Dubai airport world's busiest for 4th year

DUBAI • Dubai airport was the world's busiest for international passengers last year for the fourth year running, with 88.2 million travellers, a statement said yesterday.

International traffic at the United Arab Emirates airport rose by 4.6 million passengers, or 5.5 per cent, compared with the previous year, operator Dubai Airports announced.

The biggest rise was in the number of Russian passengers, which soared 28 per cent to 1.34 million, followed by the number of Chinese travellers, which increased by 19.4 per cent to 2.2 million.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Ivory trade sleuth found dead in Kenya

NAIROBI • A prominent American investigator of the illegal ivory and rhino horn trade has been found dead in his Nairobi home with a stab wound in his neck, media reported.

Mr Esmond Bradley-Martin, 75, had spent decades tracking the movement of animal products, mostly from Africa to markets in Asia.

"It's a very big loss for conservation," said Ms Paula Kahumbu, chief executive of Wildlife Direct, an organisation focused on protecting elephants in Kenya. She said Mr Bradley-Martin had been about to publish a report exposing how the ivory trade had shifted from China to neighbouring nations.

REUTERS

Ruling ANC meets over Zuma's future

JOHANNESBURG • South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) was due to meet yesterday to discuss President Jacob Zuma's future amid growing pressure on the 75-year-old leader to step down as head of state over corruption allegations and a weakened economy.

Mr Zuma, in power since 2009, has been deserted by prominent allies since being replaced last December as ANC leader by South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Overnight talks on Sunday with top ANC officials failed to persuade Mr Zuma to quit.

REUTERS