World briefs

CHINA President Xi Jinping lauded Kiribati yesterday for “standing on the right side of history” during his first meeting with the Pacific island nation’s leader since it severed ties with Taiwan. Kiribati switched allegiances to Communist Party-ruled China in September, leaving Taiwan with just 15 allies as Beijing has steadily siphoned them off through billions of dollars in aid since Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen took office in 2016. More on p11

PHILIPPINES President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the military to prepare to deploy its aircraft and ships “at any moment’s notice” to evacuate thousands of Filipino workers in Iraq and Iran should violence break out, reflecting Asia’s growing fears for its citizens in the increasingly volatile Middle East. Other Asian nations with large populations of expatriate labor may face similar decisions amid the rapidly escalating tensions between the United States and Iran following last week’s U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad. 

INDONESIA A court in Bali sentenced two Australian men yesterday to nine and 12 months in jail for possessing cocaine. Former Melbourne nightclub promoters William Cabantog and David Van Iersel were arrested last July in a police raid at the Lost City Club in the island’s trendy Canggu neighborhood with 1.12 grams of cocaine in the pocket of Cabantog’s jeans.

AUSTRALIA The government said yesterday it was willing to pay “whatever it takes” to help communities recover from deadly wildfires that have ravaged the country. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government was committing an extra AUD2 billion toward the recovery effort in addition to the tens of millions of dollars that have already been promised.

IRAN Weeping amid wails from a sea of mourners, Iran’s supreme leader yesterday prayed over the remains of a top Iranian general killed in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad, an attack that’s drastically raised tensions between Tehran and Washington.

The procession for Iranian Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani drew a crowd of mourners and followers, said by police to be in the millions, yesterday in Tehran, where Soleimani’s replacement vowed to take revenge for his killing. 

PUERTO RICOA 5.8-magnitude quake jolted Puerto Ricans out of their beds yesterday morning, the strongest quake yet to hit the US territory that has been shaking for the past week. The quake struck just south of the island at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometers. according to the U.S. Geological Service. There was no tsunami threat, officials said.

UK A man described as “the most prolific rapist in British legal history” has been sentenced to life in prison with a possible release after 30 years following his conviction for sexual offenses against 48 men. Authorities said the evidence against 36-year-old Reynhard Sinaga indicates he had many more victims, with roughly 195 men apparently having been filmed while being abused when they were in his apartment. Many were unconscious at the time.