KRASNOYARSK, Russia In Russia’s snowy Krasnoyarsk, women preparing for a plus-sized beauty contest parade around a hall dressed in ball gowns and swimsuits – but also take classes in kick-boxing and dancing. The competition, now in its second year, is organized by a local modeling agency, SibPlus. Inna Sertrakova, who works at the agency, said the pageant in May aims to challenge Russian attitudes that equate beauty […]
LONDON An animatronic leopard stopped Londoners in their tracks on Wednesday in Trafalgar Square, where it sat roaring as part of satellite TV channel Nat Geo Wild’s Big Cat Week campaign. Called “Lily,” the robotic leopard is intended to raise awareness about threats to the habitat of real leopards, who increasingly have to co-exist with humans. “These animals are roaming the streets in places like Mumbai because […]
Dubai, UAE 08 March 2017 Amlak Finance PJSC, a leading specialized real estate financier in the Middle East, today announced its Full Year Financial Results for the year ended 31 December 2016. Amlak reported net profits of AED 107 million at the end of December 2016, a decrease of 20% compared to AED 135 million in 2015. The Company’s total revenues, however, reached AED 778 million in […]
The launch of the Nike Pro Hijab, a lightweight, breathable, adjustable, competition-worthy garment for hijab-wearing athletes, reflects both consumer demand and the growing number of elite female Muslim athletes. In the 2016 Rio Olympics, for example, 14 Muslim women – four of them in hijab – won medals. “Sports is one of the few platforms that brings people together, and the more big brands are noticing the […]
George Osborne will earn £650,000 a year for working four days a month at BlackRock, more than ten times what he is paid as an MP once expected share awards from the world’s largest fund manager are included. The detail of Mr Osborne’s pay at BlackRock, which he agreed to join as an adviser earlier this year, was disclosed in the register of members’ financial interests at […]
By John Walcott and Andrea Shalal | WASHINGTON/BERLIN WASHINGTON/BERLIN U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials said on Wednesday that they have been aware since the end of last year of a security breach at the CIA that led to anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks publishing agency documents on its hacking tools. The officials, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters that they believed that the documents published by […]
A new study has documented the use of CRISPR-Cas9 mediated genome editing in the third domain of life, Archaea, for the first time. Their groundbreaking work has the potential to vastly accelerate future studies of these organisms, with implications for research including global climate change. (via WSJ)
VIENNA The U.N. nuclear agency’s 35-nation Board of Governors on Wednesday backed the agency’s chief, Yukiya Amano, for a third term as director general after he ran unopposed on a platform of continuity in dealing with issues like Iran’s nuclear programme. Amano, a 69-year-old career diplomat from Japan, has headed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) since 2009, including the years leading up to Iran’s nuclear agreement […]
The award judges noted that the project “exposed offshore hideaways tied to mega-banks, corporate bribery scandals, drug kingpins, arms traffickers and a network of people close to Russian President Vladimir Putin that shuffled as much as $2 billion around the world.” Judges also noted that since the probe, “governments and corporations in 79 countries have opened at least 150 inquiries, audits or investigations.” Along with the recognition […]
Researchers have identified 24 compounds, including caffeine, that showed potential in boosting levels of a brain enzyme exhibiting protective benefits against dementia. For a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers from Indiana University screened more than 1,280 compounds to identify which substances could influence production of NMNAT2. The brain enzyme’s protective effect was discovered just last year. “This work could help advance efforts to develop drugs […]
Poisoned. Stabbed. Driven to suicide. These are just some of the unpleasant ways women in 19th-century opera meet their demise. Mimi, from La Bohème, is no different. Giacomo Puccini’s masterpiece – which comes to Dubai Opera for three performances from today until Saturday – sees the opera’s heroine end her days in poverty, coughing up blood, too poor to buy medicine, and estranged from her one true […]
KUALA LUMPUR: A medical student from a university in Egypt and a hotel worker pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here today to 54 prostitution-related charges. Khairul Azzuar Yusuff, 28, and Mohyuddin Ahmad Fajarudin, 23, made the plea after all the charges were read out to them before judge Datin M. Kunasundary. The offences included for living on the earnings from prostitution where Khairul Azzuar, who […]
