World briefs

PHILIPPINES President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the national police to rejoin anti-drug operations, the second time he has overturned previous decisions to remove the law enforcers from the brutal crackdown amid growing alarm over the deaths of thousands of suspects.

MYANMAR A top Myanmar diplomat has rejected allegations by the U.N. human rights chief that the country’s government has taken action to “dehumanize” Rohingya Muslims.

JAPAN A memoir by Japanese Emperor Hirohito that offers his recollections of World War II is predicted to fetch between USD100,000 and $150,000 at an auction in New York.

AUSTRALIA will ban foreign interference in its politics — either through espionage or financial donations — in a move motivated largely by Russia’s alleged involvement in last year’s U.S. election and China’s growing influence on the global political landscape.

AFGHANISTAN The Afghan intelligence agency says scores of al-Qaida figures, including senior leader Omar Khetab, have been killed in joint operations with coalition forces in the country’s eastern and southern provinces.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES yesterday announced it has formed a new economic and partnership group with Saudi Arabia, separate from the Gulf Cooperation Council — a move that could undermine the council amid a diplomatic crisis with member state Qatar.

TURKEY A group of academics from universities in Istanbul are standing trial on charges of engaging in “terrorist propaganda” for signing a declaration calling for an end to hostilities against Kurdish rebels in Turkey’s southeast.

ISRAEL President Donald Trump is set to speak with the leaders of Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority as he deliberates over whether to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, or to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to the contested city.

ROMANIA Former Romanian King Michael I, who was forced to abdicate by the communists in the aftermath of World War II, died yesterday at age 96.

ARGENTINA U.S and Russian ships carrying remotely operated vehicles capable of deep seafloor searches are joining other vessels hunting for an Argentine submarine that went missing in the South Atlantic.

HONDURAS Some police in Honduras are choosing not to enforce a government-ordered curfew amid protests over a disputed vote count from the Nov. 26 presidential election. Thousands of people left their homes overnight to show their support for police.