April, 2016

• 28 April

  EU criticizes Turkey rights, media abuses

    BRUSSELS / AP Turkey’s crackdown on the media and reported human rights abuses are pushing the country further away from Europe even as it hopes to join the European Union, a senior EU official said on Thursday. European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans told EU lawmakers that “the distance between us and Turkey is not decreasing, it is increasing.” “If ...

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• 28 April

  Italy fumes over Austria migrant ‘slap’

  

    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 ...

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• 28 April

  Yemen suicide bomber targets Aden police chief

    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 ...

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• 28 April

  Israel nuclear reactor defects spark secrecy dilemma

  

    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 ...

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• 28 April

  What happens in Puerto Rico won’t stay there

  

    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 ...

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• 28 April

  3D printing tech will boost UAE’s economy

    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 ...

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• 28 April

  What the Fed statement signals and why

    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 ...

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• 28 April

  Trying to save the planet one light bulb at a time

    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 ...

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• 28 April

  Kazakh PM exhorts Islamic world to unite for food security

  

    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 ...

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• 28 April

  Sony swings to $1.4 bn profit

  

    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 ...

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