World briefs

GERMANY Chancellor Angela Merkel lobbied party members Saturday to stand behind efforts to build a new coalition with the Free Democratic Party and Greens, saying it’s the best suited to govern the country. She dismissed the only other realistic option, continuing her current coalition with the Social Democratic Party.

PHILIPPINES President Rodrigo Duterte’s satisfaction rating has been hit by its steepest drop since he came to power last year amid an outcry over unabated drug killings and unresolved allegations that he has unexplained wealth, an independent poll showed.

NORTH KOREA Supreme leader Kim Jong Un has promoted his sister to the nation’s top decision-making body, international media reported last night. Kim Yo Jong, the youngest daughter of late leader Kim Jong Il, is set to join the Workers Party’s Politburo.

CAMBODIA’s government has agreed to raise the minimum wage for workers in the garment and footwear industry, a move likely aimed at winning their support ahead of a general election next year. The industry, the country’s biggest export earner, employs more than 700,000 people.

BANGLADESH’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Saturday that her government would continue to support nearly 1 million Rohingya Muslims who have fled neighboring Myanmar to escape violence. Hasina said the government was pursuing a plan to build temporary shelters on an island with the help of international aid agencies.

TURKEY The Istanbul prosecutor’s office is charging Amnesty International’s Turkey chief and 10 others for allegedly belonging to and aiding terror groups with the completion of an indictment.

QATAR The regional blockade on Qatar poses “no risk” to the 2022 World Cup going ahead, the tournament head said on Friday, maintaining that logistical obstacles are being overcome and building work is continuing with only “minimal” cost increases.

CUBA-US The United States has received “a handful of reports” from American citizens who say they’ve experienced symptoms similar to those in attacks of U.S. government workers in Havana, a State Department official said Friday.