The European Union has never been homogeneous, but recent policy clashes and particularly the immigration issue are making its split into three sub-blocs — the North, the South and the East — increasingly visible. Two strongmen, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of Poland’s ruling party, make no secret of trying to create an axis for …

  Reuters Eastern Libyan forces said they had reestablished control over two oil ports where an ousted faction launched a counter-attack on Sunday, briefly seizing one of the terminals. The two ports, Es Sider and Ras Lanuf, were among four seized by forces loyal to eastern commander Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) on Sept. 11-12 from a Petroleum Facilities …

  Jerusalem / AFP Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday defended a new $38 billion US defence aid package against criticism Israel could have negotiated a larger sum had he not angered the White House. Speaking at the start of a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said the deal was the “largest assistance agreement that the United States has ever provided to …

  Bloomberg A meeting in Algiers at the end of September between OPEC and Russia — which together pump more than half the world’s oil — has raised expectations that a deal could be struck to boost prices. Oil is still trading at half its 2014 level amid a persistent global oversupply. While a production decline in the U.S. has …

  ISTANBUL/ AP With summer drawing to a close, Turkey is counting the cost of a tough year that saw a string of terrorist bombings and the fallout from a diplomatic spat with Moscow that cut deep into the country’s crucial tourist trade. And then right bang in the middle of summer, the economic backdrop got more precarious after an …

  Emirates Business Cairo Now! A City Incomplete captures for the first time under one roof the Egyptian capital’s current design landscape and celebrates innovation and emerging talent in the fields of product, furniture, graphic and typeface design as well as architecture. Curated by Cairo-based architect, independent researcher and writer Mohamed Elshahed, Over 65 Egyptian architects, designers, entrepreneurs and graphic …

  DUBAI / Emirates Business The UAE government can save nearly USD 5 billion if the country undergoes full digital transformation, industry experts announced ahead of GITEX Technology Week 2016. Government digital transformation can save 1.3 percent of GDP, according to a recent report by consultants Deloitte. Extrapolating to World Bank figures that show the UAE’s GDP was USD 370 …

  DUBAI / Emirates Business Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC), an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices, will put the spotlight on UAE’s achievements in sustainable development as a way forward strategy to a greener future, at the fifth EmiratesGBC Congress 2016 to be held on October 25 & 26 at Dusit …

  AP Here’s how good technology for prosthetic running blades has become. Greek runner Michail Seitis set a world record for his division with a time of 49.66 seconds in the men’s 400-meter final on Thursday. He came in sixth place out of eight runners. The five who finished ahead of him were double amputees. “Oh, to be bilateral,” said …

  AFP Internet radio leader Pandora unveiled plans to challenge streaming stalwarts such as Spotify by undercutting them on price and matching them with on-demand music. The move comes after prolonged market jitters over the future of Pandora at a time that on-demand streaming is reshaping the music industry. Pandora said that its premium service would cost $4.99 a month …