World briefs

China Tech giant Huawei yesterday reported a double-digit gain in sales despite U.S. sanctions that threaten to disrupt its smartphone and network equipment businesses. Huawei Technologies Ltd. said its sales rose 24.4% in the first nine months of 2019 to 610.8 billion yuan.

USA-China President Donald Trump said a trade deal with China probably will not be signed until he meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the APEC summit next month in Chile.

Philippines A strong and shallow earthquake struck a southern Philippine province and outlying areas yesterday night, damaging a small college building in one city and prompting residents to dash out of homes and shopping malls in panic, officials said.

Thailand The Supreme Court has ordered three leaders of the Red Shirt political movement to pay USD691,000 compensation to business owners whose commercial buildings were set on fire at the climax of two months of aggressive street protests in 2010.

Japan Amid concern about the expected searing heat in Tokyo, the International Olympic Committee wants to move the 2020 Olympic marathons 800 kilometers north to find cooler and safer race conditions.

Sri Lanka’s election chief said yesterday that he has asked for an explanation from the defense ministry on why the army commander features in an advertisement promoting a candidate for next month’s presidential election.

North Korea  The government released a series of photos yesterday showing leader Kim Jong Un riding a white horse to a sacred mountain he has often climbed before making key decisions. Near the mountain, Kim reportedly vowed to overcome U.S.-led sanctions that he said had both pained and infuriated his people. More on p13

Turkey As Russia and the United States each launched diplomatic forays to end Turkey’s invasion of northern Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday defied pressure for a ceasefire and said the only way the offensive would end was if Syrian Kurdish fighters leave a designated border area “by tonight.”

Netherlands Dutch farmers drove their tractors in slow-moving convoys to a massive demonstration yesterday to protest their treatment by the government as it seeks to rein in carbon and nitrogen emissions.

USA-Korea U.S. and Korean authorities say they broke up one of the world’s largest markets for child pornography, a crime that is proliferating at a furious pace with the rise of cryptocurrency and encrypted online content.

USA The House impeachment inquiry is exposing new details about unease in the State Department and White House about President Donald Trump’s actions toward Ukraine and those of his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.