World briefs

PHILIPPINES The senator who initiated an investigation into President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly anti-drug campaign asked the Supreme Court yesterday to stop verbal attacks against her by Duterte. Sen. Leila de Lima seeks to stop the president and his men from gathering information about her private life and disclosing it publicly.

VATICAN-CHINA The Vatican yesterday denounced the decision of a priest in China’s underground Catholic Church to be ordained bishop without the pope’s approval. The statement was an apparent move by the Vatican to defuse tensions with China as negotiations proceed on reaching an overall agreement on bishop nominations.

VIETNAM Police in southern Vietnam are searching for 60 drug addicts who escaped from a rehabilitation center, an official said yesterday. The official in Dong Nai province said 133 inmates burned their clothes and other belongings before escaping from the center on Sunday. Authorities have so far recaptured 73 of them.

CAMBODIA A Cambodian court yesterday sentenced an opposition senator to seven years in prison over comments he posted on Facebook criticizing a 36-year-old border agreement with neighboring Vietnam. Hong Sok Hour was found guilty of falsifying public documents, using fake documents and inciting chaos.
Myanmar Police say a British teacher has been found dead with chest and head wounds in a colleague’s apartment in Yangon and another British man is the suspect.

AUSTRALIA Police have made an unusual find while searching the bag of a woman who was being arrested. When they asked the 50-year-old woman if she had anything to declare on Sunday night, she handed over a zipped canvas bag that she said contained a baby koala.

INDIA-BRITAIN British Prime Minister Theresa May and her Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, held talks yesterday aimed at deepening ties between their countries and boosting trade and investment as the U.K. prepares to leave the European Union.

EGYPT-SAUDI ARABIA Egypt said yesterday that Saudi Arabia has halted fuel shipments indefinitely, in a sign of lingering tensions following a dispute over the conflict in Syria.

CYPRUS The United Nations chief yesterday urged the rival leaders of ethnically divided Cyprus to seize the opportunity for a reunification deal that he said is within their grasp.

MONTENEGRO Lawmakers convened yesterday for the first time since last month’s election, with opposition parties boycotting the inaugural session amid tensions over an alleged foiled coup attempt orchestrated by Russian nationalists.