That WhatsApp has been working on a new functionality — support for video calling — is no secret. The company has now officially confirmed that the much-awaited feature is finally being pushed out for iOS, Windows and Android. On Monday, Nov. 14, the company confirmed the video calling feature’s arrival for the three ecosystems in a blog post. WhatsApp’s move was motivated by the fact that its […]
MARRAKECH // The UAE is investing in “rain-enhancement” as lack of water could become a matter of national and environmental security, meteorologists have told the Conference of Parties 22. Scientists have been looking at techniques such as cloud-seeding and the first annual grant of US$5 million has been awarded to researchers seeking solutions. “Rain enhancement is a possible solution to water security, which is in turn related […]
Dubai retail firm Marka has reported a Q3 loss of $3.2 million (AED11.8 million), a 15% improvement from the $4 million (AED14.7m) loss it reported last year. Company also reported total revenue of AED 65.9 million ($17.9 million) in Q3 of 2016, a decrease of 15 percent compared to the same period in 2015. In its statement, Marka said the results for Q3 reflect the company’s sale […]
Every year, the International Prize For Arabic Fiction invites emerging writers to “nadwa”, a workshop at the Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort, where they can develop their skills with two established authors. This month, Emirati author Lamees Yousef took part. Her novel Rock, Paper, Scissors was published in 2014, and her follow-up, White Clothes in the Cooking Pot, is due out soon. “Nadwa was an astounding experience, […]
Photo A blanket of smog covered Tehran on Monday. Every year, heavy pollution gets trapped by the Alborz Mountains. Credit Atta Kenare/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images TEHRAN — This week, as a yellow blanket of smog settled in for what is typically a winter-long stay, Reza Shajiee, a prominent hipster socialite, posted a picture of himself on Instagram wearing a gas mask under his motorcycle helmet. The […]
Sweden’s Riksbank is debating whether to become the first significant central bank to issue a digital currency as it responds to an increasing move away from cash in the Scandinavian country. The world’s oldest central bank — it was the first to issue paper banknotes in the 1660s — is launching a project to examine what a central bank-backed digital currency would look like and what challenges […]
Big changes are coming to Overwatch. In addition to a new character in the form of the hacker Sombra and the new “Arcade” game mode, Blizzard is also changing up the game’s leveling system. It’s that last change that has some players worried. Each time a player levels up they get a loot box, which contains various skins, sprays and voice lines for the game’s characters. As […]
newslide ‘The Rock’ talks a future in politics, including potential White House run The Rock may have been voted Sexiest Man Alve by People, but the 44-year-old is interested in topping a more serious poll. After parleying a professional wrestling career as The Rock into leading roles in Hollywood, Dwayne Johnson is entertaining the idea of jumping into the political ring, including perhaps even a run for […]
BERLIN — A German organization that calls itself the True Religion and that is known for distributing German-language copies of the Quran was outlawed on Tuesday, after the authorities accused it of recruiting jihadists to fight in Iraq and Syria. Thomas de Maizière, the German interior minister, said the government had banned the True Religion organization, which is also known as Read (as in the instruction to […]
“Phase one is the hope phase,” Stephen Cucchiaro, chief investment officer at 3 Edge Asset Management, says of the reaction in financial markets to president-elect Donald Trump. “As it is a while until he’s president, you can hope for fiscal stimulus getting growth going and reawakening animal spirits.” Evidence of exuberance is not hard to find. S&P 500 financials and heathcare stocks are flying; US 10-year Treasury […]
SHARJAH // Residents are unhappy with a decision to end free afternoon parking in the city. Sharjah City Council members last week agreed to end free parking between 1pm and 5pm in an attempt to curb abuse from motorists taking advantage of it, especially near marketplaces. For Naser Hamdan, the free parking gave him a chance to rest at home after work before he is forced to […]
DUBAI // The delivery of more than 1,000 books for children in Pakistan has been on hold for almost seven months after the shipment was caught up in red tape. In April the first batch of books in the Kitaabie initiative, which aims to establish libraries every 100km in Pakistan, were due to leave the UAE but they have been held up in the courier’s storage space […]
