World briefs

VIETNAM Flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains have killed at least seven people and left 12 others missing in northern Vietnam, officials said yesterday.

INDONESIA has identified the suspected location of an overcrowded ferry that sank last week in a deep volcanic crater lake but will need international help to recover the wreck.

KOREA The rival Koreas are discussing the possible relocation of North Korea’s long-range artillery guns away from the tense Korean border. 

JAPAN Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s approval rating jumped in two public opinion surveys, in the latest sign his premiership had escaped danger after a series of domestic scandals earlier this year. 

IRAN Protesters angered by Iran’s cratering economy confronted police in front of parliament yesterday, with security forces firing tear gas at them, according to online videos, the first such confrontation after similar demonstrations rocked the country at the start of the year. 

JORDAN-SYRIA Jordan will not take in Syrians fleeing their government’s latest offensive in the country’s south, officials said yesterday, as violence in the Syrian province of Daraa claimed more lives and displaced thousands.

ROMANIA faces Russian aggression on a daily basis in the Black Sea, and is fending off a wave of cyber-attacks and political interference, the defense minister said yesterday.

GERMANY Lawmakers are voicing growing frustration that a much-touted migration “master plan” is dominating the country’s political debate although hardly anybody has seen it.

EU-VENEZUELA The European Union banned travel and froze the assets of 11 senior Venezuelan officials yesterday, including new Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, pressing the nation’s leaders to hold fresh elections and return to democratic rule.

U.S. President Donald Trump compared people entering the country from Mexico to invaders and said they should be immediately sent back without appearing before a judge.