Turkey's Erdogan says his troops are ready to take over Syria's Manbij area

ISTANBUL/WASHINGTON - Turkey is ready to take over security in Syria's Manbij, where four US citizens died in an Islamic State-claimed bombing last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told US President Donald Trump in a telephone call on Sunday, the Turkish presidential office said.

Spring Festival gala in Yangon to celebrate friendship

YANGON - A transnational Spring Festival gala, themed Celebration of China-Myanmar Friendship, got started in Myanmar's Yangon on Saturday evening, involving popular artists of the two countries.

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Xi mourns casualties of Mexico blast

TLAHUELILPAN, Mexico - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday sent a message of condolence to his Mexican counterpart Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador over a deadly pipeline blast that has killed at least 73 people.

US and DPRK meet in Sweden to start denuclearization talks

Senior officials from Washington and Pyongyang started working-level talks in Sweden on Sunday to pave the way for a second summit between the two countries' leaders in an effort to break the current deadlock over denuclearization talks.

Survey says most in support of synergy

A global survey released by the World Economic Forum on Sunday reported that the public overwhelmingly favors multilateral cooperation and rejects the notion that a country's best interest is achieved at the expense of others.

Democrats dismissive of Trump's trade-off

WASHINGTON - In a bid to break the shutdown stalemate, US President Donald Trump offered to extend temporary protections for young people brought to the US illegally as children and those fleeing disaster zones in exchange for his long-promised border wall. But while Trump cast the move as a "common-sense compromise", Democrats were quick to dismiss it as a "non-starter".

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London vows to double its air monitors

A network of air quality sensors is being set up around London to provide data in an effort to reduce air pollution and deal with a problem that has become a "public health emergency", according to the city's mayor.

Grannies take knitting skills online

SAINT PETERSBURG - Elderly women across Russia are often seen selling their hand-knitted wares on pavement corners for a few roubles to supplement pensions.

Babies wanted: Nordic countries need more kids

OSLO - "Norway needs more children! I don't think I need to tell anyone how this is done," Norway's prime minister said. And she was raising a real concern.

2nd US-DPRK summit the focus of talks

WASHINGTON - A top official from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was paying a rare visit on Friday to Washington, where he is expected to meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and even US President Donald Trump to finalize a new summit aimed at denuclearization and easing decades of hostility.