World briefs

CHINA Three prisoners including a death row inmate killed a guard, donned police uniforms and escaped in a rare jailbreak in northeastern China early yesterday, prompting a manhunt that later recaptured two of the men, state media said. Armed police searched for the other fugitive, following the breakout from Yanshou county jail outside the city of Harbin, according to a report on the website of the Communist Party’s People’s Daily newspaper. Two of the men were recaptured near a reservoir about 2 kilometers from the jail, the paper said.

AUSTRALIA An Australian man is charged with sexually abusing twin girls he fathered several years ago to a Thai surrogate mother, according to local media reports. The man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was charged in a New South Wales state court last year with indecent dealings of a sexual nature with the children while they were around 4 and 5 years old, Australian Broadcasting Corp. and Nine Network television reported late Monday.

PHILIPPINES Authorities have arrested three men linked to a group that allegedly planned to set off firebombs at the Manila airport and a mall to protest the government’s alleged “soft” stance in its territorial dispute with China.

PAKISTAN Ahead of a joint session of parliament, Pakistan’s prime minister and its powerful army hold marathon meetings aimed at defusing a growing crisis that could force the prime minister of this nuclear-armed country to step down. Demonstrators meanwhile briefly take over its state television station and fight with security forces in the streets of the capital, increasing the pressure on the premier and the country’s nascent democracy.

EGYPT A roadside bomb exploded yesterday near an armored police vehicle traveling in Egypt’s restive Sinai Peninsula, killing 11 police officers, including a senior official, security and medical officials said.

GERMANY A court has barred ridesharing service Uber from operating in Germany, the latest shot in the popular app’s fight with taxi drivers worldwide. Frankfurt state court spokesman Arne Hasse said yesterday the decision that Uber can’t offer its services without a specific permit under German transport laws applies nationwide.

GAZA The popularity of Hamas among has spiked significantly following the 50-day war with Israel, according to an opinion poll released yesterday. The poll, conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, indicates that 61 percent of Palestinians would choose the Islamic militant group’s leader, Ismail Haniyeh, for president if Palestinian presidential elections were held today. Only 32 percent would vote for current President Mahmoud Abbas.

USA Jennifer Lawrence contacts authorities to investigate who stole and posted nude images of the Oscar winner online, a publicist for the actress says. Intimate images of the actress, who stars in “The Hunger Games” film franchise and won an Academy Award for her role in “Silver Linings Playbook,” began appearing online on Sunday. Naked images purporting to be of other female stars were also posted, although the authenticity of many of the images could not be confirmed. The source of the leak is unclear.

 SOMALIA U.S. military forces targeted the Islamic extremist al-Shabab network in an operation Monday in Somalia, the Pentagon said. The U.S. action comes after Somali government forces regained control of a high security prison in the capital that was attacked Sunday by seven heavily armed suspected Islamic militants who attempted to free other extremists held there.