Pandas get Finnish names before arrival

HELSINKI - A pair of giant pandas have been given local, snow-themed names ahead of their arrival in Finland in mid-January.

Trump hits back at author's accusations

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump on Saturday rejected an author's accusations that he is "mentally unfit for office" and said his business career and election victory showed he is "a very stable genius".

Tourist rise targeted as Myanmar mulls overhaul

YANGON - Myanmar is considering an overhaul of its sustainable tourism industry, with an emphasis on creating new routes and attractions and to combine innovation with its abundant natural resources.

Big homes boost for small Texas town

The future looks promising for both Cleveland, Texas, and the McKinley Development Co Inc at the beginning of 2018.

Priceless Japanese fish make a splash

KAZO, Japan - Handreared for their color and beauty, koi carp have become an iconic symbol of Japan that can sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars and are becoming more popular elsewhere in Asia.

Germany, Turkey move to heal ties

BERLIN - The foreign ministers of Germany and Turkey on Saturday held meeting in the German city of Goslar, in a bid to seek reconciliation after two years of tensions.

DPRK to top Trump's 2018 agenda

WASHINGTON - Washington's relations with Pyongyang are expected to be US President Donald Trump's greatest foreign policy challenge in 2018, as tensions continue to simmer between the two nations, US experts said.

Teheran, Islamabad get closer over threats

TEHERAN - The Iranian and Pakistani defense ministers held talks on defense cooperation amid US President Donald Trump's recent Twitter spree against both nations, Iranian PressTV reported on Friday.

US East Coast paralyzed after massive storm

NEW YORK - A massive winter storm paralyzed much of the US East Coast on Thursday and Friday, dumping as much as 46 centimeters of snow from the Carolinas to Maine. It also caused flooding on the streets of Boston due to swelling storm tides, forced the cancellation of nearly 5,000 flights and closed businesses, offices and schools.

UK looks to benefit from China's desire to upgrade its pig stocks

The United Kingdom will send its largest shipment of pig semen to China this month, as the latter looks to improve the genetics of its domestic herd.

IN BRIEF (Page 8)

Ivory trade ban wins applause

NAIROBI, Kenya - The historic decision by China to terminate commercial processing and sale of ivory will usher a new era for the protection of Africa's elephants and other iconic species, campaigners and officials have said.