Briefly

IRAN

Statement on nuke talks 'unconstructive'

Iran's Foreign Ministry on Saturday described a joint statement issued by Germany, France and Britain about negotiations aimed at reviving a 2015 nuclear deal as "unconstructive" and "regrettable". "It is surprising and regrettable that in a situation where diplomatic interactions and exchanges of messages are continuing" to finalize the negotiations that the three European parties would issue such an "unconstructive" statement, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said. The remarks came after the trio raised "serious doubts" about Iran's sincerity. "The three European countries are advised to play a more active role to provide a solution to end the few remaining disagreements instead of entering the phase of destroying the diplomatic process," Kanani said.

UNITED STATES

Family found shot dead in Maryland home

Two parents and their three children were found fatally shot in a Maryland home, authorities said on Saturday. Autopsies confirmed that all five family members died from gunshot wounds, the Cecil County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. An unnamed man had called 911 on Friday morning from the Elk Mills home to report that a woman and three children had been shot and were dead. The shooting remained under investigation on Saturday. The shooting occurred on a cul-de-sac in an area of residential streets interspersed with wooded areas about 97 kilometers northeast of Baltimore.

Agencies Via Xinhua