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Ankara / AFP Sunday’s suicide car bombing in Ankara has raised fears of an escalation in Turkey’s long-running Kurdish conflict, as the country grapples with the IS threat while relying on a security system weakened by a political crackdown, analysts say. No-one has claimed responsibility for the blast which killed 35 people in the heart of the Turkish capital, but ...

Tokyo / Bloomberg Japan’s major companies are giving lower wage increases next fiscal year as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s efforts to boost the economy falter. Toyota Motor Corp. agreed to increase monthly base salaries 1,500 yen ($13) in the year beginning April, according to a statement from the company on Wednesday. That compares with a 4,000 yen hike this fiscal ...

Bloomberg Singapore developers sold the lowest number of new homes in 14 months, as mortgage curbs cooled demand in Asia’s second-most expensive housing market. Developers sold 301 units in February, down 7 percent from the revised 323 units in January, according to data released Tuesday by the Urban Redevelopment Authority. While annual sales rose just under 2 percent to 7,440 ...

Geneva / Emirates Business Global air freight markets in January has shown a good rise in freight tonne kilometers (FTK) of 2.7 percent compared to January 2015. This continues the improving trend witnessed toward the end of 2015, and is the fastest pace since April of last year, said the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in its recently released data. ...

Kalba / WAM His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, emphasised the pride of the UAE’s wise leadership by Emirati women who translate their deep-rooted values and loyalty to the precious homeland. Sheikh Mohamed said, “Every time our Emirati mothers provide a role model and ...

DUBAI / WAM Under patronage of HH Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Council, HH Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, on Tuesday opened the Seventh International Exhibition for National Security and Resilience (ISNR Abu Dhabi 2016). The event, organised by the Ministry of ...

Bloomberg The Obama administration is reversing course on opening Atlantic waters to a new generation of oil and gas drilling, after a revolt by environmentalists and coastal communities that said the activity threatened marine life, fishing and tourism along the U.S. East Coast. The proposed offshore leasing program eliminates the administration’s initial plan to auction off drilling rights in as ...

Youngstown / AFP Americans in five major states prepared to vote on Tuesday in make-or-break presidential nominating contests, with Donald Trump seeking to tighten his grip on the Republican mantle as rivals and critics bemoaned a weekend of campaign trail unrest. Dubbed “Super Tuesday 2” by US media, the latest major date in the run-up to November’s election will see ...

Paris / AFP Rising sea levels driven by climate change could upend the lives of more than 13 million Americans by the end of the century, according to a study released Monday. If global warming lifts oceans 1.8 metres (six feet) by 2100, as some scientists forecast in worst-case scenarios, 13.1 million people living in US coastal areas will become ...

Bloomberg Russia said its forces have started leaving Syria after President Vladimir Putin ordered the military withdrawal in a surprise move that puts pressure on the regime of Bashar Al Assad and opposition groups to reach a peace deal at talks in Geneva. The first group of planes, including Su-34 bombers, have returned to bases in Russia, the Defense Ministry ...