BEIRUT / AP One of the main Western-backed Syrian opposition groups elected a new leader after the term of its former chief ended, it said in a statement. The Turkey-based Syrian National Coalition said longtime member Anas Al Abda was elected president, replacing Khaled Khoja. It added that three other officials from the group have been named vice presidents. The …

Seoul/ AFP South Korea will soon announce its own tougher sanctions on North Korea, an official said on Sunday, a move set to further heighten tensions as Seoul and Washington begin their largest-ever joint military exercise. The new measures—following Wednesday’s decision by the UN Security Council to slap unprecedented sanctions on the North—will be announced this week, a Seoul government …

COLOMBO / AP With most opposition leaders in jail or exile, public protests tightly controlled and courts rendering verdicts decried for lack of due process, the Maldives has nearly slid back to where it was eight years ago: an autocratic state that quashes dissent. Since assuming power in this Indian Ocean archipelago nation of luxurious seaside resorts just over two …

Manila / AFP The Philippine coastguard said it was closely watching a North Korean vessel and its 21 crew members on Sunday, as officials waited for a response from the United Nations days after the ship was seized in compliance with new sanctions. The 6,830-tonne cargo ship, the Jin Teng, is being held at Subic port, northeast of Manila, where …

Kuala Lumpur / AFP Families devastated by the loss of flight MH370 vowed on Sunday never to quit fighting for answers in the aviation mystery and said the huge search for the Malaysia Airlines plane should continue until something is found. Families gathered for a poignant ceremony in Kuala Lumpur ahead of Tuesday’s second anniversary of the jet’s disappearance and …

He admits he took his eye off the ball: in hindsight, a bad move. And the airline empire he had created from practically nothing paid the price, said AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes. “I was getting a bit tired (of running the airline) so I backed off, watched football and did all those other things. I was on my way to …

Last month the editor in chief of Vogue China got me thinking. I had never before put “fashion” and “China” in the same column. When I talk with friends about shopping destinations in Asia the list will run from Hong Kong to Singapore to Tokyo or Kuala Lumpur before anyone even contemplates Shanghai. Angelica Cheung admits China was late to …

A 2013 report of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) shows that 51 per cent of South Asia’s 1.6 billion people are directly engaged in agriculture and 42 per cent of South Asia’s landmass is under agricultural operation. The fact that only 20 per cent of South Asia’s total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is generated through …

ABU DHABI / EMIRATES BUSINESS The Emirates Securities Market Index has increased by 2.64% to close at 4535.32 points. Accordingly the Market Capitalization has gained AED 18.9 billion attaining AED 735.69 bIllion. A total of 1.52 billion shares were traded with a total value of AED 1.95 billion during the trading session of 2016-03-06 through 16054 transactions. The number of companies which …

Bloomberg Abu Dhabi stocks entered a bull market, leading Mideast gauges higher, as rising oil prices added to growing bullish sentiment across global equities. The ADX General Index climbed 3.1 percent at the close, extending the longest winning streak this year and taking gains since a Jan. 21 low to 22 percent. Dubai’s DFM General Index, which entered a bull …