IN BRIEF (Page 9)

Elderly join Japan's hidden 'hikikomori'

TOKYO - Ikeida leaves the house once every three days to buy food, shuns deliveries to avoid human interaction and has not seen his parents or younger brother for 20 years.

Cars overtake drugs to drive away children's fears of surgery

VALENCIENNES, France - Wearing a big grin, Marame clambers into the small electric sports car and drives off - to the operating theater.

Filipinos sound off over karaoke 'pollution'

MANILA - "It's more fun in the Philippines," the country's official tourism tag line runs. Indeed, the country has the good weather, pristine beaches and warm, welcoming faces of its people.

Printed homes build hope for slum-dwellers

BOGOTA - Dozens of families living in El Salvador's slums hope to swap their makeshift wooden shacks for concrete 3D-printed houses next year, in what developers say is the first project of its kind in the world.

Oscars chief being investigated for sexual harassment

LOS ANGELES - The president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the body which hands out the Oscars, is being investigated for sexual harassment, US media reported on Friday.

Russian sanctions get mixed reaction

The United States' announcement of sanctions on Russian individuals and entities for alleged US election meddling has aroused mixed reactions in Washington and beyond, with some hawks on Capitol Hill calling for more action, while Moscow said it is preparing retaliation.

Fatalities after Miami footbridge collapses

MIAMI, Florida - A newly installed pedestrian bridge over a major road in Miami collapsed on Thursday, killing six people and trapping multiple cars below.

Mass exodus as Syrian army advances

ADRA, Syria - Thousands of civilians poured out of rebel-held eastern Ghouta on Thursday, after a monthlong campaign brought the Syrian government forces closer to recapturing the devastated enclave outside Damascus.

Duterte takes aim at detractors as Philippines quits ICC

MANILA - The Philippines has officially informed the United Nations of its decision to withdraw from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the country's Department of Foreign Affairs said on Friday.

IN BRIEF (Page 11)

US students protest against gun violence

One month after the Feb 14 massacre at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, young activists across the United States marched to demand an end to gun violence.