IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Hurricane Michael gains strength, closes on Florida

MIAMI - Michael gained new strength over warm tropical waters amid fears it would swiftly intensify into a major hurricane before striking Florida's northeast Gulf Coast, where frantic coastal dwellers are boarding up homes and seeking evacuation routes away from the dangerous storm heading their way.

Immigrants could be banned from big cities

CANBERRA, Australia - Starting a new life might not come with views of the Sydney Opera House or surfing at the city's Bondi Beach, with the government considering a ban on some immigrants from settling in big cities.

Billionaire says moon training 'not too hard'

TOKYO - Billionaire Japanese tycoon and future space tourist Yusaku Maezawa's training to go the moon should not be too tricky, he joked on Tuesday, adding that he planned to use free time from his six-hour work day to squeeze it in.

421 arrested for attacks after rape of girl

AHMEDABAD, India - Indian police said Monday at least 421 people had been arrested in the western state of Gujarat for attacks on migrant workers following the rape of a 1-year-old girl.

Golan support 'unlikely' for Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not likely to get much support from the international community after he called on countries to recognize the Israeli annexation of the Golan Heights that were seized from Syria, a Chinese expert said.

US owes Kavanaugh 'an apology'

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he was apologizing on behalf of the whole country to his new conservative Supreme Court justice after one of the most contentious confirmation processes in history of the United States.

Damascus displays artifacts retrieved from rebel-held areas

DAMASCUS - An exhibition in Syria's capital is showcasing hundreds of artifacts that officials say were retrieved from areas formerly held by rebels and from abroad, amid recent gains by government forces.

Website 'reveals identity' of second Salisbury suspect

The United Kingdom-based investigative website Bellingcat has named a second man it says participated in the alleged attempted assassination of a former Russian double-agent in the small British city of Salisbury in March.

Xi greets new Iraqi president

President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message on Tuesday to Barham Salih for his election as Iraqi president.

Turkey seeking Saudi answers on missing journalist

BUDAPEST/ANKARA - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday called on Riyadh to prove its claim that Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who has been missing since last week, left the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, while the United States called on Saudi Arabia to support an investigation into the incident.

Aid pours into Indonesian city stricken by disasters

PALU, Indonesia - Aid poured into disaster-ravaged Palu on Sunday after days of delays as efforts ramped up to reach 200,000 people in desperate need following a deadly quake-tsunami in the Indonesian city.