News In Brief

West German report says Andropov to resume duties

The Soviet Union has told West Germany that Soviet leader Yuri Andropov, not seen in public since Aug. 18, is recovering from illness and will probably resume his duties later this week, a Bonn government spokesman said Sunday.

He was confirming a report in the Hamburg newspaper Bild am Sonntag quoting chief government spokesman Peter Boenisch as saying:

''The federal (West German) government has information that the health of Soviet General Secretary Andropov has happily improved. The Soviets have told me that Andropov will probably resume his duties on Dec. 10.''

It now appears likely that Andropov will attend the Dec. 27-28 meeting of the Supreme Soviet and the earlier plenum of the policymaking Party Central Committee.