Sharing screenshots or footage of Watch Dogs 2’s full-frontal nudity may get your account suspended by Sony. After accidentally taking down some female NPCs during a playthrough of Ubisoft’s new open world shooter, Adam, a UK QA tester, used the PlayStation 4 Share feature to screenshot a fallen character seemingly wearing crotchless panties. “On Sunday evening I accidentally blew up a few women in a back alley […]
The world’s favourite spy has arrived in Dubai with a licence to thrill – or at least, we have his cars, suits, guns, gadgets and even a few of the women that have helped to make the 24 Bond movies the most enduring film franchise of all time, raking in an estimated US$14 billion (Dh51.4 bn) since Sean Connery introduced us to 007 in 1962’s Dr No. […]
During an interview in his office here, Mr. Omgy acknowledged that his company had provided financial services to Al Qaeda. “We had no other option but to comply with them,” he said. “They were the rulers of the city.” Continue reading the main story But he denied the Treasury Department’s charge that he was a Qaeda member, describing his ties to the group as a business relationship […]
By Corina Pons and Eyanir Chinea | CARACAS CARACAS Multinational companies are selling their Venezuelan operations at hefty discounts – or even giving them away – as they to seek to escape the OPEC nation’s soaring inflation and chronic supply shortages. Six firms, including General Mills and oil producer Harvest Natural Resources, have sold operations for as little as half their assessed value on the companies’ books, […]
Three global trends are reshaping GCC travel distribution business models and threaten to weaken the connection between airlines and customers Rise of digital technologies risks weakening connection between airlines and customers In the Middle East, there is growing internet penetration, with a rapid rise in the use of mobile – around 15% of internet users use only mobile for access By getting closer to […]
Political advertising may get more attention but with Election Day hours away, a liberal super PAC is betting direct outreach to voters is actually more effective. For Our Future has “a goal of 8,093,518 knocks by Election Day,” according to its most recent publicly posted strategy memo. The group was formed last June and supports Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Democratic candidates for Congress, including U.S. […]
Anyone who has a purely functional relationship with exercise will tell you that finding the will to haul oneself out of bed and hit the gym or running track requires Herculean effort and iron determination. It doesn’t help that it can sometimes take weeks and even months before you see any perceptible physical change in your body. It really does beg the question, how does anyone find […]
Photo Donald Trump at a rally against the Iran deal in Washington last year. He vowed during his campaign to renegotiate or renounce the agreement. Credit Doug Mills/The New York Times Seventy-six national security experts urged President-elect Donald J. Trump on Monday to reverse his hostility to the nuclear agreement signed with Iran last year and to use it as a tool to ease other tensions with […]
Tokyo is struggling to find out who is advising Donald Trump on Japan policy, as the president-elect prepares to meet Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in New York this week in what will be his first meeting with a foreign leader since his victory over Hillary Clinton. Four former US officials said the Japanese embassy had been contacting Asia experts in Washington to identify Trump advisers on Japan […]
ABU DHABI // Parents can play a role in promoting science education by accompanying their children to the Abu Dhabi Science Festival. As he led officials on a tour of the festival grounds on Monday, Abu Dhabi Education Council director general Dr Ali Al Nuaimi encouraged visitors to make the science festival a family affair. “I urge parents to come and participate with their kids,” said Dr […]
Samsung has announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Harman, the designer and maker of connection products for automakers, in a bid to expand and accelerate its growth in connected technologies. On Monday, Nov. 14 the Korean company confirmed that it will buy Harman for $112 per share, which brings the cost of acquisition to about $8 billion. Harman has a strong presence in […]
Dubai – 14 November 2016 GFH Capital, a subsidiary of Bahrain based GFH Financial Group, today announced an investment in AMA Group for its growing operations in the Kingdom of Bahrain and beyond. The investment will be in the form of a Shari’a compliant convertible Murabaha facility. The AMA Group manages the largest network of educational institutions across Asia. The AMA Group also has various other business […]
