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Berlin / AFP Support for German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative alliance has slumped to its lowest since July 2002 as opposition over her liberal refugee policy grows, a survey showed on Sunday, while a right-wing populist party polled a record high. According to the poll published by the Bildam Sonntag newspaper, public support for Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and sister ...

Kathmandu / AFP After enduring endless blackouts in Nepal’s months-long and ongoing national fuel crisis, management consultant Pankaj Shrestha finally splurged on a set of solar panels for his home in Kathmandu. “First there was no cooking gas available, so we bought an electric cooker. But then there was no electricity, so how could we cook anything?” the 52-year-old asked. ...

Brussels / AFP Belgium has charged three people with trying to go to Syria and join extremists there, press reports said on Sunday. Police arrested four people on Saturday after raids in Jumet, near the southern city of Charleroi, on suspicion that they planned to go to either war-torn Syria or Libya. The reports said one person had been released ...

Tripoli / AFP The designated head of Libya’s UN-backed unity government has met the country’s controversial army chief, retired General Khalifa Haftar, as he prepares to submit a new cabinet lineup. Fayez Al Sarraj’s official Facebook page said he met Haftar on Saturday as part of a series of meetings to assess “the opinions, fears and worries of influential sides ...

Tokyo / AFP Japan has doubled the number of F-15 fighter jets deployed on the southern island of Okinawa, near disputed islands in the East China Sea, the defence ministry said Sunday. Japan’s Air Self-Defence Force now has about 40 F-15s on Okinawa’s Naha base, according to the defence ministry. The move comes as Japan and China have routinely clashed ...

The Hague / AFP Over 10,000 unaccompanied migrant children have disappeared in Europe, the EU police agency Europol said on Sunday, fearing many have been whisked away into sex trafficking rings or the slave trade. Europol’s press office confirmed the figures that were published in British newspaper The Observer, adding that the numbers were for the last 18-24 months. The ...

DUBAI / EMIRATES BUSINESS Sage Middle East, the leading provider of business management solutions, delived into the complex and exciting world of ubiquitous computing trends in business by hosting a luncheon discussion on trends in disruptive technologies at Dubai’s Shangri-La Hotel. The luncheon held in Dubai is the latest edition of Sage’s GCC series of discussions on trends in technology ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM The Abu Dhabi General Services, Musanada, has announced the completion of the Sheikh Khalifa Medical City Dialysis Centre, at a total cost of AED140 million. The Dialysis Centre will be handed over to Abu Dhabi Health Services Company this week. The construction of the centre comes within the framework of Musanada’s keenness to embody the vision ...

DUBAI / EMIRATES BUSINESS Dubai Financial Market (DFM) on Sunday announced it has charted an all-inclusive plan to reinforce its momentous innovation journey based on suggestions generated during (UAE Innovation Week 2015); the initiative launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai in order to encourage innovation across all sectors. ...

Dubai / EMIRATES BUSINESS Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) was awarded “Best Tourist Board” at the Travel Weekly Globe Awards in London earlier this month. The Awards are voted for by UK travel agents and industry experts, and with previous winners including the likes of BrandUSA and VisitEngland, the win is testament to the continued hard work ...