World briefs

SYRIA President Bashar Assad yesterday refused any security cooperation with Western nations or the reopening of their embassies, until they cut ties with opposition and insurgent groups. Assad’s defiant comments come at a time when his troops and pro-Iranian militiamen are gaining ground across the country under the cover of Russian airstrikes. Many countries have ceased calling for him to step down.

VIETNAM Six people have been killed when a Vietnam War-era mortar shell they were sawing for scrap metal exploded. State-run Tuoi Tre newspaper says the victims died on the spot following the explosion in south-central province of Khanh Hoa.

MALAYSIA apologized to Indonesia yesterday for an “unintentional” mistake in printing the Indonesian flag upside down in a souvenir guidebook for the Southeast Asian Games.

IRAN Lawmakers yesterday approved 16 Cabinet members nominated by recently re-elected President Hassan Rouhani, including the first defense minister unaffiliated with the elite, hard-line Revolutionary Guard in 25 years.

SOUTH AFRICA Granted diplomatic immunity by South Africa, the wife of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe returned home from Johannesburg yesterday despite calls that she be prosecuted for allegedly assaulting a young model at a luxury hotel there. 

FINLAND has observed a minute of silence for the victims of a stabbing attack in the western city of Turku that left two people dead and eight injured.

VENEZUELA’s pro-government constitutional assembly took over the powers of the opposition-led congress Friday, dramatically escalating a standoff between President Nicolas Maduro and his political foes. 

GUATEMALA-EL SALVADOR El Salvador and Guatemala have joined a trend in clamping down on child marriage by passing legislation that would outlaw marriage with minors, even in cases of parental consent or pregnancy.