Rome / AFP Italy and Austria were set for showdown talks on Thursday as Italian politicians and media reacted furiously to Vienna’s new anti-migrant measures that could close the border between the two countries. Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka, who has vigorously defended the controversial package which was driven by a surge of the far right, was due in ...

  Aden / AFP A suicide bomber targeted the police chief of Yemen’s second city Aden on Thursday in the latest attack against senior officials in the base of the Saudi-backed government, a security official said. The bombing came after loyalist forces backed by a Saudi-led military coalition seized the key southeastern port city of Mukalla and the nearby airport ...

  Jerusalem / AFP Growing safety fears surrounding Israel’s largest but ageing atomic research centre have provoked fresh questions over its future and a dilemma over the secrecy of the country’s alleged nuclear arsenal. Israel, believed to be the Middle East’s sole nuclear power, has long refused to confirm or deny that it has such weapons. The Haaretz newspaper reported ...

  Immigrant goes to America, Many hellos in America; Nobody knows in America Puerto Rico’s in America! — “West Side Story” Puerto Rico, an awkward legacy of America’s 1898 testosterone spill, the Spanish-American War, is about to teach two things that few Americans know: If conditions get bad enough there, its residents, who are American citizens, can come here. And ...

  The move of Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to launch the world’s first integrated and comprehensive strategy to use 3D printing technology to develop infrastructure, sets the tone for advanced development in the next decade and beyond. The declaration that 25 per cent of Dubai’s ...

  The Federal Reserve acted as expected on Wednesday: It left interest rates unchanged and used language that was somewhat more hawkish, increasing the probability of a rate increase in June. Specifically: Fed officials highlighted that labor market conditions have improved further, even though “growth in economic activity appears to have slowed.” This is an important distinction — not only ...

  Ikea, the Swedish retailing behemoth, is installing “Solar Shops” in its U.K. superstores to sell solar panels. It’s a defiant move given that the British government has slashed subsidies for homeowners who sell surplus electricity to the national grid. This suggests that the market is picking up where government aid left off; perhaps Britain will achieve its target of ...

  ASTANA /EMIRATES BUSINESS Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Karim Massimov, on Thursday, opened the 7th session of the Ministerial Conference of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for food security and development of agriculture. Kazakhstan’s candidacy for the post of chairman of the General Assembly of the Islamic Organization for Food Security was endorsed at the session. Karim noted Islamic ...

  Tokyo / AFP Sony posted a $1.4 billion annual profit on Thursday, boosted by strong sales of its PlayStation console, but analysts warned that slowing smartphone demand could hit a lucrative business that makes key parts for mobile devices. The company’s full-year profit —only its second since the 2008 global financial crisis preceded years of eye-watering losses —may be ...

  Seoul / AFP Booming sales of home appliances and televisions helped South Korea’s LG Electronics report a surge in first-quarter profits on Thursday, despite a continued slump in smartphone sales. Net income for January to March amounted to 198 billion won ($173.9 million), up 415 percent from a year ago, the Seoul-based company said in a statement. The tech ...