DUBAI / Reuters Gulf stock markets may have a firm tone as emerging market funds continue to hunt for bargains. Bank of America Merrill Lynch data released at the end of last week noted investors’ search for yield had led to the largest five-week inflow on record to emerging market debt funds and the longest inflow streak to equity …

  Saint Petersburg / AFP Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday looked to rebuild ties as they met for the first time since Ankara downed one of Moscow’s warplanes in November. Erdogan’s visit to Putin’s hometown of Saint Petersburg is also his first foreign trip since the failed coup against him last month that …

  Aden / AFP Air strikes by a Saudi-led coalition have forced Al-Qaeda fighters out of a key town in southern Yemen, a security official said on Tuesday. “Al-Qaeda militants have withdrawn from Azzan, the second city in Shabwa province, after coalition raids targeted their gatherings in the city” on Monday night, the official said. A resident said by telephone …