IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Syria

Blasts kill 32 as army advances

Two blasts in the central Syrian city of Homs killed at least 32 people and wounded dozens on Sunday in the latest wave of violence to hit the city in recent weeks, state TV said. The Homs blasts came amid reports that Syrian government forces captured 31 villages in the northern province of Aleppo from the extremist Islamic State group. Syrian troops have been on the offensive in different parts of the country under the cover of Russian airstrikes.