By A. Ananthalakshmi and Liz Lee | KUALA LUMPUR KUALA LUMPUR VX, the chemical used in the airport murder Kim Jong Nam, is one of the deadliest chemical weapons created by man. Just 10 milligrams of the nerve agent or a single drop enough to kill in minutes, experts say. With the texture and feel of engine oil, VX was first produced in the United Kingdom in […]
Senator Leila de Lima insisted she was innocent of the drug trafficking charges that could see her jailed for life. The highest-profile critic of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal drug war was arrested on Friday on charges supporters said were meant to silence her, but she vowed to keep campaigning against killings and “repression”. In comments to journalists moments before police detained her following an […]
For a century after the incredibly influential writings of Carl von Clausewitz in the early years of the 19th-century, the study of war, specifically the study of battles, occupied a regal prominence in the field of history-writing. It was taken as a given that the study of battles was illustrative, even vaguely ennobling, and monumental, multi-volume battle-histories appeared at regular intervals, often running to many reprints and […]
US and European authorities eased enforcement of new derivatives rules on Thursday less than a week before the standards come into effect, allowing small financial institutions more time to prepare for the wide-ranging reforms. In a series of statements hours apart, supervisory watchdogs bowed to growing concerns of a potential dislocation in the swaps market and hundreds of unprepared pension funds, asset managers and credit institutions likely […]
British boxer Amir Khan and Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao are on course to fight in the UAE. Khan said on Twitter that his team is in talks with Pacquiao to be the WBO world welterweight champion’s next title challenger. Pacquaio, a six-weight world champion said on the social media platform that his next fight will be in the UAE, adding: “My team and I are in negotiations […]
Beirut, 23 February 2017 Ipsos, the number one research company in Middle East and North Africa, and Nielsen, a global performance management company that provides a comprehensive understanding of what consumers Watch and Buy, released their official results for Television Audience Measurement (TAM) for 2016 in Lebanon, during a gathering at Phoenicia Hotel in Beirut. The event took place in the presence of key representatives from the […]
Vue Smart Glasses Whether experimenting with the enclosed headset of an HTC Vive, the augmented reality of Microsoft’s HoloLens, or even the headset theater from Avegant or Vuzix, it’s virtually impossible to use a head-mounted product without attracting generally unwelcome attention. Companies that make these products all want to make them less of an encumbrance. But their markedness eliminates any notion that they would be used as […]
“What’s up with the dollar?” has been the recurring question for investors lately as the reserve currency has slipped from a 14-year high set at the start of January. The answer may lie in the link between the dollar and real yields, a proxy for how investors in the bond market view prospects for stronger economic growth and the normalisation of interest rates. Whereas nominal yields give […]
A HoloLens display visualization Microsoft “You take the high road and I’ll take the low road and I’ll be in Scotland before you,” assert modernized lyrics of The Bonny Banks of Loch Lomond. The 176 year-old song is a metaphor for the state of virtual reality. Scotland represents a promised land of market leadership, Oculus and HTC, with their pricey high-end products, are taking the high road, […]
The arrival of Mike Flynn’s replacement, Gen. H.R. McMaster as Trump’s new national security advisor could mean sweeping changes of the White House foreign policy team, giving him control of Homeland Security and guarantee full access to the military and intelligence agencies. In a report by the NYT, Mr. McMaster is said to be weighing changes to an organization chart that generated consternation when it was issued […]
A recent meme under the hashtag #OscarsWeNeed, dubbed “Outstanding Background Extra”, perfectly encapsulates what The National’s Alternative Academy Awards (aka The Other Oscars) is all about. There he was, an extra standing behind Spectre star Daniel Craig, sweeping as if his life depended on it – even as his broom never came close to the ground. As Hollywood prepares to honour the best of American and foreign […]
Image: Bednarczyk/Epa/REX/Shutterstock By Sohini Mitter2017-02-23 08:56:35 UTC We told you that Justin Bieber is performing in India for the first time. Understandably, there’s a lot of excitement, especially in millennials who can’t have enough of the 23-year-old pop sensation. But now there’s a problem as we discovered once the tickets went on sale. Firstly, there’s a queue. Even if you wait, you are never sure that […]
