World Briefs

CHINA-SERBIA Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Serbia today in an effort to further boost relations with the friendly nation and assert China’s intention to radically increase its presence in the Balkans and Europe.

SOUTH CHINA SEA The Philippines says differences within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations prevented the 10-nation bloc from issuing a tough statement on territorial feuds in the South China Sea after a meeting hosted by China this week.

CHINA Police detain a man over an attack on an airline check-in clerk that left her lying in a pool of blood and arrest two others who charged the cockpit as their flight was taxiing for takeoff, the latest in a growing tally of dangerous acts involving Chinese airline travelers.

BANGLADESH The detentions of thousands of suspected criminals across Bangladesh led to the arrest of a suspected member of a banned Islamist group accused of violently attacking a publisher last year, police say.

JAPAN A Tokyo suburb will help women cover the cost of freezing their eggs in a pilot program aimed at tackling the nation’s declining birth rate.

THAILAND The police raided a Buddhist temple complex to arrest an abbot accused of embezzling USD40 million but are blocked by thousands of his followers who say he is too ill to be taken into custody.

INDIA Three lions identified as having eaten villagers in western India have been caged and will never be released back into the wild, forest officials say.

INDONESIA More than 30 whales were stranded on the coast on the island of Java and 10 of them have died, authorities said.

LIBYA At least 16 Libyan militia fighters have been killed in two attacks by the Islamic State group as pro-government forces try to dislodge the extremists from Sirte, their last stronghold in the country. The bombings were part of a wave of suicide attacks launched by IS to stall the initially fast progress of the anti-IS forces, who are led by militias from the western city of Misrata.

AUSTRALIA A flamboyant Australian lawmaker is under fire over a campaign ad playfully suggesting he shot dead two political rivals that was posted online days after the Florida massacre. Independent candidate Bob Katter has made no apology.

USA Newly declassified documents offer more details about a detainee who died inside the secret prison network the CIA operated abroad after the Sept. 11 attacks and disclose that President George W. Bush was worried about the image of shackled detainees wearing adult diapers.