MANILA -- A Dutch man held hostage by Abu Sayyaf militants since 2012 was shot dead on Friday while trying to escape during a rescue operation launched by Philippine security forces in the jungles of Patikul town in the southern Sulu province.

Army Brig. Gen. Divino Rey Pabayo, commander of the Task Force Sulu, said Dutch bird watcher Ewold Horn was shot during a clash that broke out at 7:41 a.m. local time in the remote village of Pansul, Patikul. (Philippines-Dutch Man)

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KABUL -- At least four people were killed and three others injured, all of whom are civilians, as a car bomb rocked Afghan capital city Kabul on Friday, Interior Ministry spokesman Nasratullah Rahimi said.

According to Rahimi, the car bomb obviously targeted a convoy of foreign forces in Qala-e-Wazir area, a neighborhood in Police District 9 at 8:40 a.m. local time, on Kabul-Jalalabad road in the eastern edge of Kabul city. (Afghanistan-Bomb)

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NEW DELHI -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was sworn-in as the country's head of government for the second consecutive term on Thursday, announced on Friday the portfolios allocated to his new council of ministers.

According to an official communique issued Friday, former Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar will be the country's new external affairs minister, while Rajnath Singh will be the new defence minister. (India-Government)

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SINGAPORE -- The Sixth Asian Monetary Policy Forum (AMPF), co-organized and funded by the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, the National University of Singapore Business School and the Monetary Authority of Singapore, convened here on Friday.

The highlights of the forum include presentations and discussions on the dominant role of the U.S. dollar and its implications for monetary policy, as well as challenges posed by digital currencies, according to a joint press release. (Singapore-Forum) Enditem

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