World briefs

THAILAND Thousands of Thais gathered around Bangkok’s Grand Palace yesterday in hopes of getting a glimpse of King Maha Vajiralongkorn as he wraps up three days of coronation ceremonies with appearances before the public and the diplomatic corps.

AFGHANISTAN The Taliban stormed an army checkpoint in Afghanistan’s western Farah province, killing 20 soldiers and abducting two, the latest in relentless attacks that the insurgents carry out even as they negotiate with the U.S. about ending the war, Afghan officials said yesterday.

BRUNEI’s sultan has said a moratorium on capital punishment is in effect for new Shariah criminal laws including stoning people for gay sex and adultery that sparked an international outcry.

INDIA A rare summer cyclone that tore through parts of South Asia killed at least 34 people in India and 15 in neighboring Bangladesh and smashed thousands of thatched-roof huts, officials said Monday. 

ISRAEL-PALESTINE The Israeli military lifted protective restrictions on residents in southern Israel yesterday, while Gaza’s ruling Hamas militant group reported a cease-fire deal had been reached to end the deadliest fighting between the two sides since a 2014 war.

BRAZIL Police killings in the state of Rio de Janeiro have hit a record high, rising by 18% in the first three months of this year in a spike partly attributed to a zero tolerance for criminals campaign by state leaders.

PARIS A long-awaited trial began yesterday in Paris accusing telecom giant Orange and seven former or current managers of moral harassment and related charges. The company — then called France Telecom — was undergoing job cuts and modernization efforts at the time of the suicides a decade ago.

RUSSIA Emergency workers have recovered 41 bodies and two flight recorders from the wreckage of a plane that caught fire during an emergency landing in Moscow, officials said yesterday as they sought to discover the cause of the disaster.