For the Arab world’s largest country, February 11, 2011, was the moment the 21st-century began. Hosni Mubarak, after decades in power, was finally pushed to step down after millions of people took the streets. Many things were born in Tahrir Square that day. Hope for the future. A new politics led by youth. A revolutionary current, as H A Hellyer puts in his new book A Revolution Undone. […]
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. A few months ago Vice founder Shane Smith fronted a superior Vice-HBO documentary, “A House Divided,” that detailed the issues, tactics and rancor that dominated Barack Obama’s relations with a Republican-dominated Congress. Now he sees “a perfect storm” that involves […]
BANGKOK Thailand’s Supreme Court on Thursday reduced the sentence of a prominent former magazine editor who had been jailed for 10 years for insulting the country’s monarchy, a legal group said. Somyot Prueksakasemsuk was found guilty of publishing two satirical articles defaming the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 2010 when he was editor of an anti-establishment magazine. The royal insult law, also known as lese-majeste, is punishable […]
Credit: George Hodan/Public Domain Researchers at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) Cyber Security Research Center have demonstrated that data can be stolen from an isolated “air-gapped” computer’s hard drive reading the pulses of light on the LED drive using various types of cameras and light sensors. In the new paper, the researchers demonstrated how data can be received by a Quadcopter drone flight, even outside […]
By Alan Baldwin | SILVERSTONE, England SILVERSTONE, England Vijay Mallya, the one-time billionaire who co-owns the Force India Formula One team, said on Wednesday Indian authorities had no grounds to extradite him from Britain and he would not be leaving. India wants Mallya to face trial after the liquor and aviation tycoon was charged with conspiracy and fraud over a loan to his defunct Kingfisher Airlines. It […]
By Amina Ismail and Arwa Gaballa | Al-GAMALIYA, Egypt Al-GAMALIYA, Egypt Thousands of mourners gathered in a small Egyptian town on Wednesday for the funeral of the Muslim cleric known as “the blind sheikh” who was convicted of conspiracy in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing in New York. Omar Abdel-Rahman, who was also convicted of planning a broader “war of urban terrorism” in the United States, […]
Last year, Mashable laid off about two-dozen employees, cutting its politics and international reporters in a push for more video. So, how’s that going? The reorganization of the company, which saw Chief Content Officer Gregory Gittrich replace Editor-in-Chief Jim Roberts “wasn’t an easy stretch,” Gittrich said. But Mashable has some good news — unique visitors and revenue are way up, and they’re hiring. More specifically: Unique views […]
Fitch Ratings-Moscow-22 February 2017 Fitch Ratings has affirmed the Long-Term Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) of five UAE banks with Stable Outlook and maintained Rating Watch Positive (RWP) on First Gulf Bank’s (FGB) IDRs. The agency also downgraded the Viability Rating of Union National Bank (UNB) to ‘bbb-‘ from ‘bbb’. A full list of rating actions is at the end of this commentary. KEY RATING DRIVERS IDRs, SUPPORT […]
Wednesday 12:45 GMT Overview US equity futures suggest Wall Street will dip from record levels that were reached amid a positive outlook for economic growth. Political concerns leave the euro carrying the wooden spoon in the forex markets, while the rush for supposed havens pushes short term German bond yields to their lowest ever. Hot topic The FTSE All-World equity index is at another record, up 0.1 […]
FUJAIRAH // Fond memories of close-knit families and a lifetime of hard work to eke out a living in the harsh natural environment of the Northern Emirates came flooding back to a group of elderly Emiratis on Tuesday. About 50 senior citizens from Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Ajman gathered for an event to celebrate their generation’s accomplishments and for students to show their gratitude to their […]
Evan Spiegel and other top executives at Snap, the owner of messaging app Snapchat, on Tuesday pitched the company to hundreds of investors in New York and faced questions about user growth, costs and the development of the platform. The ballroom at the Mandarin Oriental in midtown Manhattan was the second stop on a roadshow for the company’s listing, after it kicked off its marketing blitz in […]
“If someone is arrested for throwing a rock, they get a two-year sentence,” the father, Yusri al-Sharif, said, according to the news site Ynet. “In this case, a soldier murdered and got a year and a half.” Continue reading the main story “My son is not an animal,” he said. But Israeli leaders, still shocked that an Israeli soldier was convicted in January in a killing in […]
