World briefs

KOREA As North and South Korea prepare for their first summit in more than a decade this Friday, the world’s largest annual military maneuvers between Seoul and the U.S. have been postponed, probably shortened, and certainly toned down. They have not, however, been canceled.

PHILIPPINES The country’s ambassador to Kuwait has offered a public apology after he made comments about his diplomatic mission’s efforts to help abused Filipino housemaids in the Gulf nation.

INDONESIA An Indonesian court sentenced a politician praised by President Donald Trump to 15 years in prison yesterday for his role in the theft of USD170 million of public money.

PAKISTAN Police yesterday arrested the father and the uncle suspected in an “honor” killing of a 25-year-old Italian citizen, a woman of Pakistani origin who refused to marry the man they chose for her.

IRAN-SAUDI ARABIA Iran’s foreign minister said that neither Iran nor Saudi Arabia can be the dominant power in the Middle East and what’s needed most is for countries in the Persian Gulf region to talk to each other.

ARMENIA The government and the country’s opposition are putting their differences aside to mark the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians a century ago by Ottoman Turks.

BALKANS A senior European Union official said yesterday that the road to membership in the bloc for Albania and Macedonia would be tough but “worth the effort.”

GERMANY Bavaria’s conservative government is ordering Christian crosses to be placed at the entrance of all state administrative buildings, saying the crosses shouldn’t be seen as religious symbols, but are meant to reflect “cultural identity and Christian-western influence.”

CHILE-ITALY The key whistleblower in Chile’s clerical sex abuse scandal has arrived in Rome for his audience with Pope Francis and said he will urge the pope to get rid of the “toxic” bishops and cardinals.

BRAZIL Hundreds of indigenous Brazilians set up camp in the nation’s capital at the start of a week of speeches, protests and celebrations as they lobby the government to protect their rights.

NICARAGUA Tens of thousands of Nicaraguans marched in the capital to protest government repression and call for peace after several days of violent demonstrations set off by a social security overhaul.