World briefs

INDONESIA Riding a tsunami of moral conservatism and anti-gay prejudice, Indonesia’s Islamic political parties appear on the cusp of a major victory: outlawing all sex outside marriage.

CAMBODIA An appeals court in Cambodia yesterday denied a second request for the release on bail of opposition leader Kem Sokha, who has been charged with treason.

MYANMAR A court yesterday denied bail for two Reuters journalists charged with illegally handling government secrets, their lawyer said.

JAPAN A fire engulfed a group home for welfare recipients in northern Japan, killing 11 people and injuring three, police and fire officials said yesterday.

INDIA-NEPAL India’s foreign minister arrived in Nepal yesterday, days before an alliance of Communist parties with strong connections to China takes power in the Himalayan nation.

RUSSIA The Communist Party’s candidate for president would seem to be an odd choice: He’s a millionaire and proud of it. He also openly rejects the basic tenets of Communism. Pavel Grudinin is the Russian party’s first new nominee in 14 years as it hopes to rejuvenate itself and broaden its appeal from its traditional base of aging voters who are nostalgic for the old Soviet Union. 

POLAND’s Foreign Ministry says new legislation to regulate Holocaust speech is intended to “fight all forms of denying and distorting the truth about the Holocaust as well as belittling the responsibility of its actual perpetrators.”

FRANCE’s national rail operator has been convicted of discrimination against more than 800 Moroccan employees throughout their career. The SNCF had been sentenced to pay more than 170 million euros in compensation.

SPAIN Lawyers representing three jailed Catalan separatists have lodged a case with the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention over their “unlawful” imprisonment.

CUBA A flight from Moscow to Cuba was diverted to New Jersey after the plane suddenly became low on fuel. The airline, Azur Air, was taking 294 passengers and 14 crew members to Havana when it had to make an emergency landing for refueling.