World briefs

QATAR U.S. President Donald Trump sided with Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries yesterday in a deepening diplomatic crisis with Qatar, appearing to endorse the accusation that the oil-rich Persian Gulf nation is funding terrorist groups. In several countries, airlines suspended flights and authorities closed their ports to Qatari ships, causing anxious residents in Qatar to start stockpiling food.

HONG KONG African park rangers urged Hong Kong lawmakers to approve a ban on ivory sales but warned that giving in to traders’ demands for compensation would fuel more elephant poaching. 

VIETNAM-JAPAN The two countries agreed yesterday to bolster their security ties through Japanese-funded projects including the upgrading of Vietnamese coastal patrol capabilities, defense equipment and technology transfer amid concerns about China’s increasingly assertive activity in regional seas.

AUSTRALIA A passenger has been charged with writing a threatening note that caused the emergency evacuation of an Australian domestic airliner at an airport yesterday, police said.

POLAND-UKRAINE Poland and Ukraine said yesterday they are working toward developing a regional gas hub that would end Central and Eastern Europe’s dependence on Russian supplies and keep prices in line with European standards. The region has previously been exposed to political pressure from Moscow, which has at times in the past limited supply volumes or hiked gas prices.

BRITAIN Britons are about to vote in an election that was supposed to be dominated by Brexit but, after two deadly attacks in as many weeks, has become a battle over security.

US-TURKEY House Republicans and Democrats are set to unleash a wave of bipartisan fury against Turkey over violence against peaceful protesters carried out by bodyguards traveling with the country’s president.

BRAZIL Brazilians have endured more than three years of near daily revelations about the political elite getting kickbacks, bribes and illegal campaign financing. The result has been a widespread distrust of the political class that analysts say could give a competitive edge to candidates without the smudge of corruption in the 2018 presidential elections.

MEXICO A Mexican farm group with a reputation for strong-arm tactics has denied accusations it was involved in a grisly weekend attack that killed five indigenous women. The Antorcha Campesina or “Farmers’ Torch” group has been involved in past violent land conflicts and squatters’ takeovers.