BEIJING China said it will not change its position on opposing the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to people it considers criminals, even though Beijing and Norway had now normalised ties frozen since 2010 when a prominent Chinese dissident won. Liu Xiaobo, 59, was jailed by a Chinese court for 11 years in 2009 on subversion charges for organising a petition urging an end to one-party […]
MUMBAI Apple Inc is in talks with India’s government to explore making products locally, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, as the U.S. firm aims to make deeper inroads in the world’s second-largest mobile phone market by users. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to boost technology manufacturing in the country through his ‘Make in India’ initiative. His government in June exempted foreign retailers for three […]
Why does Apple want to open stores in India? Its sales in China, previously a huge market for growth, are slowing and it doesn’t want to miss out on India’s rapidly-expanding smartphone market. Opening its own stores in India, which is set to become the world’s second biggest market for the devices by next year, could help boost brand awareness and sales. (via WSJ)
ZURICH A man who shot three people at a Zurich mosque on Monday is dead, police said on Tuesday, confirming that a body found near the scene was that of the assailant. Zurich cantonal police said authorities had identified the suspect, but gave no details. A news conference was scheduled for 1300 GMT. The gunman had stormed into the Islamic centre and opened fire on worshippers. “The […]
It’s a hot July day in Bethlehem, and white-robed pilgrims from Nigeria stand in the courtyard entrance to the ancient church, singing and beating drums. They’ve travelled more than 3,500 kilometres to enter the church’s low wooden door, pass through a nave under restoration and down one of the staircases in the sprawling church, to the grotto. There, they will kneel in prayer and devotion at the […]
In a year replete with extraordinary political upheaval and the wrenching loss of artistic icons, the markets have played their part in contributing to the angst. Here is a look at some of 2016’s most notable one-day wobbles. China cracks It started badly. In China, the mainland’s benchmark, the Shanghai Composite index, had closed 2015 near a four-month high after bouncing nearly 21 per cent from its […]
Majid Al Futtaim has announced that it has secured an exclusive retail agreement with American Girl, a division of Mattel, and a premium brand for dolls. The deal also encompasses Majid Al Futtaim being awarded exclusive distribution rights in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman, spanning bricks and mortar retail, airport-based retail and e-commerce. The first American Girl store in the UAE is slated […]
The newly opened location will expand company’s existing office portfolio, including several offices in Europe and recently announced US presence. 20 December 2016 Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Walkbase, a leading IoT analytics and marketing platform for retail, today announced the opening of its office in Dubai, UAE, resulting from a growing number of existing customer cases and ongoing discussions in the Middle East region. The decision to open […]
TEHRAN: Iran’s president lashed out at the country’s hard-liners on Monday, accusing them of ignoring human rights, which he said are enshrined in the constitution.Hassan Rouhani’s remarks were apparently an attempt to appeal to the liberal-minded among the country’s middle class ahead of Iran’s May presidential elections. Without naming names, Rouhani said in a televised speech that “some individuals do not like to hear about some of […]
By Umit Bektas and Orhan Coskun | ANKARA ANKARA Turkish police have detained six people over the killing of the Russian ambassador, state media said, who was shot in the back as he gave a speech in Ankara on Monday by an off-duty police officer shouting “Don’t forget Aleppo” and “Allahu Akbar”. The state-run Anadolu agency said on Tuesday the attacker’s mother, father, sister and two other […]
Simply getting onto the NBN, let alone making use of it, is impacting the functioning of 43 percent of businesses according to an Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) survey [PDF] released on Tuesday. Only 22 percent of businesses said the NBN connection process was smooth, while businesses said the most common complaint was “ongoing service issues”, ACMA said. Conducted between April and May 2016, ACMA surveyed […]
By Michelle Martin | BERLIN BERLIN Berlin police said on Tuesday that investigators assume the driver of a truck that ploughed into a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 people and injuring 48 others, did so intentionally in a suspected terrorist attack. The truck crashed into people gathered around wooden huts serving mulled wine and sausages at the foot of the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church, […]
