World briefs

China urged Canada to “reflect on its mistakes” and immediately release a detained Huawei executive in comments yesterday on the appointment of a new Canadian ambassador to the country.

Philippines An American woman who attempted to carry a 6-day-old baby out of the Philippines hidden inside a sling bag has been arrested at Manila’s airport and charged with human trafficking, officials said yesterday. 

South Korea Olympic officials have called on Japan to ban its “rising sun” flag at the 2020 Tokyo Games after claiming it represents a “militaristic and imperial past.”

India Officials say they have restored all landline phone service in Indian-administered Kashmir after suspending most communications, including mobile internet, on Aug. 5 when India’s Hindu nationalist-led government revoked the Muslim-majority region’s special constitutional status and imposed a strict security lockdown.

Afghanistan A Taliban suicide car bombing in Kabul on yesterday killed a U.S. service member, a Romanian soldier and at least 10 Afghan civilians in a busy diplomatic area that includes the U.S. Embassy — the second such attack this week underscoring Afghan government warnings that a preliminary U.S.-Taliban deal on ending America’s longest war was moving dangerously quickly.

Lebanon Waving Palestinian and Canadian flags, hundreds of Palestinian refugees gathered outside the Canadian Embassy in Beirut on yesterday requesting asylum in the North American country.

Turkey’s president yesterday threatened to “open the gates” and allow a flood of Syrian refugees to leave Turkey for Western countries unless a so-called “safe zone” is established inside Syria soon in negotiations with the Americans.

Iran was poised yesterday to begin work on advanced centrifuges that will enrich uranium faster as the 2015 nuclear deal unravels further and a last-minute French proposal offering a $15-billion line of credit to compensate Iran for not being able to sell its crude oil abroad because of U.S. sanctions looked increasingly unlikely.

UK U.S. vice president Mike Pence tiptoed into the Brexit fury as he met with embattled British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

USA The Pentagon will cut funding from military projects like schools, target ranges and maintenance facilities to pay for the construction of 175 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border, diverting a total $3.6 billion to President Donald Trump’s long-promised barrier.