World Briefs

CHINA Seeking to douse fears about China’s economy, the finance minister says that Beijing can manage its rising debt load as it steps up deficit spending to prevent a slide in growth.

INDONESIA  has defended its decision to allow Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, a war crimes suspect, into the country for a summit of Muslim nations.

INDIA Thousands of dead fish have washed up on the banks of a polluted lake in India’s southern technology hub of Bangalore. People spotted the dead fish floating in Ulsoor Lake yesterday in a residential district. A residents’ spokesman said sewage from many parts of the city has been flowing into the lake, depleting oxygen levels in the water. Water samples are being collected for testing.

PAKISTAN A suicide bomber attacked the entrance to a court in northwest Pakistan yesterday, killing 11 people, police said. The blast in the town of Shabqadar also wounded another 15 people.
IRAQ Officials say the death toll from Sunday’s suicide truck bombing south of Baghdad has climbed to 61. A police officer said yesterday that among the dead were 52 civilians, while the rest were members of the security forces.

SYRIA Russia says it is aiming to step up humanitarian aid to Syria’s war-battered people by opening up its military facilities in Syria for international aid cargos. The Defense Ministry said that Russia “is ready to provide all necessary help to international and foreign organizations in the delivery of humanitarian aid.”

NATO announced that it was expanding its mission to help choke off the smuggling of migrants into Europe by deploying warships in Greek and Turkish waters, reinforcing its flotilla and deepening cooperation with the European Union’s Frontex border agency.

USA Bernie Sanders has beaten Hillary Clinton in the Maine caucuses, taking 64% of the vote, in the latest contest in the battle to be the Democratic presidential candidate. In the Republican race, Marco Rubio easily won Puerto Rico’s primary, beating billionaire Donald Trump.

TUNISIA 26 people have been killed in clashes between police and unidentified gunmen near the Libyan border. The interior and defense ministries said in a joint statement yesterday that the dead included 21 attackers, one Tunisian soldier and four civilians. A 12-year-old girl was among the civilians who were killed.