World briefs

CHINA Police say five people were killed early yesterday in an explosion at an illegal fireworks factory in southern China. Police in Guizhou province are investigating the cause of the blast which ripped through the factory in the village of Lanjiang. One other person was injured.

THAILAND’s 86-year-old king Bhumibol Adulyadej underwent surgery to have his gallbladder removed, and doctors said the procedure went well and the monarch’s overall condition had improved since he was hospitalized three days ago, a palace statement said yesterday.

MALAYSIA The hunt for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 resumes a desolate stretch of the Indian Ocean, more than six months after the jet vanished. The GO Phoenix, the first of three ships that will spend up to a year hunting for the wreckage far off Australia’s west coast, is expected to spend 12 days hunting for the jet before heading to shore to refuel.

JAPAN A powerful typhoon that washed three American airmen in Okinawa out to sea, killing at least one, slams central Japan, stalling trains and flights and triggering mudslides, before swerving to the Pacific Ocean.

PHILIPPINES Two Swiss men were gunned down at a beach resort in the southern Philippines, police said Monday, adding that the attack did not appear to be a robbery or an act of terrorism.

ASIA-WORLD BANK The World Bank trims this year’s growth forecast for developing East Asian economies and urges governments to improve conditions for investment and exports. Economies in the region that includes China and Southeast Asia should grow by 6.9 percent, the Washington-based bank said. That was down from a forecast of 7.1 percent in April but still gives the region the world’s fastest growth.

SYRIA Kurdish forces defending a Syrian town near the Turkish border clashed with the Islamic State group yesterday after repelling a wide-ranging jihadist assault the day before in battles that left dozens dead on both sides. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and a statement from the Kurdish force known as the People’s Protection Units, or YPK, said more than 45 fighters on both sides were killed Sunday near the town of Kobani, including a Kurdish female fighter who blew herself up, killing several jihadists.

BULGARIA Former Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov is returning to power after his center-right GERB party won most seats in parliamentary elections, but fell short of a majority to govern alone. With 99 percent of the votes counted, the GERB party leads with 32.7 percent, with the Socialists second with 15.4 percent, the Central Election Commission announced yesterday.

USA An American photojournalist who contracted Ebola while working in West Africa began his journey home for treatment, while a man who recently arrived in Dallas from Liberia remained in critical condition with the disease. Ashoka Mukpo, 33, will be the second Ebola patient to be treated at the Nebraska Medical Center’s specialized isolation unit.

UK A woman who was accused of sending Internet abuse to the parents of missing girl Madeleine McCann has been found dead in a hotel room. Her death has revived debate about media responsibility and how best to respond to online “trolls.” Television channel Sky News identified 63-year-old Brenda Leyland as a Twitter user who had attacked Kate and Gerry McCann under the name “sweepyface.” Last week a Sky News reporter confronted Leyland on camera about the alleged abuse.

BRAZIL’s unpredictable election takes another twist, with left-leaning President Dilma Rousseff being forced into a runoff race as expected, but against a center-right challenger who only surged in the final week of the campaign.