IN BRIEF

United States

Emirates, Turkish say laptop ban lifted

The US government has lifted the in-cabin ban on laptops and other large electronic devices on US-bound flights from Dubai and Istanbul, Emirates and Turkish Airlines said on Wednesday. Dubai's government-controlled Emirates said the lifting of the ban which took place with immediate effect was made possible after the airline implemented new "security measures" to meet the US requirements for security.

The Philippines

Beheaded captives found in south

Government troops have found the beheaded bodies of two Vietnamese sailors abducted a year ago by Islamist militant Abu Sayyaf group near the restive southern island of Basilan, an army spokeswoman said on Wednesday. Six Vietnamese sailors were taken captive after Abu Sayyaf militants attacked their cargo ship in June last year, but one was rescued last month during a combat operation.

Italy

Farmer turns field into Putin portrait

An artist has used his tractor to transform a field near the Italian city of Verona into a giant portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of this week's G20 summit. The 135-meter-wide Putin portrait that artist Dario Gambarin created only can be properly viewed from above due to its scale. Gambarin created similar land portraits of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton during the US election last year.

Nepal

More than 6,000 trafficked in a year

Human trafficking has significantly increased in the country with more than 6,000 Nepalis being trafficked alone in the fiscal year 2015-16, according to the National Human Rights Commission in a report posted on its website on Tuesday. The commission said that around 4,000 people, 70 percent of them girls, went missing in that period.