World briefs

CHINA-FRANCE Airbus secured a USD35 billion jet deal from China during a state visit by President Xi Jinping to the French capital, dealing a fresh blow to Boeing Co. as it grapples with the grounding of its best-selling jet. 

CHINA’s former internet censor, Lu Wei, who once held high-profile meetings with industry leaders such as Apple CEO Tim Cook and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on corruption charges yesterday.

PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte yesterday accused a dismissed police colonel, who had publicly criticized him and his deadly anti-drug campaign, of criminal involvement and said he wanted to know why the former officer “is still alive.”

THAILAND The Asian Network for Free Elections criticized vote counting in Thai’s first election since a 2014 military coup, saying yesterday that the “tabulation and consolidation of ballots were deeply flawed” though it had no reason to believe the issues affected overall results. Preliminary results that were “wildly inaccurate” damaged the “perceived integrity of the general election.”

INDIA Facebook is taking steps to reduce the spread of false information on its platforms ahead of India’s general election. Facebook listed a variety of measures it is taking, from blocking fake accounts to employing third-party fact-checking organizations, through the campaign and voting, with polling scheduled to take place in stages from April 11 to May 19.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s government remained defiant after Parliament took partial control of the stalled process of leaving the European Union, arguing yesterday that the maneuvering simply underscores the need for lawmakers to approve her twice-defeated deal. 

VATICAN The founder and all-female editorial board of the Holy See’s women’s magazine have quit after what they say was a Vatican campaign to discredit them and put them “under the direct control of men,” that only increased after they denounced the sexual abuse of nuns by clergy. The Women Church World is a monthly glossy published alongside L’Osservatore Romano.