Bloomberg Kirin Holdings Co. snapped four days of losses after reporting first-half operating profit beat its own forecast by 25 percent. Operating profit rose 1.5 percent to 58.8 billion yen ($581 million) for the six months ended June from a year earlier on increased sales of soft drinks domestically and growth in its pharmaceuticals and bio-chemicals operations, the Tokyo-based …

Beirut / AFP Syrian regime forces were on the defensive around Aleppo on Sunday after a rebel alliance said it inflicted a major setback by breaking a three-week government siege of the battered city. A coalition of rebels and fighters surged through regime territory on Saturday to open a new route into Aleppo’s besieged eastern neighbourhoods, home to an estimated …

  Bangkok / AFP Thailand began voting on a junta-crafted constitution on Sunday in a referendum where open debate has been banned, as opponents warned the document will perpetuate military power and deepen divisions. The poll offers Thais their first chance to vote since generals toppled the elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra in 2014. The kingdom is split after a …