World Briefs

NEPAL Police in southern Nepal opened fire on ethnic protesters blocking the nation’s main highway, killing two in fresh violence that threatened to escalate political tensions.

RUSSIA-SYRIA The Russian military has destroyed numerous oil facilities and tankers controlled by the Islamic State group in Syria, sharply cutting its income, Russia’s defense minister said Friday. Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to President Vladimir Putin on Friday that Russian warplanes destroyed 15 oil refining and storage facilities in Syria and 525 trucks carrying oil during this week’s bombing blitz. He said this deprived IS of USD1.5 million in daily income from oil sales.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE Russia’s Energy Ministry says nearly 2 million people on the Crimean Peninsula are without electricity after two transmission towers in Ukraine were damaged by explosions. Crimea was annexed by Russia last year but depends on Ukraine for most of its electricity supplies. The two transmission towers in Kherson, Ukraine, were first damaged on Friday. Ukrainian activists, including Crimean Tatars, tried to block repair works on Saturday, but retreated after clashes with police.

ARGENTINA From rising crime to soaring prices, Argentines had a lot on their minds during yesterday’s runoff election that is seen as a referendum on the left-leaning policies of polarizing President Cristina Fernandez. Opposition leader Mauricio Macri, who campaigned on promises to big large changes to Argentina’s economy, went in as the front-runner after his unexpectedly strong showing in the Oct. 25 first round that forced a runoff against Daniel Scioli, the president’s chosen successor.

FRANCE Regional authorities say some 10,000 people have marched in the southwestern French city of Toulouse in a rally “for civil rights and peace.” The largely silent event Saturday was held to commemorate the victims of last week’s attacks in Paris that killed 130 people. Participants held banners condemning the “barbarism” of the attacks and warning against holding all Muslims responsible for the actions of a handful of extremists.

VATICAN CITY This week, Pope Francis visits a region whose growing numbers of Catholics are seen as a bulwark for a church seeking to broaden its appeal in the face of challenges from secularism, competing Christian faiths and violent extremism. The latter threat, which struck Paris on Nov. 13 with attacks claimed by the Islamic State group and then Mali on Friday, will be a key theme of the pope’s Nov. 25-30 trip to Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic — and a potential security risk for the pope himself.