World briefs

JAPAN The younger brother of former Japanese Emperor Hirohito dies at age 100. The death of prince Mikasa (pictured) led to the cancelation of the scheduled meeting between the Philippine President Duterte and Emperor Akihito.

CHINA Four senior officials from the Communist Party were expelled yesterday by the sixth plenary session of the 18th Central Committee, official Xinhua news agency reported. Former Party chief of Liaoning province and senior national legislator Wang Min and former Beijing deputy Party chief Lyu Xiwen were on the expulsion list. The communiqué also confirmed the expulsion of former senior military officials Fan Changmi and Niu Zhizhong. All had been charged with corruption offenses.  More on p11

PAKISTAN’s Foreign Ministry said India was expelling a Pakistani diplomat in New Delhi after briefly detaining him on what it called “false and unsubstantiated charges,” a sign of increasing tension between the two South Asian nuclear-armed archrivals. India informed Pakistan’s high commissioner, the top Pakistani diplomat in the country, that embassy staff member Mehmood Akhtar had until tomorrow to leave the country.

PAKISTAN’s government bans all political meetings, rallies and protests in the capital ahead of a planned opposition march against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Nov. 2. The ban is to remain in force for two months.

MYANMAR A Yangon historic-preservation group says the country’s largest city and commercial capital is facing its “last best chance” to save many crumbling architectural treasures dating back to the days when Myanmar was the British colony of Burma.

CAMBODIA-THAILAND A Cambodian official says authorities are working on a request from Thailand’s government to extradite three Thais accused of insulting the monarchy.

HAWAII The American Coast Guard suspends its search for a Chinese man attempting to set a sailing record after a crew did not find him aboard his boat off the Hawaii islands. Guo Chuan, 50 (pictured), was attempting to set a sailing record from San Francisco to Shanghai.

VIETNAM Authorities seized 1 ton of ivory smuggled from Kenya, the fifth such seizure in the past month. The ivory was hidden in timber in two containers on the way to Cambodia via Vietnam. Customs official Le Dinh Loi says the shipment was seized at Cat Lai port in the southern commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City.

INDONESIA A court gave a 20-year jail sentence to an Indonesian woman accused of killing a former classmate at an Australian school with cyanide-laced coffee, in a trial that was broadcast live and became a national spectacle. The Central Jakarta District Court found Jessica Kumala Wongso, 28, guilty of murdering Wayan Mirna Salihin at an upmarket Jakarta cafe in January.

TRUMP Los Angeles police arrested a man suspected of using a sledgehammer to destroy Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, officials said Thursday. Jamie Otis was taken into custody early Thursday on suspicion of felony vandalism.