A “handful of people” have been stopped from flying to the United States from Dubai International Airport following a US travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries, the airport operator’s chief executive said on Monday. “The effect has been very minimal at the moment. We don’t have the exact figures but literally a handful of people have had to be looked after and repatriated to their point of […]
Whatever your personality and current state of mind – seeking adventure, travelling the world, or enjoying fatherhood – here’s the kind of backpack you need. Read this and more stories in Luxury magazine, out with The National on Thursday, February 2. [email protected] newslide The outdoor trekker You’re drawn to athletic stripes, and the prospect of embroidered animal appliqués doesn’t scare you. You’ve developed a taste for extreme […]
The publication of Michael Lewis’s book Flash Boys in 2014 thrust the arcane world of ultra-high frequency trading firms into the popular consciousness, prompting debate over everything from the industry’s morality to the possible risks it posed to financial stability. What was undeniable was how several of these companies were staggeringly profitable, generating hundreds of millions of dollars by trading at speeds made up of fractions of […]
WASHINGTON — Iran conducted its first missile test since President Trump took office, American and Israeli officials said Monday, posing an early test of whether the Trump administration will make good on its promises to strictly enforce all aspects of the Iranian nuclear deal and a side agreement on missile testing. The Iranian missile traveled about 600 miles, but its re-entry vehicle reportedly exploded before the flight […]
JEDDAH: The Palestinian Authority has urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to speed up rulings on key issues including Israeli settlements, an official has told Arab News. The authority asked ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to expedite rulings on three Palestinian files in order to open a judicial inquiry into the Israeli government’s violations of international law, said Saeb Erekat, secretary-general of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO).This […]
Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is set to present the federal budget on Wednesday, when the government will reveal its plans to steer the economy out of a self-inflicted slowdown. New Delhi’s move in November to crack down on corruption and tax avoidance by voiding 86% of high-value bank notes slammed the brakes on economic activity and threatens to snatch away India’s coveted position as the world’s […]
BEIJING China’s second aircraft carrier is “taking shape” after two years and nine months of construction, local media reported, a move likely to further unnerve Taiwan and other neighbours about Beijing’s growing military assertiveness. Construction of The Shandong, named after a province in China’s east coast, began in 2014, the APP of Shandong television and radio said in a report seen on Tuesday. The Shandong, China’s first […]
From the top left corner, moving clockwise, the four images depict: University at Buffalo students performing an experiment, clean drinking water, water evaporating, and black carbon wrapped around plastic in water with evaporated vapor on top evaporated water. Credit: University at Buffalo. You’ve seen Bear Grylls turn foul water into drinking water with little more than sunlight and plastic. Now, academics have added a third element—carbon-dipped paper—that […]
Telstra has announced the launch of its gigabit-capable 4G mobile network in three capital cities throughout Australia, allowing users with compatible devices to attain speeds of up to 1Gbps amid promises that it will also upgrade its standard 4G network to 300Mbps speeds for 80 percent of its footprint by 2019. Already available at certain sites across Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, Telstra said it would launch the […]
Sri Lanka,30 January 2017 GAC Sri Lanka has partnered with Hemas Transportation to build an integrated logistics facility in Muthurajawela Industrial Zone in the western part of Sri Lanka. It will comprise a state-of-the-art distribution centre, a container yard and a 15-acre warehouse. A groundbreaking ceremony, graced by the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, the Honorable Ranil Wickramasinghe, was held today. The facility is expected to be […]
WASHINGTON/SEOUL U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis and his South Korean counterpart agreed during a phone call on Monday to strengthen their defense against “the evolving North Korean threat,” the Pentagon said, amid reports the North may be preparing a new missile test. Mattis, who is to visit South Korea on Thursday, reaffirmed to South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo the U.S. commitment to defend the country and […]
By Terray Sylvester | CANNON BALL, N.D. CANNON BALL, N.D. Dump trucks and heavy machinery rolled into the protest camp near the site of the Dakota Access Pipeline on Monday, and crews began filling large dumpsters with garbage that has accumulated, much of it now buried under snow. The clean-up marked cooperation among authorities and camp organizers. The decision to clean the site, where a few hundred […]
