Istanbul / AFP President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday launched his most bitter attack yet on Turkey’s Western allies over the July 15 attempted putsch, accusing them of supporting both “terror” and the coup plotters who tried to unseat him. Erdogan, who blames the plot on the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, also described the coup as a “scenario written …

  Tripoli / AFP More than 60,000 people have fled South Sudan since violence escalated in the oil-producing nation about four weeks ago, amid reports of gunmen killing civilians, looting villages and forcibly recruiting youths, the United Nations said. The number of refugees seeking shelter in Uganda has doubled in the past 10 days, with more than 52,000 arriving since …

  Lagos / AFP Five rebels were killed as Nigerian troops thwarted a Boko Haram attack near the northeastern city of Maiduguri, the epicentre of the seven-year insurgency, the army said on Tuesday. “Troops of Operation LAFIYA DOLE accompanied by Civilian JTF successfully thwarted an attempt by Boko Haram terrorists on Yauri community at the outskirts of Maiduguri city, Borno …

  Geneva / AFP Global migrant deaths have topped 4,000 in the first seven months of this year, a 26-percent increase in the fatality rate compared with the same period of 2015, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday. The total of 4,027 migrant deaths this year includes those who perished crossing the Mediterranean as well as others who …

  Tripoli / AFP Forces loyal to Libya’s unity government have advanced inside the extremist stronghold of Sirte, they said on Tuesday, following the first US air strikes on IS group positions in the city. Fighters backing the Government of National Accord (GNA) seized the central district of Al-Dollar after clashes that killed five of their members and wounded 17, …

  Pretoria / AFP The Syrian regime’s key ally Russia launched heavy air strikes overnight on the outskirts of divided Aleppo city, slowing a “last-chance” assault by rebels seeking to break a government siege. The assault began on Sunday and is intended to ease the encirclement of the opposition-held east of Aleppo city, where an estimated 250,000 residents have been …

  Morelia/ AFP A Mexican mayor and four police officers were arrested in connection with the murder of 10 people whose bodies were burned, officials said, in the latest scandal involving the country’s security forces. The victims were found in a charred pickup truck in the western state of Michoacan on Saturday. The authorities initially believed the vehicle had exploded …

  A U.S. federal judge has given a preliminary green light to Volkswagen’s $14.7 billion settlement for cheating on emission tests. This means U.S. owners of VWs fitted with “defeat devices” will get about twice the market value of their cars in a buyback, and the 482,000 vehicles themselves will probably be scrapped. Meanwhile, in Europe, the owners of 8.4 …

  Stephen L. Carter If you’re looking for a diversion after two weeks of heavy convention viewing, I’d recommend a trip to the multiplex to see “Star Trek Beyond.” The reason isn’t just that the movie is by far the most fun of this summer’s tentpole offerings. The film is a paean to the value of diversity, and perhaps heralds …

  DUBAI / WAM Volumes on the Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange (DGCX) crossed over 11 million contracts this year, growing 49% from last year. The overall volumes in July 2016 touched 1,674,268 contracts, registering a massive year-on-year increase of 47%, driven largely by elevated trade volumes across precious metals, currencies, equities and hydrocarbon segments. The exchange also recorded the …