World briefs

THAILAND A bomb exploded at a popular shrine near a key political protest site in central Bangkok yesterday evening, the government said, reportedly killing more than a dozen people and injuring many others. The bomb exploded inside the Erawan Shrine, and another undetonated bomb was found near the complex, said Maj. Gen. Weerachon Sukhondhapatipak, a spokesman for Thailand’s ruling junta. The shrine is a tourist landmark also popular with Thais.

S KOREA’s high military court upholds a death sentence for a soldier convicted for killing five comrades in shooting and grenade attacks last year.

N KOREA The rival Koreas have resumed cross-border propaganda warfare as North Korea yesterday matched South Korea’s loudspeaker campaign with broadcasts of its own that reportedly included criticism of Seoul and praises for Pyongyang.

NEPAL A general strike imposed by smaller political parties protesting a proposed new constitution that would split Nepal into six federal states crippled daily life across the Himalayan nation yesterday.

JAPAN’s economy contracted at a 1.6 percent annual pace in the April-June quarter in the latest setback for the country’s “Abenomics” growth strategy.
USA Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump wants to deny citizenship to the babies of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally as part of an immigration plan that emphasizes border security and deportation for millions.

RUSSIA-IRAN Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is set to host his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif for talks expected to focus on the implementation of a nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, as well as efforts to mediate the Syrian conflict.

EGYPT President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has signed into law a new anti-terrorism bill, state media reported yesterday, a text that has prompted criticism from rights groups and even some senior judges.The 54-article law, published on state news agency MENA, provides an extremely broad definition of terrorism, describing it in one article as any act that disturbs public order with force.

ISRAElI forces shot and killed a Palestinian after he stabbed an Israeli police officer at a West Bank checkpoint yesterday, the latest in a series of recent stabbing attacks that have escalated tensions in the region.

SYRIA The United Nations humanitarian chief said yesterday he is “horrified” by the attacks on civilians that are taking place in Syria, warning that the protracted conflict not only “severely affects” the lives of millions of people in the country but also threatens the stability of the entire region. Stephen O’Brien told reporters that “attacks on civilians are unlawful, unacceptable and must stop.”