World briefs

PAKISTAN-CHINA Pakistan’s military says Chinese and Pakistani troops have conducted a joint field exercise to improve their ability to combat terrorism. In a statement released to the media yesterday, the military said the seven-week long exercise was held in the district of Attock in the eastern province of Punjab. It said Pakistani army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif and senior Chinese army officer Gen. Li Fayi witnessed the concluding session of the exercise.

JAPAN-VIETNAM Japan said yesterday it will give Vietnam used boats and other equipment to improve its maritime security capabilities as China asserts its territorial claims in regional seas. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the grant worth 200 million yen (USD1.7 million) after holding talks with Vietnamese Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong in Tokyo.

MALAYSIA  A layer of heavy haze forces Malaysian authorities to shut schools in three states and two key cities as aircraft are to begin cloud-seeding operations to help clear the air. The thick, dirty white haze blanketed many parts of Malaysia — an annual phenomenon that is mostly caused by the burning of forests in Indonesia to clear land for farming. More on p13

PHILIPPINE troops rescue nine road construction workers who were abducted by Abu Sayyaf militants.

UK Prince Harry marked his 31st birthday yesterday at a gathering of vintage Battle of Britain aircraft honoring the pilots who helped protect the country during World War II.

RUSSIA-SYRIA Russian President Vladimir Putin strongly defends Moscow’s military assistance to the Syrian government, saying it’s impossible to defeat the Islamic State group without cooperating with Damascus. More on p15

ISRAELI police clashed with Palestinian protesters yesterday in a third straight day of unrest at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site. Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said police entered the Al-Aqsa mosque compound early in the morning to disperse a group of protesters who had holed up inside the mosque overnight.

USA A wall of water sweeps away two vehicles carrying women and children in a Utah-Arizona border town, killing at least eight people and leaving five others missing in a community that serves as a home base for polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs, authorities say.