Arbil / AFP More than 68,000 people have fled their homes since Iraqi forces launched a huge offensive against the IS group in and around Mosul last month, the UN said on Tuesday. The figure increased significantly over the past week as forces battled deep into the densely populated city, but it falls short of pre-offensive predictions. “68,550 people …

  Dhaka / AFP Hundreds of Rohingya have arrived in Bangladesh after fleeing violence in neighbouring Myanmar, community leaders said on Tuesday, many with horrific tales of troops killing and burning villages. Bangladesh says it has prevented hundreds more from crossing into the country, despite pleas from the United Nations to open its border after up to 30,000 Rohingya were displaced …

  Washington / AFP Donald Trump said the United States would signal its withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact on his first day in the White House, one of six immediate steps aimed at “putting America first.” The Republican billionaire—who for 10 days has been sounding out cabinet picks at his Trump Tower offices in New York—made the pledge …