Apple says it is working fast to fix vulnerabilities in the iPhone and other products after WikiLeaks released material said to show the Central Intelligence Agency was stockpiling malware to break into devices. “While our initial analysis indicates that many of the issues leaked were already patched in the latest iOS [operating system for iPhones and iPads], we will continue work to rapidly address any identified vulnerabilities,” […]
“Talk is cheap, implementation is difficult,” said Fadel Gheit, a senior oil company analyst at Oppenheimer & Company. “They will have to recreate books that never existed.” Photo Khalid A. al-Falih, Saudi Arabia’s energy minister and chairman of Saudi Aramco, speaking at a conference in Houston on Tuesday. Credit Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle, via Associated Press As a prize, there are fewer bigger than Saudi Aramco. The Saudis […]
Dubai, United Arab Emirates Delta Partners, the leading advisory and investment company, specialised in the telecoms, media and digital (TMD) space, has been officially recognised as one of the ‘Top Companies to Work for in the UAE’ in 2017 by Great Place to Work®, a global research, training and consultancy firm that identifies the best workplaces in over 50 countries worldwide. The official list, which was announced […]
Bahrain’s national carrier has announced an expansion to its bundle of pre-paid services, adding seat selection, excess baggage and lounge access. Gulf Air said in a statement that passengers can now purchase these services in advance of their travel, adding that its prepaid excess baggage rates are 20 percent lower than standard airport rates. The airline said it will be introducing this facility to its official website […]
Based on new leaks you’d think we live in truly Orwellian times, but the authorities building the surveillance state still can’t do anything to stop actual crimes. WikiLeaks is rolling out Vault 7, a cache of documents that outline CIA hacking operations. Oddly, people are shocked. Why? We’ve been told for years that phone microphones and webcams can be turned on […]
By Ginger Gibson and David Shepardson | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON When the bosses of some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies headed to Washington in January to meet U.S. President Donald Trump, it had all the makings of a potentially hostile meeting. Just weeks before, Trump had sent drug stock prices plummeting after accusing the companies of “getting away with murder” by charging too much for medicines. But […]
US-based Hyperloop One on Tuesday put the cost of traffic congestion between Dubai and Abu Dhabi at almost $800 million in lost working hours. Nearly 4,000 vehicles travel on the Dubai-Abu Dhabi highway every day as majority of the people, who work in the UAE capital, reside in Dubai which offers cheaper housing options. “Reducing this commute to 12 minutes opens a whole new realm of options,” […]
As CEO of ExxonMobil, Rex Tillerson was accustomed to going where he wanted, when he wanted, with whomever he wanted. It comes with being the CEO of one of the most valuable companies in the world. He doesn’t seem compelled to act much differently as Secretary of State — at least in the early going. It’s why news bureau chiefs will hold a conference call this morning to […]
Nvidia has now unveiled the latest generation of the Jetson platform for edge-of-network devices, dubbed the TX2, which is capable of doing a handful of things, including powering commercial drones, factory robots, and smart cameras. The credit card-sized platform comes with the “embedded AI supercomputer” Jetson TX2, which is able to power 4K drones that use up only about 7.5 watts of power. Video drones with the TX2 […]
ABU DHABI// A new 2.4-kilometre canal on Reem Island is undergoing final testing before opening next month. Developer Aldar Properties said commissioning work on the project is well under way ahead of the scheduled flooding in April. The canal, which is crossed by 10 bridges, runs through the Shams development and features landscaping with 450 trees, covering an area of 46,000 square metres. “Shams is becoming one […]
For hijabi athletes, Nike just did it. The sports brand has ticked all the boxes for fitness enthusiasts by announcing its Nike Pro Hijab which will be available in 2018. As of Wednesday morning, amid the online buzz, the garment even launched its own Instagram account A project that has been in the brand’s creative labs for over a year, the modest wear is a lightweight, breathable, […]
For many, South Korea’s decision to host a missile shield to defend against its hostile northern neighbour should not be controversial. In the past month alone, North Korea has fired six ballistic missiles, with a barrage of four successful launches on Monday trumpeted by Pyongyang as being a drill targeting US bases in Japan. But in a region riven by simmering historical grievances, Seoul’s move has sparked a bitter […]
