World briefs

MYANMAR A court in Myanmar sentenced a self-styled exorcist to death yesterday for killing three children during a ritual he carried out after telling their parents their offspring were possessed by evil spirits. More on p14

JAPAN Tokyo’s giant Tsukiji fish market, popular with tourists, won’t be destroyed, although it will be closed for up to five years while it is modernized and turned into a “food theme park,” the capital’s governor said yesterday.

NEW ZEALAND Three months away from an election, New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English is facing awkward questions about how he handled a lawmaker who is accused of making secret recordings and then lying about what he did. More on p13

PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN Pakistan’s army says construction will begin soon on a fence across the border with Afghanistan in order to improve security.

EGYPT’s military says its air force has killed 12 “extremely dangerous” militants in airstrikes in northern Sinai, a militant hotspot.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Heavy fighting erupted yesterday between armed groups in Central African Republic only hours after a peace deal was signed in Rome, aid officials said, while the United Nations warned that humanitarian aid was running out.

UGANDA’s government and the United Nations are appealing for USD8 billion to deal with the crisis of refugees from South Sudan.

GREECE On World Refugee Day yesterday, more than 60,000 refugees and migrants were stranded in Greece. They’re eventually supposed to go forward to other countries in Europe or be sent back to Turkey, but the process is barely moving.

BRITAIN Two of the most senior figures in Britain’s economy argued yesterday for cooperative, not adversarial, talks over the country’s exit from the European Union.

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO Tropical Storm Bret unleashed heavy flooding, knocked out power and ripped off several roofs in some areas of Trinidad & Tobago as it swirled west across the southern Caribbean region yesterday.

VENEZUELA The number of Venezuelans seeking asylum in the United States is accelerating as the oil-rich economy crashes and bloody, anti-government protests roil the nation.

COLOMBIA Leftist rebels are believed to be holding captive two Dutch journalists who went missing in a conflict-ridden area of northeastern Colombia.