World briefs

PHILIPPINES  A police van rammed into protesters, leaving several bloodied, as an anti-U.S. rally turns violent at the American Embassy in Manila.

TYPHOON Philippine forecasters warn that a super typhoon set to slam into the country’s northeast may bring widespread damage similar to that wrought by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, and have asked people to flee out of harm’s way.

AFGHANISTAN The U.N. mission in Afghanistan says the number of children killed or wounded in the country’s conflict has increased in the first nine months of 2016, compared to the same period last year. It says the mission documented a total of 2,461 children’s casualties in 2016 — 639 deaths and 1,822 wounded.

AUSTRALIA’s tough gun controls will be further tightened to restrict access to new rapid-fire shotguns, the prime minister said. But a pro-gun independent senator warns Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull that the move will add to the government’s difficulty in getting legislation through the Senate.

INDIA New Delhi’s zoo is closed temporarily after nine birds die from suspected bird flu. Autopsies conducted on the birds confirmed that at least two of them died from H5N1 avian influenza, the National Zoological Park said, adding, “we decided to close the zoo for a few days as a precautionary measure.” The zoo would reopen next week.

MEKONG River When Western governments began pouring money into the Mekong River Commission, they hoped it would help four Southeast Asian countries cooperate in responsibly managing one of the world’s great rivers. Two decades later, they have a surfeit of disregarded reports to show for the USD320 million they spent.

SKOREA Prosecutors indict the Lotte Group’s founder, his mistress and all of his three children on embezzlement, tax evasion and other charges. Five family members including founder Shin Kyuk-ho, 94, and the group’s current chair, Shin Dong-bin, 61 (pictured), together allegedly evaded a total USD76m in taxes and embezzled $46m of company funds

UK The jobless rate in the remained at 4.9 percent, an 11-year low. Real basic pay growth slowed to 1.7 percent, and firms are already reporting cuts to hiring and investment plans. The pound rallied above USD1.23 after the data was released. The pound’s rally over the past couple of days has done little to mitigate the collapse in the currency since the Brexit vote.