World Briefs

THAILAND Thousands of anti-government protesters took part in the “Run Against Dictatorship” in the Thai capital yesterday in the biggest political demonstration in years. Organizers said more than 13,000 people turned up for the run at a park, demanding that Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha step down.

IRAN In the face of mounting evidence, Iran yesterday acknowledged that it shot down the Ukrainian jetliner by accident, killing all 176 people aboard. The admission by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard undermined the credibility of information provided by senior officials, who for three days had adamantly dismissed allegations of a missile strike as Western propaganda.

INDIA Police in Indian-controlled Kashmir have arrested a long-serving counterinsurgency officer for allegedly having ties with rebels fighting against Indian rule in the disputed region, officials said yesterday.

AUSTRALIA Crews battling Australia’s wildfires said yesterday that they have been able to turn from defense to offense for the first time in weeks thanks to a break in the weather. Dale McLean, who is helping manage the response to a fire near the town of Bodalla in New South Wales state, was part of team that was bulldozing down small trees and burning scrub ahead of the fire’s projected path to try to stop it from reaching a major highway by starving it of fuel.

PUERTO RICO A magnitude 5.9 quake shook Puerto Rico on Saturday, causing millions of dollars of damage along the island’s southern coast, where previous recent quakes have toppled homes and schools. The U.S. Geological Survey said the 8:54 a.m. (1254 GMT) quake hit 8 miles (13 kilometers) southeast of Guanica at a shallow depth of 3 miles (5 kilometers). It was followed by several aftershocks, including a magnitude 5.2 temblor less than two minutes later.

CANADA The province of Ontario sent an alert yesterday reporting an unspecified “incident” at a nuclear plant — only to later report the message was sent in error. The initial message said the incident had occurred at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, though it added there had been no abnormal release of radioactivity from the station.

PHILIPPINES A small volcano south of the Philippine capital that draws many tourists for its picturesque setting in a lake erupted with a massive plume of ash and steam yesterday, prompting thousands of people to flee and officials to shut Manila’s international airport.

VATICAN Pope Francis has baptized 32 babies, including two sets of twins, in the splendor of the Sistine Chapel. Francis marveled that the babies were very quiet, with barely a peep as they waited their turn to be baptized yesterday morning under the Michelangelo-frescoed ceiling.