By Kevin Dougherty | QUEBEC CITY QUEBEC CITY The French-Canadian student charged in a shooting spree that killed six people at a Quebec City mosque was known in online circles as a supporter of far-right French politician Marine Le Pen and described by a former classmate as a “nerdy outcast.” Alexandre Bissonnette, 27, the sole suspect in Sunday night’s shooting, was charged on Monday with six counts […]
Whirlwind is not an adequate-enough word to sum up the past two years of Daya’s life. After scoring her first chart smash in 2015 at the age of 16, with debut single Hide Away, the scorching American talent was propelled to stardom as the soulful voice behind last year’s smash Don’t Let Me Down by The Chainsmokers. The song’s recent nomination for Best Dance Recording at this […]
The ranks of business leaders attacking Donald Trump’s immigration clampdown swelled on Monday as executives at several large US companies criticised the measures while Amazon said it was considering a legal challenge. Executives at the financial groups Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and MasterCard, the carmaker Ford and beverage group Coca-Cola risked a clash with the president as they criticised the restrictions on travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries. Amazon’s Jeff […]
Syrian armed forces appear to have retaken the contested Barada Valley area north of Damascus, the capital’s main source of water, signaling a possible end to a war-induced shortage that has left millions of inhabitants thirsty and dirty for six weeks. Syrian government news media reported on Monday that hundreds of rebel fighters and their families had evacuated the Barada Valley, under an agreement reached on Sunday. […]
By Julia Edwards Ainsley | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON The U.S. government has granted waivers to let 872 refugees into the country this week, despite President Donald Trump’s executive order on Friday temporarily banning entry of refugees from any country, according to an internal Department of Homeland Security document seen by Reuters. A Homeland Security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the waivers, noting that the refugees were […]
Even by Trumpean standards, it verged on an epic surprise. During his daily briefing cum lecture Monday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer sharply asserted, “They should either get with the program or they should go.” And he heralded President Trump’s new “One In, Two Out” mantra. But, stunningly, he was not referring to the press! One might have assumed that, given Sunday comments by Kellyanne Conway, […]
By John Walcott and Julia Edwards Ainsley | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON When Donald Trump’s administration put together its controversial executive order on immigration, it was Steve Bannon – the populist firebrand fast emerging as the president’s right-hand man – pushing a hard line. Senior officials at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) interpreted the order to mean that lawful permanent residents – green card holders – who hailed […]
Credit: Tel Aviv University The handwritten signature is still the most widely accepted biometric used to verify a person’s identity. Banks, corporations, and government bodies rely on the human eye and digital devices such as tablets or smart pens to capture, analyse, and verify people’s autographs. New software developed by researchers at Tel Aviv University and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev now enables smartwatches, currently worn by […]
If you work in IT in the enterprise business space chances are the following scenario will sound familiar. You have spent the better part of the past few years working hard to help support or build a business that is more dynamic and responsive to everyone’s needs. A business which doesn’t see IT as the bottleneck where all ideas cost a million dollars and take a year […]
By Hamid Shalizi and James Mackenzie | KABUL KABUL Atta Mohammad Noor, one of Afghanistan’s most powerful regional leaders, is in talks with President Ashraf Ghani to join the central government, a move that could shake up the country’s politics ahead of elections scheduled for 2019. Negotiations have been going on for weeks, and while the outcome is uncertain and it is unclear what role Noor would […]
Pressure on U.S. President Donald Trump grew on Monday over his order banning travel from seven Muslim-majority nations, as the state of Washington announced a legal challenge and former President Barack Obama took a swipe at his successor. The leader of the Democrats in the U.S. Senate, Chuck Schumer, said he would bring legislation on Monday evening seeking to end the ban, although his effort stood little […]
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, receives Angelino Alfano Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy (C). Seen with Dr Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, during a Sea Palace barza. Mohamed Al Hammadi / Crown Prince Court — Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy […]
