World briefs

SYRIA Suicide bombers hit the main judicial building and a restaurant in Damascus yesterday, killing at least 30 people, according to state media, spreading fear across Syria’s capital as the country’s civil war enters its seventh year. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for either attack, but other, similar attacks in recent weeks were claimed by al-Qaida’s affiliate in Syria.

CAMBODIA Sok An, a deputy prime minister of Cambodia who was one of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s closest political and personal allies, died yesterday at a hospital in Beijing at age 66.

THAILAND’s military government is seeking to collect at least 12 billion baht (USD360 million) in unpaid taxes and penalties from a prime minister toppled in a coup 11 years ago, in what his supporters consider a continuing political vendetta. Authorities have sought payment from Thaksin for years but he lives in exile in Dubai, out of the reach of Thai law.

INDONESIA’s government said yesterday that a British-owned cruise ship must pay compensation for the destruction of coral reefs in a popular tourist area known for its extensive marine biodiversity.

SOUTH KOREA It was hard to imagine that ousted President Park Geun-hye could get any more unpopular in South Korea — until she moved out of the presidential palace and left her nine dogs behind. An animal rights group accused Park of animal abandonment.

PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN The closure of the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is more than inconvenient; it is costly. Officials on both sides of the border say in just one month, the closure has resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost trade, and tons of perishable goods have rotted in stranded trucks.

UKRAINE yesterday announced a transport blockade of rebel-held areas that is likely to cause serious economic disruption and could threaten a precarious cease-fire in the east of the country.

NETHERLANDS As the Netherlands elects new leadership, its European neighbors are watching with unusual interest — because the struggle between nationalist, anti-immigrant politicians and pro-EU forces is playing out across the continent in several elections this year. 

MEXICO More than 250 skulls have been found over the last several months in what appears to be a drug cartel mass burial ground on the outskirts of the city of Veracruz. According to officials in the country, the pits appear to contain remains of cartel victims killed years ago.