World briefs

CHINA The strongest typhoon to hit southern China in four decades has killed 17 people after claiming at least 94 lives in the Philippines, officials say.

INDONESIA After an ugly presidential election campaign, the world’s third biggest democracy is set to declare the winner tomorrow — but that may not settle a simmering dispute between the two candidates, both of whom claim victory. According to unofficial counts, Joko Widodo, the former governor of Jakarta has a slim lead over Prabowo Subianto, a former Suharto’s general.

ISRAEL says it has widened its ground offensive early Sunday, sending more troops into Gaza after demolishing more than a dozen Hamas tunnels and intensifying tank fire on border areas. Loud explosions shook Gaza as Israeli flares lit up the night sky and Israeli fighter jets flew low across the densely populated territory.

IRAQ The message played over loudspeakers gave the Christians of Iraq’s second-largest city around 48 hours to make a choice: convert to Islam, pay a tax, or be killed. By Saturday’s noon deadline imposed by the Islamic State extremist group, the vast majority of Christians in Mosul had made their choice.

EGYPT Gunmen armed with rocket-propelled grenades yesterday attacked a border guard post in Egypt’s western desert in a brazen assault that killed 21 troops deployed in the province along the border with neighboring Libya.

USA The rate of new HIV infections diagnosed in the United States each year fell by one-third over the past decade, a government study finds. Experts celebrated it as hopeful news that the AIDS epidemic may be slowing in the U.S. although the reasons for the drop aren’t clear.

USA A federal appeals court granted an Arizona death row inmate’s request to postpone his pending execution, putting it on hold until prison officials reveal details on the two-drug combination that will be used to put him to death. The preliminary injunction granted by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversing a lower federal court comes four days before the scheduled execution of Joseph Rudolph Wood.

AUSTRALIA The ACT Brumbies earned a semifinal against the New South Wales Waratahs and South Africa’s Sharks advanced to play New Zealand’s Crusaders in Super Rugby after surviving similar and searching tests in first-round playoffs over the weekend. Two-time champions the Brumbies gave up a 22-3 first-half lead, allowing the Chiefs to draw level at 25-25, before recovering to win 32-30 when their opponents failed to convert the last of the game’s eight tries.