World Briefs

BRUNEI New Islamic criminal laws that took effect in Brunei yesterday, punishing gay sex and adultery by stoning offenders to death, have triggered an outcry from countries, rights groups and celebrities far beyond the tiny Southeast Asian nation’s shores.

PHILIPPINES A bomb injured at least 18 people yesterday in a southern Philippine town in an attack believed to be either an extortion attempt or retaliation by Muslim militants targeted in recent military offensives, officials said.

THAILAND The country’s ruling junta has filed a complaint accusing the leader of a popular new political party of sedition and aiding criminals, a move that its target described as politically motivated.

ISRAEL In a charged election campaign that has been heavy on insults and short on substance, Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians has been notably absent from the discourse. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud Party has offered no plan for what many believe is the country’s most existential problem.

ALGERIA is facing a new era after President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s resignation — and questions about who’s in charge and what happens next for this gas-rich country and key ally to the West in fighting terrorism.

USA A tank holding a flammable chemical caught fire at a Texas plant Tuesday [local time], killing one worker, critically injuring two others and sending panicked employees fleeing over a fence to safety.

PORTUGAL After an exceptionally dry winter and weeks of unseasonably high temperatures, Portugal is assembling a record number of firefighters and water-dropping aircraft as it braces for a potentially difficult wildfire season.

POLAND The priest in northern Poland who led a public burning of the “Harry Potter” series and other books and items deemed by their owners as harmful has apologized and stressed it was not aimed against books or culture. He said the burning of books and other items linked to magic and the occult was “unfortunate.”