NEW YORK / AFP Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus is getting a new camera capability — the blurring of backgrounds to focus attention on people or other objects in the foreground. Apple first announced the “portrait mode” feature in September but it wasn’t available until the company released its iOS 10.1 software update on Monday. It replicates an effect typically …

  NEW YORK / AP A massive internet attack that paralyzed Twitter, Netflix and other services is being blamed on a specific kind of malware designed to harness the power of ordinary consumer devices. The bad news: Using it isn’t particularly hard and doesn’t require much money. The malware, known as Mirai, was recently posted online for others to adapt …

  Bloomberg Chinese billionaire Jack Ma proposed that the nation’s top security bureau use big data to prevent crime, endorsing the country’s nascent effort to build unparalleled online surveillance of its billion-plus people. China’s data capabilities are virtually unrivaled among its global peers, and policing cannot happen without the ability to analyze information on its citizens, the co-founder of Alibaba …

  Le Somail / AFP France’s Canal du Midi was once a bustling commercial artery crowded with lock keepers, boatmen and barges weighted down by wine and wheat. These days, 350 years after it was carved out of the soil of southwestern France, its banks and waters have become a haven for slow-living locals, artists and prosperous professionals. They are …

  Naha / AFP Hollywood may have kicked karate onto the world stage, but its first-ever inclusion at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics promises to shine a light on the rich history of the discipline. At 78, sensei Masahiro Nakamoto has been waiting decades for this decision, insisting there is far more to the martial art than the caricature depicted in …

  ABU DHABI / WAM President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued federal law decrees pertaining to bankruptcy, the Federal Judicial Authority and Federal Supreme Court. Sheikh Khalifa issued the Law Decree No. 9 for 2016 on bankruptcy. He also issued Law Decree no. 11 for 2016, amending certain provisions of the federal Law No. 3 for …

  ABU DHABI / EMIRATES BUSINESS The Board of Management of Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) approved its budget for next year at a meeting chaired by Board Chairman, Abdulla Nasser Al Suwaidi. The senior management provided the board with updates to key FANR activities, including the status of its review of the application for an Operating License for …

  SHARJAH / EMIRATES BUSINESS The United Arab Bank (UAB), announced its financial results for the nine months ending September 30. Performance in the third quarter reflects continued positive traction against the bank’s transformation strategy. Aided by a substantial 44% reduction in Provisions for Credit Losses, stable Non-Interest Income and material cost savings from its streamlined operating model, UAB recorded …

  RAS AL-KHAIMAH / WAM Ras Al-Khaimah Port, one of the emirate’s five port facilities, now established a new free zone area that comes under the licence jurisdiction of RAK Maritime City Freezone Authority. Commenting on the new facility, Captain Clifford Brand, CEO of Ras al-Khaimah Ports, said, “We believe that introducing a free zone alternative within RAK Port will …

  DUBAI / WAM Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) on Monday announced its results for the period ended September 30, with a group net profit increased to AED3,011mn, up 7% compared with AED2,801mn for the same period in 2015. Mohammed Ibrahim Al Shaibani, Chairman of Dubai Islamic Bank, said, “Despite somewhat difficult times for the global economy, the UAE economy and …