PEACE ENVOY TO SYRIA CALLS FOR TRUCE
DAMASCUS: Syria peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi appealed to both sides to call a truce to the conflict during a Muslim holiday this week after talks with President Bashar al-Assad, as a deadly blast rocked Damascus. AFP

PROTESTERS STORM TV STATION IN LIBYAN CITY
BENGHAZI, Libya: Hundreds of tribesmen stormed a television station in Libya’s eastern city of Benghazi on Sunday to protest what they called “false reports” about clashes in their hometown of Bani Walid. The protesters, from the Warfalla tribe, destroyed most of the offices and equipment of the al-Hurra TV station. XINHUA

US, Iran deny deal for bilateral nuclear talks
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Iran and the United States both denied any deal had been reached for one-on-one nuclear talks, as The New York Times reported—even though the White House said that it was open to such a dialogue. AFP

EX-US PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE MCGOVERN DIES
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Former US senator George McGovern, a liberal icon who vowed to end the Vietnam War but lost a landslide presidential election to Richard Nixon in 1972, died on Sunday morning at the age of 90. AFP

IVF LINKED TO INCREASED RISK OF BIRTH DEFECTS
WASHINGTON, D.C.: In vitro fertilization (IVF) may significantly increase the risk of birth defects, particularly those of the eye, heart, reproductive organs and urinary systems, according to new study presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference. In the study, researchers examined infants born in California from 2006-2007 after IVF and other treatments such as fertility-enhancing drugs or artificial insemination. XINHUA

CASTRO APPEARS AFTER HALF-YEAR ABSENCE
HAVANA: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro met Venezuela’s former vice president Elias Jaua and voted in Cuba’s municipal elections over the weekend after a six-month absence from the public. Jaua told reporters on Sunday (Monday in Manila) that he met with Castro the day before and the retired Cuban leader “was very well.” XINHUA