1. More than 300 people of all ages took part in tug-of-war contests held on the sea in western Japan to mark the national holiday known as Marine Day.
2. Iranian state television reported on Monday that Tehran is scheduled to hold talks on its nuclear development program with Britain, France and Germany. It said the talks will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, on Friday.
3. Russia has shown a positive reaction to Ukraine’s proposal to hold a new round of direct talks on a ceasefire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that his country had proposed a new meeting with Russia to be held this week. Russia’s state-run media have quoted informed sources as saying that the Kremlin will likely announce a date for the meeting soon, and that the Turkish city of Istanbul will likely remain the host city.