World briefs

CHINA-MALAYSIA Multibillion-dollar China-financed projects in Malaysia have been canceled because they aren’t needed and will saddle the country with an unsustainable amount of debt, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told reporters on the final day of his visit to Beijing.

INDONESIA A court has sentenced a woman who complained about a noisy mosque to 18 months in prison for blasphemy.

AUSTRALIA Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called on his government to unite behind him after he survived an internal leadership challenge yesterday, but several ministers who backed the failed challenger offered their resignations instead.

AFGHANISTAN Rockets were fired yesterday toward the presidential palace in Kabul as the Afghan president was delivering his holiday message for the Muslim celebrations of Eid al-Adha, police said, prompting a ferocious aerial response, with helicopter gunships bombing the house from where the rockets were reportedly launched.

ISRAEL-PALESTINE The Israeli military says it is investigating two recent cases of lethal fire along the Gaza border that killed Palestinian teen protesters.

SERBIA’s air force yesterday took the delivery of two Russian MiG-29 fighter jets, part of an arms purchase that could heighten tensions in the Balkans and increase Moscow’s influence in the region.

GREECE The government has launched a new bid to engage Britain in talks over the return to Athens of a celebrated group of ancient sculptures originally ornamenting the Parthenon Temple on the Acropolis.

MALTA-ITALY The Italian coast guard ship Diciotto has made port in the Sicilian city of Catania with 177 migrants awaiting word on which countries will take them following another standoff between Malta and Italy.

IRELAND The Vatican said yesterday that Pope Francis is expected to meet with victims of sexual abuse during his weekend visit to Ireland and speak out about the problem.

BRAZIL At least 11 suspects and two soldiers died during shootouts with military personnel and police in greater Rio de Janeiro as violence erupted in several areas of the city that hosted the Summer Olympics two years ago.

US At least three dozen immigrant recruits who were booted from the U.S. Army after enlisting with a promised pathway to citizenship are being brought back to serve, according to court records.

UNITED NATIONS The outgoing U.N. human rights chief said that the Security Council’s five permanent members wield too much power at the United Nations, warning the imbalance must change to avert possible “collapse” of the world body.