World briefs

UK Authorities and Islamic leaders moved swiftly to ease concerns in the Muslim community after a man plowed his vehicle into a crowd of worshippers outside a north London mosque yesterday, injuring at least nine people. One man died at the scene, although he was receiving first aid at the time and it wasn’t clear if he died as a result of the attack or from something else.

VIETNAM An international human rights group has condemned attacks on Vietnamese bloggers and activists by unknown assailants and urged the government to carry out impartial investigations and bring those responsible to justice.

INDONESIA Four foreign inmates escaped early yesterday from a prison on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, police said. Prison officers became aware of the escape while conducting a morning check of inmates at the Kerobokan penitentiary in Bali’s capital, Denpasar.

SOUTH KOREA, one of the world’s largest nuclear electricity producers, will scrap plans to add nuclear power plants, its president said yesterday, signaling a shift in decades of reliance on nuclear energy.

SYRIA Iran says its ballistic missile strike targeting the Islamic State group in Syria was not only a response to deadly attacks in Tehran, but a powerful message to archrival Saudi Arabia and the United States. The launch, which hit Syria’s eastern city of Deir el-Zour, appeared to be Iran’s first missile attack in the Syrian conflict.

MALI Security forces killed at least four jihadis after the extremists attacked a resort spot popular with foreigners on the outskirts of Mali’s capital in which at least five people were killed.

NOWAY Religious and indigenous leaders, gathered at a conference in the Norwegian capital of Oslo yesterday, called for an end to deforestation in the first international multi-faith, multi-cultural plea to reduce the emissions that fuel climate change.

FRANCE Visitors to an art exhibit of Auguste Rodin’s works in central Paris were confined inside the Grand Palais for an hour after an attacker rammed into a police convoy on the nearby Champs-Elysees. France’s interior minister says the attack justifies the state of emergency.

BRAZIL Hundreds of thousands of revelers gathered in Sao Paulo on Sunday for one of the world’s largest gay pride parades.

MEXICO Foreign ministers representing countries of the Organization of American States are gathering in Mexico to discuss the ongoing political crisis in Venezuela. So far no consensus on the months-long matter has been reached.