News in Brief
NATO to hold talks on Sweden entry
AFP – NATO will hold talks on Sweden joining the alliance before its summit next month, with the agreement of Turkey which has been holding up the bid, its chief said Monday.
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he had spoken to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and “agreed to convene a high-level meeting in Brussels before the summit.”
Japan protests Russia’s declaration of victory day
REUTERS – Japan has lodged a protest against Russia over the country’s decision to declare Sept. 3 a day of victory over “militaristic Japan” – a move it said would fan mutual antagonism, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Monday.
“The passage of this law could not only stir anti-Japanese sentiment among the Russian people, but may also lead to anti-Russian sentiment among the Japanese people,” the government spokesperson said.
Security measures imposed
in Honduras after massacre of 11
AP – Gunmen burst into a pool hall in northern Honduras and opened fire, killing 11 people and prompting President Xiomara Castro to announce security measures including curfews in the area amid a wave of drug trafficking-linked violence.
The attack occurred in the city of Choloma in Cortes province late Saturday night. It left 10 men and one woman dead.