World briefs

THAILAND Police said yesterday that they were stepping up security along the country’s borders as they searched for around 20 suspected ethnic Uighurs who escaped an immigration detention center.

PHILIPPINES The government filed complaints yesterday with an anti-graft office accusing many Cabinet officials in the previous administration of corruption in a maintenance contract for a Manila commuter train line hounded by near-daily breakdowns. 

INDONESIA The Mount Agung volcano on the Indonesian tourist island of Bali spewed ash and steam yesterday, but authorities said its alert level remained unchanged.

IRAN’s President Hassan Rouhani has criticized the Arab League for supporting Saudi Arabia and its role in the war in Yemen. He also called the regional organization of Arab countries “old, worn-out, exhausted and ineffective.”

EGYPT Security officials say prosecutors have ordered an Egyptian female pop singer detained for a week on accusations of promoting debauchery in a racy video clip.

NIGERIA A teenage suicide bomber attacked worshippers as they gathered for morning prayers yesterday at a mosque in northeastern Nigeria, killing at least 50 people. While there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, suspicion immediately fell on the Boko Haram extremist group, which has been blamed for scores of similar attacks over the years.

UKRAINE In a new challenge to the Ukrainian leadership, opposition leader Mikhail Saakashvili, the former president of Georgia, said that Ukraine needs a new Cabinet and he’s ready to lead it.

BRITAIN’s Treasury chief is likely to ignore demands that the government ease seven years of austerity when he unveils the budget today, opting instead to keep a tight rein on spending as economic growth slows and the country prepares for the impact of Brexit.

ARGENTINA’s navy says that a U.S. aircraft searching for a missing submarine with 44 crew members aboard has spotted a white flare, but it’s unlikely to be from the sub as the ARA San Juan carries red and green flares. The vessel went missing on Wednesday last week and only has enough oxygen to last seven days if submerged.

PUERTO RICO Whitefish Energy Holdings said that it was halting work to help restore power in Puerto Rico because the U.S. territory’s government has not paid crews as part of a contract that led to accusations of overcharging and incompetence.