World briefs

MYANMAR’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has called the military’s investigation into the deaths of Rohingya Muslims found in a mass grave a “positive indication.” 

PHILIPPINES President Rodrigo Duterte has rejected calls from his allies to extend his six-year term and to cancel elections next year while supporting moves to shift to a federal system of government. 

INDONESIA Muslim hard-liners marched in Indonesia’s capital on Friday to protest Facebook’s blocking of accounts belonging to their group. About 200 protesters marched after Friday prayers from a mosque to the Facebook Indonesia office, which was guarded by hundreds of police.

NEPAL has opened an optical fiber link across the Himalayan mountains to China, ending years of dependency on India for internet access.

JORDAN-GERMANY Germany’s defense minister says her country is delivering millions of dollars’ worth of equipment to Jordan’s military to improve the kingdom’s border surveillance.

ISRAEL-PALESTINE The Israeli military said yesterday it destroyed an attack tunnel built by the Hamas militant group that stretched from the Gaza Strip, through Israel and into Egypt, and that ran past Israeli military posts as well as gas and fuel pipelines.

TUNISIA Authorities announced plans to boost aid to the needy in a bid to placate protesters whose demonstrations over price hikes degenerated into days of unrest across the North African nation, which is marking seven years on Sunday since its long-time autocratic ruler was driven into exile.

HUNGARY-ROMANIA Hungary’s government has condemned provocative comments by Romania’s prime minister about the autonomy efforts by Szeklers, a group of ethnic Hungarians in Romania.

COLOMBIA’s chief government negotiator in peace talks with the nation’s last remaining rebel group said officials are still committed to reaching a new cease-fire agreement despite fresh guerrilla attacks that put a pause on the dialogue.

PERU A giant Christ statue in Peru’s capital that was donated by a construction company at the center of Latin America’s largest corruption scandal was damaged Saturday in a fire, days before Pope Francis is set to arrive in the South American nation.