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 ...

  Bloomberg Emerging-market stocks retreated from their highest level in a year as oil’s descent into a bear market weighed on energy producers and investors assessed the outlook for the global economy. Shares in Russia and the oil-exporting Gulf region led losses as oil traded near $40 a barrel in New York after tumbling to the lowest close since April ...

  Dubai / WAM AED1 billion is set to be invested in projects and companies of Dubai Future Accelerators – the ambitious programme launched to advance research and development, and entrepreneurship, in strategically important sectors in the UAE. The move follows the directives of Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. ...

  Dubai / WAM A recently-released Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry special report has revealed that the UAE is becoming increasingly competitive in Saudi Arabia’s import market, as the Kingdom constitutes the 2nd largest destination for UAE-made products after India. The movement of goods between the two countries has been facilitated by the GCC customs unification procedures and efficient transportation ...