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  Emirates Business In 2015, Egypt was one of the fastest-growing economies in the Middle East and North Africa region – second only to Morocco – with GDP growth of 4.5 per cent. It is a clear sign that the project-led recovery plan and economic reforms initiated by Cairo are paying dividends. There has been a sharp step-up in project …

  Manila / AFP Rodrigo Duterte shot dead a justice department employee and ordered the murder of opponents, a former death squad member told parliament Thursday, in explosive allegations against the Philippine president. The self-described assassin testified under oath that he and a group of policemen and ex-communist rebels killed about 1,000 people between 1988 and 2013 on Duterte’s orders …

  Geneva / AFP Twenty trucks loaded with desperately needed aid for eastern Aleppo have crossed into a buffer zone between Turkey and Syria, a high-level UN official said on Thursday. “The 20 trucks… have passed over the Turkish border, they are in the buffer zone between the Turkish and Syrian border,” Jan Egeland, head of the United Nations humanitarian …

  Denpasar / AFP An explosion on a speedboat in Bali left two foreigners dead and 18 other tourists injured Thursday, sparking dramatic scenes as rescuers rushed to haul stunned and bloodied holidaymakers off the vessel. Dazed passengers, many covered in cuts and bruises, were taken to medical centres on the Indonesian holiday island after the blast, with TV footage showing …

  The Hague / AFP The new prosecutor for a special tribunal set up to try crimes arising out of the late 1990s Kosovo conflict pledged on Thursday there would be “no unnecessary delays” in bringing charges. As court officials gave their first ever press conference, David Schwendiman vowed he would investigate cases “without fear or favour” but stressed “there …

  Aleppo / AFP At a rundown park near the frontlines in the Syrian city of Aleppo, a fragile truce has brought out visitors to see the last animal left at a makeshift zoo — “Happy” the monkey. The 22- year-old hamadryas baboon has been a much-loved attraction at Sabil park in the western portion of the city for years. But …

  AFP European stock markets were mixed on Thursday, as London shares rose on hints from the Bank of England that there could be another rate cut this year. London’s benchmark FTSE 100 stocks index was up 0.2 percent in afternoon trading, as traders also reacted to better-than-expected British retail sales data. In the eurozone, Frankfurt’s DAX 30 index slipped …

  AFP Oil prices rebounded slightly on Thursday after tanking the previous day, but gains were capped by US stockpiles data and the prospect of rising output in Libya and Nigeria, dealers said. At about 1015 GMT, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in October was up 20 cents at $43.78 a barrel. Brent North Sea crude for November …

  Bloomberg United Arab Emirates stock markets fell in thin early trade on Thursday as they reopened after long Eid al-Adha holidays. During the time the bourses were closed between Sunday and Wednesday, oil prices and global equities dropped steeply, leaving few positive incentives for Gulf investors. Many investors remained on holiday on Thursday, the last day of the working …

  Bloomberg The smallest aircraft made by Boeing Co. and Airbus Group SE are about to find a new role operating trans-Atlantic routes that were previously the preserve of some of the world’s biggest planes. The re-engined 737 Max and A320neo jets offer a 15 percent fuel saving meant to cut costs on the shortest inter-city services. At the same …