Danish PM annoyed over axed trip

COPENHAGEN • Denmark's Prime Minister said yesterday that she was "annoyed and surprised" that United States President Donald Trump had postponed a state visit after her government said its territory Greenland was not for sale. However, she insisted that their ties remained strong.

Mr Trump tweeted on Tuesday that "based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's comments that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time". The US leader had been scheduled to visit Denmark on Sept 2 and 3.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Syrians flee Russian-led attack

AMMAN • Tens of thousands of people have fled to Syria's border with Turkey in the last few days as the Syrian army advanced further into the opposition's last major stronghold, according to residents, rights groups and opposition sources yesterday.

They left Maarat al-Numan, a city in Idlib province that has been a sanctuary for families fleeing former rebel areas, as a Russian-led push came close to capturing the strategic town of Khan Sheikhoun farther south.

Capturing Khan Sheikhoun would be a major gain for Moscow and its ally in the north-western region, where Moscow has helped President Bashar al-Assad turn the tide against insurgents in the eight-year conflict since stepping up intervention in 2015.

REUTERS

Manila urged to ban online betting

MANILA • China has expressed hopes that the Philippines will ban online gaming to support its crackdown on cross-border gambling, which it said foreign criminals had used to embezzle funds and illegally recruit workers.

The Philippine gaming regulator has banned licences for new online gaming firms, as lawmakers and some ministers have called for tighter controls on Chinese visitors, saying that many are illegal workers whose presence fans security concerns.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said: "We hope the Philippines will go further and ban all online gambling."

REUTERS