The United States said on Tuesday it had received an underwater drone “unlawfully seized” by a Chinese vessel last week and called on China to refrain from further efforts to impede its lawful activities in the South China Sea. China had earlier announced it had returned the drone after “friendly” talks between the two countries. The USS Mustin received the vehicle for the United States in international […]
Saudi Arabia’s crude oil exports fell in October by 176,000 barrels per day from the month before, despite high production, but its refined products shipments rose as the kingdom expands its refining power, official data showed on Monday. The world’s top exporter shipped 7.636 million barrels per day in October, down from 7.812 million bpd in September, according to data from the Joint Organizations Data Initiative (JODI). […]
The mysterious sound heard in Mariana Trench that has baffled scientists is likely a new baleen whale call that no one has heard before. The sound, which lasts up to 3.5 seconds, was recorded on several occasions from Autumn 2014 to Spring 2015 deep in the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument, one of the largest marine protected areas worldwide. Mysterious Sound Does Not Resemble Any Human Or Geologic […]
By Michelle Nichols | UNITED NATIONS UNITED NATIONS United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday he feared genocide was about to start in South Sudan unless immediate action is taken, renewing his plea for the Security Council to impose an arms embargo on the world’s newest country. “If we fail to act, South Sudan will be on a trajectory towards mass atrocities,” Ban told the 15-member […]
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for December 20, 2016, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film screenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun. newslide Abu Dhabi Art exhibition No White Walls continues at Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, where you can see works created by professional artists in the UAE as part of an initiative to develop the art […]
The Bank of Japan kept monetary policy on hold and turned optimistic on the growth outlook as a slide in the yen sharply improves the outlook for Japan in 2017. Japan’s economy is “likely to turn to a moderate expansion” with rising domestic demand, large-scale fiscal stimulus and growing exports, the central bank said. Its comments highlight the dramatic turnround from September — when despairing analysts said the […]
SHANGHAI/BEIJING Heavy smog engulfed large parts of northern China for a fourth straight day on Tuesday, with the environment ministry warning that some firms in the region were continuing to flout emergency restrictions and dozens of flights out of Beijing cancelled. Some power plants and chemical producers in the region had not scaled back operations in line with regulations, and drivers in Beijing had also been flouting […]
aNewDomain — Rex Tillerson, the ExxonMobil chief who Donald Trump has tapped to be the next US secretary of state, was the director of a Bahamas-based US-Russian oil firm, according to leaked documents in the Panama Papers. Tillerson ended the association with the Exxon subsidiary, Exxon Neftegas, in 2001, Exxon rep Scott Silvestri said Monday, a day after the Guardian and reporters at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists reported the news. […]
Tunis – December 20, 2016 The Tunis Bay Project Company, a project of Bahrain-based GFH Financial Group B.S.C., held a ceremony in the Tunisian capital recently to mark the nearing completion of infrastructure works on the first and second phases of the Tunis Financial Harbour (TFH). The ceremony was held under patronage and presence of Tunisia’s Prime Minister, Youssif Chahed, a number of other ministers, parliament members and diplomats. The event coincided […]
By Paul Carrel | BERLIN BERLIN The Berlin evening air was cool, the mulled wine warm and festive spirits high. Then, suddenly, chaos: A truck ploughed into the Christmas market, making no obvious attempt to stop, and smashing revellers in its path. “It happened so fast there was nothing we could do to stop it,” said Mike Fox, a tourist from Birmingham, England, who had just enjoyed […]
While it may look like a pine wreath dotted with crimson berries, this holiday-themed image is in fact one of the world’s first color electron micrographs. (via WSJ)
By Tim Cocks and Aaron Ross | KINSHASA KINSHASA Gunfire could be heard in several districts of Kinshasa early on Tuesday as demonstrators demanded that President Joseph Kabila step down after his mandate expired at midnight, and measures to curb dissent fanned fears of more violence. Reuters witnesses in various parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital city heard repeated gunshots, and one saw youths burning […]
