World briefs

INDIA India’s space agency says it successfully launched a record 104 nano satellites into orbit aboard a single rocket.

CHINA Authorities awarded U.S. President Donald Trump valuable rights to his own name this week, in the form of a 10-year trademark for construction services. Critics say Trump’s global intellectual property interests could be used by foreign states as leverage over the president and may violate the emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution. 

PHILIPPINES The government is considering adding airports to serve the capital Manila and nearby areas, including a sprawling airport city complex that could handle 100 million passengers a year. Manila’s congested international airport once was dubbed the world’s worst airport in surveys by travel website The Guide to Sleeping in Airports.

INDONESIA Unofficial counts indicate the acrimonious election for Jakarta’s governor will head to a second round in April with the incumbent, a minority Christian, failing to secure the 50 percent needed for an outright win. 

AUSTRALIA Sri Lankan asylum seekers held on Pacific island camps who could potentially find new lives in the United States are free to return home without fear of persecution, Sri Lanka’s prime minister says.

PAKISTAN A Taliban suicide bombing targeted the administrative headquarters of a tribal region in northwestern Pakistan, killing three policemen and two passers-by, according to officials.

JAPAN The USD3.3 billion acquisition by SoftBank Group Corp., the Japanese telecommunications, internet and solar energy giant, of Fortress Investment Group marks tycoon Masayoshi Son’s latest step in building an investment empire.

THE NETHERLANDS’ main intelligence service says it is treating a small group of Dutch children in conflict zones in Iraq and Syria as “Jihadist travelers” since they may have received military training. The General Intelligence and Security Service says at least 80 Dutch children are in those areas, either having been born there or taken there by one or both parents.

USA The New York City health department says one person has died and two others have become severely ill after they contracted a rare disease (leptospirosis) transmitted by rats. The three cases occurred in the last two months in a Bronx neighborhood. City officials say it’s the first time a cluster of cases has been identified.