• In the Philippines, the army said its forces killed at least 44 pro-Islamic State militants and wounded 26 more, after days of fighting and shelling in southern Maguindanao province. The rebel group is known as the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, or BIFF. [Reuters]

• Andrew Barr, the chief minister of the Australian Capital Territory, announced a plan to bypass traditional news media. “I hate journalists,” he said. “I’m over dealing with the mainstream media.” [The Canberra Times]

• Recent scandals in Australia’s halls of power have exposed a pervasive culture of sexual harassment in the country’s politics. Our reporter takes the measure of the national reckoning. [The New York Times]



• Wash clothes and use baby wipes. A week after a former Russian spy and his daughter were poisoned with a nerve agent in England, the authorities issued some advice but said the risk to the public remained “low.” [The New York Times]

• U2’s frontman, Bono, said he was “furious” after a charity he co-founded was accused of fostering an atmosphere of bullying and abuse, including an attempt at sexual coercion. [The New York Times]

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