August 18, Friday, 2017 (2:00 p.m.) Read by Mr. Raja Pradhan and Ms. Mariko Kojima

1. A van has crashed into a crowd in Spain’s northeastern city of Barcelona, killing 13 people and wounding about 100 others.
2. The foreign and defense chiefs of Japan and the United States have agreed to continue exerting pressure on North Korea to halt its nuclear and missile programs.
3. Japan’s foreign minister says the government will offer assistance worth about 500 million dollars to enhance the maritime security capabilities of Indo-Pacific coastal nations.