Saudi Arabia has announced a timeline for implementation of a tax on harmful products including soft drinks and cigarettes, and said it has completely ruled out income tax contrary to previous reports, according to an official document. The Fiscal Balance Program 2020 report, published by the Saudi government last week, said the kingdom would impose a 50 percent tax on soft drinks and a 100 percent tax […]
This year has been tough-going in more ways than one and, by most accounts, Singapore’s economy is expected to be heading for rougher seas in 2017. According to a survey by the Singapore Business Federation, 63 percent of local companies said the economic climate worsened in 2016 and 48 percent believed the downward spiral would continue in the new year. The Monetary Authority of Singapore also warned […]
Sprint has revealed that it is going to hire about 5,000 personnel, and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump quickly claimed credit for purportedly negotiating the deal. Trump has lumped those figures with the 3,000 new hires planned by a startup called OneWeb, for a grand total of 8,000 new jobs, which Trump has promptly announced as very good news for the economy. Sprint is owned by Japanese firm […]
ABU DHABI // Five hundred taxis at Dubai airport will soon be equipped with free WiFi. Telecoms firm du has signed an agreement with Dubai Taxi Corporation of the Roads and Transport Authority to provide passengers with free internet and smart screens in the airport cab fleet. “Our cooperation with du to provide internet and smart screens across our Dubai Airport fleet embodies the Smart Dubai strategy […]
For France, 2016 ends as it began, with the nation under a state of emergency following terrorist outrages and in anticipation of more to come. The warnings of French leaders of potential further attacks have come gloomily true. Even last month, as the French centre-right party Les Républicains was choosing the Thatcherite Francois Fillon as its candidate in the presidential elections, ISIL was attempting to inflict further […]
Two years ago, James Garstang, a brewer at the Kernel Brewery, one of London’s most popular microbreweries, was approached by a friend about an opportunity abroad. “He said: ‘If you are interested in some karma and curry, then I have a potential job for you,’” Mr Garstang recalls. Less than a month later, the Londoner was living and working in Gwalior, a midsized city in India five […]
Israel is clearly now on a path toward absorbing the West Bank’s 2.8 million Palestinians. There are already 1.7 million Arabs living in Israel, so putting these two Arab populations together would constitute a significant minority with a higher birthrate than that of Israeli Jews — who number 6.3 million — posing a demographic and democratic challenge. Continue reading the main story I greatly sympathize with Israel’s […]
Almost all – nine in 10 – Middle East workers believe that employee loyalty is tied to higher productivity, but ‘loyalty’ for them is no longer about remaining in the same company for a long period of time, a survey suggests. Recruitment website Bayt.com surveyed 8,223 respondents from countries including the UAE, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Tunisia, Qatar, KSA and Yemen between November and […]
TOKYO The president of Dentsu Inc, Japan’s largest advertising agency, will step down over the “death by overwork” of a young employee, a suicide which has prompted official probes and fresh hand-wringing over Japan’s overtime culture. Matsuri Takahashi, a promising graduate of Japan’s top university, leapt to her death in December 2015, leaving behind a trail of grievances over relentless days. She clocked 105 hours of overtime […]
Front pages on Wednesday led with a last salute to actress Carrie Fisher, who died on Tuesday at age 60. Many of the fronts feature images of Fisher in her iconic role as Princess Leia in the “Star Wars” franchise. Here’s a quick collection, via Newseum: United States: Brazil: Canada: Colombia: France: United Kingdom: Kristen Hare covers the media for the Poynter Institute. Her work for Poynter […]
Aliens may be communicating to us in the form of fast radio burst (FRB) signals, scientists believe. Two separate groups of astronomers have recently discovered radio bursts coming from the Auriga constellation, which is about 3 billion light years away from the Milky Way galaxy. According to a report filed in The Astrophysical Journal, the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia discovered five radio bursts coming from the Auriga […]
ABU DHABI // Large dumpsters are to be replaced by bins for segregated waste to ensure that the target of reducing landfill by 85 per cent is met. Tadweer, the waste management company for Abu Dhabi, said it would introduce black bins for general waste and green bins for recyclables for all residential buildings in city. It will also send out separate bin lorries to pick up […]
