Manila / AFP President Rodrigo Duterte has said his threat to pull the Philippines out of the United Nations for criticising his deadly crime war was just a “joke”, while attempting a light-hearted wordplay on genocide. Duterte on Sunday said he may withdraw the Philippines from the world body after a UN human rights expert said last week his encouragement ...

  New York / AFP Donald Trump stepped up his attacks on Hillary Clinton as her campaign battled to silence suggestions that donors to her family’s charity paid for access when she was America’s top diplomat. The Democratic nominee, looking to make history as America’s first female commander-in-chief, is polling well ahead of her Republican rival but has hit choppy waters ...

  Karkamis / AFP Turkish tanks and hundreds of opposition fighters thrust deep inside Syrian territory on Wednesday in a lightning operation that within hours ousted IS extremists from a key Syrian border town. The air and ground offensive—the most ambitious launched by Ankara in the Syria conflict—made rapid progress towards Jarabulus with rebel fighters already proclaiming victory by the late ...

  Srinagar / AFP One protester was killed on Wednesday in fresh clashes with security forces armed with shotguns in Indian-administered Kashmir which is reeling from weeks of deadly violence, police said. As Home Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in the disputed region to discuss the unrest with local political, business and other leaders, thousands of residents rallied in Pulwama in ...

  Belgrade / AFP Serbian police have arrested a hunter after an Afghan migrant was shot dead in the country’s southeast near the border with Bulgaria, Belgrade said on Wednesday. Security forces were patrolling near the town of Pirot late Tuesday when they “heard a shot and then met six migrants, one of whom had been shot in the chest,” ...

  Riyadh / AFP Top US diplomat John Kerry arrives in Saudi Arabia to push for peace in Yemen after UN-brokered talks collapsed despite world concern over mounting civilian casualties. Over two days, Kerry is to meet Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir and other Gulf ministers. He will also meet UN Yemen envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed and Britain’s Under Secretary ...

  Sydney / AFP Replicas of a large piece of debris from missing Malaysia Airlines jet MH370 will be set adrift and tracked by satellite in the hope of helping find the plane’s crash site, Australian officials said on Wednesday. Canberra is leading the search for the aircraft which vanished in March 2014 with 239 people onboard and is currently ...

  Kathmandu / AFP Nepal’s new prime minister will visit India next month on his first foreign visit, seeking to repair the strained relationship between the neighbours, an official said on Wednesday. Nepal’s relationship with India—which is often accused of acting as a “big brother” to its smaller impoverished neighbor—soured after a months-long border blockade last year by ethnic minority ...

  Abu Dhabi / WAM Sanad Aero Solutions GmbH (Sanad), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mubadala Development Company, on Wednesday announced an expansion to its existing relationship with Etihad Airways, national carrier of the UAE. The 12-year sale and lease-back agreement is valued at US$265 million and sees Sanad add an additional 12 spare engines in support of the airline. Sanad, which ...

  Dubai / WAM flydubai is participating in Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing’s (Dubai Tourism) first-ever East Africa roadshow, joining 14 Dubai-based partners in showcasing a wide range of services and upcoming attractions in Kampala, Uganda. It will continue the roadshow to Dar es Salaam on August 30. The roadshow is a platform for local operators to meet directly ...