IN BRIEF

France

Trump arrives for Bastille Day visit

US President Donald Trump arrived in Paris on Thursday for a presidential visit filled with Bastille Day pomp and which the White House hopes will offer respite from rolling scandal back home. The US leader will be the guest of honor at France's Bastille Day festivities on Friday. He will also visit Napoleon's tomb and have a Michelin-starred dinner at the Eiffel Tower during on the trip, which coincides with the 100th anniversary of US involvement in World War I.

United States

Afghan girls get visas for contest

A team of Afghan girls who had been denied visas to attend a Washington robotics competition are now allowed to come, organizers said on Wednesday. Authorities had denied access to schoolchildren from a number of Muslim-majority nations to participate in the competition. But following public outcry over the girls' inability to attend the event, the US President Donald Trump urged authorities to reverse course, media said.

Armstrong's moon dust to be sold

Moon dust collected by Neil Armstrong during the first lunar landing is being sold at a New York auction. The lunar dust plus some tiny rocks that Armstrong also collected are zipped up in a small bag and are worth an estimated $2 million to $4 million. They're just some of the items linked to space travel that Sotheby's is auctioning off to mark the 48th anniversary of the first lunar landing on July 20. Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon. He died in 2012.

Mexico

Chinese farmers' arts on display

An exhibition of 60 paintings of the Chinese countryside opened in Mexico City on Monday, featuring not just the daily life and customs of rural communities, but also local farmers' artistic talents. The exhibition Paintings by Guangdong farmers is being exhibited at the National Museum of Popular Cultures. The paintings offer images of bucolic life centered around strong family ties and respect for mother nature.

Germany

Suspects arrested in gold coin heist

Special police commandos have arrested four men aged 18 to 20 suspected of stealing a gold coin worth about $4 million from Berlin's Bode Museum, but they failed to find the coin. The arrests came on Wednesday as part of an investigation involving 300 police officers. But officials said they believe the 100 kilogram Canadian Big Maple Leaf coin, made with unusually pure gold, has been melted down.

Canada

Astronaut to be governor general

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will name retired astronaut Julie Payette as the next governor general, the acting head of state and Queen Elizabeth's representative in Canada, media outlets reported on Wednesday. Payette, 53, would replace outgoing Governor General David Johnston, 76, whose term is set to expire in September after nearly seven years in office.