Beijing / AFP China and Russia will hold joint naval exercises in the South China Sea in September, Beijing’s defence ministry said Thursday, after an international tribunal invalidated the Asian giant’s extensive claims in the area. The drills will be carried out in the “relevant sea and air of the South China Sea”, defence ministry spokesman Yang Yujun told ...

  Cilacap / AFP Indonesia on Thursday rejected appeals from the UN and EU to halt the execution of 14 drug convicts including foreigners, as speculation mounted they could face the firing squad in a matter of hours. The group, including foreigners from Nigeria, Pakistan, India and Zimbabwe as well as Indonesians, have been placed in isolation on a prison island ...

  Dhaka / AFP A Bangladesh court on Thursday upheld the death sentence for six militants convicted over a suicide bombing in 2005 of a lawyer’s office that killed eight people, a top prosecutor said. Bangladesh’s judiciary is under pressure to fast track cases involving militants as the government faces mounting criticism to crackdown on extremists over a series of recent ...

  Berlin / AFP German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday “firmly” rejected calls to reverse her welcoming stance toward refugees following a series of brutal attacks in the country. Merkel told reporters that the assailants “wanted to undermine our sense of community, our openness and our willingness to help people in need”. “We firmly reject this,” she said. Merkel, who interrupted ...

  Moscow / AP Russia and the Syrian government said they will open humanitarian corridors in Syria’s embattled city of Aleppo on Thursday and offer a way out for opposition fighters wanting to lay down their arms, even as Syrian forces took another district from rebels in the city. The Russian announcement by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu came as Syria’s President ...

  Ankara / AFP Turkey’s top military commanders met on Thursday to replace almost half of their generals in a radical shake-up after the failed coup, as authorities shut down dozens of media outlets in a widening crackdown. The hastily convened meeting came after the government ordered the discharge of 149 generals—nearly half the armed forces’ entire contingent of 358—for ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business YPO, the premier chief executive leadership organization in the world, hosted a live Twitter chat with global and regional experts discussing entrepreneurship and business trends in the Middle East. The one-hour event took place in collaboration with Wamda — a platform and community that aims to accelerate entrepreneurship in the region — in an effort ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business Front camera functionality is becoming just as important as having an effective rear-facing camera, and is rapidly climbing up the UAE smartphone shopper priority list, according to the country’s value-driven mobile brand, ‘Four’. In an era where selfies have become an integral part of the smartphone experience, a trend bolstered by the availability of photo-based ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business Aramex (DFM: ARMX), a leading global provider of comprehensive logistics and transportation solutions, today announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2016. Aramex’s Net Profits increased by 36% to AED 125.7 million, up from AED 92.5 million in Q2 2015. Revenues were also up 17%, to AED 1,105 million compared to AED 946 ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business Marka PJSC (DFM: MARKA), the first public stock retail operator in the UAE, has announced the launch of the first Vicolo restaurant in the UAE. Pioneering an Italian street food concept, the restaurant, a home-grown concept conceived by the Marka Hospitality Team, will open in Dubai Design District (d3). The inception of Vicolo will pave ...