Ankara / AFP Turkey on Wednesday began freeing the first of some 38,000 prisoners not linked to the failed coup who are to be released in a move aimed at relieving pressure on prisons overcrowded with putsch suspects. The parole decision came as Turkey presses on with the biggest purge in its modern history after the July 15 bid ...

  Ramallah / AFP Israeli troops arrested the Hamas representative on the organising committee for October Palestinian municipal elections on Wednesday, the radical movement said. Hamas condemned what it called an “attempt to influence” the outcome of the elections, the first in the Palestinian territories since 2012. “We condemn the arrest of Sheikh Hussein Abu Kweik,” a Hamas statement said, adding ...

  Sri Nagar / AFP Suspected militants killed two soldiers and one police officer in an ambush on a convoy overnight in Indian-administrated Kashmir, an official in the troubled region said on Wednesday. An unknown number of gunmen opened fire on the two army trucks and a police car travelling through Baramulla district, 60 kilometres (37 miles) west of the region’s ...

  Sydney/ AFP Australia agreed on Wednesday to close a camp for asylum-seekers on Papua New Guinea, one of two controversial Pacific island centres attracting growing criticism, but said none of the hundreds of men there now would be resettled on its soil. Canberra’s policy of sending asylum-seekers who arrive by boat to outposts on Papua New Guinea and the tiny ...

  Moscow / AFP Russia on Wednesday launched warplanes from Iran for the second time to bomb the IS group in Syria, denying the action violated a UN Security Council resolution. The strikes came after Russia on Tuesday began flying warplanes from an Iranian airbase in a major switch in its bombing campaign in Syria, prompting concern from the United States. ...

  Tokyo / AFP Japan lodged a fresh diplomatic protest with China on Wednesday, accusing the country of again sending its coast guard ships into waters surrounding contested islands in the East China Sea. The two countries are locked in a long-running dispute over the uninhabited islets and tensions over them have been a frequent irritant between the countries. Tokyo ...

  ABU DHABI / Emirates Business Aldar Properties PJSC (Aldar) — in its role as Platinum Sponsor for Yas Island’s ‘The District’ — will present the Aldar Innovation Lab, running from August 18 – September 17. The District, part of the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority-organised Abu Dhabi Summer Season, is located in the du Forum and is a ...

  Sharjah / Emirates Business The talents of the UAE’S traditional craftswomen and its emerging designers have been successfully highlighted on an international stage following a trade delegation to London. The recently concluded mission, organised by Sharjah-based Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council (Irthi), that operates under NAMA Women Advancement Establishment (NAMA) offered a unique opportunity to showcase and support the creative ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business IKEA Al-Futtaim launched the brand’s 65th annual home furnishing Catalogue at a media event at its Dubai Festival City store. ‘Goodbye expectations. Hello you!’ this year’s catalogue theme highlights home furnishing solutions that help to inspire & enable people to live a life free of conventional expectations. Built on the foundation of last year’s theme ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business XTOUCH, the leading new age consumer electronics brand has announced the launch of its special offer, bundling its latest new generation 4G LTE smartphone, A3 featuring touch Fingerprint Sensor technology, Live Photos with the VFit Smart Band for just 599 AED in UAE. Considering, the stand alone price for XTOUCH A3 of 399 AED and ...