Chelsea Manning may be getting out of prison in a few months, but the effects of former President Barack Obama’s commutation of her sentence will last far longer. In this case, Obama made a serious error of judgment. Proponents of clemency for Manning, the former U.S. Army intelligence analyst convicted in 2013 of leaking classified material, make plenty of …

  Turkey’s parliament cleared the decks for constitutional reform that would concentrate even more powers in the office of the president. The parliament voted 339-142 to make the president the head of the executive and abolish the job of prime minister. The voters of the country will decide in a referendum on the proposal. In Turkey’s system, amendments to the …

  Abu Dhabi / Emirates Business Etihad Airways announced four additional weekly flights on the popular Abu Dhabi – Malé route, increasing frequency to the idyllic Maldives to 11 services a week between July 1 and September 17. The capacity increase will cater to high demand during the peak summer season. The announcement comes as the Abu Dhabi-based airline completed …

  Dubai / Emirates Business Marka, the first public joint stock retail operator in the UAE, has announced that it is opening the first premium Italian coffee house and kitchen Ca’puccino, outside of Europe. Ca’puccino will make its UAE debut at the newly opened The Outlet Village in Jebel Ali. Khaled Al Mheiri, Vice Chairman and CEO of Marka said: …

  Dubai / Emirates Business MAX, the largest value fashion brand in the region, has recently undergone a digital transformation to simplify and enhance the shopping experience for its customers. Based on customer feedback around their shopping preferences, Max launched a number of innovative services that continue to build on its regional success. Starting with a single store in the …

  Bloomberg The unprecedented jetliner shopping spree that’s spanned more than a decade is drawing to a close. That’s bad news for Boeing Co. and Airbus Group SE, which face slowing jet sales and the highest level of airplane-delivery deferrals in at least 15 years. Unlike past retrenchments triggered by terrorism or recession, demand has also been hurt by the …

  Hamburg / DPA Many bookworms baulked when singer-songwriter Bob Dylan was recently awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. But the highbrow position traditionally occupied by authors is now also being encroached upon by computer games designers, who are challenging traditional forms of storytelling and breaking the boundaries of narrative. One of these is Jan Mueller-Michalis, also known as Poki, …

  Honiara / DPA Robert Satu has spent his whole life in a community near Honiara in the Solomon Islands, a South Pacific nation where steep hills often leave little space for settlements. “From the main road to the sea was more than 120 metres,” the village elder says in a documentary about the effects of climate change. “It’s now 55 …

  Sharjah / Emirates Business With the UAE topping the Middle East and North Africa market for Italian products, Sharjah is looking at taking full advantage of the growing trade and business relations with the UAE and Italy. A Sharjah team led by Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, CEO, Expo Centre Sharjah, is in Italy to boost trade ties with Bergamo, …

  Dubai / Emirates Business In a move to enhance visa application services to travellers from the UAE to Russia, VFS Global, in partnership with the Consulate General of the Russian Federation, launched the first Russia Visa Application Centre in the Middle East region, in Dubai. Services at this centre commenced from January 22. Residents of the UAE can visit …