World briefs

FRANCE-SPAIN The French European Affairs minister says France won’t recognize Catalonia if it unilaterally declares independence from Spain. Nathalie Loiseau said that “if there were to be a declaration of independence, it would be unilateral, it wouldn’t be recognized.” Loiseau added such a declaration would immediately result in Catalonia’s departure from the 28-nation European Union.

THAILAND An 85-year-old Thai social critic faces up to 15 years in prison for offending the monarchy after questioning whether a duel on elephant-back, fought more than 400 years ago by a Thai king against a Burmese adversary, ever took place. Police escorted Sulak Sivaraksa to a Bangkok military court yesterday where he was officially charged with insulting the monarchy.

MYANMAR An overcrowded boat carrying Rohingya Muslims fleeing Myanmar capsized in the confluence of a river and the Bay of Bengal and at least 12 people died, police said yesterday. Five of the dead were children.

PAKISTAN Gunmen ambushed a car with minority Shiite Muslims in the southwestern city of Quetta, killing four of them and a passer-by, while a Taliban attack on a military vehicle in northwestern Pakistan left three soldiers dead.

AUSTRALIA’s prime minister said yesterday that he was confident that government lawmakers would win a court challenge this week that threatens his administration’s slender majority.

BOSNIA’s war crimes court yesterday acquitted the wartime commander of Srebrenica, who was accused of committing atrocities against Serbs during the 1992-95 Balkan conflict.

VENEZUELA A Venezuelan journalists association says a court has released three journalists who had been detained while reporting on a prison. They include an Italian and a Swiss citizen.