Xinhua world news summary at 1530 GMT, April 17

GENEVA -- The European Union (EU) on Monday requested consultations with the United States at the World Trade Organization (WTO) over Washington's move to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, WTO sources said on Tuesday.

"Notwithstanding the United States' characterisation of these measures as security measures, they are in essence safeguard measures," the EU said in its request. (EU-US-WTO)

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DAMASCUS -- Investigators of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) entered the Douma district in east of Syrian capital Damascus on Tuesday to start investigating the allegations of chemical weapons use, state TV reported.

No more details were disclosed about the entry of the team to the previously rebel-held district, where an alleged gas attack by Syrian troops reportedly killed dozens of people and triggered off the U.S.-led joint airstrikes on Syria on Saturday morning. (Syria-OPCW-Chemical Weapon)

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WASHINGTON -- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday kept its growth forecasts for the world economy unchanged for this year and next year, but warned that a potential broad-based trade conflict threatens to derail global growth prematurely.

In its newly-released World Economic Outlook, the IMF said the global economy would grow 3.9 percent in 2018 and 2019, unchanged from its previous forecast in January. (IMF-Global Economy)

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MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a telephone conversation they were ready to assist in political and diplomatic efforts on Syria, including the Geneva and Astana peace talks, the Kremlin said Tuesday.

Putin said that the recent action by a group of Western countries on Syria was "an act of aggression" that largely violated norms of international law and caused substantial damage to the prospect of a political settlement to the Syrian crisis, according to a Kremlin statement. (Russia-Germany-Syria) Enditem