August, 2016

• 10 August

  The ‘virtual’ future of education

  

    Bloomberg Deep within a building shaped like the Starship Enterprise, a little-known Chinese company is working on the future of education. Vast banks of servers record children at work and play, tracking touchscreen swipes, shrugs and head swivels — amassing a database that will be used to build intimate profiles of millions of kids. This is the Fuzhou hive ...

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• 10 August

  Vegan junk food is all the rage

  

    Los Angeles / AFP Vegan diets are considered by most as healthy and environmentally responsible, with celebrity poster children touting benefits like weight loss, clear skin and increased energy. But even vegans — who eschew all animal products like meat, eggs and dairy — crave junk food. As the movement becomes more and more popular, temptations including donuts, pizza ...

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• 9 August

  Nakheel awards 252-room hotel contract

    DUBAI / WAM Dubai’s master developer Nakheel on Tuesday announced that it has awarded an AED1.5 billion construction contract for its Al Khail Avenue mall, and said it plans to add a 252-room hotel to the retail hub. The contract to build the billion retail, dining and entertainment complex in Dubai’s Jumeirah Village district was awarded to the UAE-based ...

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• 9 August

  DED for Consumer Protection counters in car showrooms

    DUBAI / WAM Officials from the Department of Economic Development (DED) in Dubai have held a meeting with seven major vehicle dealers in Dubai to discuss the establishment of Consumer Protection counters in car showrooms. The dealers were briefed on guidelines regarding the counters and the need for establishing them by the beginning of 2017. The Consumer Protection counter ...

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• 9 August

  Trump’s sinking fantasy

  

    Like shipwrecked mariners clinging to a floating mast, many Republicans rationalize supporting Donald Trump because of “the court.” This two-word incantation means: Because we care so much for the Constitution, it is supremely important to entrust to Trump the making of Supreme Court nominations. Well. In a Republican candidates debate, Trump complained that Ted Cruz had criticized Trump’s sister, ...

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• 9 August

  Citigroup stockpiles ‘weapons of mass destruction’

  

    Citigroup has carved out an an improbable niche, given its history of receiving the most federal aid among banks in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The bank, which already has the most derivatives of any of its U.S. rivals, has been buying credit-default swaps from its European rivals, which are under growing pressure to quickly cut holdings ...

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• 9 August

  Wall Street’s weird disconnect with Tesla

  

    Wall Street threw in the towel on Tesla Motors this week. Sort of, anyway. Analysts’ consensus forecast for Tesla’s earnings per share in 2016 finally slipped into the red this week. A few cuts in the wake of Wednesday’s second-quarter results took the estimate from a profit of about 23 cents to a loss of about 65 cents, according ...

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• 9 August

  Erdogan’s trip to Russia a pragmatic move

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived Russia on Tuesday for his first meeting with counterpart Vladimir Putin since the two strongmen began healing a bitter feud over Ankara’s downing of a Russian warplane last November. The shooting down of a Russian jet saw a furious Putin slap economic sanctions on Turkey and launch a bitter war of words. Putin ...

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• 9 August

  Emerging-market rally gains as China data improves

  

    Bloomberg Emerging-market stocks and currencies advanced for a fourth day as narrowing Chinese factory deflation signaled the world’s second-largest economy is stabilizing. Indian bonds rallied after the central bank said it’s keeping accommodative policy. Raw-material producers touched a 13-month high paced by South Korean steelmaker Posco, while stocks in the Philippines rose for a second day. Data out of ...

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• 9 August

  Qatar up on emerging fund inflows, Gulf slightly higher

  DUBAI / Reuters Qatar’s main stock index outperformed its peers in early trade on Tuesday as emerging market funds continue to hunt for bargains there. Doha’s main index rose 0.7 percent as 11 of the 12 Qatari shares that are members of the MSCI emerging market index advanced. Petrochemical conglomerate Industries Qatar was up 2.2 percent and Qatar National Bank ...

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