The three of them get to use the products as well, and at times, actively participate in testing. However, they don’t have the luxury of doing whatever they want, whenever they want on any electronic device. One […]
NEW YORK Jeffrey Gundlach, chief executive officer of DoubleLine Capital, said on Wednesday he expected a short-term rally in U.S. Treasuries and that investors should “use the strength” in U.S. stocks to take profits and diversify in overseas markets. “I am surprised with the relentless nature” of equities after the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, Gundlach said on CNBC. Gundlach, who oversees more than $101 billion […]
The White House will propose large spending cuts on Thursday for the state department, public broadcasting and environmental programmes as part of its preliminary budget for the 2018 fiscal year. Administration aides call it an “America First” budget — with greater spending on defence, law enforcement and veteran affairs, as well as new education programmes that emphasise school choice. The last are a pet project of Betsy […]
JERUSALEM: Israeli ex-defense minister Moshe Yaalon accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday of seeking a “neo-Ottoman empire” while warning of growing instability in the Middle East.Yaalon, seeking to build a campaign to become Israel’s next prime minister, spoke of his concerns while addressing regional issues in a meeting with foreign journalists.The ex-minister, forced out of office last year as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to […]
GENEVA Negotiations to end the war in Syria must speed up, U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura told Reuters on Wednesday, on the sixth anniversary of the start of the conflict. “There is no way that we should be accepting the fact that the sixth anniversary becomes the seventh,” he said. “It’s becoming one of the longest and most cruel wars of recent years. That’s why there […]
If you are trying to get rid of the itching that is caused due to Eczema in your children, then gulping an antibiotic or applying an antibiotic cream may not be of any help. A study has revealed that there lies no underline benefit for eczema, by the use of oral or any topical antibiotics for children who are infected with mild clinical eczema. Eczema In Children A […]
Good morning. Here’s our morning roundup of all the media news you need to know. Want to get this briefing in your inbox every morning? Subscribe here. Nate Silver’s “March Madness” analysis is out and, knock on hardwood, he’s not picking Hillary Clinton. I know, I know. Cheap (jump) shot. It’s that time of year when FiveThirtyEight, the ESPN-owned politics and sports data site founded by Silver, […]
It is fitting that just a few hours until the Fed’s second rate hike in two quarters, and one day after Goldman downgraded global stocks to Neutral for the next 3 months, not to mention with the results of the anticipated Dutch election due shortly, that global stocks as well as S&P futures are higher, while crude oil has finally managed to stage a rebound as the […]
By Kevin Yao and Ryan Woo | BEIJING BEIJING China’s Premier Li Keqiang reassured investors on Wednesday that the world’s second-largest economy is strong and not at risk of a hard landing, while stressing Beijing’s support for globalization and free trade at a time of rising protectionism. Li also reiterated that China does not want a trade war with the United States, and urged talks with Washington […]
GEORGE TOWN: Utusan Melayu Berhad has agreed to an out-of-court settlement on a suit brought against the publication by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng. Both parties agreed to the settlement with the publication’s legal officer Siti Nurzulaikha Ibrahim reading out an apology in the High Court on Wednesday regarding an article published by the paper on Aug 20, 2015. Siti Nurzulaikha said the article should have stated […]
By Andrew Osborn | MOSCOW MOSCOW First, armed police seized some of its books. Next, its director was put on trial accused of stirring up ethnic hatred. And now, quietly, its shelves have been emptied and its volumes packed up, ready to be merged into another library’s collection. A year and a half after Russia’s only state-run Ukrainian language library, Moscow’s Library of Ukrainian Literature, was dragged […]
Machine learning is one of the biggest buzzwords in cybersecurity in 2017. But a sufficiently smart adversary can exploit what the machine learning algorithm does, and reduce the quality of decision-making. special feature Cyberwar and the Future of Cybersecurity Today’s security threats have expanded in scope and seriousness. There can now be millions — or even billions — of dollars at risk when information security isn’t handled […]
BEIJING Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Wednesday that China hopes to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea by pushing forward with negotiations for a code of conduct for rival claimants in the disputed waters. Addressing a news conference at the end of the annual meeting of China’s parliament, Li said that “substantive progress” has been made on the code. Negotiations began in 2010 […]
ABU DHABI // Farmers and members of the Federal National Council called for more measures to protect local food prices from competition with cheap imports. Experts, however, said that such restrictions, proposed at the FNC meeting on Tuesday, could drastically raise food prices and would not solve the problem of water scarcity. FNC members had raised complaints from local farmers, who say their products are getting drowned […]
Towards the end of British writer China Mieville’s latest fantasy novella, his young protagonist, Thibaut, muses: “Something doesn’t make sense.” “Really?” replies Sam, his mysterious sidekick. “Just one thing?” It’s not an altogether unexpected line: after all, Thibaut has just destroyed a centaur that is part giant, part Second World War German panzer tank. In a world in which the Nazis are still in power in the […]
Participants at seminar on child sexual crimes unanimously call for introduction of topics that help children know difference between ‘good touch’ and ‘bad touch’. PETALING JAYA: With the internet replacing parents and teachers as the source of information, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Rohani Abdul Karim has agreed it is time the country introduced comprehensive sex education, The Star reported. Speaking at the Jenayah Seksual Kanak-Kanak: […]
Sony announced that the PlayStation Now streaming service will soon expand to allow gamers to stream PlayStation 4 titles on their Windows PCs, in addition to the PlayStation 4. PlayStation Now allows subscribers to stream hundreds of PlayStation 3 titles to their PlayStation 4 and Windows PC. With the announcement, PlayStation 4 titles are expected to be added to the service’s catalog soon. What Is PlayStation Now? […]
ABU DHABI // People are smuggling gas from Abu Dhabi to Dubai after illegally stocking up on cheap LPG cylinders by using the e-gas cards of the capital’s residents. An investigation by The National found that residents let friends and relatives use their pre-paid Rahal e-gas cards to exchange empty LPG cylinders for full ones, which they transport in their cars to Dubai. Rahal cards were introduced […]
Oil prices have fallen almost 10 per cent in the past week to their lowest level since Opec agreed to cut output in November. Here are five factors contributing to the renewed bout of selling that could dictate whether Brent crude can hold above $50 a barrel. 1. Shale The US shale industry has come back with a bang, with oil prices back above $50 a barrel. […]
WASHINGTON Veteran U.S. diplomat Anne Patterson is out of the running to under secretary of defence for policy, U.S. officials said on Tuesday, depriving Defense Secretary Jim Mattis of his choice for his top policy adviser. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the officials said Patterson ran into resistance on Capitol Hill that might have made it hard for her to win confirmation by the U.S. Senate. The […]
