World Briefs

CHINA A senior Chinese foreign-exchange regulatory official called for “special attention” to be paid to blockchain as the nation looks to gain advantages from digital finance. The State Administration of Foreign Exchange is looking to use blockchain and artificial intelligence in cross-border trade finance and macro-prudential regulation.

AUSTRALIA Ivan Milat, whose grisly serial killings of seven European and Australian backpackers horrified Australia in the early ‘90s, died in a Sydney prison yesterday, ending hopes of a deathbed confession to more unsolved slayings. He was 74.

AFGHANISTAN Officials have set a new date for announcing the result of last month’s presidential election, after several delays.

PAKISTAN’s ailing former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, who was jailed on money-laundering and corruption charges, has remained in a government hospital where he was taken last week after suffering a heart attack.

SYRIA Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the shadowy leader of the Islamic State group who presided over its global jihad and became arguably the world’s most wanted man, is believed dead after being targeted by a U.S. military raid in Syria.

TURKEY Kurdish fighters killed one Turkish personnel and wounded five others amid a shaky truce in northern Syria, Turkey’s army said yesterday, bringing its military death toll to 11 since the launch of its cross-border operation.

CHILE President Sebastián Piñera asked all his Cabinet members to offer their resignations Saturday as he prepared to shake up his government in response to a wave of protests, including one that drew more than a million people the day before.

GERMANY Voters in the German state of Thuringia are casting ballots in a state election that could boost a far-right politician known for his fiery anti-migrant speeches. Bjoern Hoecke has come under scrutiny from Germany’s domestic intelligence agency for possible extremist views.

SWITZERLAND Prosecutors have indicted two men accused of recruiting people for the Islamic State group. The main suspect, a Swiss-Italian dual citizen, allegedly traveled to IS-controlled territory in Syria and on his return recruited several people for the group.

UK British police say three suspects who were arrested in the deaths of 39 people hidden in a shipping container have been released on bail.

UK Two British opposition parties want to hold elections even earlier than Prime Minister Boris Johnson has proposed as they try to ensure the country doesn’t leave the European Union without an agreement.

US A Northern California blaze forced evacuation orders and warnings for nearly all of Sonoma County stretching to the coast, with forecasts of strong winds prompting officials to begin cutting electricity for millions of people in an effort to prevent more fires.