Jerusalem / AFP Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday defended a new $38 billion US defence aid package against criticism Israel could have negotiated a larger sum had he not angered the White House. Speaking at the start of a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said the deal was the “largest assistance agreement that the United States has ever provided to ...
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Four scenarios for oil producers as they seek to boost prices
Bloomberg A meeting in Algiers at the end of September between OPEC and Russia — which together pump more than half the world’s oil — has raised expectations that a deal could be struck to boost prices. Oil is still trading at half its 2014 level amid a persistent global oversupply. While a production decline in the U.S. has ...
Read More »Turkey hopes to weather tourism turbulence
ISTANBUL/ AP With summer drawing to a close, Turkey is counting the cost of a tough year that saw a string of terrorist bombings and the fallout from a diplomatic spat with Moscow that cut deep into the country’s crucial tourist trade. And then right bang in the middle of summer, the economic backdrop got more precarious after an ...
Read More »Design Week to tap ‘incomplete’ Cairo
Emirates Business Cairo Now! A City Incomplete captures for the first time under one roof the Egyptian capital’s current design landscape and celebrates innovation and emerging talent in the fields of product, furniture, graphic and typeface design as well as architecture. Curated by Cairo-based architect, independent researcher and writer Mohamed Elshahed, Over 65 Egyptian architects, designers, entrepreneurs and graphic ...
Read More »Digital transformation can bring gains for UAE
DUBAI / Emirates Business The UAE government can save nearly USD 5 billion if the country undergoes full digital transformation, industry experts announced ahead of GITEX Technology Week 2016. Government digital transformation can save 1.3 percent of GDP, according to a recent report by consultants Deloitte. Extrapolating to World Bank figures that show the UAE’s GDP was USD 370 ...
Read More »EmiratesGBC Congress to discuss sustainable development in UAE
DUBAI / Emirates Business Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC), an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices, will put the spotlight on UAE’s achievements in sustainable development as a way forward strategy to a greener future, at the fifth EmiratesGBC Congress 2016 to be held on October 25 & 26 at Dusit ...
Read More »Technology at Paralympics sparks advances and debate
AP Here’s how good technology for prosthetic running blades has become. Greek runner Michail Seitis set a world record for his division with a time of 49.66 seconds in the men’s 400-meter final on Thursday. He came in sixth place out of eight runners. The five who finished ahead of him were double amputees. “Oh, to be bilateral,†said ...
Read More »Pandora eyes growth with low price, new features
AFP Internet radio leader Pandora unveiled plans to challenge streaming stalwarts such as Spotify by undercutting them on price and matching them with on-demand music. The move comes after prolonged market jitters over the future of Pandora at a time that on-demand streaming is reshaping the music industry. Pandora said that its premium service would cost $4.99 a month ...
Read More »Mercedes mulls delivery van with carrier-pigeon robots
Bloomberg Mercedes-Benz is looking at mounting automated flying drones onto a new line of electric vans as part of a 500 million-euro ($562 million) investment aimed at speeding delivery times for online orders. The small pilotless aircraft would be part of a suite of on-board systems, including digital sorting equipment, that could cut both costs and delivery times in ...
Read More »Software pros demand give push to blockchain bootcamps
Bloomberg Yi Wang was hearing the same refrain over and over: Why are English classes in China so expensive? And why aren’t I proficient yet?A year ago, 27-year-old software developer Roy Breidi was dreaming of launching a startup related to the digital currency bitcoin. Problem was, he “didn’t really understand what’s the magic behind it.†So he took an ...
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