World Briefs

CHINA agreed to cooperate more closely with its trading partners on its politically volatile steel exports in an apparent endorsement of free trade.

HONG KONG A China Overseas Land & Investment Ltd. project restricted to Hong Kong residents sold out all 300 apartments on the first day, the company said.

KOREA The North yesterday fired three medium-range missiles that traveled about 1,000 kilometers and landed near Japan in an apparent show of force timed to coincide with the G20 summit in China, South Korean officials said.

IRANs supreme leader yesterday said Saudi Arabian authorities “murdered” Muslim pilgrims who were injured during last year’s hajj stampede. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said the ministry has formed a committee to investigate the issue and pursue it in international forums, without elaborating.

INDIA Government troops will begin using some chili-filled shells instead of shotgun pellets to control angry crowds in the Indian-administered portion of Kashmir, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said yesterday.

SYRIA The Islamic State group has claimed several attacks across Syria that killed at least 48 people, targeting government-held areas and Kurdish forces. Bombings targeted the government stronghold of Tartus, home to a Russian naval base, as well as a heavily guarded Damascus suburb and a military post in the central city of Homs.

GERMANY Chancellor Angela Merkel took a share of the responsibility for her conservatives’ election defeat in the German state where she has her political base, but strongly defended her migrant policy yesterday even as she vowed to win back voters’ trust.

FRANCE A former French budget minister went on trial yesterday for hiding his wealth in tax havens around the world — while at the same time leading the government’s fight against tax evasion. Jerome Cahuzac appeared in a Paris court on charges of tax fraud and money laundering that saw him resign in 2013 in one of the biggest political scandals under President Francois Hollande.

BRAZIL Police in Brazil’s biggest city clashed with protesters who marched to reject the new president on Sunday, five days after Dilma Rousseff was ousted as leader of South America’s biggest nation.