World briefs

RUSSIA Two boats collided near a Russian city that is hosting the World Cup, killing 11 people, authorities said yesterday. A state media report said the captain of one of the vessels was drunk.

VIETNAM Legislators yesterday passed a contentious cybersecurity law, which critics say will hurt the economy and further restrict freedom of expression. 

INDONESIA A leader of Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization is visiting Israel this week, braving angry protests at home in order to spread what he calls a message of interfaith compassion.

PAKISTAN’s Supreme Court has upheld a death sentence for a man who killed eight children, including a 7-year-old girl whose rape and murder drew nationwide condemnation earlier this year.

JORDAN Three Gulf Arab states have pledged USD2.5 billion in aid to Jordan in an effort to stabilize the U.S.-allied kingdom as it faces its worst protests in years over government austerity plans that include tax increases.

IRAQ Turkey’s military says its warplanes have struck 12 Kurdish rebel targets in cross-border raids in northern Iraq, where it is broadening its operations and vowing to destroy a stronghold of the fighters.

ROMANIA’s president says he is considering a referendum on the justice system amid a contentious overhaul of the country’s laws and ongoing anti-corruption protests.

EU The European Central Bank will tomorrow weigh when and how to end its bond-buying stimulus program — an exit that will have far-reaching consequences across the economy, from long-suffering savers to Europe’s indebted governments.

GERMANY Police say a 15-year-old girl was fatally stabbed in a park in the German city of Viersen and a suspect is in custody. The dpa news agency reported that a 25-year-old Turkish man, who was known to police, has turned himself in.

FRANCE Police say a man is holding two people hostage in an office in central Paris. There is no indication of terrorist motives.

US Immigration judges generally cannot consider domestic and gang violence as grounds for asylum, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a ruling that could affect large numbers of Central Americans who have increasingly turned to the United States for protection.

BRAZIL Rising homicide rates are damaging Brazil’s economy and leading to skyrocketing public security costs, according to a new study.