IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Syrian Army making headway

DAMASCUS - The Syrian Army advanced on Saturday in the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta countryside of the capital Damascus, capturing a number of areas.

Iran calls on West to scrap arms before talks

TEHERAN - A senior Iranian military official said on Saturday that Iran will not negotiate its missile program unless Europe and the United States destroy their nuclear weapons and missiles.

Nearly 150,000 people in dire need of aid one week after quake

SYDNEY - Almost a week after a deadly quake struck the rugged Papua New Guinea highlands, nearly 150,000 people remain in urgent need of emergency supplies as damaged roads and landslides have hampered the delivery of aid to isolated communities, agencies have said.

Melon check after listeria outbreak

SYDNEY - Australian authorities said on Sunday they were checking whether rockmelons had been exported from a farm where fruit contaminated with listeria has been found to have killed three elderly people and caused illness in at least 12 others.

Families slow to go back to Fukushima

FUKUSHIMA, Japan - Many families with small children have not returned to municipalities in Fukushima prefecture that were affected by the 2011 nuclear accident at the Fukushima No 1 nuclear power plant, a Yomiuri Shimbun survey has found.

ROK dispatches envoys for nuclear talks with DPRK

SEOUL - Moon Jae-in, the Republic of Korea president, will send special envoys to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on Monday, the first such move in 11 years.

Deal clears way for Merkel to stay in charge of Germany

Members of Germany's opposition Social Democrats have voted in favor of joining a grand coalition government, ensuring the chancellor, Angela Merkel, will start a fourth term as national leader.

Deadline on 'Dreamers' to pass with no action

WASHINGTON - Congress will hit an initial deadline on Monday for resolving the fate of "Dreamers", with nothing to show for months of negotiations over nearly 2 million immigrants who arrived in the US illegally as children.

US carrier makes first visit in budding Vietnam friendship

The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier will set anchor in Vietnam's coastal city Da Nang on Monday, the first time a US aircraft carrier has visited the country since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Trump tariff plan meets resistance

WASHINGTON - The International Monetary Fund said on Friday that the import restrictions announced by US President Donald Trump would not only hurt the United States but also other economies.