World Briefs

AUSTRALIA Dozens of homes were destroyed overnight in Australia’s southeast but the wildfire threat had diminished by yesterday across New South Wales state and around the national capital Canberra, officials said. Bega Valley Mayor Kristy McBain said damage in her region 240 kilometers south of Canberra had yet to be assessed by the New South Wales Rural Fire Service.

JAPAN A Japanese warship departed yesterday for the Middle East to ensure the safety of the country’s oil tankers in waters where tensions between the U.S. and Iran are high. The destroyer Takanami with some 200 sailors left Japan’s main naval base in Yokosuka, near Tokyo. Its main task is primarily to gather intelligence in the Gulf of Oman and nearby waters.

MALAYSIA The anti-graft agency said it’s already investigating corruption allegations surrounding AirAsia Group Bhd. as detailed in Airbus SE’s record $4 billion bribery settlement. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission is in touch with U.K. authorities on the matter. Documents filed in the Airbus case said the planemaker paid $50 million in sponsorships to a sports team jointly owned by two AirAsia executives as a reward for an order for 180 aircraft, later amended to 135.

NEW ZEALAND Mike Moore, who served as New Zealand’s Prime Minister before leading the World Trade Organization during a tumultuous time when thousands protested in Seattle riots, died yesterday. He was 71. He died at his home in Auckland, his wife Yvonne Moore said. He’d suffered a number of health complications since having a stroke five years ago.

IRAN The European Union’s new foreign affairs chief [pictured] is traveling to Iran to meet with the country’s leaders, the Iranian official news agency said yesterday, amid high regional tensions. The visit is seen as the latest move by the EU to save the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.

ERITREA The government yesterday expressed “dismay at this unfriendly act” after the Trump administration included it in the latest six countries to face U.S. visa restrictions. Eritrea’s information ministry asserted the U.S. decision was made “without justification to send a negative signal” and runs counter to U.S. policy of constructive engagement.

KENYA As locusts by the billions — yes, billions — descend on parts of Kenya in the worst outbreak in 70 years, small planes are flying low over affected areas to spray pesticides in what experts call the only effective control.