IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Extension of Park's scandal probe pends

SEOUL - South Korean special prosecutors on Monday said acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn has yet to respond to their calls over extending investigation into a corruption scandal that led to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye.

Cheating students to face tough penalties

LONDON - Cheating university students in the United Kingdom who use essay mills could face tough penalties under an action outlined on Tuesday by Minister of State for Universities Jo Johnson. A study showed some students pay up to $8,400 to have a dissertation or a piece of work written for them.

China mourns Russia's UN ambassador Churkin

UNITED NATIONS - China offers deep condolences to Russia over the death of its ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.

Trump taps general as security adviser

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - US President Donald Trump has tapped Army Lieutenant General Herbert McMaster, a prominent military strategist known as a creative thinker, as his new national security adviser, replacing the ousted Michael Flynn.

3 men convicted of $110m Paris art heist

PARIS - An agile thief nicknamed "Spiderman", an antiques dealer and an art expert were sentenced to prison on Monday and ordered to pay Paris for stealing five masterpieces from the city's Modern Art Museum worth $110 million.

Five die as plane crashes into Melbourne mall

MELBOURNE - The Australian Authorities have confirmed that five people are dead after a charter plane crashed into a popular Melbourne shopping center on Tuesday morning.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Mideast's top defense fair opens

The biennial International Defense Exhibition and Conference kicked off in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Sunday.

China named guest country at Cuba fair

China will be the guest country at the 2018 Cuba International Book Fair as a sign of historically friendly ties between the two nations and a way to expand cultural cooperation, a senior Cuban official said on Sunday. "Inviting China to be the guest country at next year's fair will be of great importance for our bilateral cultural relation because we have distinct historical ties," Abel Prieto, Cuban minister of culture, told Xinhua.

Mattis says no plan to seize Iraqi oil

The US military is not in Iraq "to seize anybody's oil", Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said, distancing himself from remarks by President Donald Trump at the start of a visit to Iraq on Monday.

Traffic study ranks Los Angeles as most clogged city

When it comes to getting stuck in traffic on the way to and from work, Los Angeles leads the world.