World briefs

BRICS Expectations were high when five big, developing nations in 2009 joined as the so-called BRICS. The cooperation of the fast-rising economies driving world growth seemed to herald a new era. But at a summit in Goa this weekend, their leaders will be struggling to temper their tendency to compete, rather than collaborate.

Cambodian students holding a welcome banner and photos of Chinese Ppresident Xi Jinping at Phnom Penh International Airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Thursday, Oct. 13, 2016. Xi began a two-day state visit to strong ally Cambodia, during which he will strengthen the already firm relationship and witness the signing of nearly 30 agreements. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

CAMBODIA-CHINA Chinese President Xi Jinping begins a two-day state visit to strong ally Cambodia during which he will strengthen their already firm relationship and witness the signing of nearly 30 agreements.

PHILIPPINES  Police say the bodies of three foreigners with gunshots to their heads have been found in a sugar cane field, and South Korea’s Foreign Ministry identifies them as its nationals.

PAKISTAN A Spanish diplomat is found dead in his Islamabad home in what authorities suspect is a suicide. The 60-year-old man was found in his bedroom by a domestic servant with a revolver by his side, police said. There was no immediate reaction from the Spanish embassy.

AUSTRALIA A state Parliament in Australia unanimously passes a motion that describes U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump as “a revolting slug unfit for public office.”

SOUTH KOREA  Samsung Electronics says it has expanded its recall of Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in the U.S. to include all replacement devices the company offered as a presumed safe alternative after the original Note 7s were found prone to catch fire.

NIGERIA 21 of Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram more than two years ago have been freed in a swap for detained leaders of the Islamic extremist group, the government and military said yesterday. Some 197 girls remain captive, though it is not known how many of them may have died.