This July 29, 2015, file photo shows Amazon’s Echo speaker, which responds to voice commands, in New York. A prosecutor investigating the death of a man whose body was found in a hot tub wants to expand the probe to include a potential new kind of evidence: the suspect’s Amazon Echo smart speaker. Amazon has called the request “overbroad or otherwise inappropriate.” (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File) Authorities […]
If there is one thing that unites Middle Eastern leaders these days, it is concern over what Donald Trump might do in 2017. A true political outsider, Trump will arrive in the White House next month with no track record and no political markers that might give an indication. The list of policy problems is certainly long, yet his list of policy ideas, as mooted during his […]
Some of the biggest law firms on Wall Street are scrambling to shore up their defences against cyber attacks, in the wake of a raid by Chinese hackers which led to millions of dollars of profits from insider trading. Preet Bharara, US attorney for the southern district of New York, this week charged three individuals who he said infiltrated law firms over a period of about 18 […]
Gasoline and Aromatics Project will add 4.2 mtpa of gasoline supply and 1.6 mtpa of aromatics Abu Dhabi, UAE – December 28, 2016 The Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Company (TAKREER), an ADNOC Group company announced, today, the awarding of two major contracts for its Gasoline and Aromatics Project (GAP), that will significantly increase its gasoline production capacity. As part of ADNOC’s growth strategy, TAKREER plans to expand […]
By Richard Cowan | PALM BEACH, Fla. PALM BEACH, Fla. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday said telecommunications group Sprint Corp (S.N) and a U.S. satellite company OneWeb will be bringing 8,000 jobs to the United States, celebrating the moves as a result of optimism associated with his election. It was unclear how the 8,000 jobs are related to a $50 billion investment announced in December by […]
Saudi Arabia’s austerity measures will weigh heavily on consumer spending in 2017 with households cutting back on “non-essential” expenses, according to BMI Research. In its latest country report, the Fitch Group firm reiterated its previous forecasts that the kingdom’s economy would fall into recession next year, as fiscal consolidation and oil production cuts impact economic activity. It forecasts real gross domestic product (GDP) growth to decline by […]
Use the command line to manage the hibernation file. Click to enlarge As I explained last week, hibernation is sometimes preferable to sleep, because it uses no power while still preserving your system state. When you resume from hibernation, all your open apps, browser tabs, and files are exactly where they were when you last used them. On modern PCs with lots of memory and relatively small […]
New York state’s financial regulator on Wednesday revised a proposal for the nation’s first cyber security rules for banks and insurers, loosening some security requirements and delaying implementation by two months to March 1. The rules from the New York State Department of Financial Services are being closely because they lay out unprecedented requirements on steps that financial firms must take to protect their networks and customer […]
Based on Samsung’s staggered announcements, it appears that the South Korean company is going to inundate CES with a host of new products. After revealing fresh projects baked in its Creative Lab, it has now confirmed three more gadgets: the H7 Wireless Speaker, a new soundbar, and a UHD Blu-ray Player. The trio is being touted as the future of audio on the strength of the so-called […]
ABU DHABI // A new insurance policy will protect employers from financial losses when a domestic worker absconds, fails a visa-renewal medical test or dies. For an annual premium of Dh100, the Domestic Helpers Protection Plan covers maids, drivers and other household staff aged between 18 and 64, employed by Emiratis or expatriates. “AXA Green Crescent has aspired to make this policy as convenient and affordable as […]
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for December 29, 2016, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film screenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun. newslide Abu Dhabi Fitness event Take part in the vertical training at TrainZSC, presented by Daman Activelife, and run the 884 stairs of the National Stadium for a fun cardio workout. Or take advantage of […]
US secretary of state John Kerry delivered a stinging rebuke of the Israeli government on Wednesday, accusing it of making the establishment of a viable Palestinian state nearly impossible through the expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. With Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu joining forces with president-elect Donald Trump to attack the Obama administration, Mr Kerry said that the US allowed a […]
