World Briefs

BELGIUM Brussels Airlines flight heading to the Portuguese city of Faro has taken off from Brussels Airport — the first passenger flight to leave the airport since suicide bombings on March 22 blew up its departures terminal.

SINGAPORE’s central bank will give financial institutions room to experiment with new technologies as it seeks public feedback on how a “regulatory sandbox” could work, Managing Director Ravi Menon said. The responsibility to assess any risks in the adoption of new financial technologies lies with the boards and management, he said at a conference on Saturday.
Philippines Suspected Filipino Muslim militants seized four Malaysian crewmen of a tugboat in the second such attack at sea in recent weeks, sparking a new security alarm, officials said Saturday.

INDONESIA Leonardo DiCaprio may be banned from returning to Indonesia over his criticisms that palm oil plantations are destroying the country’s rainforests and endangering wildlife, an immigration official said Saturday. The Oscar winner made a one-day visit to protected Mount Leuser National Park in northern Sumatra last weekend and uploaded photos to his Instagram account, expressing concerns over species whose habitats are threatened.

SYRIA A week after taking back the historic town of Palmyra, Syrian troops and their allies captured another town controlled by the Islamic State group in central Syria, state media reported.

VANUATU A strong earthquake hit off of the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu yesterday, but authorities said any threat of a tsunami had mostly passed, and there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

POLAND Thousands of Poles took part in street demonstrations yesterday to protest a possible tightening of the country’s abortion law, already one of the most restrictive in Europe.